Epilogue

Three weeks later...

Eve was so engrossed in her research that she didn't hear Grayson come in until he drew her chair from the desk and hauled her into his arms, swinging her around so her feet left the ground. "We found him!"

She sucked in a harsh breath. "Dennis Powers?"

"Yes. With the feds' help, they were finally able to grab him up in a private resort in Canada." He kissed her. "That's the end of it. Based on the testimony of Fierstein and Strong, he won't see the light of day for a long time."

"What about other evidence against him?" She and Grayson had discussed how well Powers had covered his tracks, tricking the professors to do his bidding so that his hands were clean. "What if their testimony isn't enough?"

"The feds are going through his financials now and were able to trace some initial payments from a fake LLC that Powers had set up just for this purpose. It's going to take time, but they'll nail him."

"It's really over." The shake-up at the research institute had caused a lot of problems for her and the other professors who had not been involved. The dean of the Milwaukee College of Medicine was stepping in and had hired an auditing firm to go through all their financials. Roger Cannon wasn't involved, but he had announced his retirement, effective immediately. The lab was still being repaired, and as such, her research had come to a screeching halt.

It bothered her to know that Powers had gotten away with disrupting things as much as he had. But there was nothing she could do but to move forward from here. To keep plugging away until she was able to fulfill her mission to cure diabetes.

Funny thing was, though, the forced vacation had made her realize how much she'd missed. Over the past few weeks, Grayson had taken her swimming at Bradford Beach, to a concert on the Summerfest grounds, along with sampling several of his favorite restaurants. He'd also attended church with her and had taken her out on several double dates with his teammates and their wives.

She'd never had so much fun in her life. And while she wasn't giving up on her research by any stretch of the imagination, she now appreciated the importance of having balance in her life. God first, then Grayson, and then her research.

"I'm so happy," she said as Grayson grinned down at her. "I wasn't really afraid he'd come after me, but it's still a relief to have him behind bars.

"For both of us," Grayson admitted. He kissed her, and she knew she'd never get tired of his kisses. Then he finally set her on her feet. "Let's take a walk along the parkway."

Walking the parkway in the afternoon was their new favorite pastime. Her house was located on Maple Creek Parkway, a nice stretch of parkland where they often saw wildlife, deer, foxes, and even the occasional coyote. Summer was short in Wisconsin as Grayson always said, so they needed to enjoy it.

"Fine with me. Just let me save my work." It wasn't always easy to walk away from her research, but Grayson's good mood was infectious.

The summer sun was high in the sky. Grayson caught her hand as they strolled along the parkway. The scent of freshly cut grass and wildflowers filled the air. They didn't hurry, but Grayson tugged her to a stop when they reached their favorite set of trees. This was where they'd glimpsed the fox, but there was no sign of her now.

"Eve." He held her gaze for a moment, then slowly went down on one knee. She gasped when he pulled a small velvet ring box from his pocket and opened it. "Would you please marry me?"

"I—uh, it's only been three weeks!" It was too soon, wasn't it?

"I know, but we've known each other longer than that." He didn't move, even though they were getting curious looks from other pedestrians enjoying the summer day. "I love you. Please marry me."

"Yes, Grayson." No amount of time would change her love for him. She laughed as he slipped the ring onto her finger. "I can't wait to be your wife."

"Thank you for making me the happiest guy on earth." He rose to his feet, and a few people behind them clapped and whistled.

One even shouted, "You go, buddy! Grab the girl and kiss her!"

Laughing, Grayson drew her in for a kiss, then shouted, "She said yes!"

"Whoo-hoo!" someone shouted. "Congrats!"

She couldn't help but laugh too. She'd never been so happy. And she had God to thank for bringing them together.

I hopeyou enjoyed Grayson and Eve's story! It's been so much fun writing about the members of Rhy's tactical team.