Page 78 of Hidden
EPILOGUE
“Give me that,” Ava said, snatching the bowl of popcorn from Harry.
“There are like seven other bowls, Ava,” Asher pointed out reasonably. They’d all gathered at Ellie’s house in the Hollywood Hills to watch the Oscar pre-show. Ellie wasn’t nominated for anything, not this year, but he wanted to watch his beautiful wife walk the red carpet. Yes, wife. He smiled at that. A week ago, they’d gotten married in a small private ceremony at an exclusive resort outside the town of Guanajuato, where her father lived. They’d rented out the entire location then given his mom and Harry free rein to do whatever they wanted so long as the guest list remained limited to family and a few close friends.
“There’s even your favorite, salted caramel corn,” Ricardo said, handing a bowl to Ava.
“Aww, you made my favorite,” Ava said, taking the bowl and dropping a smacking kiss on Ricardo’s cheek. Asher had always liked Ava. But since the day of the fire, she’d become his favorite nonfamily person. After dropping Ellie, she’d run into Brad and Mitch and stopped to chat. And she’d quickly realized something was off—she’d seen the text sent from his phone to Ellie’s inviting her to the house. A very different story from the one Brad relayed about Asher tellinghimthat Ellie had issued the invite. The three had rushed back to the family home in time to see the flames beginning to lap at the building and Jasmine Harrow running toward the woods. Mitch and Brad had gone in search of him and Ellie. While Ava had, literally, chased Jasmine down, tackling her to the ground a few feet from the tree line.
Yes, Ava had earned a special place in his heart that day. Having Jasmine in custody gave Ellie a peace of mind he could never put a price on. He was even thinking of naming their first daughter after her. Assuming they had a girl. Male genes ran strong in the Warwick family. But there was always hope. Not that Ellie was pregnant. Not yet, anyway.
His smile faltered as he thought about Jasmine. The twisted relationship she’d had with Evelyn had only intensified after her arrest. She told anyone and everyone that Ellie was responsible for Evelyn’s death and that Evelyn was the most beautiful, talented woman the stage had ever seen. In truth, what Evelyn was—had been—was a predator. She had taken a young, vulnerable, orphaned girl and twisted her into something monstrous. The lies she’d told Jasmine aboutwanting herwere nothing but that, lies. The truth was, Jasmine had inherited her father’s apartment when he passed away, and Evelyn—whohaddated him for a few months—saw an opportunity for free housing. With a sick sort of twist of fate, she stepped into the role of mother. For reasons he couldn’t explain, CPS had gone along with her claim.
Jasmine’s story was tragic, in more ways than one. But Asher was glad the attorneys were working together to put her away. For a very long time. The current discussion was a state hospital located hours away. Both he and Ellie supported that option. Jasmine would get treatment, but she’d be securely locked up and unable to hurt herself or anyone else.
“Tell me again why we’re watching this?” Mitch grumbled, bringing Asher’s attention back to the room.
Unusually, it wasn’t Ava who snapped back but Sabina. “Because she’s your cousin-in-law, and this is also a huge night for Angelica, who is your friend. Why is it so hard for you to admit to liking people?”
Chad snorted but covered it up with a sip of beer. Sabina had moved into her third trimester, and this stage of pregnancy had turned his cousin-in-law into a different woman. Not that many people crossed her before, but not a single one dared now.
“Because if he admits to liking one person that means he’s admitting to having emotions. And because his emotional well is deep—very deep—it’s easier to just keep everyone at a distance,” Harry answered.
This time both Ethan and Chad laughed. Asher even chuckled.
Mitch glared at Harry. He smiled back and popped a handful of popcorn into his mouth.
“Or it could be that I just don’t like people,” Mitch said, a dark scowl on his face.
Tia cleared her throat.
“Except for Tia. I like Tia,” Mitch added. “Mostly because she keeps your dumb ass in line,” he added, raising his bottle in Cody’s direction.
Kara, Sofia, and Sabina rolled their eyes in unison.
Cody grinned. “Lucky for me, she likes my ass.”
“Oh, oh, here she comes!” Harry exclaimed, leaning forward in his seat and turning the volume up.
Asher had seen her before she left the house two hours ago, but she still took his breath away. The soft green of her dress complemented her sun-kissed skin. Her dark hair, half up, half down, fell in elegant waves down her back. And the jewelry Angelica had designed was both bold and timeless.
“I hope you have your website ready, Angelica,” Sofia said. “After tonight, I suspect you won’t be struggling to start a new business anymore.”
On the other side of Ricardo, Angelica gave a little squeal as he pulled her in for a hug.
“You are stunning tonight,” the female reporter said as Ellie stepped onto the dais where they’d set the camera up.
“Thank you so much, Andi,” Ellie said. “I’ve been lucky to find two up-and-coming designers that I just adore.”
“Is that right? Who might those be? Or are you keeping them secret?” Andi teased with a conspiratorial grin.
When Ellie said Angelica’s name, the room erupted with hoots and hollers. Even Mitch joined in.
“Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god,” Angelica kept repeating. Harry handed her a handkerchief as a few tears of happiness filled her eyes.
“Well, you certainly have an eye for talent,” Andi replied.
“Talent and character. Both women were a joy to work with,” Ellie added.
