Epilogue

EPILOGUE

ELLA

It’s been six months since Jack and I got fake engaged, yet I feel like I’ve loved him since day one. Perhaps I have and it slowly burned its way to the surface.

The hockey season ended with the Knights hoisting the Stanley Cup after they crushed the Reno Rebels.

It went like this:

Twelve guys, six on each team, took to the ice.

The buzzer sounded.

The puck dropped.

The next three-ish hours were a scramble of back-and-forth movements, sticks flying, lamps lighting, and the crowd going absolutely insane. I’d never seen anything like it with the face paint, the towels twisting in the air, and the sheer enormity of enthusiasm the fans have for the game and players.

The score came down to a three-three tie before the Knights’ new center broke away and like a flash of lightning, slammed the puck into the net during facetime, overtime, or something.

Okay, that was a huge oversimplification. I’m still learning. In reality, I was biting my nails alongside Leah, who was pounding on the glass, and the others who sat on the edge of their seats—or stood on them. Seriously, this hockey business is next level.

I’m number ten’s number one fan and look forward to next season. Trust me, I’ll be studying all summer. Mostly, Jack in his board shorts, but still. It’ll be hitting the books.

With the game over, the Cup won, and my fiancé recovered, this leaves only two weeks until our summer wedding.

As Cobbiton’s newest resident—which also means I have a proper place to live after over a year of being unhoused and illegally finding lodging at a posh resort’s storage rooms or on the beach—I’ve settled in.

I have a home. Not a day passes when I don’t skip and spin through the halls and rooms, singing like a Disney princess, er, the Puck Princess.

Not only that, I’ve made friends. The embodiment of a human hug with hockey player partner aspirations, Leah welcomed me into her world of friendships, including Heidi, Whit, Delaney, Cara, Gracie, and a whole new nice girl crew.

We have a book club, game night, and we only very rarely engage in gossip. If it comes up, it has to do with Mrs. Gormely, who is the source of it all, Nancy Linderberg, who thinks she’s the mayor, and once or twice Sophia Snodgrass, who forgets we’re no longer in high school—not that I knew any of them back then.

My life is full and I’ve found a home in Cobbiton. Nestled among the corn fields, it has its quirks with all the enthusiasm for its namesake—corn. It lacks a fountain, but I no longer need to make wishes. Just send up prayers of gratitude on the daily.

I say one now while I wait in line at the Busy Bea Bakery, wafting the scent of sugar and butter my way.

I’m meeting Margo to go over some of the details for the wedding—she operates an event planning business and is a ray of sunshine, yet is somehow married to Knights’ player Beaumont Hammer, who appears to have only one setting: grumpy-faced goalie.

No sooner do I find a vacant bistro tablet than Leah appears, eyes wide and slightly pale. “Come with me. Now.”

“What’s wrong?” Panic makes my tummy tingle. “Is Jack okay?”

“Yes. Totally. Everything is fine. I mean. Mostly. There’s an issue with the seating arrangements.”

She starts to drag me bodily out the door.

“For the wedding? I’m supposed to meet Margo in a few minutes.”

“I rescheduled with Margo.”

“Leah, this better be important,” I say in a slightly scolding voice.

“My brother is Jack’s manager, so by default, I’m yours. Well, today only. It’s a limited-time thing.”

“I’m not sure that’s how it works.”

She shuttles me outside and toward her beat-up Toyota.

“Why don’t we take my car?”

“Do you need motion sickness pills for flights or boat rides? A special emotional support item that you need while traveling?”

Before I can answer, she buckles me into the passenger seat and peels away.

Being engaged to a billionaire, I’ve come to expect the unexpected, but Leah’s adventures are more along the lines of visiting a thrift store or meeting a stranger in a parking lot because she purchased a piece of hockey memorabilia online and wants to make sure they’re not going to murder her.

“No motion sickness issues, but you could slow down?” I press my right foot into an invisible brake on the passenger side. God bless driving instructors.

She practically takes a right turn on two wheels. “I’ll make sure that the furniture is delivered and they don’t damage the new paint.”

I press my hand to my forehead. “Is that today?”

“Chuck said so.” She takes a sharp left and I recognize this as the gated access to the private plane airstrip.

“Jack knows that I wanted to be there for the furniture delivery.”

“No-can-doozies.”

We bought the Craftsman with the wood and stone exterior because I think my father would’ve liked it, given the spacious garage. Mom totally would’ve opted for the Queen Anne with its flourishes and intricate wood detail, but there’s already a castle in my soon-to-be family. Leah’s family moved down the street, courtesy of Jack as a thank you to the Smiths. Carlos is telling everyone the place is his—likely to impress Marisol. Leah has an apartment in town and we’ve had a few pajama parties.

“Can you please just explain?” I practically beg.

“I cannot say anything other than that it has to do with the guest list.” Leah gets out of the car, drags me to my feet, wraps me in a big hug, and waves goodbye, practically shoving me toward the plane.

Bark Wahlburger yips as if telling me to hurry up.

My stomach sinks because I have a feeling this has something to do with Aston. My “stepmother-in-law” has been both nosy and bossy when it comes to planning what I wanted to be a small, intimate affair, but it has turned into a guest list with almost five hundred people.

“Isn’t Margo handling this?” I call to Leah.

“Get on the plane. Jack is waiting. ”

I find my fiancé sitting in the plane, gazing thoughtfully out the window before his attention slides to me.

“Hey, beautiful. Before you ask what’s going on …”

“I can’t imagine. Are you taking me to another castle?”

“No. Even better.”

Before I can probe him, he asks about my day and confirms the furniture delivery. “Carlos is on it.”

We discuss some things about the wedding, and I can’t help but be thankful for my new Cobbiton family—Carlos, Leah, Margo, Gracie, and the rest of the team and their wives. I wouldn’t be able to do this without them. Not just for logistical support but for their friendship, too. Even when Leah comes unhinged, like just now. We’ve had dinners, barbecues, and movie nights, and they threw me a bachelorette party that included a scavenger hunt on horseback at a nearby ranch. Leah thought one of the ranch hands was handsome, but when she asked if he was a hockey fan, he looked at her like she had a tail and hooves. Lucky me, I’m already marrying my knight on horseback.

About an hour later, after I’ve been fortified with snacks, Jack says, “Oh, by the way, Slater, aka Cain Cary, is behind bars.”

I startle, not having thought about him in a good long while. “How’d you find that out?”

“The investigator I hired to find your necklace informed me,” Jack says casually.

“That’s good. Do I want to know his crime?”

“Couldn’t connect him to stealing your necklace. But in a way, he stole your life. I want to give it back in whatever pieces I can.”

“Jack, you’ve already gone above and beyond. Thank you.” My stomach has a sudden but slight queasy feeling. Maybe I do have motion sickness .

Jack lets out a breath. “Including,” he looks down at his hands.

I’ve never seen him anything other than composed with picture-perfect confidence. Sure, he’s had moments when he’s ardent, apologetic, and definitely arrogant, but this is something else. He seems uneasy.

“I’m glad you’re sitting for this.”

“The seatbelt light is on.” I gesture to the little overhead glowing symbol.

Jack finishes his sentence, “Slater did some damage, including stealing away your relationship with your father. Mark Hibbert was released from care shortly after you met Slater on the island—shortly after you said you had to sell your phone, effectually making you disappear.”

My entire body feels like it’s plunging toward earth like an asteroid. I tuck my chin back the space between my forehead tightens. “What?”

“I assume you told Slater, also known as Cain, about your father, and shared details about his care.”

“Yeah, he knew everything. I didn’t have anyone else to talk to. My friends had launched into their new lives post-college. I was alone. He was there.” I gasp as a terrible feeling creeps toward me. “Then who was I emailing every week for updates? What about the payments I sent each month? Your donation?”

“Slater. You were emailing him and sending him the money.”

“What?” I repeat. My hand presses to my brow because I cannot believe this.

“The investigator found your dad. He has to get around using a walker and there are a few things he still receives therapy for, but he’s okay. Works at the same factory he used to, but in the office now.”

My jaw hangs open. “In Pennsylvania?” But the words are garbled and echo in my mind.

“We’re on our way to see him now.”

“Jack,” I breathe, yet it feels like I can’t fill my lungs.

He unclips his seatbelt and crouches next to me, gripping both my hands. “My lawyers are bringing a case against Slater, both for impersonating a certain billionaire’s son and more importantly, defrauding you. I don’t think he’ll ever be able to pay you back the money he stole. But whatever win we get, and we will win, goes to a fund for your father.”

“My father is alive.” The lump in my throat is so big I’m afraid I’ll choke.

Jack nods and adds, “His memory took a while to recover, but he’s been looking for you, Ella.”

I throw off my seat belt and wrap myself around Jack. My entire body shakes with shock and relief. Through a sob, I say, “I love you.”

When we part, my face scrunches up. “Wait, is this what Leah meant about the change in the seating arrangements?”

The corner of his lip twists. “I would say so.”

Bark Wahlburger licks us both with big, sloppy, happy, doggy licks.

I fan my face and ask, “Really? My dad is alive?”

“Really, truly. We had a DNA test done.”

My eyes bulge.

“I’m kidding.”

“But he recognized a photo of you and knew the whole story of your mom’s necklace, which matched what you’ve told me. I’d say we have a positive ID.”

“Jack. I cannot believe it.”

“You will when you see him.”

As the plane lands, I send up a silent prayer of thanksgiving. I don’t know what I did to receive these blessings, but I know Who to thank.