Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 55608 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 278(@200wpm)___ 222(@250wpm)___ 185(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55608 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 278(@200wpm)___ 222(@250wpm)___ 185(@300wpm)
“You’re never going to be redundant to me, son,” I say, walking over to his desk and clapping him on the arm.
He grins, then waves at the door. “Go on. I know you’ll go insane if you don’t spend lunch with her. Make sure to hurry back, okay? It’s hard building an empire alone.”
I chuckle, so proud of my boy. He hasn’t touched alcohol since the mayhem. He’s spent every day trying to become a better person, and I couldn’t be happier.
Leaving the office, I walk a short distance across the bustling city to Yeouido Park. The cherry blossoms aren’t in season, but it’s still a beautiful place with a beautiful woman sitting on a bench, not spotting me yet. She’s reading her textbook, that gorgeous look of concentration on her face.
As I approach, her smile is a gift. She’s recovered from the mayhem just as quickly as Ryan has. I thought things would be awkward between the three of us, but after I proposed, it was like the world finally made sense. We’ve all agreed to forget the strange time my fiancée and son were in a relationship and how this started as a ploy for revenge. A revenge that turned out to be the best thing ever to happen in my life.
Molly stands, seeming more energetic than usual, moving from foot to foot. By the time I’m close enough to pull her into a hug, she’s almost bursting.
“Is something up?” I ask.
“Oh, yeah, Hubby,” she says, making me smile at the nickname. We’re not officially married yet, but she’s already calling me that, and I love it and her so much. “Our lives, our future, everything is going up.”
She leans back in my embrace, flushed and beautiful.
“I’m pregnant,” she says after a pause. “We’re going to have a baby!”
Happiness floods into me. I cheer, sweep her off her feet, and swing her around and around as the South Koreans probably watch us, wondering what those crazy Americans are so happy about.
EPILOGUE
TWO YEARS LATER
Ryan
I hit the heavy bag, Dad holding it as I rotate my body and try to generate as much power as possible. Despite being older than when we first started training together, Dad seems younger. It’s the light in his eyes, the smile always on his lips. Even now, as I hammer the bag, he’s got a subtle smile on his face.
When the timer goes off, I step back, rolling my shoulders and jabbing the air.
“Your technique is lethal, son,” Dad says, tossing a towel at me.
I chuckle as I try to catch it with the gloves. “Are you ever going to tire of that one, Dad?”
“Watching you move like that, hell no.”
After wiping myself down, it’s time for another round. Once that’s done, I take off the gloves, sitting at the side of the ring and rolling my neck from side to side. When I hear the door buzzer go, I can’t help but smile.
It’s my stepmom, Molly, with my brother, Ollie, visiting us between training sessions. It doesn’t feel even a tiny bit awkward as Molly and Dad kiss hello. Initially, it hurt me to be around her, but only because it reminded me of how goddamn wrong I was—twisted up in the head. Nasty for the sake of it.
Sure, maybe the booze played its part, but it was me, too. The nastiness came from within. I should’ve known better than to be so cruel. Looking back, the person I was two years ago before I held my baby brother in my arms for the first time and was Dad’s best man at the wedding, seems like a stranger.
When Molly puts Ollie down, he toddles toward me, his arms out. Everybody says he has my smile, but I see Dad each time I look at him. “Ree-an!” he sings. “Ree-an!”
I grin, jogging over to him and scooping him into my arms. “Hey, little man,” I say, giving him a peck on the cheek. “Did you miss me?”
Molly smiles, holding Dad’s hand. There will always be a small jolt of guilt deep within me when we spend time together, but each day, it fades a little more. “He always misses his big bro.”
“B-b-best bro!” Ollie sings, laying his cheek against my chest. I hold him close, feeling so grateful to be surrounded by all this love.
EPILOGUE
NINE YEARS LATER
Molly
“Who would’ve thought it, huh?” Rachael says, leaning against the kitchen counter. The windows let sunlight spill into the room, showing a view of the backyard, Duke and Ryan chasing around Ollie and our other rugrats: little Lacy with her sarcastic pout and her funny voices; the twins, Jake and Micah, trying their best to keep up with them with their little legs.
Mom smiles out the window, watching them. She was shocked when I finally told her everything that happened—meeting Duke, the criminals, the showdown. When she saw how happy I was, she was happy for me.