Hate You: Epilogue

“I’ve got a surprise for you,” Zach whispers in my ear.

“If it’s what’s poking me in the thigh then I’ve gotta tell you, that’s not so much of a surprise as it is expected,” I joke, seeing as our mornings always start with a roll in the sheets.

“Well that, obviously, but there’s something else too.”

“Oh?” I turn onto my side so I can focus on him. My head spins a little from the amount I drank last night, but it’s not enough to distract me from what my surprise might be.

“I need you to get up, get dressed in something comfortable, and then pack a bag.”

“A bag? What sort of things am I packing?”

“The essentials.”

“You know you’re talking to a woman, right? Almost everything I own is essential. You’re going to need to give me a little more. Clothes for hot or cold weather? How many knickers? What kind of shoes?”

He rolls his eyes at me. “Fine, pack for two weeks. Hot weather, sexy shoes and zero knickers. Anything you forget we’ll buy, no biggie.”

“Two weeks? Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise,” he says teasingly before sitting up and pushing up from the bed.

“But what about—” My eyes drop to his body, and I bite down on my bottom lip.

“No time. But, there’s always the mile-high club.”

“We’re flying?”

“Just get ready, Kitten. And don’t forget your passport.”

While I get myself sorted, Zach runs down to the studio to sort a few things.

With my bag loaded with everything I could possibly need, I lug it down the stairs after locking up the flat.

“I’d have come and got that for you,” he says when I pull it into reception.

“It’s fine. You ready to go?”

“I am.” He shuts down my computer and spins towards me.

“Don’t you have clients?”

“Nope.”

“But the calendar was full.”

“All fake. I made them up so you wouldn’t be suspicious.”

I narrow my eyes at him. “Sneaky.”

“I thought so.”

He grabs both of our cases before turning off the lights and pulling the front door open for me. There’s a car waiting outside. He immediately opens the boot and loads our bags inside.

Before I know it, we’re walking through Gatwick Airport and towards the desk to check in our bags.

My eyes flick up to the board and excitement explodes in my belly. “We’re going to LA?”

“We sure are. Thought it was time you met Corey and experienced how things are done in America.” I turn my wide smile from the board displaying our destination and look at Zach. “You happy?” he asks with a chuckle.

“Like you wouldn’t believe.” Pushing up on my tiptoes, I crash my lips to his and show him just how excited I am. Maybe we’ll have to see about that mile-high club thing…

I’m practically bouncing on the balls of my feet as we drag our bags out to arrivals. Now we’ve touched down I’m desperate to experience the delights LA has to offer. The second we walk through the arrival doors, I spot a beast of a man, covered in tattoos, waiting for us.

His eyes light up the second he sees the two of us, and he steps forward with a wide smile on his face.

“Zach, my man. It’s so good to see you.”

Zach walks straight into him and embraces him in a man hug which involves a lot of back slapping while I laugh at their overexuberant greeting.

“And you must be Biff.” Corey’s joy at having us there is infectious, and I squeal in delight when he sweeps me off my feet and spins me around.

“Hands off, man. Get your own,” Zach sulks.

He laughs at Zach’s pouting face as he lowers me to the ground. The world spins a little and I cling to Zach for support.

“Nah, you’re all right. I’m not one for tying myself down, you know this.” Something passes between them, making me curious about the man I’ve only spoken to on the phone. Some kind of understanding that only comes from a long-standing friendship. Zach talks about him often but nothing more than a few memories of times they’ve spent together or related to tattooing, but I don’t know much more than that.

“So, when do I get to walk on the golden sands of an LA beach then?” I ask, breaking the tension that suddenly descended around us.

“Not long now. Come on, I’ve got a car outside.” Corey takes our cases, allowing Zach to pull me into his side.

The heat hits us the second we exit the airport, and it’s glorious. I tilt my head towards the stunning blue sky and allow it to warm my face.

“You’re going to like it here a little too much, I can sense it,” Zach laughs, opening the car door for me.

I’m expecting to go to a hotel, so I’m a little surprised when we pull up outside a studio with a very familiar sign hanging out the front.

“It’s like home from home,” I say, staring at the neon pink Rebel Ink sign.

“Just with a little more sun,” Corey adds, jumping from the car and taking our bags from the boot.

We follow him through to the studio and I can’t help feeling like I’ve been transported straight back to London.

“Okay, this place is incredible, but it’s a little freaky. I’m still in LA, right?”

Corey and Zach both chuckle as I look around at the familiar reception to the one I man at home.

“You like it?” Zach asks, his arms wrapping around me from behind as his heat warms my back.

“I can’t not. It looks like home.”

“I might have wanted to run away, but I needed a little bit of my old life with me,” Corey says sadly, following my gaze around the space. “Tour?” he asks, coming back to himself and pulling his mind back to the present.

“I’d love one. Do you have a coffee machine Zach could make use of?”

“And here I was thinking Zach was the boss. I didn’t realise you’d handed over your business as well as your balls, man.”

Zach flips him off as he moves toward a closed door. “Don’t go anywhere near her skin with your gun or you won’t have any fucking balls left.”

“Loud and clear, big man. Loud and clear.”

It makes me laugh that Corey calls Zach that when Corey well outweighs him and has at least two inches on his height. He’s a beast of a man.

I follow him as he shows me each room. Just like London, each room is different, decorated as its artist desires. “And this is mine.” He pushes the door open and my breath catches at the amount of artwork adorning the walls.

“Wow, Zach said you were talented but… wow.”

He’s silent as my eyes take in design after design before me. I stop when I find one of an intricate heart with flames wrapping around the outside. I lift my finger and trace the lines, lost in the vibrancy of the colour. When I glance back, he’s got his arm up, his hand pulling down on the back of his neck looking a little unsure of himself.

He startles at my attention.

“He… uh… he’s really fallen for you, you know?” A little colour appears on his cheeks as he says this, telling me he hadn’t planned it.

“I like to hope so.” I think back to his confession before our meal last night and my heart swells in my chest.

“The way he talks about you on the phone, it’s—”

“It’s what?” A booming voice comes from behind him.

“Err… shit. Caught red-handed,” Corey says with a laugh, lightening the mood a little.

“Don’t let me stop you. Anything you need to say to Tabitha you can say in front of me.”

“I was just going to say that you’ve swept him away. Stolen his heart and taken control of his balls. It’s quite a sight to see. If he hadn’t brought you so I could see you with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed it possible.”

“Aw, Corey. Are you a bit of a romantic a heart?”

“No. Definitely not. But equally I didn’t have him down as one either.”

“Your time will come, man,” Zach says knowingly.

“Abos-fucking-lutley not. I’ve way too much baggage for one woman to deal with.”

“Is that your way of saying you don’t want a woman or that you need multiple?” I ask, when things suddenly get serious.

Corey barks out a laugh. “I really like this one, Zach. Don’t fuck it up.” He turns to me and whispers, “When he does, you can always have a job here.”

“Thanks, I appreciate that.”

“Right, that’s enough. I don’t need her to think you’re more charming than me.” Zach’s hand slips into mine. “You’ve seen the place. Now we need to eat. Surf shack?” he asks, turning back to Corey.

“You bet.” Corey pulls his phone from his pocket and books us an Uber.

Minutes later we’re on our way to a surf shack that Zach’s not stopped talking about since he mentioned it. Best seafood in the state, apparently.

We have a lovely meal looking out over the sea as the sun sets. Zach and Corey catch each other up on their lives as we eat and make easy work of our drinks that the waitress helpfully keeps topped up.

“And how’s the lovely Lana?” Corey asks.

“She’s good. Busy as always.”

“I can’t believe it’s been almost six years, man.” The atmosphere gets heavy as Zach lifts his hand to the dog tag around his neck.

He never talks about Jon. Even now I only know the basics. Corey gets a similar far-off look on his face as he thinks back, and I realise for the first time that this is how they’re connected.

“D- did…” I hesitate, because I know Zach won’t want to talk about it, but I need more. “Did you know Jon?”

“Yeah. We served together. Our military service ended on the same day.”

Our eyes hold as what he’s saying registers into my jet-lagged brain.

“Oh. But you’re—”

“Surviving.”

“Can I get you guys any desserts?” the waitress sings, distracting us from the heaviness of the conversation.

Thankfully, once we place our orders we manage to turn the conversation to lighter topics. Corey tells us about the new places he’s discovered here, and ensures that Zach agrees to taking me to a few of them.

We have a great night. It’s clear to see why Zach trusted Corey over here with this part of the business. He’s so easy to get on with, despite his obvious issues that keep his eyes a little clouded most of the time.

“You ready to head to the hotel?” Zach asks, finishing off his pint.

Thoughts of a swanky LA hotel room fill my mind and all the things we could do in one have my temperature spiking.

“I think she is, if that look is anything to go by,” Corey laughs. Perceptive fucker. “I’ll get the bill, you two head off.”

“Nah, man. My treat. You deserve a bonus for all you’ve done out here.”

“Don’t I fucking know it.”

In only minutes we’re saying goodbye to Corey, agreeing to meet him at the studio in the morning so the guys can go over some stuff. Excitement tingles in my belly of what’s to come for our trip here.

The car drives along the coast, allowing us to take in the last of the evening sun before it dives into the sea, and before long we’re pulling up in front of an incredible hotel right on the beachfront in Malibu.

The place is mind-blowing, but the reception is nothing compared to our room, which looks out over the stunning golden sand and perfectly clear night sky.

“Wow,” I breathe, stepping out onto the balcony. Zach follows me out and wraps his arms around my waist. I really am in heaven.

Our first week flies by. We spend time each morning at the studio and I get to meet the other artists whose names I know but mostly have never spoken to. We then head off and experience LA in the afternoons. Zach’s yet to tell me when we’re actually going home, but I can sense that our little bit of paradise is coming to an end.

“You think Corey would swap back? We could stay here instead,” I suggest, resting my head back on Zach’s shoulder as we enjoy the sunset over the sea one evening after our dinner in the hotel restaurant.

“I like your thinking, but I don’t think it will get you anywhere. Corey belongs here. England was never where he was meant to be, not after everyth—” Zach stops abruptly when he realises he’s said too much. “I’m sorry,” he says softly, spinning me to face him. “He’s not really one to talk about his life, I just—”

“It’s fine. I get it. You’re a good friend, Zach. He’s lucky to have you.” He shrugs off my comment as if it’s nothing. “Fancy a walk on the beach?”

“Is that a trick question?”

We grab our shoes, and I pull a light jacket from the back of the chair. It feels like only seconds later, I’m slipping off my shoes and stepping onto the soft sand. The beach is almost empty, just a few late night surfing attempts going on and a couple of young families building sand castles, but other than that, it’s just the sound of the crashing waves and a few birds overhead as we walk.

“Where do you see your future?” Zach suddenly asks.

“Um… To be honest, I’ve never really put that much thought into it. My biggest concern has always been what I wanted to do. I seem to spend my life disappointing my parents or following their orders and disappointing myself. Starting work with you was the first time I properly did something for me and really felt like myself.” I wince as I think about my parents. I’m still yet to introduce Zach to them, but that’s all going to come to an end at the beginning of next month, as I’ve agreed to attend their next event with a plus one. As scared as I am for them to meet Zach, I’m equally as excited to see the looks on their faces when they take him in.

“Okay, so now what? Do you want to stay at the studio? Do you want a room of your own?”

“What?” I ask, coming to a stop. “I can’t have a room. I have no idea how to—”

“I know a few people who could teach you the ropes.” His hand lifts to my cheek. “I’ve seen that sketchbook you think you hide in the bottom drawer of your desk, and I’ve now seen your own studio. You are more than capable of being one of my artists should you so wish.”

I roll the idea around in my head before an idea sparks. “Would you let me ink you?” I wiggle my eyebrows in curiosity.

“Without a doubt. Which bit of me do you want, Kitten?” He takes a step back and holds his hands out to offer himself up to me, and I laugh.

“All of you.”

His face suddenly turns serious and I panic that I’ve said the wrong thing.

He closes the space between us as he stares into my eyes, but he doesn’t reach out for me. Instead he does something that I didn’t see coming in a million years. He drops to one knee.

I gawp at him, thinking that he’s going to burst out laughing any second at his joke, but he never does. Instead, he takes my hand in his and brings it to his lips.

“You’ve got all of me, Kitten. But the question is, can I have all of you? Will you marry me?”

An unattractive snort falls from me as I wait for him to regret what he’s just said, but he doesn’t. He just stays down on one knee, in the Los Angeles sand with the sea as our backdrop and patiently waits for my answer.

“Yes,” I blurt as the realisation starts to hit that he really means this. Zach Abbot is serious enough about me that he really wants to do this.

“Yes?”

“Yes.” He launches himself at me and tackles me to the sand. He cradles the back of my head as he lowers me before dropping his weight onto my body and finding my lips.

He kisses me until we’re both breathless and our lungs are screaming for air. He brushes his lips along my jaw until he gets to my ear.

“You know I’ve got a studio in Vegas, right?” His hand skims up over my hip and squeezes my waist.

“Of course. W-what are you suggesting?”

He pulls back and looks at me, something wicked twinkling in his eyes.

“Fancy a diversion before heading home?”

“Is that a trick question?” I ask, repeating my words from earlier.

He pulls back, cups my jaw in his hand and rubs his thumb over my bottom lip. “You want to invite anyone?”

Holy shit, he’s serious.

Five days later, the two of us are standing in a wedding chapel in Las Vegas with the biggest grins on our faces. I glance over my shoulder and take in our two and only guests, Danni and Titch. Corey was desperate to follow us, but he was booked solid at the studio. They both smile back at me, but I’m not convinced by Danni’s delight. She might be happy that we’re doing this, but she’s anything but happy about being forced to spend time with Titch.

I’m dragged back to the here and now when the officiant before me speaks once again. “Tabitha, your vows,” he prompts.

Opening my bag, I pull out the napkin I wrote them on the other night when we made the crazy decision to write our own.

“I, Tabitha Anderson, take you, Zachary Abbot, to be my husband. I promise to be there for you in good times and bad, in sickness and in health. I promise to be everything you want as well as things you don’t even know you need. I promise to support you and be your partner in crime as well as your sounding board when you’re growing your empire. I promise to love you, honour you, and hate you all the days of my life.” He barks a laugh at my final words.

“Zachary,” the officiant prompts. But unlike me, he doesn’t pull out some scribbled notes, he just stares into my eyes and either makes it up as he goes along or he’s been secretly memorising them.

“I, Zachary Abbot, take you, Tabitha Anderson, to be my wife. I had no idea I was missing something, but I now realise I didn’t stop for long enough to notice as I ran from a part of my life I didn’t think I wanted. But you came crashing in and forced yourself on me,” Danni snorts behind us, but he’s undeterred, “and showed me what I was missing. I’ve equally loved and hated our time together, and I know that I’m only going to love and hate it more with every day that passes. You’re that final stroke of paint, the last drop of ink, that completes me. You make me whole, Tabby Cat, and I promise to show you how much I love you every day.”

I wipe the tears from my eyes as he reaches out to take my hand.

I pretty much sob through the rings part of the ceremony, and before I know what’s happening our very small congregation is clapping as we start to make our way back down the aisle.

Zach’s hot fingers squeeze mine tightly, and the reality of what we’ve just done hits me. I look up at him and find the widest smile I think I’ve ever seen on his face.

“You okay, wife?” he asks when he notices me watching him.

“I can’t believe we just did that.”

“Believe it, Kitten.” He lifts my hand and kisses my new rings. When we eventually dragged ourselves off the beach the night he spontaneously proposed we got an Uber to the closest jewellery shop and he bought me the most stunning platinum, princess cut engagement ring that now sits proudly next to the simple wedding band we chose to go with it.

Excitement shoots through me. I’ve never done anything so crazy in my entire life, but equally, I’ve never done anything that feels so right.

The second we’re in the chapel’s reception he pushes me up against the wall and crashes his lips to mine.

“Jesus, you might be man and wife now, but I still don’t need to see that,” Danni complains when she and Titch appear behind us.

Zach releases me and accepts congratulations from our two best friends before the four of us walk out of the chapel.

It’s dark out now, and the lights from the strip illuminate the sky.

“Mum and Dad are going to fucking kill you, you know that right?” Danni says, trailing behind us. “You remember what Mum was like when she found out Harrison did this with Summer without them? She forced that big wedding on them.”

“I’m pretty sure they’re in no position to criticise me ever again, Dan. And we’re not having one of those weddings.”

“Maybe, but they’ll be gutted they didn’t get to see that.”

“You took pictures, right?”

“Of course, but I’m not sure they’ll be happy with that. And your parents are going to go nuclear,” she says, turning to me.

“Meh, it’s a bit late now.” Finally, I feel strong enough with who I am and what I want with my life that my parents’ opinions no longer matter. The only person’s opinion I care about is the one who’s holding my hand right now and looking down at me like I’m the most amazing person in the world.

“I’m starving,” Titch complains, much to Danni’s disgust. “Where are we celebrating this epic union?”

“Burger place?” Zach suggests, and in that moment I couldn’t think of anything better.

We fill up on burgers and chips before hitting the casino in our hotel, all delighting in watching Zach lose a bit of his well-earned money before we descend to the night club in the basement to drink and dance the night away.

I’ve no idea what the time is when we crash through the door to our hotel suite, but the sun’s starting to come up and I’m more drunk than I’ve been in a long time. I think most of my buzz is due to the man who’s currently pushing me up against the nearest wall than it is the drinks I’ve consumed.

“I didn’t think I was ever going to get you alone.”

His lips find mine, and his tongue plunges between my lips. His hands skim down my waist, bunching up the full skirt of my tea length wedding dress until he finds the soft skin of my thighs.

He works his way up until he finds the lace of my stockings and garter belt. “Umm… what are you doing to me?” he groans against my lips, his fingertips tracing the lines if my lingerie.

I gasp when he rubs at me over the lace of my knickers, my head falling back against the wall as he grazes his teeth over the sensitive skin below my ear.

“Zach,” I beg, needing more than he’s giving me.

He kisses down my chest and over the swell of my breasts that sit above the neckline.

“Have I told you how beautiful you look today? How lucky I am to be able to officially call you mine? How badly I want to show you just how I treat things that belong to me?” His fingers slip beneath the lace and I cry out when he connects with my clit.

“Fuck, I want to taste you right now.”

“Go on then.” My voice is no more than a breathy whisper. He glances up at me, a salacious smile playing on his lips before he disappears under the mass of fabric that hangs from my waist.

His fingers find the sides of my knickers and he slowly pulls them down my legs until he taps my ankles one at a time so he can remove them completely. He rubs his nose against my smooth skin before parting me and pressing his tongue where I need him most.

Lifting one of my legs, he drops it over his shoulder, leaving me balancing on one unsteady leg as he eats me until I’m crying out his name and clenching around his finger seated deep inside me.

When he emerges from my dress, his face glistens with my arousal and his hair’s a mess from the lace it was brushing against.

He wipes his mouth before starting to undo his shirt buttons. He drops the fabric to the floor and my eyes feast on his inked skin. My mouth waters like always as I take in his sculpted torso and his deep v lines that disappear into his boxers. I bite down on the inside of my cheek as my need to run my tongue down the ridges gets too much to bear.

“I need you naked. Right. Now.”

Taking my hand, Zach pulls me from the wall and spins me so he can find the zip at my back. Painfully slowly, he pulls it down and then pushes the fabric from my shoulders. The dress pools at my feet, leaving me in only my lingerie.

“As sexy as this is, I want you in nothing but my ring.”

Heat floods my core, his hand brushing against my back as he finds the clasp of my bra and releases it. The lace joins my dress, and my shoes, garter belt and stockings join them only seconds later.

Once I’m naked, I reach for him and help him remove his final items of clothing. The second he’s bare, he pulls me into his body, his lips find mine, and he lifts me so I’ve no choice but to wrap my legs around his waist. The head of his cock teases my entrance. I grind my hips, trying to get more of him. He chuckles almost painfully as he walks us to the bed.

“So impatient,” he murmurs.

“I want to feel my husband moving inside me.”

He groans, his eyes darkening before me as he lowers me to the bed and settles himself between my thighs.

“I promise to love you now.” Thrust. “Forever.” Thrust. “And always.” Thrust. “I fucking love you, Tabby Cat.”

“I love you too, almost as much as I hate you.” He laughs, but it’s cut off when his lips find mine and he sets about spending what’s left of the night showing me just how much he loves me.

I can barely move when we wake the next morning. Every single one of my muscles pulls deliciously, reminding me of our wedding night.

“Morning, wife,” he whispers, his rough, sleepy voice sparking a desire within me that really should be sated.

“Morning, husband.”

“Hmmm… I love the sound of that.”

“I don’t want to ever leave this bed,” I admit, snuggling into his side.

“Shall we order room service? I really need to eat.”

I groan. “We promised Danni and Titch we’d meet them for lunch.”

“My sister is such a cock block,” Zach complains, rolling on top of me, proving that I’m not the only one who’s ready for our next round.

“Come on, hot shot. We’ve got the rest of our lives for that. I need a shower before gracing other human beings with my presence.”

“Shower, that sounds perfect.”

As expected, Zach gets his way in the shower and it takes much longer than I was anticipating to eventually get out of the suite to meet our two guests for a very late lunch.

Amazingly, they’re not sitting at a table waiting for us when we get down to the restaurant we agreed on last night. We order ourselves coffees and are busy reading the menu when Danni and Titch join us at exactly the same time, looking much the worse for wear.

“Well, aren’t you two a sight for sore eyes,” I say, laughing at their slightly green faces as they keep the sunshine streaming through the windows to their backs. “Have a good night after we left you, then?”

“Can we not talk about it?” Danni asks, reaching across the table to steal my coffee.

“Sure but don’t think—wait, what’s this?” I ask when something on her finger catches me eye. “Is that a fucking wedding ring?”

All four of us stare down at her ring finger in shock, but none more so than Danni and Titch.

“Oh fuck,” she groans, releasing her grip on the mug and holding her hand out in front of her. Reaching down, she lifts Titch’s hand from his lap and her eyes almost pop out of her head. Titch, on the other hand, doesn’t look so shocked. If anything, he looks smug as fuck.

Oh, this is going to be interesting.