Epilogue

One year later

"Killian? You home?"

He didn't answer her, and she walked into the kitchen to put the bags of groceries on the kitchen table. She loved their kitchen. She might not be the most sophisticated cook, but Killian wasn't bad at it, and they spent hours in the kitchen, talking and cooking.

They bought this house four months ago – well, technically it had been two houses, but they broke down a wall and combined them, and now they had a big enough space for both of them. With two offices, a library, and a workout room. It was just perfect for both of them, and she'd fallen in love with it the moment she saw the plans. Though she'd insisted to pay for half of it, and after some heated discussions Killian had finally given in reluctantly, muttering something along the lines of 'bloody independent women'. She did make him pay for that comment later in bed.

She considered to take a bath when she walked into the other half of their house, but then she heard the noise of keyboard typing from his office. Grinning broadly, she walked silently into the room, hoping that she would be able to surprise him this time, and take a peek at what he was writing. He never let her read it before the first draft was completely written, and no pleading from her, and no sex marathon ever changed his mind.

But she felt slightly disappointed when she saw that his email account was open. So no luck at getting a glimpse of his newest work. Damn.

"Hello, love," he greeted her, swinging around in his chair to face her. "I've just sent an email to my agent."

"It's finished?" she squeaked, a blush rising up on her cheeks when he chuckled and pulled her onto his lap.

"Yep, my little fan girl. It's finished. Wanna see the dedication?"

She nodded, and scooted around on his lap until she was comfortable, waiting for him to open the document, and show her the dedication. She let out a soft sigh when she saw it.

For Emma

The love of my life

And of course tears immediately welled up in her eyes, because she was a sap and it shouldn't mean so much to her, but it did.

"I love you," Emma whispered, turning in his arms and cupping his face between her hands.

"And I love you," Killian replied, wrapping one hand around her neck and pulling her forward to kiss her soundly.

"Where is the printout?" she asked as she leaned back, brushing away the tears, looking at him expectantly.

"So greedy."

Emma wiggled her fingers, looking around for the stack of paper she knew was somewhere. "Where is it, Jones?

"Can't wait to read it, huh?"

"You were the one who ended the last book on a cliffhanger, and refused to tell me what'll happen to Jared. So give it to me now."

Killian grinned at her, and her heart melted in her chest. She knew how much it meant to him that she loved his books, even if he enjoyed teasing her mercilessly about it. But he never could sit still when she read his first draft, eager to hear her opinion, and there was always a flash of fear that she might not like it.

"It's just over there," he told her, gesturing towards the window sill, and she jumped up with a shriek of delight, rushing over there as if he might snatch it back if she wasn't fast enough.

"You remember the rules?" she asked, putting one hand on the papers while she looked back at him.

"Yeah, yeah," Killian said, shaking his head as he stood up from the chair. "No verbal interruptions. I have to deliver sustenance in form of hot chocolate and Oreos until you're through with it."

"Exactly." A smile split up her face, anticipation rushing through her as her eyes flickered back to the paper under her hand. "So shush, bring me my chocolate."

"As the lady wishes," he said, bowing slightly before walking out of the room.

She grabbed the stack of paper and pressed it against her chest, getting all giddy and excited as she walked to the living room and sat down on the couch, her fingers brushing over the title page.

"Here you go, love." She looked up when Killian put the steaming cup on the coffee table, and a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth as he leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss on her lips, his fingers skimming over her cheek as he straightened himself and stepped back. "You're clear to go now."

She let out a deep breath, stretching out her hand and waiting for him to put the mug in her hand, removing the first two pages, a jolt of glee rushing through her as she read the words 'Chapter 1'.

She heard Killian retreat, and she watched him walk out of the room, her heart almost bursting with the love she felt for him. She was insanely happy with him. Everything in her life was perfect. Made even more perfect by the fact that she was about to read Killian's newest thriller before it hit the shelves.

She took a sip of her hot chocolate, balanced the stack of papers on her knees, and then she started to read.

The End

So ... another story is over. Thank you all so much for joining me on this ride, and putting a smile on my face with your reviews, favorites and follows . I had a lot of fun writing it, and I hope you enjoyed reading it. Until the next time. :-)