EPILOGUE

EPILOGUE
EPILOGUE

Five years later. . .

He watched her from a distance like he has been watching her for the past five years.
She was still as beautiful as he remembered. Cora had changed over the years just like him. Vlad crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the car as he watched her.
Andrew had showed up a few weeks after Mike was arrested. He was arrested as soon as he stepped foot in the house. Not only had Andrew been stealing money from Mike, he was also involved on the transportation and selling of drugs. He got a twenty-year sentence with a chance of parole since he helped the cops arrest Mike.
Cora smiled at her friends and then turned to walk away. For a few seconds her eyes were focused on her shoes, but as if aware of his gaze on her, she glanced up right at him. Her steps flattered until she came to a complete stop. Vlad’s heartbeat increased when she continued to stare at him. For a few seconds fear filled him. Had she found someone else? The fear died down when he remembered the report Alan had handed him this morning. Cora’s hasn’t been in a relationship for the past two years.
Reaching up, Vlad removed his glasses and blindly threw them through the window onto the seat. His eyes locked with hers. He straightened and took a few steps away from the car before spreading his arms. Cora blinked, one, twice and then she smiled. She started running towards him and a few seconds later she threw herself into his arms.
Vlad pressed his nose against her neck as he held her tightly to his chest. She still smelled the same but she felt different. His arms tightened before he lifted her from the ground and spun her around. When she sniffed his smile faded slightly. Vlad lowered her to the ground again and pulled back to cup her. Her teary eyes locked with his. Although tears were dripping down her cheeks, Cora was smiling brightly up at him.
“Happy tears?” he asked softly.
She nodded. “Very happy tears. I’m not dreaming, right?”
“No, you’re not dreaming baby. Want me to prove it?”
Without waiting for her reply, Vlad lowered his head and captured her lips. He kissed her like the starving man he was. All he had to keep him going the last five years was the memories of her branded into his mind. No he could finally touch her again. He could kiss her as much as he wanted.
“How did you know where to find me?” Cora asked huskily when he pulled his lips away from hers.
“Alan.”
She licked her lips. Cora’s eyes dropped to his lips again for a few seconds before darting up to his. He knew what she was thinking. Gripping her hips, he pulled her against his body. Her lips parted when she felt the hard length of his arousal digging into her stomach. Vlad pressed a kiss against her temple.
“Do you have any more classes for today?”
“No.” She glanced around. “My roommate has class until three.”
Vlad smirked. “Lead the way baby.”
The moment the door closed behind them when they entered her dorm room, Vlad reached for her. He pulled her against his body and slammed his lips on hers. One hand slid into her hair at her nape and the other gripped her thigh. Cora wrapped her legs around his waist when he picked her up.
“Which bed is yours?”
“The one with the blue covers,” she answered with her lips presses against his neck.
Vlad shuddered. His knees weakened when she sucked on a spot under his ear. With a groaned he lowered her onto the bed. His hands instantly grabbed hold of the hem of her shirt and tugged it up over her head. Later he would take his time. Later he would kiss every inch of her body, but right now he needed to be inside her.





“So Alan have been keeping tabs on me?” Cora asked a few minutes later as she curled herself against his side.
His arm around her waist tightened. “I asked him to.”
“Why?”
“Because I wanted to make sure that you were okay.” He slowly traced his fingertips up and down her side.
She groaned when she realized that Alan had probably given him a detailed report. So all these years Vlad had know about her every move. He knew about the failed relationships. She licked her lips and tilted her head to look up at him.
“I never slept with any of them,” she whispered. “I couldn’t go that far with them.”
“Baby—”
“Vlad, I remembered what you told me that day in the hospital before you left.” She swallowed. “I tried to do that—to go on with my life—but no one ever compared to you.”
“I wanted you to experience everything.” He rolled them until Cora was on her back and he was hovering above her. “I’m sorry I made you wait so long.”
She gave him a wobbly smile. “Does this mean that you’re staying?”
“All my debt has been paid off. I can give you anything you want including your dream house. You’ll never have to worry about anything. But there’s one thing we need to talk about.”
Her smiled faded slightly. “What?”
Vlad’s smiled widened when he saw the worry in her eyes. He stood and bent down to pick up his pants. A few seconds later he pulled the small black box from the pocket. Cora was sitting on the edge of the bed, staring up at him with wide eyes.
“Vlad?”
He lowered himself to one knee and held the box out to her. His eyes locked with hers when he opened the box. “Cora Weber, will you make me the happiest man on earth by marrying me?”
Her eyes snapped down to the small box in his hand and widened. “It’s beautiful.”
“Not too simple?”
Cora shook her head and held out her hand for him to slip the ring onto her finger. It was a perfect fit. Her eyes filled with tears when he leaned down to place a kiss on the ring and then her knuckles. She suddenly threw herself at him which surprised him. Vlad lost his balance and fell backwards. A groan fell from his lips when his back hit the hardwood floor and her body came down on top of him.
“Sorry,” she muttered sheepishly.
He smiled and gripped her hips. “The bed’s too small anyway.”
Cora laughed. Her laughter was cut off abruptly when he rolled over and smashed his lips on hers again.
They were married four months later with only close friends there for support. After a short dinner, the wedding couple slipped away to get ready for their honeymoon. Alan had gifted them tickets to Spain—a place both Cora and Vlad wanted to visit—as a wedding present.
Cora wrote her last exam two months later and passed with flying colours. With the help of Vlad and Alan she managed to open her own little store. Cora talked Vlad into renting an apartment for them instead of buying a house right away. While it was still the two of them, an apartment was perfect.
As for Mike Williams, he was arrested along with Detective Parker and a few other dirty cops. It would never have happened if it wasn’t for Officer O’Neil and all her hard work. She followed her gut without any doubt. It was O’Neil who had discovered that Parker was working for Mike and along with the evidence she had collected on Parker and the evidence Andrew had collected on Mike, both of them would be spending the rest of their lives in jail.





A year after the wedding. . .

Cora’s smile widened as she stared down at the positive on the blue pregnancy test. Excitement filled her as she imagined Vlad’s face when he heard the great news. She pulled her phone from her jeans and checked the time. He would be home any minute now. She bit her lip as she debated her options on telling him.
Should she simply tell him or make him guess?
An idea hit. Cora grabbed the test and pushed it into her back pocket. She hurried into the kitchen in search of the things she might need. Luckily they still had what she needed.
Cora had just put the finishing touches in place when Vlad walked through the door. He dropped his briefcase on the couch along with his jacket before reaching up to loosen his tie. Vlad turned and saw her standing in the kitchen. A smile instantly slipped onto his face.
“What are you up to?” he asked as she gave him that secretive smile.
“Let’s play a game,” Cora said softly. “A guessing game.”
“A guessing game?” His lips twitched. “What type of game is that?”
“A fun one.” She pointed a finger at the oven. “The first part starts there.”
Vlad sighed but walked closer. He stopped in front of the oven and raised his eyebrow in question.
“Open it.”
“And then what?” he asked as he opened the oven. He blinked when he saw the bun inside.
“It’s a guessing game,” Cora repeated. “What’s inside?”
“A bun.”
“In what is it?”
“The oven,” he muttered.
Cora’s smiled widened. “Now put it together.”
Vlad stared at her without blinking for a second. He slammed the oven closed and turned to face her with his hands on his hips. “You want me to put it together?”
“Yup.”
He licked his lips and opened his mouth but then closed it again. Cora shifted from foot to foot as she waited. It felt like forever before he finally spoke.
“There’s a bun in the oven.” He instantly fell silent before he repeated it again. “There’s a bun in the oven. Cora. . .?”
“I’m pregnant!”