Extended Epilogue

Colton

One year later…

“ A bout fucking time,” West complains as the main door to the room we’re all sitting in opens and our father and his latest partner walk in as if they own the place. You’d think that anyone who’s almost two hours late for their son’s rehearsal dinner the night before his wedding would look at least a little bit embarrassed. But nope. Not Dalton Rogers. He’s as arrogant and as self-assured as ever.

Ella was starting to believe that they weren’t going to turn up. West and I knew better.

Having our father turn all the attention on himself is nothing new to us.

He lives for the attention and the limelight.

Hilda, his new wife, takes her place beside him as the doors fall closed and the conversation around the large table we’re all sitting at pauses.

I discovered that he’d eloped with her online. It’s how I discover almost everything about my father these days. Most I take with a grain of salt, because we all know how much truth there is in the media, but it was hard to discount the wedding photos that accompanied the article.

Was I surprised that I’d never met the woman wearing white at his side? No. Not at all.

There have been many that have come before her that West and I were never introduced to. Most of them didn’t stick around long enough for them even to be mentioned to us.

A few have lingered for a few months, but I never thought they’d stay.

After Mom, Dad refused to have a relationship.

I got it. Hell, I still do.

She hurt him in ways I’m sure we’ll never fully understand. It’s why I believed him when he said never again.

But then there was Hilda.

I’ve never met the woman, but there must be something pretty special about her if she’s convinced my dad to put a ring on it.

Everyone watches as they move into the room and toward two of the three empty seats.

“Good evening, sorry we’re late.”

“Our flight was delayed,” Hilda explains. “Then I thought they’d lost my luggage but?—”

“Take a seat, love,” Dad says interrupting her while he pulls her chair out.

We watch in astonishment as he holds it for her and waits until she’s seated to lower himself down.

“You watching this shit?” West mutters under his breath.

I don’t answer, I can’t. I’m too shocked by his chivalry.

“Did Nova not travel with you?” Ella says, speaking for the first time since they entered.

Ella hasn’t forgiven my father for what happened when I was in the hospital. I haven’t either, but he’s still my father.

“Yes, she did. She’s gone to her room to freshen up,” Hilda explains.

Nova is her daughter. Our new stepsister.

“She’ll be down shortly. Please, don’t let us stop you all,” Hilda says, finally referencing the fact we were all mid-meal when they decided to grace us with their presence.

Heat blooms on my thigh before Ella’s tiny hand squeezes encouragingly.

“Ignore them,” she whispers, sensing my irritation. “Tonight and tomorrow is about us, not him.”

Turning to look at my soon-to-be wife, I take in the lightness in her eyes and the smile playing on her lips.

She’s in such a good place right now. We both are.

A familiar soft voice hits my ears and I look to the person sitting beside Ella in a high chair.

Sure, the therapists might have something to do with our current frames of mind, but our little angel has a lot to do with it as well.

From the first moment that Ellison was born, Ella morphed into the most incredible mother.

And our little girl…damn. She’s everything.

At only a year old, I can already see her personality shining through.

She reminds me so much of West when he was little, but instead of the dark hair, she has her mommy’s golden locks.

She’s given us even more reason to fight our battles, and I will forever be grateful for her. We didn’t plan or expect her, but she’s been everything we needed.

She completed us.

Watching as she grabs a handful of pasta and stuffs it into her mouth, I rip my eyes away and look at her mom again.

“I love you,” I mouth.

“I love you too,” Ella responds loudly enough for West to overhear. The asshole starts gagging beside me.

“Don’t worry, Bro. One day, I’ll be sitting beside you as your best man doing the same thing.”

“Pfft, I don’t think so. Everyone knows that Brax will be my best man.”

I stare at the clock, watching as the numbers climb closer to when I’m going to get to see my girls again.

We have nights apart weekly during the season. Another one shouldn’t be a big deal, but I barely slept last night. I missed her more than I thought possible, considering she’s in the same building.

I wanted to abolish the tradition of spending the night apart, but Angie wouldn’t have it.

She might be happy with our modern way of doing this, but some traditions die hard, and this was one she wasn’t letting go of.

I guess it’ll all be worth it in a few hours when I get to see her again.

Long before anyone else in the hotel is awake, I hit the gym before returning to my room to shower and get dressed.

I waste as much time as I can, but I still end up waiting for what feels like forever until someone finally knocks on my door.

The sound of deep male voices on the other side of the door makes my heart lurch and the butterflies that are happily fluttering in my belly go wild.

This is it. The beginning of the day where I finally make Ella mine.

It’s been a long time coming, and despite the pain and heartache we’ve experienced, I wouldn’t want it any other way.

The door finally bursts open and Luca, Kane, Kyan, Leon, Brax, and Benny all stumble inside, looking sharp as hell in their matching suits.

Gray suits with our old Maddison Kings Panthers cufflinks for old time’s sake.

Kyan is wearing the same suit tailored to fit his small body. He looks cute as hell, and a total mini-me of his father.

“Looks like someone’s impatient to see his bride,” Luca says teasingly.

“You have no fucking idea. Where’s West?” I ask, noticing my missing brother and best man.

Brax snorts a laugh as they all take a seat and make themselves at home.

“What?” I grunt.

“He went out last night.”

“He told me he was heading to bed,” I argue.

“Well, he didn’t get there until a lot of hours later, and smelling of women’s perfume no less.”

“Fuck’s sake,” I complain, dragging my hand down my face. “The fuck is he playing at?”

Brax shrugs. “He’s been a bit off recently. I rolled him out of bed before I left; he won’t be long.”

I want to dig more, but I don’t get a chance because Kane produces a bottle of top-shelf whiskey from fuck knows where and announces that we need a toast.

Luca apparently has the glasses, and not thirty seconds later, there are six shots lined up. Ignoring the empty seventh glass, I accept my drink.

Since my trip to Texas after Ella checked herself into the hospital, I’ve barely touched a drop of alcohol. The guys know this, and just like always, they’re fully supportive of my decision to be sober. But every now and then, things need celebrating just like we did in college. And that calls for a bottle of whiskey.

“West should be here for this,” I grumble.

“You can beat his ass for it later,” Leon says.

“To Colt and Ella,” Luca says, holding his glass up and getting us back on track.

“To Colt and Ella,” the others echo before we all lift our glasses to our lips and swallow our liquor.

It burns all the way down, but I embrace it.

“Fuck. I’m getting married today.”

“Taken long enough, huh?” Kane asks.

Shaking my head, I abandon my glass. That’s more than enough for me.

“Shall we?” Luca asks, heading toward the door.

Glancing at my watch, a wave of anticipation rushes through me.

We don’t have a lot of guests, only those who are important to us, but still, the thought of standing up in front of them today makes me nervous.

It’s stupid. Our games are watched by half the country. A roomful of thirty of our nearest and dearest really shouldn’t affect me. But it does.

Sensing my unease, Luca and Kane hang back while the others move toward the door.

“We get it, man. It’s big.”

“I’m not nervous because I don’t want this.”

Kane chuckles. “We know. Just try to enjoy it, yeah. All too soon, it’ll be over and you’ll wish you could do it all over again.”

Shaking my head, I swallow down the emotion that’s clogging my throat.

“I know I don’t say it much, but…I fucking love you guys.”

“Aw, we love you too, man,” Luca says, slapping his hand on my back.

“You guys coming or what?” Leon calls.

“We’re coming. Gotta make sure my brother is ready.”

As we pass West’s room, all of us hammer on his door, ensuring that he—and anyone else on this floor who was trying to sleep—is fully awake.

He grunts at us from inside the room, but he doesn’t open the door.

“You’ve got twenty minutes or I’m replacing you with Luca.”

“Way to make me feel second best, bro,” Luc teases.

“Just get your ass downstairs, Weston Rogers,” I warn darkly before spinning on my heels and marching toward the elevator.

“He’ll be there,” Brax assures me. “He wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“Not important enough to stay sober for though, is it?” I scoff.

I want to be pissed with him, but Brax is right. Something is off with my little brother. I promise myself then and there that I’ll talk to him before we head off on our honeymoon. It’ll eat at me if I don’t.

The boutique hotel we chose for our big day has been fully decorated, and the moment the elevator doors open, we’re greeted by purple flowers and our wedding planner.

She looks at each of us before asking, “Where’s the best man?”

“Coming, hopefully,” I mutter before taking off toward the room where the ceremony is going to be taking place within the hour.

I walk down the aisle, with my boys behind, attempting to take it all in.

I’m getting fucking married.

I truly never thought I’d see the day.

But here we are.

Ella Myers is going to become Ella Rogers right here on this spot.

Just thinking about it causes the widest smile to spread across my face.

Ella is finally going to officially be mine.

Our planner goes through how the day is going to run as if she hasn’t already done it ten times before and a few of our guests arrive early.

West is still a no-show though.

“Will you go up and drag him down here?” I ask when Dad and Hilda appear before us.

“Son,” Dad greets.

We talked after the meal last night, but it was short and curt and we very quickly went our separate ways.

“Good morning.”

The two of them part and I’m faced with a girl who looks much older than I was expecting. Dad has barely said a word about our new sister, only that she’s still in high school.

“Colton, this is Nova, Hilda’s daughter.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“You too. Sorry I didn’t make it back down last night,” she explains as if her absence was noticed. “My brother sends his apologies for not attending.”

Her brother. Now there is someone we’ve all heard of.

Lincoln Storm plays professional hockey for the LA Vipers. I might not be much of a hockey fan, but I’ve seen his name and photo on my screen enough to feel like I know him despite having never met him.

“Great,” I say probably a little less enthusiastically than I should.

I’m happy for Dad, I am. I just can’t help being a little skeptical of this whole thing.

“Where is your brother?” Dad asks just as movement at the entrance catches my eye.

“Jesus,” I mutter, looking up and seeing West being dragged into the room by Brax.

My brother might be wearing his suit and made an effort to do his hair, but the second I look into his eyes, it’s impossible to miss the hangover.

“Oh, for the love of God,” Dad complains as they approach.

West’s gaze locks on mine and doesn’t waiver as he steps up to me. “Sorry, I’m sorry. I—” Suddenly, he looks at Nova, his words falter, and his face twists in confusion.

“I’m going to get a mimosa before we start,” Hilda says, oblivious to West’s reaction to her daughter.

“Nova, would you like a drink?”

“Mimosa sounds fantastic,” she exclaims ripping her eyes from West and following Dad and Hilda out of the room, as if they’ll actually order her one.

“Wh-who was that?” West whispers the second they’re out of earshot.

“That?” I ask, pointing at Nova’s retreating back. “That is our new stepsister. Why? Do you know her?”

West lifts his hand before combing his hair back and fucking up any styling he did before dragging his palm down to his mouth.

“N-no. Never met her before in my life.”

“Liar.”

“I-I?—”

“Later,” I hiss before the guys join us, although they’re nowhere near a good enough distraction to stop me from noticing how West’s eyes move to where Nova stands at the bar just outside the room.

She immediately glances back. It’s impossible to miss the chemistry that crackles between them.

Interesting…

P ushing my brother’s antics and impending drama aside, I follow our planner's instructions and find myself standing by his side in front of our officiant.

Our guests have filled the seats. There is just one free ready for Benny after he’s walked Ella down the aisle.

My eyes catch on Angie’s and they crinkle as she smiles.

I’ll never be able to express how grateful I am for her support since Ella and I found each other again. I miss my mom, of course I do. But I didn’t realize how much until I had a mother figure back in my life again.

“Good luck,” she mouths.

“Thank you.”

“Ready?” West asks.

“More so than you are. I can’t believe you lied to me last night.”

“I needed to blow off some steam,” he explains.

“And how did that go for you?”

“Can we just focus on you?”

Our planner waves at me from the double doors on the other side of the room and my heart lurches.

“No. Let’s focus on Ella,” I say, nodding to our planner.

It’s time.

My hands tremble at my sides and my heart rate picks up.

I’m so ready to see my girls.

The double doors open, and I blow out a slow breath as Macie and Peyton emerge, dressed in matching purple dresses.

But as beautiful as they look, they don’t hold my interest; instead, I look behind them, ready for who comes next.

A wide smile spreads across my face as my beautiful baby girl emerges in Letty’s arms next. She looks so pretty in her ivory dress with a purple bow around her waist.

Her entire face lights up as she sees me, her little arms reaching out in the hope of getting to me faster.

It pains me not to rush toward her and take her, but I can’t.

Letty sees the move and walks over, allowing me to kiss my daughter’s head before handing Ellison to Angie and moving over to take her place.

The music changes and the atmosphere in the room gets heavier.

The air turns thick with anticipation as everyone turns to look at the closed doors at the back of the room.

My heart pounds in my chest, slamming against my ribs as if it’s trying to burst out. My hands tremble and my palms sweat.

Come on, Ella. Let me see you , I silently beg.

“Are you ready for this?” West asks, his hand landing on my back.

“Yeah,” I breathe. “I’m so fucking ready.”

“Proud of you, Bro,” he says quietly a beat before the doors open.

And there she is.

“Oh my god,” I breathe, hardly able to believe what I’m seeing.

“Whoa,” West gasps in my ear, but I pay him zero attention as my girl walks into the room, looking like a vision in ivory lace.

It covers her arms and then goes all the way down to her floor. I’m not surprised by her dress choice, but it’s so much more beautiful than anything I’ve imagined.

She floats toward me as if she’s lighter than air, a wide smile playing on her lips as she clutches her brother’s arm.

By the time she gets to me, my entire body is trembling with excitement, with need.

“Bombshell,” I whisper, my eyes everywhere as I take her in.

“Hey, Rogers, fancy seeing you here.”

I shake my head, unable to believe this is really happening, despite the fact we’ve spent months planning it.

“You still sure you want to do this?” I ask, giving her one last shot to run from me.

“Never been surer of anything in my life.”

Benny clears his throat. “I feel like I should say something epic here about you taking care of Ella and?—”

“I’ve got it,” I confirm. “I know and understand my job. You don’t need to worry.”

“Our dad would have loved you. Well, you know, once he got over all the shit you?—”

“Benny,” Ella hisses. “Go and sit down.”

“Shit, yeah. You got it.”

He leans into Ella and kisses her cheek before holding his hand out for me.

“Welcome to the family, bro.”

He takes off and leaves us alone. Or at least as alone as we can be with over thirty sets of eyes aimed at us.

“You look incredible.”

Her smile gets even wider.

“You too,” she says placing her hand on my chest. “Nervous?” she asks, able to feel how hard my heart is beating.

“Not one bit. Excited. This is where I finally make you mine. Are you ready to be Mrs. Rogers?”

“So ready.”