Epilogue
Two years later…
The newly rebuilt Crab Shack buzzed with life.
String lights twinkled above, casting a warm, golden glow over the picnic tables and wooden deck that overlooked the calm water.
The scent of grilled shrimp and smoked ribs mixed with salt and sea air.
Laughter carried across the patch of land, and Fletcher felt every ounce of it settle deep in his bones.
Peace. Real, honest-to-God peace.
“This place came out real nice if I do say so myself.” Decker Brown smiled, handed him a beer, and stared out toward the Everglades.
“I heard you’re breaking ground on the old Dewey Hale lot next week.” Fletcher sipped as he stood on the deck, watching as the townspeople and his friends gathered to celebrate his family. “That you plan on making Calusa Cove your home, and you have a girlfriend.”
“All true.” Decker smiled.
“Well, where is this lady? I need to meet her. The boys and I have to approve.”
Decker laughed. “She’s right over there.” He stretched out his arm and pointed. “The pretty lady in the pink dress, chatting up Lilly and Hondo. Her name’s Joanna. She started as my office manager last year, and now she’s my kinda everything.”
“I’m really happy for you.” Fletcher clanked his glass against Decker’s. “I know things got a little rough because it took some time before charges were brought against Tessa Gilbert.”
Decker shrugged. “I’m a much happier man being a smaller company. I still get to do what I love. I found a good woman who loves me. And more importantly, I found a community that embraces me. I’ve never had that before. I like it.”
“I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but we like having you around, too.”
Decker burst out laughing. “I’d better go be by my lady’s side.
She’s a little shy, and I promised her that I’d guide her through the insanity of this small town.
” He nodded as he stepped off the deck, all smiles, but the slickness of his grin had long faded.
Even his swagger had less of a kick and more of a small-town stroll.
Hell, he’d even ditched the expensive shoes and stupid pants, trading them in for jeans and durable boots or a pair of flip-flops when appropriate.
All in all, Decker Brown had turned out to be a decent guy. Go figure.
And for the first time in a long while, Fletcher felt as though he could breathe. He had his team, and he had his family.
The boys were finally his and Baily’s—permanently. The adoption had come through. It had been the final piece of a puzzle.
Baily stood near the edge of the deck. She glanced over her shoulder and smiled. It sucker-punched him every time.
He inched closer. “Hey, you,” he whispered in her ear. “Enjoying yourself?”
“I could stand here and watch this for days.”
“I know that feeling.” He leaned back against the railing, a beer in one hand and his other arm draped casually around Baily’s waist. She had their two-month-old daughter, Kendra, named in honor of her brother Ken, curled against her chest in a soft sling.
Todd and Chad were chasing Dawson’s son, Victor, and Keaton’s daughter, Petra, around the fire pit with water guns, and somewhere in the chaos, someone had managed to get Hayes wet.
“You’re lucky,” Hayes grumbled, wringing out the hem of his shirt as he stepped up onto the deck. “I got ambushed by an eight-year-old and a toddler. That’s got to break some Geneva Convention.”
“Don’t start crying just because you’re outnumbered,” Dawson said, handing him a dry towel.
“Victor was showing mercy. He only used the little gun, and he warned you before he pulled the trigger, something Petra would never do. That little girl isn’t afraid of anything, and she has no off switch either. ”
“Max projectile vomited all over me, and I still think that was less traumatic,” Hayes muttered, lifting his six-month-old son in his arms from the pack ’n’ play. Max squealed in delight, kicking his legs. Chloe came up beside him, her hand resting on her already growing belly.
“Round two's already in training,” Chloe said with a sly grin. “Why I thought having two kids close together in age was a good thing, I have no idea.”
Dawson raised his beer in salute. “And here I thought Audra and I worked fast, but you’re due like the day before she is.”
“I told Trinity we have some catching up to do, and she told me only if I planned on pushing that kid out,” Keaton said, stepping into the circle with Petra on his shoulders.
She clutched two fistfuls of his hair and made an approving noise as he bobbed slightly with every step.
Trinity followed close behind, her hand resting protectively on her daughter’s back.
“Petra says Fletcher needs more glitter in his beard,” Trinity announced, giving Baily a wink. “I think Fletcher needs to shave.”
“I totally agree.” Baily gave Fletcher that look—the one that said the razor better come out if he had any chance of having a second kid.
“I’ll take that under advisement—the one about the glitter,” Fletcher said with mock seriousness. “Only if Petra leads the styling session.”
“Put me down, Daddy.” Petra kicked her legs. “Play with Sean!”
“Only if you promise to stop squirting him in the face.” Keaton set her down, holding her by the shoulders. “He doesn’t like that, and Uncle Foster will take the squirt gun away again if you do.”
“Okay, Daddy.” Petra wobbled down the stairs.
Dawson burst out laughing.
The Oregon crew had arrived earlier that afternoon. Foster and Mac stood near the base of the deck, with their son, Sean, hiding behind Foster’s legs.
“That kid is a holy terror,” Hayes said.
“I can’t wait to have another one.” Keaton chuckled. “Trinity’s so afraid it will be another one just like Petra. Every time we talk about it, she’s like, How did we get the Audra of the group?”
“Oh, I can see a lot of Trinity in that girl,” Fletcher said as he glanced around at what had become one of the busiest places in town. He puffed out his chest with pride. He only wished his parents could’ve seen what he’d managed to do. How he’d filled this place with love and family.
Kash and Jordan sipped sweet tea by the bar while keeping one eye on Ember as she inspected the edge of the railing. Saylor was tucked into one of the rocking chairs nearby, her newborn Drew sleeping soundly in her arms. Greer, visibly pregnant, stood with her husband Chase, hands entwined.
Fletcher was grateful that all of Foster’s team had been able to come. While Foster was Keaton’s cousin, they were all brothers-in-arms—bonded in a way others might never understand.
“It’s like a damn baby boom.” Keaton raised his glass. “And we need to feed my wife some of the water, because I want another one. She’s the only one not pregnant.”
“Bite your tongue,” Baily said. “I’m not, and I don’t want to be again for a bit, thank you very much.”
Fletcher laughed. “It’s like all the chaos had to give way to something better.”
“You mean diapers and sleepless nights?” Dawson asked, raising an eyebrow.
Fletcher looked out at the water, watching as the setting sun lit the sky in strokes of orange and pink. “I mean family.”
Baily leaned into his side, and Kendra stirred slightly. He glanced down at her tiny face—so much like Baily’s it hurt—and felt that familiar tug in his chest.
“Hard to believe it’s been two years,” Jordan said, settling next to them.
“Harder to believe the Barbaros are locked away for good,” Foster added. “Both got three life sentences each. No chance of parole.”
“Good riddance,” Chase muttered.
“They tried to burn the town down,” Fletcher said. “Now this town’s stronger than ever.”
“It’s a nice place to visit, but I still wouldn’t ever want to live here.” Foster cocked a brow. “Too many eyes in the water.”
“Speaking of eyes,” Dawson said. “Where are Todd and Chad?”
“Plotting their next ambush, I assume,” Baily said, just as Chad came barreling up the deck with a slice of cake in each hand. “Mom! Dad! Can we have seconds? Please? We ate all our dinner. All our vegetables, too.”
Mom. Dad.
It never got old. Fletcher’s chest tightened.
“That’s fine,” Baily said, ruffling his hair. “But don’t smear that icing on your brother again.”
“No promises!” he shouted as he raced to a table where a couple of his friends and his little brother were seated.
“Looks like they’ve adjusted quite nicely,” Foster said.
“Better than I ever could’ve imagined.” Fletcher watched the boys laugh with their friends. “It’s taken some time. A few angry outbursts. Some tears. A lot of explaining and even more love. But the past is fading into the distance.”
“They love it here. They love you,” Baily said, tipping her head up. “About the only thing they fear now is if something were to happen to us.”
A cheer went up from the far end of the dock as Bingo stepped up with a guitar, strumming a few notes before leading the crowd into a familiar country tune.
His voice was stronger, more confident now.
He’d grown into himself. College had been good to him, and in two years, he’d be leaving for the Navy.
He’d stuck to his plan and was thriving.
Fletcher took it all in—their friends, their children, their home. The warmth in his chest didn’t fade. He squeezed Baily’s hand. “We did it,” he said.
“No,” Baily said. “We’re just getting started.”
And as Kendra stirred again, letting out a tiny sigh before curling back into her mother’s warmth, Fletcher knew with each beat of his heart that this was just the beginning.
For the first time since Fletcher had returned to Calusa Cove, there weren’t any secrets lurking in the murky waters. There weren’t any pirates hiding in the shadows. No murderers hidden in plain sight.
And no more betrayals by those he loved and trusted.
There was just peace in the place he’d always called home with the woman he’d always loved.
Thank you for reading Betrayal in Calusa Cove. Please feel free to leave an honest review.