Legally Addicted

Epilogue



Instead of throwing her bouquet into the crowd of single women lined up outside the hotel, Georgia strode up to Miriam and held the flowers out to her. Miriam would have been hoping to catch them anyway, and Georgia couldn’t think of anyone who deserved them more. Without her friend’s prodding she and Brad might never have got together.

Miriam didn’t take the flowers straight away, hugging Georgia, forcing her to hold the bouquet of tightly bound rosebuds out of the way to save them from being crushed.

‘Georgia!’

Georgia looked back over her shoulder to see Brad impatiently holding the door of the limo open, the limo that would take them from their wedding reception to the airport, where the Spencer private jet would be waiting.

‘Someone can’t wait to get you on honeymoon.’ Miriam giggled. ‘Go on, go.’

Georgia gave Miriam a final squeeze and thrust the flowers towards her. Then she ran down the steps and jumped into the limo, managing the entry into the vehicle far more easily than she had earlier that day in a full skirted, halter necked wedding dress and veil. Now that she was in her going-away dress, the one Miriam had insisted she buy from the top floor of Castlereagh’s, she shimmied easily across the leather seat.

‘This isn’t the way to the airport,’ she said, looking around to Brad as the limo driver took a wrong turn at the first intersection, veering away from the route that would connect with the airport traffic.

‘No, we’re making a quick stop at the office first,’ Brad said.

The limo rounded the block and stopped outside the main entrance to the building that housed the law firm where they worked.

Brad leaned across her, peering out the window.

‘What are you looking for?’

‘The firm’s name plate — look.’

Brad sat back and pointed in the direction of the signage beside the revolving doors into the building.

Georgia stared at the brass lettering.

Dayton Llewellyn.

The plate only the day before had read: Dayton Llewellyn Murray and Spencer. Someone had replaced it with the old sign, the one from before the time she and Brad had joined the firm.

‘What’s going on? What have John and Roger gone and done?’

‘It’s not what they’ve done. It’s what I’ve done. Look down, Georgia.’

For as long as she could remember, underneath Dayton Llewellyn’s name plate, there had been a similar brass ornament for an accounting firm, but now it was gone, replaced by a bigger, shinier sign in the same golden metal.

Spencer and Spencer.

‘A bit presumptuous of me, I know. If you want to keep your own name, I can have it changed, no problem.’

‘No, Brad, it’s perfect. Everything is just perfect.’ Georgia pulled her hands into fists, drawing them up to her mouth as if to head off the thrill that was moving up through her body looking for an escape route.

She couldn’t believe it. Her own firm, something that had seemed so impossible she had not ever even dared to dream it, let alone put it on her bucket list.

Overcome, she leaned over and whispered in Brad’s ear.

‘What did you say, Georgia?’

‘You heard.’

She wasn’t going to say it again. Brad knew very well what she had said, and how difficult that had been for her to even whisper it.

‘Strange you have trouble with that particular four-letter word when there are so many others you have no trouble with at all. Not that I’m complaining, of course. I’m hoping we can unleash some of that delightful vernacular of yours again soon, very soon, my love.’

She dug him playfully in the ribs.

Brad pulled her to him, dropping his head down to kiss her on the top of her head.

‘I’ll just have to say it for both of us then, won’t I?’

Georgia nestled into him, wordlessly encouraging him to continue with a happy sigh. ‘That’s right, Mrs Georgia Spencer — I love you, and I know you love me too.’