She was still sleeping peacefully and the doctors assured us it was not a deep coma. Her life was not in any danger because her health was very good. Although my mother smoked occasionally, and she had her secret bouts of out of control drinking every now and then, she was also an exercise fanatic who practiced not only Pilates but also took kickboxing and Zumba classes five days per week at her exclusive, private gym on the estate. She had her own instructors and nutritionists on call, and they all coordinated a meal plan for her to follow once her hospital stay was over.
After my brisk talk with Etienne who threatened to pull the plug, I promptly informed my father who brought in his high priced attorneys, and had my mother’s assets frozen so her husband could not make a late night escape with anything but the clothes on his back.
Amaani came by and prayed over my mother in a strange Arab dialect that was Islam, and Monika also visited with Dylan several times. She assured me everything would be fine with Finn but if that was the case then why hadn’t I seen him? Why hadn’t he called or at least texted or emailed me?
He was completely ignoring me and I hated it.
On Wednesday, Halloween afternoon, shortly after I returned from UCLA to Cedars-Sinai, Artemis jogged down the hall in a pair of five-inch Christian Louboutins, and embraced me. I was enveloped in the deep, rich musky scent she wore but I welcomed the human contact.
We separated and she held me at arm’s length. “Your mother is awake. She’s talking to your father right now so I wanted to give them some alone time but…she’s going to be okay.”
I reached over and kissed my stepmother’s cheek. I only wore lip-gloss but I still wiped the slight smudge from her cheek. “Thank God. I was so worried everything wouldn’t be all right and…this is the best news I have heard in ages.”
“Not quite, love.” She interlocked her left arm with my right and we continued to walk down the hall. “There is a surprise…for you. A dashing young man with the most adorable Irish accent is asking about you.”
My heart leapt, I smiled brightly as we rounded the corner, and we almost ran right into Finn. He balanced a tray of Starbucks and sat down. Artemis sat to his left, and I sat to his right. “Here is your tall Earl Grey tea, my dear, with milk and two Sugars in the Raw; this one is for Rolf…a grande Caramel Macchiato…”
Artemis grabbed both drinks, kissed Finn’s cheek and whispered, “Cheers, love. I’ll leave you two lovebirds alone.”
We watched her as she walked down the hallway, and disappeared around a sharp corner.
Finn handed me a hot beverage. “It’s your favorite. A grande White Chocolate Mocha without the whipped cream…so, no, I didn’t forget. I grabbed just a regular tall drip with cream and two sugars for myself.”
I sipped from my drink and closed my eyes as all the tastes that lit up my mouth but none would ever be delicious as the sight of Finn, and his crystal blue eyes staring at me so intently.
“It’s perfect,” I began before I set my drink down on the hospital floor near my chair. “However, it can’t possibly be as wonderful as seeing you again. I’ve missed you so much. You have no idea how crazy I have been going. It has taken all the sanity in me to continue my life as usual because if I stopped for a moment, I would start to cry about you and my mom. I couldn’t do it and you will never know how much I am so sorry I hurt you. My God, it wasn’t intentional at all. If it makes you feel any better, I hurt myself so much more than I ever hurt you. I can’t say I’m sorry enough, babe—”
Finn grabbed my hands and held them in his. “You don’t have to keep apologizing because I am fookin’ eejit, Evie. I let my stupid pride almost come between us and for what? Nothing at all because it’s happened, and now all we can do is move on. I love you so much and I want to marry you. I know this isn’t the best time to ever do something like this but I’m hopin’ in your moment of weakness you’ll say ‘yes.’”
He set his drink down and cupped my face with both his warm hands. “Your mother is out of her coma, and I really do adore your family. Your stepmother is a hoot, and your father is very dry, very stern but he loves you so very much. All this time you were thinking no one gave a damn but don’t you understand how much you were pushing all of them away? You’ve gotten very good at it…since the birth of Kieran. They aren’t the enemy so do me a favor and stop treating them as if they are.”
The tears came again and I embraced him before I whispered in his ear, “I will, I promise. I’ll stop treating my parents like shit.”
“You better plan to keep that promise.” Finn reached into his pocket and pulled out a black velvet box. “But first…will you, Elvira Sandstrom, do me the honor of becoming Mrs. Finbar Edward Reilly?”
I smiled through my tears and I nodded my head profusely. “Yes, I will.”
“Good.” Finn took out the ring, a simple white gold band with a small princess cut white diamond. It was modest but I wouldn’t have expected anything else from him. “Now, this doesn’t mean we have to do this next month or next year. If you need a long engagement, and would rather finish university before we tie the knot then you can do just that. I want to know you are mine and we’re no longer on hiatus. I have lived long enough to know I will never find another like you, and if I am completely honest with myself, I don’t want anyone else but you.”
“Neither do I,” I responded before I kissed his lips.
They tasted like coffee and mint; they tasted like Finn.
As we separated, Finn grabbed our drinks before he disposed the cardboard carrier into the trash, and we walked to my mother’s room in ICU.
Artemis had joined her husband, and the three adults were joking before they made room for us.
“Mr. and Mrs. Sandstrom, Mrs. Fournier…I wanted to let you all know I asked for your daughter’s hand in marriage, and she has said yes. I know she’s still young—there’s no rush so I am willing to give her the time she needs but it would really make me feel better if I had your blessings,” Finn announced in a nervous voice.
“Did I hear my best friend was getting married?” a female voice inquired before Monika and Dylan walked in.
She embraced me and Dylan patted Finn on the back. In the corner of my eye, I could see Etienne slink into the room, and eventually he made his way over to my mother’s bedside.
He grabbed mom’s right hand gently and said, “That is great news, Elvira. You two make a lovely couple.”
My mother whispered, “You have my blessing. I only want you to be happy.”
“Thanks, Mom,” I said and blew her a kiss. She knew why—the thought of being near my stepfather gave me the creeps, and I wasn’t ready to deal with him yet.
“Your father and I have discussed this and we agree as long as you remember to visit us when you come to London, you have our blessing. Don’t be strangers. If the weather is truly awful then we can meet at the beach house in Cyprus. You two will love it there. It’s absolutely beautiful,” Artemis explained in an enthusiastic manner.
“That your stepmother and I have agreed upon.”
I embraced my father and hung on tight. He responded with a knee-weakening hug of his own while I closed my eyes and inhaled his scent. He was my daddy once again, and not just a sperm donor stranger. The thought was exhilarating.
After various conversations with my family, Finn and I finally left. We said our goodbyes to Monika and Dylan in the parking lot before we drove to his place. It was there we made love and afterwards, lay in one another’s arms in post-coital bliss.
“I love you, Finn. I adore you so much, it’s criminal. No matter what you do, don’t you ever scare me like that again,” I whispered before I kissed his lips ever so softly.
“I won’t.” His crystal blue eyes looked deeply into my eyes. “Don’t you ever cheat on me again…is that a promise?”
I nodded my head. “Yes, it’s a solemn vow.”
“Good.”
I rested my head on his chest and sighed out loud. Our lives were j
ust beginning and the possibilities were endless. It gave me renewed strength for the future and a clear, thought-out feeling that no matter how many times life let me down, as long as I had hope, the future would never be bleak.
Ever.
And that was not only a good quality to have but it also made me feel like there was nothing I couldn’t do if I set my mind to it. The world was my oyster and I’d just seen my first glimpse of the gorgeous pearl inside.
I don’t consider Elvira and Finbar’s story over but at the moment, it is over for now. Some people will be satisfied with this ending, and I am fine with that. For those who want more of where they are going and the hardships they face to become that happily ever after couple, I am giving my readers the first chance to actually decide if this should be a series or not.
Evie and Finn are definitely a favorite couple of mine but Monika and Dylan have also grown on me. To know the story behind the whole Hollywood royalty and why her parents are as important as they are, if you can get through the The Beautiful People Parts 1 and 2, much will be answered for you. They are still under my real name of Danielle Blanchard Benson.
Although I am known for my series, Dangerous Games can be enjoyed as a stand-alone, and that makes me feel proud.
Please feel free to use my email address to contact me, and let me know if you would like more of Evie and Finn’s story or if you think it is a great single novel and I should leave it that way. Thanks for reading as always and from the bottom of my heart, thank you for continuing to enjoy my novels
Selene Chardou
May 20, 2016
Freaky, kinky, and unconventional.
Fascinated with the unique and underexplored, psychologically obsessed with the human psyche, and stories that can be both romantic but push the buttons past a reader’s comfort zone. “I want readers to think, and if any part of my story is left with them after they finish one of my novels, or novellas then I have done my job.”
The worst rating SE Chardou can think of a reader giving her is “Meh.” Love her novels or hate them but at least she has had the satisfaction of knowing she made a reader feel something—anything other than numb—while they were reading her books.
SE Chardou enjoys living right next door to Hell, also known as the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, which is pretty toasty especially in the late spring, all of summer and early autumn. She has two daughters who are six and a half years apart so beside author, she also works as referee, counselor, part-time maid and taxi driver.
An avid reader herself, she enjoys big five published authors, hybrid authors like herself, and indie authors. She daydreams a lot about what her next book will be about, and brushes up on her very rusty French at least a few times a week.
Website: www.novelsthatrock.weebly.com
Instagram: @sechardou
Facebook Author Page
Twitter: @ellechardou
Dangerous Games Page 21