Epilogue 1

Why did she let Ash talk her into this?

"Falcon looks like he would rather eat glass than be here right now," Monica hissed in Ash"s ear.

By here she meant the private room in one of Seattle"s elite restaurants, Maximilien. The restaurant had an amazing view and it normally took people months to get a reservation but somehow Trista had managed to pull off the impossible. Monica wasn"t so sure it was a good thing. They would"ve been more comfortable at a dingy bar.

"Oh, don"t be silly." Trista swatted her arm. "He"s just grumpy I made him change out of his tactical pants. Getting dressed up isn"t his idea of a good time."

"And yet you insist on making me do it, princess," Falcon grumbled.

Bentley attempted to hide a snicker behind his hand, but it was Luke"s rolling laughter that finally allowed her to shake off the nerves.

"Sorry, man. I know how you feel. When Monica said this would be a casual date, I had assumed jeans at least. Then she tossed dress pants at me."

"Get used to it," Bentley chimed in. "Nothin" is ever what you think it'll be when it comes to these three."

"We should"ve met at a bar," Falcon added with heat.

"You hate bars. Aren"t you always the one who complains there are too many people at them? I chose this place because it could be just the six of us and you have a view of all the exits. See? I"m always thinking about you, big boy." Trista patted Falcon"s arm.

Whatever Falcon"s response to that was made Trista blush and Monica was thankful she hadn"t heard it.

Things calmed down after that. Conversation flowed easily, and by the time dessert arrived, no one would guess that just a few hours earlier Luke had been a stranger to the other two men. Stories were shared and laughter seemed to be in abundance. Even Falcon looked more relaxed the longer the night went on.

"Thank you," Monica leaned over and whispered into Luke"s ear.

"For what, sweetheart?"

"For agreeing to this. It means a lot to me that we can hang out together. I rarely get to spend time with my best friends these days. Ever since they moved to Texas, it"s been hard."

She hadn"t meant to bring the mood down, but it was important to her that he knew how much this meant. There had been a time in her life when she had spent every free second with these two ladies. Obviously, as they got older, she knew that would change but the transition had been harder than she expected.

"Anything for you, and we can visit them as often as you like. Now that Carmichael has officially retired, you can relax a little and have fun. Maybe one weekend a month you can take time for yourself and your friends."

She liked that idea. She could never stop being the workaholic it took to be successful, but if her kidnapping had taught her anything, it was that life needed balance. And at any point, if she forgot that, she knew Luke would be right there to remind her.

"I love you."

"I love you too, sweetheart."