Epilogue

One month later

Link

Pushing open the screen door to the back porch, he walked across the cool concrete and onto the grass. Near the back fence that sat a few hundred feet from the porch, several guys from Pegasus stood around a barbecue piled high with every kind of meat imaginable. Yeah, there was even liver on the barbie. Link made a face and took a swallow of the beer in his hand.

Eagle and Holden were in an animated conversation where Eagle was the more talkative of the two, but Holden would nod and cut in every once in a while, holding his own.

Sinking down into a nearby lounger, he caught movement to the south side of the lawn where Tyler and Travis, Gage’s brother, were playing ping pong.

Tyler was a diamond in the rough, and Eagle and Link had spent many nights talking about the best thing for the boy, but first, he had to finish school and college, and only if that appealed to Tyler.

They briefly talked about retiring, but when Mason’s good friend Jenny offered to care for Tyler while they went on missions, they put it off and vowed to reassess in a year.

Jenny also cared for Mason and Gage’s two younger children, and Link would rather pay Jenny’s salary than put Tyler with anyone else. The boy had been raped more times than imaginable and what he needed now was stability and counseling—of which he was receiving both. He worried because Tyler was quiet and sometimes the quiet ones held everything inside, but Gage’s teenage brother Travis had taken Tyler under his wing, and Link hoped that with time, Tyler would open up.

Eagle’s aunt was there with Dalton’s mom, Leslie, and Jenny. The three older women were laughing hysterically about something. Mary ended up not dating the neighbor, and her announcement had left him and Eagle baffled. All that had happened and they didn’t even end up together.

Link had laughed himself silly and Eagle had joined him, chuckling so hard that tears streamed from his eyes, leaving Mary baffled for a moment, but then she’d broken out in giggles.

Go figure.

Link kept his eyes on Eagle. They’d been through their ups and downs through the years; they were due for a few smooth sailing years as far as he figured. He couldn’t imagine them ever being apart now and smiled at the ring on his finger. It was a promise ring from Eagle. A promise to love and cherish, and Link would spend the rest of his life doing just that.

Eagle

“Hey, Eagle?” Tyler’s voice drew Eagle’s gaze from the barbecue. “Travis wants to show me the skate park this weekend. Is it okay?”

“You want to put off your other plans?” Eagle asked the boy.

With the help of his boss, Ace, he was able to retrieve both of Tyler’s deceased brothers and had them laid to rest almost three weeks ago. At first, Tyler had refused to have anything to do with his brothers nor did he want to talk about it. If the boy changed his mind, Eagle was okay with that. He would never force Tyler to do anything he didn’t feel comfortable with.

Tyler worried his bottom lip. “No. I still want to visit their graves, but maybe after that?”

Eagle nodded. “I think that sounds like a good plan.”

“Come on, Ty. It’s time to get your ass…er, your butt kicked.” Travis boasted about his skills with the latest video game.

Tyler offered Eagle a quick smile and then dashed after Travis. “You wish! You’re toast!”

Eagle huffed on a chuckle and flipped the burgers on the grill. Holden hadn’t said a word through the exchange and Eagle held out the tongs to the grill. Holden gladly took over.

Eagle strode across the lawn to where Link was reclining. His heart squeezed in his chest when Link’s beautiful blue eyes flashed to his. Spring flowers lingered in the air from the garden Link had planted near the house. Eagle hadn’t known about Link’s green thumb, but then again, they’d never had a place of their own.

The house was theirs.

They’d bought it together and moved in just last week.

Neither one of them wanted to wait when they found a three-bedroom home. The realtor rushed the job since the house had been vacant for a while. The place was located just a few miles from Mary’s place, which made it perfect. Link had fallen in love with the backyard and Eagle would do everything in his power to please him. The house was just a house, but with Link in it, it was a home.

Link’s head dipped, and the man studied the promise ring on his finger. That had been a surprise last night with a bottle of their best wine given to them when they’d moved in with the help of Pegasus.

Maverick, Gage, and Holden had returned from up north, so the only one missing was Kellum. Well, and Creed, because the man had called Ace that morning and was taking some leave time himself. If Eagle knew Creed, he suspected the man was going to track down Kellum and get some answers.

He lowered to sit on the edge of the lounger next to Link and lifted the man’s hand to his lips. He brushed a kiss over the ring he’d given the man. Connecting their fingers, he held Link’s hand while he gazed out over the green grass, smiling at the laughter coming from the Pegasus team members.

“What are you thinking?” Link asked.

“We need to get a puppy.”

Link laughed softly and squeezed their fingers together, and Eagle figured this was as close to heaven as he’d ever get here on Earth.

He’d meant every word he’d vowed to this man at his side.

Link was his haven.

THE END