Epilogue

EPILOGUE

FUCKED-UP FAMILY

Henley

“I can’t believe I’m losing my roommate already,” Lanie sank down on the bean bag beside me.

“I can’t believe I’m getting married.”

“I’m still gonna kick his ass for proposing without a ring, even if he made up for it.”

I’d woken up that morning in the hospital to him slipping a gorgeous, emerald cut diamond ring on my finger. He’d grinned from ear to ear when I questioned how the hell he’d made the purchase when he literally hadn’t left my side. His response…“I’m an FBI agent. I have my ways.”

After a thirty-three-hour observation stay, eight of which I don’t remember because I was either unconscious or high on pain meds, I was discharged from the hospital. All-in-all, it took six stitches to close the knife wound in my side. According to the sweet older woman who took over my care after our one and only run-in with Dr. Dick, if it had been an inch higher, the blade would have nicked my liver. I was extremely lucky, she’d said.

Keaton drove us to the townhouse, where he proceeded to carry me inside and kiss me stupid. After getting me settled, he told me he’d have all my stuff ready to go home in an hour. I’m sure he was gearing up for me to argue the sudden move, but truth be told, I was excited to start our life together. That was twenty minutes ago.

“Are you in pain? Did you eat breakfast?

“A little and yes.”

“I’m going to miss you.”

“Lanie, I’m moving five minutes down the road, not across the country.”

“Still, it’s going to be too quiet again.”

“I promise I’ll visit so much; it’ll be like I never left.”

Lanie shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “I can’t believe I almost went on a date with that psycho.”

“He fooled everyone, Lanie.” Trying to lighten the mood, I decided to ask her a very important question. “How would you feel about being my Maid of Honor?”

“Are you serious?” She threw her arms around me.

“Is that a yes?” I chuckled.

“That’s a hell yes.”

The doorbell rang, interrupting our celebration.

“That’ll be Jade.”

She went to get up, but laughed instead when Koen’s deep voice boomed, “You don’t need to ring the bell, Angel. Just walk inside. You’re part of our fucked-up family now.”

“What if they were indisposed, you big oaf?”

“She just got out of the hospital five seconds ago. Keaton’s not gonna risk pulling her stitches for at least another week.”

When they rounded the corner to the living room, an emotional storm hit me hard and fast. Big, ugly tears pooled in my eyes, spilling over my lashes when I saw the bruising around her neck. Jade flew across the room as Lanie quickly scrambled off the couch to give her the space. I barely even felt the sting in my side when she collapsed into my waiting arms. We stayed like that for long minutes, until our sobs eventually turned to whimpers.

“I’m so sorry, Henley. This was all my fault.” A male voice I wasn’t expecting sounded from my left.

Jade’s brother stood in the threshold, wringing his hands together nervously, staring straight at me with sorrowful eyes.

“Jett.” Jade blew out a breath. “How many times do we have to tell you, us getting kidnapped had nothing to do with whatever high school drama you’ve gotten mixed up in.”

“It’s not high school drama, Jade.” He stomped his foot, acting every bit the child he was. “You just won’t listen.”

“Whoa,” Koen held up his hands. “Why don’t the two of us go in the kitchen and I’ll listen to whatever it is you have to say. All right?”

“Promise?”

“Yeah, kid. I promise.”

As they left, Jade’s shoulders dropped. Exhaustion was pouring off of her and I had a feeling it was caused by more than our harrowing ordeal.

“What the hell’s going on, Jade?” I asked.

“I told you he’s been acting strange, but when he showed up at the hospital the other night…” She rubbed her hand over her chest, like she was trying to soothe a physical pain. “He flipped his shit. He was spouting off about the guy on the TV and how he knew he shouldn’t have gotten involved.”

“What guy on TV?” Lanie knelt on the floor at our feet.

“Chase,” she answered. “Ever since he saw the news about his arrest, he’s been off the rails.”

“How does he know Chase?”

I could see on her face; Lanie had switched from concerned friend to federal agent. The question was why? Jett was a high schooler, albeit a brilliant one, but still, he was a kid.

“Uh, guys.” Koen popped his head into the room. “You’re gonna want to hear this. I’ll grab Keaton.”

Ten minutes later, I was in shock. No, not shock. I was flabbergasted.

“Let me get this straight.” Jade paced the floor. She started doing that after Jett finished his story and I didn’t have the heart to stop her. I’d even considered joining in at one point so I’d have something to keep my mind off the fact that Chase had manipulated this sweet boy. “This kid, who you’ve never met before, approached you and offered you a thousand bucks to hack into the university’s mainframe to switch out a test?”

“It wasn’t a test, it was his final paper,” Jett corrected. “He said he accidentally turned in the wrong paper to the wrong professor.”

“And you believed him?” she yelled, flashing him a scathing look.

“Settle down, Angel.” Koen walked up behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders.

“Stop calling me that.” She whipped her head around, nostrils flaring. He returned her scowl with a chuckle.

“Okay, Angel.”

“We needed the money, Jade. I did it so you wouldn’t have to work so hard.”

“Jesus, Jett. I raised you better.”

“Let’s all take a breath here for a second,” Keaton, who’d been unusually quiet the entire time, suggested .

Lanie, still in investigator mode, was the next to speak, “You wouldn’t, by chance, have any proof, would you, Jett?”

“I do,” he swallowed roughly, then opened the backpack he’d sat on the counter and pulled out his laptop. “Both times, the day he gave me the flash drive and the day he paid me, I insisted on meeting at an Internet café downtown. I had my webcam on record the whole time.”

“You know what this means, right?” Keaton took my face in his hands.

“We can get my expulsion reversed.” I smiled.

Keaton

It took three weeks of red tape bullshit to get Henley reenrolled in the social work program, but it only took me one day to have the asshole security guard, who ignored her sexual assault, fired. Since Chase’s arrest, seven other women had come forward with claims against him ranging from stalking to rape. He was fucked. And with daddy-dearest on the campaign trail, he was fucked without the aid of lubrication. Congressman McArthur basically left him to sway in the wind with his balls dangling for all the world to see. I couldn’t have been happier.

Jett, on the other hand, found himself surrounded by a group of men and women who worked tirelessly to protect him at all costs. He’d made a mistake, but he’d done it with the best of intentions. None of us blamed him for trying to provide for his family, he just needed some guidance as to how to accomplish it legally.

Enter Koen and Nelson. They'd taken the kid under their wing, at the insistence of Waverly, who’d put her reputation on the line to ensure Jett’s complete immunity from prosecution in return for his testimony against Chase. I couldn’t be certain, but I’m almost positive the inclusion of Koen in the deal was something the man himself worked out behind the scenes with our RAC. He was determined to weasel his way into their lives, despite the many protests from Jett’s older, very protective sister.

With the death of Camden Charles, the Truck Stop Killer case was officially solved. Investigators discovered the bodies of the last two women in a shallow grave behind the cabin, so at least the families of the victims had closure.

Henley and I had settled in rather well to our new living arrangements. Looking around my apartment now, she’d added color and sparks of life to what was once dull and gray. I could see her in everything: from the colorful pillows tossed messily on the couch, to the pale yellow curtains hanging in the living room window. There wasn’t an inch of space she hadn’t infused her soul into.

Then there was the poster-sized portrait she’d hung in the entryway. It was a candid photo of the moment after I gave her her first orgasm outside of the townhouse, taken without our knowledge by Lanie’s nosy neighbor. The old woman was trying to get Lanie in trouble with the homeowners’ association, but instead captured something amazing. Our love was practically bleeding from the image.

“Hey, honey.” She walked in front of me, heading to the living room, but I pulled her in, her back to my front.

Wrapping my arms around her belly, I asked, “How was your call with Rita?”

Nana Rita and I were introduced via FaceTime a few nights ago, but we’d officially meet next week when I took Henley home for a visit. That woman was a firecracker with a fuse long enough to wring your neck with, yet her heart was wide open. She’d threaten me with bodily harm in one sentence, then praise me for loving her girl in the next. Thank Christ we were only staying in Baltimore for two days, otherwise I’d have to insist we get a hotel room.

“She’s excited for our trip.”

“Mmm hmm.” My lips trailed a path from behind her ear down the slope of her neck.

“We’re supposed to meet Jade and Jett for lunch.” She tilted her head, giving me better access. “We’ll be late if you don’t stop now.”

“Marry me, baby.”

“Keaton, stop fooling around. I’m already wearing your—” She stepped out of my hold, spinning around with a look on her face which told me she knew what I was up to. “Oh no you don’t. The last time you did this, we went from moving in together to wedding planning in two point three seconds. What do you want this time? A baby?”

“Yes.” I pulled her back into my arms. “Have a baby with me?”

“You really need to work on your communication skills, but yes. I can’t wait to start a family with you.”

“I love you, baby.”

“I love you too.”

We started as two souls, but somewhere along the way, we merged into one. She was my heart, my life, my everything, and I was hers.