Nothing Good Gets Away

Epilogue

HARRY STYLES

Five Years Later

I remember walking into Chéri in Beverly Hills the day Rowan opened it. We barely knew each other, but I was already eager to please her by taking her up on the invitation after helping her with the opening menu. It made me feel so good when she excitedly shouted my name and came over to me with a big smile, slightly flustered from all the madness that came with that first day.

And while I was hoping we would eventually become closer back then, I never imagined that I'd also be invited to her second Chéri opening in London as her husband and the father to her son. Those are the only two things that have changed since then. She's still painstakingly beautiful, she still carries herself with so much grace, and my heart still races when I see her smile or laugh with her hand covering her mouth. I still think she's the most perfect thing I've ever seen.

"I think she's married, unfortunately," my mum's voice pulls me from my intense trance on my wife, and I turn to see her gesturing to Rowan with a teasing smile.

"Knock it off," I laugh. "Where's Will?"

"With Gemma and Edward," she looks back to the table where the three of them are having their sweets with milk together. The two boys have been inseparable since we moved to London a month ago.

"So how is the house coming along?"

"Oh, it's coming," I yawn at the mention of it. "But you know Row. It needs to be just right, and we've still got some things in boxes. We're also waiting for some furniture to arrive, so it's been a bit of a slow process but we're not in any rush. We have all summer."

"Mhm," her smile returns. "I'm just so happy that we'll be able to have you here for at least the next few years."

"Me too," I lift my arm to drape it around her shoulders, squeezing her into my side. "Thank you for being here to support her, too."

"Where else would I be?" She scoffs as we watch the line just keep growing out the door and around the sidewalk. "I'm just glad I was allowed in early before everything was gone."

I laugh as the glass casing gets refilled with fresh macarons and cherry tarts right on cue. "Yeah, I don't think she was anticipating this big of a crowd for some reason. I told her it was going to be a great turnout but she didn't believe me."

"Well, it looks like quite the success to me," she rubs my back before leaving my side to most likely go and tell Rowan that same thing, and my heart feels like it's liquifying as I watch Rowan's blue eyes light up when Anne leans in for a hug.

"Hey, Dad!" Gemma calls out, and I turn at the sound of her voice. She points to Will, who has chocolate all over the lower half of his face and on both hands.

I nod, laughing to myself as I excuse my way through the bakery to pinch out a wet wipe from Rowan's bag. But at the sight of it, Will hops off the chair and takes off running. The kid loves a good mess.

"William Styles!" I speak above the crowd, and I know he heard me even after he continues to run right to his mum. As he smacks his hands on her cream-colored sundress, I physically cringe with my hand to my forehead.

But what does Rowan do? She doesn't flinch. She merely looks down at our child and at her ruined skirt on her big day, and she drops her jaw with a little smile while Will giggles. He didn't try to get her dirty on purpose, he was just reaching up for her to hold him. I think that's why she's not even remotely angry as she picks him up and kisses his forehead. He has no idea just how lucky he is to have her as a mother yet, but someday he will. The best of us always learn that lesson eventually.