Epilogue

Ivan

We closedon our new house on a Tuesday in February, right after we got back from Hawaii. It was a sprawling mini-estate just a few miles from the beach and a mile from Harper and Gabe's new house. It would be a little bit of a trek to get to games, but I didn't mind. It was worth it for us to finally have a place of our own. In my mind, it was more space than we needed, but I'd known the moment we stepped inside it was the house for us. Chey's eyes had widened, and she'd turned to me with visible excitement. We'd bought it on the spot, without even selling our condos yet, and the movers were currently bringing in our stuff.

"Upstairs!" Chey yelled as she held up a huge box.

"What is that?" I asked.

She gave me a sheepish smile. "Shoes."

"How many boxes like that are there?"

"Does it matter?" she teased. "There will always be shoes. If you love me, you're going to have to get used to it."

I smiled. "I guess I am."

"Are you sure you want me in the bedroom with the balcony?" Stevie asked, coming out of the downstairs guest room.

"Yes!" Chey and I spoke in unison because Stevie had asked us this multiple times.

"I just feel guilty…" she murmured.

"Stop. We want you here," Chey told her. "Your Brownstone is on the market and once it sells, you'll be able to buy something of your own. Until then, you're more than welcome with us. Besides, I like having company when Ivan's on the road."

Stevie smiled and nodded, going back into her room.

She'd been staying with us, with Addy, and with Saylor, moving around so as not to overstay her welcome anywhere, even though none of us minded having her around. Now that she was single, I was beginning to see the sweet girl Chey had always talked about.

It would be nice if it was just us, but I was okay with giving Stevie a family to lean on while she recuperated. She still cried herself to sleep sometimes, we both heard her, but the therapist said it was okay to let her cry when she needed to. Her emotions would be raw for a while, and it was nice for Chey to have company when I traveled.

We'd had a security team come and install cameras, gates, state-of-the-art locks, and alarms on all of the doors and windows. Damien was still out on bail, awaiting trial, and I wasn't taking any chances with Chey's safety.

She was going to be my wife, after all.

I'd proposed in Hawaii, and we were planning a summer wedding in Niagara Falls. Chey and Stevie were gearing up to throw themselves into planning, so I hoped it was something positive for Stevie to focus on while she was healing.

Chey was ecstatic, of course, already talking with Alexa about a dress and the ladies would be her bridesmaids. For me, it was pretty simple. Gabe would be my best man, and then my cousin Robert, Jensen, and Connor. If she had more bridesmaids, I had a whole team of guys to invite to join us for the festivities.

"Hey, everybody!" Marty and Connor came in carrying what looked like a massive tray of chicken wings, so big it required both of them to carry it.

"In the kitchen!" Chey called.

"We've got pizza!" Jensen yelled, coming in with Bailey, who was carrying a cake of some sort on a tray.

"And cake!" Bailey added.

"Kitchen!" I told them.

A minute later Saylor came in and winked at me, nodding.

Finally.

My engagement gift to Chey.

It was supposed to be a Christmas gift, but things had gotten complicated with us flying to Buffalo instead of my mom coming to L.A. She was doing well, but healing had taken longer than she'd hoped, so we'd gone to her even though it had been a quick trip because I only had three days off.

"Sweetheart," I called to Chey. "I need you upstairs for a moment."

She came around the corner looking delightfully disheveled, tendrils of hair escaping her ponytail and a smudge of dirt on her T-shirt. She was still the most beautiful woman in the world, and I playfully pushed a tendril of hair behind her ear.

"What's up?" she asked.

"Come with me." I took her hand, and we went up to the primary suite. It was huge, with floor-to-ceiling windows and sliding glass doors along one wall. You could see the Pacific Ocean in the distance and a swath of palm trees lining our property. It really was an incredible house, despite being over six thousand square feet with more bedrooms than we could fill for a long time.

"Close your eyes," I told her when we stepped into the room. Despite having movers and friends everywhere, I closed the door. Then I went into the closet and found the painting right where Saylor had left it. I picked it up and carried it into the bedroom, gently placing it on the dresser and leaning it against the wall.

"Keep your eyes closed!" I told her, hurrying over to her side and covering her eyes with my hands. I guided her to the dresser and pointed her at it and then slowly removed my hands.

"Oh!" She gasped, her hands going to her mouth. "Ivan! When did you get this?"

"It's been a while but there hasn't been the opportunity to give it to you. Christmas was more chaotic than I'd anticipated, and then travel and our vacation…"

"I love it!" She turned and threw her arms around my neck. "Thank you."

"This is your combination engagement/housewarming gift."

"I love you," she breathed against my mouth.

I kissed her lovingly, holding her close.

Our mouths moved together easily since we spent so much time kissing.

Kissing had become our love language, our way of connecting even when we couldn't be alone. If she kissed me, any time or any place, it told me she needed my attention, and I gave it to her as often as I could.

"This might be my favorite gift ever," she said, her eyes shining with tears.

"I'm so glad I could get it for you."

"You're sneaky, Mr. Rochenko."

"Actually, it's Saylor who's sneaky," I teased. "She not only kept it from you, she snuck up here and put it in the closet for me. You didn't even know she was here."

"I don't think our security is doing a good job," she said, laughing.

"Oh, don't worry—they knew."

"I'm glad." She looked at me and then gazed out the windows. "We're home, Ivan. This is our home."

"It sure is."

"I hope you don't mind having Stevie and my family and friends in and out all the time."

Wyatt had said he was going to do some kind of internship with our security company, and so he would be working a few nights every week, along with whoever was on duty.

"Family is family, and our friends are family. It's all good."

"I really love you, Ivan."

"I love you too, sweetheart. Welcome home."