Epilogue

Luca

Eight years later

I n a room filled with the people I loved, their faces all turned to me expectantly as I tapped my glass and puffed out my chest. One person stood out above the rest. Fiercer and more beautiful than the day I met her, Polly sat before me with her three nieces at her feet, her two nephews clinging to her back, and her precious Toto proudly perched on her lap.

“Thank you all for being here to celebrate Polly’s four—”

“Say it and die, D’Cruz.”

The outdoor marquee, consuming a good portion of our yard, was filled with helium-inflated balloons, banners, and napkins, all bearing the big four-zero. Was I pointing any of that out? No, I was not.

“Shit. Sorry, Princess.” I cleared my throat and started again. “Thank you for coming to celebrate my darling wife’s unspecified birthday. Especially those of you that flew in from Australia, it’s a herculean effort, one we can never thank you enough for.”

I turned to face my bride, the woman who had been with me through the highs and lows of the career that would end in just a few games, the lengthy but ultimately victorious court battles that saw me free of Christian and Clara’s tangled web. The ungodly marriage of Ana and Coach Brown. And the untimely and tragic passing of my beautiful mum. Of course I’d been there for Polly, too, holding her hand as she repaired and rebuilt the relationship with her family, cheered on from the sidelines as her peer cooking program gained statewide recognition, and swelled with pride as she grew to accept the jagged edges that had carved her past.

“I love you with all my heart, Pol. Together, we’ve traveled the world, tasted its food, seen its wonders, and met its people. I watched you become an advocate and role model to so many, a friend to even more, and a wife determined to make her husband proud. Thank you for giving me the most extraordinary nine years. I can’t wait for the next ninety. Now, since I’m close to ruining my math genius and tough hockey man image, let’s raise a toast to my lover, my best friend, my troublemaker, and my Polly.’

“To Polly!”

“Teddy, Asher, obviously, Luna, Jocelyn, Finn and Scarlett and their kids, I can kind of get … but I have to ask: how the hell did you manage to get Nate and Evie Austen-Meyers here? Nate okay, but Evie? Evie?” Polly, who was still not a drinker but also two champagnes down, attempted to whisper as we acted like good hosts and worked the crowd. “I know you boys’ bromance has forced us to become amicable, but convincing the angel of Byron to fly to the other side of the world for my birthday? Pfft. I didn’t expect hell freezing over to be so climatically appealing.”

“Yeah? Join the club.” With blush heating my cheeks and a slightly evil but delighted smile curling onto Polly’s lips, we turned to face the aforementioned woman. “You look well, Evie,” Polly mewled, “Aged and haggard like sun-damaged leather, but well.”

“I was about to say the same. Welcome to the forty club, Princess . It sucks. And as for the invitation, I didn’t expect to say yes when Luca called, but it’s amazing what free first-class tickets and a child-free holiday can persuade you to do. Especially when your husband knew the call was coming and plied you with red wine beforehand.”

Polly’s elbow landed sharply against my solar plexus, “That’s eerily similar to how this one got me to agree to this party. I think our boys have been comparing notes.”

“What’s new? Can they manage anything without consulting the other? You should have seen Finn helping Nate bust out his nuts on the flight.”

“Nuts?” Like I could sense a puck hurtling toward me at ninety miles per hour, Teddy could sense possible smut talk. “Who’s busting out whose nuts and why wasn’t I consulted?”

“Or me,” pouted Scarlett, who had hardly left Teddy’s side since they’d walked in hand in hand.

“And I hate to disappoint you, Ted, but they were my nuts, peanuts—” she corrected, “Not Nate’s or Finn’s. I’m pretty sure there’s still some floating around in my bra if you’re interested.”

“As tempting as rummaging through your massive rack for a tasty snack sounds, I think I’ll pass.”

Drawn to our laughter like moths to a flame, Asher, Finn and Nate took their positions bedside their partners, each clinging in a way that had me all gooey. We really were lucky.

“Banging party, Luca,” Finn said with a nod, “the DJ’s great.”

“Yep, that’s Tara, one of Polly’s students. She is great … but … apart from when she called me brah, I haven’t understood a word she’s said. I don’t know any of the songs she’s playing either, or …” I glanced between the eight of us, shrinking into my shoulders in preparation for the old man insults I was bound to receive. “Does anyone else think it’s a bit loud?”

A collective groan and several shouts of “Fuck, yes” were all I needed. “Polly was expecting this. Wait right here.” I trotted off into the house and returned with the bat and ball and my honorary Aussie status firmly in hand. “Anyone want to ditch the do and play cricket on the beach?”

In truth, I wanted nothing more than to drag Polly inside, rip off that tight skirt and the fitted bodice that cupped her boobs so perfectly, and fill her with my monster cock, but we had the rest of our lives to fuck our brains out. This was her night. Not my dick’s.

The beast would have to wait.