Page 83 of Kiss From A Rose

That night, as I lay with her in my arms again, I thanked Malou for bringing us back together—for helping us be better and stronger. And I knew if she was watching us, she'd say something like this on a cackle, "For fuck's sake, Gray, not right after you had sex with my friend. Let's talk later, yeah?"

EPILOGUE

Rose

We came to Atlanta in late April for the first time since I left before Christmas the previous year. Gray was officially handing over the reins of the company to Justin, and there was a work event related to that in the ballroom of some fancy hotel, as it usually was.

Iwasnervous about being in Atlanta with Gray. I worried that once we were here, my darling Gray would revert back to the man I'd started to resent in the past few years. I spoke openly about it with him because that was ournewthing:talking.We had gone to couples counseling as well, which had helped us learn to communicate better with one another. Such a simple thing,talking,and yet it had taken us twenty years to learn to do it well.

Holden invited us for lunch at their place the day after we got to our home in Atlanta. Bonnie had set up lunch outside in theirbeautiful garden. She had a staff, including a cook or rather a chef, as she addressed him.

Holden had not joined the family business and instead worked at a bank managing big pots of money. He had sold all his interests in Rutherford Architects to Gray when he took over from his father. Something that Bonnie was still miffed about because now the company was so much bigger, and she felt that she and Holden deserved a piece of it. Holden didn't care. I couldn't understand why Bonnie would, considering the wealth they already had. How much was enough for this woman?

"My brother is a new man, Rose," Holden told me as we sat around a beautifully set table with champagne.

"Looks like the same ol' man to me." I leaned into Gray, who had his arm around me.

"Don't you miss Atlanta on that Godforsaken island?" Bonnie wanted to know.

"It'snotGodforsaken, and yes, sometimeswedo, which is why we're here," Gray explained, kissing the side of my head. He had grown more affectionate, like he’d been in the early days when we first moved in together, away from his parents—but there was something different now. Our relationship had developed a calm that wasn’t there before, a settled feeling grounded in trust and faith in each other.

"Good thing you got him back, yeah, Rose? Since you'd have been left with nothing." Bonnie's eyes flashed maliciously. I was too happy to care. She didn't matter to me, never had. I tolerated her because she was family—but she didn't affect me. Especially now when I felt so secure in my marriage.

"Bonnie," Gray's voice was sharp, his hand squeezed my shoulder, "Rose would have half of everything that's ours if she left."

Bonnie scoffed. "I know all about your prenup, Gray. Mama Rutherford said—"

"That prenup has been annulled," he cut in, and I saw the flash of shock in Bonnie's eyes and of despair in Holden's. Bonnie would be athisthroat now to annultheirprenuptial agreement.

"What? It can't be annulled," she protested.

Gray shrugged. "Actually, it can. There is no such agreement in place any longer. In any case, Bonnie, it's rude to bring such things up during a pleasant lunch, don't you think?"

"Are you crazy?" Bonnie snapped and then looked at Holden. "Did you know about this?"

Holden sighed. "Yeah, Bonnie, I did. It's none of our business, you understand? Gray's money ishis, well,theirs."

"How could you let him do such a fool thing?" Bonnie raised her voice. "How could you do such a thing?" She turned on Gray.

Gray got up and held a hand out to me. I took it and stood up as well.

"We're going to leave," Gray announced.

"But we haven't eaten yet," Bonnie screeched.

He ignored her and turned to his brother. "I'll see you around, yeah?"

Holden raised his champagne glass sullenly. "Yeah, Gray. Sorry about this, Rose."

"What’s goin’ on here?" Bonnie demanded.

"You're behavin' badly, Bonnie, that's what's going on here, and I don't want my wife to be subjected to your bullshit," Gray spoke calmly, but the iron in his voice was unmistakable.

Bonnie was stunned. Gray went along to get along and usually changed the conversation rather than bulldozed through it the way he just had.

"I'm not subjectin' your wife to—"

"Yes, you are, Bonnie," I interjected softly. "You always have. I don't know why. Maybe you feel better about yourself by puttin' me down, but we're done with that now. Y'all have a nice day."

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