As he looked down at her, he lost himself in her gaze. “I am my beloved’s,” he whispered, the old biblical phrase for some reason leaping into his brain.
“And my beloved is mine,” she replied softly.
Epilogue – Six Months Later
Sophia turned slowly, taking in the dimensions of the wonderful if rather rundown townhouse in London’s Peckham district. It definitely needed work—lots of it—to bring it up to Impulse standards, but the bones of the place were good.
“What do you think?” Nick asked. “The price is high, but I think I could get it down a little. And even if I can’t, it seems ideal for our first London club, don’t you agree? It’s got all those wonderful nooks and crannies where we could create little mini-dungeons for private play, and this downstairs space is perfect for the main gathering place.”
“I love it,” Sophia agreed. “We could set up the top floor with the VIP bedrooms, like you have back in New York. We could even add a small kitchen up there and put in a decent bathroom, so we could stay here while we’re in town.”
“Great idea,” Nick said, taking her hand and giving it a squeeze. “I’m going to make a bid for it this afternoon. I’ve got a meeting with my broker, or estate agent, as they call them over here.”
“Cool. And while you’re doing that, there’s this great vintage flea market I want to check out over on Church Street.”
The last six months had been, hands down, the best of Sophia’s life. Nick had been serious about selling his real estate business. And while his clubs and her shop still kept them each plenty busy, they came home at night to each other and made sure to take at least one day a week totally off.
Sophia had been surprised but pleased when Nick hadn’t seemed to mind that she didn’t want to move to his penthouse in Manhattan. He understood and accepted that she wanted to be closer to her shop, and to her family. Obviously, her studio apartment wouldn’t do for both of them, but Nick had found a wonderful old, rambling single family home in Park Slope. They’d moved in together, and Sophia was having a great time fixing it up.
She, too, had made some compromises, giving Laura more authority and time at the shop, along with a much-deserved raise. She still went home to her parents for Friday night dinner at least once a month, and Nick was a welcome guest there. It had become something of a running joke between her mother and grandmother about the lovely babies the two of them would soon produce, once Nick made a proper woman of Sophia. They even forgave him for not being Jewish.
Nick laughed good-naturedly at their teasing, but Sophia was content to take her time. She did want children, and she wanted them with Nick, but they had lots of plans in the meantime. This visit to London was the first part of a two-month trip through Great Britain and the Continent. Sophia, who had never been outside the US, was having a blast.
She had to be careful though. During their travels, every time she so much as looked at a piece of art or a vase that might work for the shop or look good in their new home, Nick instantly bought it for her. Whether or not money was an object, Sophia still enjoyed hunting for the best deal. Her favorite finds were in tiny, cluttered stores filled with junk. Nick laughed indulgently at her unbounded joy when she unearthed potential gems among the rubbish.
One evening, Nick took her to an incredibly elegant restaurant in Mayfair. It was still hard for her to reconcile spending as much on a meal with wine as she would on a full month’s rent of her old studio apartment, but Nick never batted an eye. When the main course had been cleared and they were enjoying raspberry cream gelato along with snifters of fine brandy, Nick pulled two small boxes from his jacket pocket and set them on the table.
Sophia’s heart skipped several beats as she took in what was clearly a ring box, along with an oblong box that looked like it contained a necklace. Nick was often buying her bits of jewelry and trinkets she admired, but these looked serious.
He was smiling, though she could sense his nervous excitement. “Open this one first.” He touched the necklace box.
Pulling it toward her, Sophia lifted the hinged lid. Inside was a rose gold pendant hanging from a delicate chain. At first glance, the delicate filigree etched onto it looked like a stylized heart. But upon closer inspection, she recognized the Impulse logo of a whip curved in the shape of a heart.
“It’s beautiful,” she said sincerely, running her finger over the delicate design.