Epilogue
His dad ran Wild Billy’s so well that it hadn’t taken Jude long to get the hang of it. That said, it was a hell of a lot of work. And some days were rough.
Like today. It always sucked to fire someone. But he’d watched the video feed, and the new bartender could be seen making occasional runs out to his car to drop liquor bottles in his trunk. It had to be done.
After checking that item off his to-do list, he turned his attention to the promotional campaign. He’d invited the winners of the Teton County rodeo to visit at the end of the season, so he’d had flyers and posters made and taken an ad out in the Calamity Gazette. Should be a good crowd for that.
The office door opened, and Wyatt walked in. “Hey.” Jude found the file on his computer and opened it. “What’re you doing here?”
“Had to come into town for some supplies.”
Why did his brother sound weird? “You’re practically a hermit, and you have supplies delivered, so what’re you talking about?”
“I come into town when I need…things.”
“Yeah? Like what?” Other than visiting his family, his brother rarely left his clinic or his Airstream. “I don’t see any shopping bags.”
“They’re in the car. The point is, I’m in town. Want to grab a sandwich or something?”
In twenty-eight years, his brother had never even eaten a sandwich.
Wyatt didn’t like putting food between “dry bread,” and mayonnaise made him gag.
But something was up, and if his brother needed him, he’d drop everything.
“Yeah, sure. Let’s get lunch.” He closed his file and logged out of his computer.
“I know this place that slathers on extra mayonnaise. It’s really creamy and thick. It’s not like snot at all.”
His brother turned green. “Stop, okay? That’s disgusting.” They headed out the back door into the alley. “It doesn’t have to be a sandwich. That’s just another way to say, ‘Let’s get lunch.’”
“You could’ve said tacos. ‘Let’s grab tacos.
’ Or a burger. People say that, too. But you said ‘sandwich,’ specifically, so I think you’ve got a hankering for some thick slices of bread.
So dry, they’ll suck the saliva right out of your mouth.
Oh, you know what? We could put congealed cheese between them.
That would be good.” He got into his brother’s car and waited till Wyatt got behind the wheel before he leaned over the seat to look for the supplies. “I don’t see any shopping bags.”
“They’re in the trunk. Can you just put your damn belt on?”
“Sure. What’s the rush?”
“I’m hungry.”
“For a sandwich? Maybe you can get ciabatta bread.” That was his brother’s least favorite kind of bread because he said it was like eating foam peanuts. “With an extra glop of mayo.”
His brother’s lips pressed tightly together, and he looked sick. When he turned onto Main Street, he pulled up in front of Coco’s Chocolates. “Hang on. I have to pick something up.”
“Oh. More ‘supplies’?” But Jude got out of the car and followed his brother inside. Since Cody and his grandpa had bonded over cocoa, Jude had become a regular here, so he waved to the woman behind the counter.
“Let me go grab your cake,” she said to Wyatt.
“What do you need a cake for?” Jude asked after she left.
“For a party.”
“You’re going to a party?” he asked.
His brother kept his gaze on the display of chocolates. “Mm-hmm.”
“You going to do karaoke? Beer pong? Fuck a random in the bathroom?” All the things Wyatt said he hated about parties.
The door opened, and Boone walked in. “Hey, man. What’s up?”
“What’re you doing here?” Jude suspected this wasn’t a coincidence.
“Saw Wyatt’s car out front. Figured something big was going on if he came into town.”
“Oh, fuck off,” Wyatt said. “Both of you.
“We’re on our way to get sandwiches,” Jude said. “But first, he has to pick up a cake to bring to a party.”
“No shit? I want a sandwich. With mayonnaise and some roasted red peppers. Those suckers go down like eels.” Boone elbowed his brother. “Can I come to the party?”
“Yeah, sure,” Wyatt said in a dull tone.
“Is it like a cook-out, where we stand around a grill and shoot the shit?” Boone laughed because that was another thing their brother hated about parties.
After they got the cake, they stepped outside. “I walked here, so you mind giving me a ride?” Boone asked.
Wyatt didn’t bother answering, so the youngest brother got into the back seat, and they put the cake box on his lap. “Hey, can you do me a favor? Can you stop at the tux shop?”
Jude twisted around in his seat. “What for?”
“Got a thing to go to.”
“What thing?” Jude asked. “You’ve never worn a tux in your life.”
“Sure, I have.”
“Okay, fine. Since prom, you’ve never worn one.”
Boone wore a shit-eating grin. “Well, I am now.”
Wyatt turned into the parking lot of a strip mall and kept the engine running. Setting the cake on the seat beside him, Boone hopped out. “Be right back.”
The moment the door shut, Jude turned to his brother. “Okay, what’s going on? You’re not going to a party, and he doesn’t need a tux.”
But before he could answer, the back door opened, and Decker slid in. “Hey, man. What’s up?”
“Okay, what’re we doing here? Playing clown car? Who’s next?” When neither answered, Jude pulled out his phone to see if he’d missed a text message. “Am I forgetting something? A birthday? Anniversary?”
What would require a tux in July?
“Whose anniversary?” Decker opened the cake box and peered inside. “Why so small?”
“That’s just the top layer,” Wyatt said. “The kids were running around, knocked into the table, and it fell off.”
“What kids?” Jude asked.
“Cody and Amy.”
Cody knocked a cake over? “Where did this happen? He’s at camp today.”
But Boone was jogging back to the car, arms loaded with black tuxedoes. “Got ’em. Let’s go.”
Jude turned to Decker. “And what stop do you need to make?”
“Thanks for asking.” Decker flashed his superstar smile. “Can you hang a left at the light? I just need to run into the flower shop real quick.”
“All right, that’s enough,” Jude shouted. “Just tell me what’s going on?”
“That cake looks good,” Decker said. “The whole car smells like chocolate.”
“Stop,” Boone snapped.
“Come on,” Decker said. “Just a swipe. The frosting’s the best part.”
It took another hour to finally get to their destination, which happened to be their dad’s house. Cars and trucks were parked everywhere. “Is anyone going to tell me why Dad’s throwing a party? And why am I the only one in the dark?”
As they got out of the car, Boone shoved a tux at him. “Get dressed and meet us out back.”
Jude slipped into the bathroom off the kitchen and quickly changed clothes.
Only when he caught up with his brothers again on the terrace did he finally get the answer to his questions.
A hundred white folding chairs faced a flower-strewn arbor.
“Who’s getting married?” His first thought, when he saw how pretty Ava looked with a white flower in her hair, was to seek out his dad.
Sure, he’d wondered about it over the years. There was some kind of weird energy between the two of them, but neither had ever once shown an interest in dating or getting married.
He found his dad shaking out a tablecloth, the white fabric floating in the air before settling over a long folding table. “It’s not Dad and Ava, is it?”
“Getting married?” Boone burst out laughing. “Do you pay attention to anything? Ava’s dating some cop.”
“She is? I didn’t know that.” Then who? He searched the crowd for a wedding gown.
The late afternoon sun streaked through giant clouds, casting dramatic shadows across the lawn. A white van was parked near the row of tables, and caterers were hauling out food. Guests gathered near the make shift bar and talked in clusters around the pool, which was covered with a dance floor.
Why would a wedding be a surprise for Jude? Were his brothers just fucking with him?
But the entire world blurred as one woman came into crystal-clear focus.
Finlay O’Neill wore a pale pink dress with a tight top and full, frothy skirt.
A crown of white flowers laced with pink satin ribbon was perched on her head.
She stood under an arch of peonies in every shade of pink—from bright fuchsia to cherry blossom to blush.
Her smile burned through his confusion, and everything clicked into place. “It's me. I’m getting married today.”
“Yeah, man.” Boone pulled him into a hug. “Happy for you.”
“Congratulations.” Wyatt took his turn. “Real happy for you.”
And then, Decker. “You got a good one.”
All three of his brothers got a hold of him, and in the clutch, Boone said, “Proud of you, brother.”
Jude couldn’t take his gaze off his bride.
My bride.
I’m getting married.
For the first two months after they’d gotten engaged, he’d asked about setting a date just about every day.
After enough rejection, he’d accepted that it just wasn’t on her radar.
She was focused on helping Cody adjust, teaching her students, building her soap business, and designing their future home.
So he’d backed off and asked her to tell him when she was ready.
She’s ready now.
As he soaked up the beauty of his family and this life he’d stumbled into, all because the woman of his dreams had run out of a church and climbed onto the back of his bike, he heard a little voice shout, “Dad!”
His son came running over and slammed into him. “Were you surprised? Did I keep a good secret?”
Jude picked him up. “You kept a great secret. I don’t know how you did it.”
“I wanted to tell you so many times, but Mom kept reminding me how fun it’d be to see your face.”
“Did you see it?” Jude asked, smiling.
“Dude, everyone saw it,” Decker said. “The moment you laid eyes on your bride, you got this creepy look.”
“It wasn’t creepy,” Wyatt said. “Don’t say that.”
“Oh, yeah? What would you call this?” Decker made an exaggerated expression of a lovestruck fool, and Cody laughed his head off.
“You did, Dad. You looked just like that.”