Epilogue
May
Gage stared across the bar to where his fiancée danced with the ladies of his family. Their engagement party was in full swing, and it looked like half of Carolina Cove had showed up to celebrate.
“Love looks good on you,” Alec said as he joined him.
“You should know.” His older brother hadn’t planned on kids of his own, having raised all eight of his siblings, but was now a father of two and loving every moment of it. “Mia seems to be having a good time.”
“Changing the subject won’t change the facts. None of us will forget you’d sworn off marriage.”
Alec elbowed him in the side, and Gage grinned, unable to deny the fact his heart currently danced to a popular song he couldn’t stand. “Yeah, well, I get it now. Sloane’s amazing.”
“So are you. I’m glad you waited to find someone who matched you.”
He looked at Alec in surprise. “You always complained I was a workaholic and had too many crazy ideas.”
“A workaholic, yes, without a doubt. And some of those ideas were pretty crazy. But Sloane gets it. And she seems to get you. She’s…mellowed you. In a good way,” his brother added. “I was worried you’d have a heart attack before you turned forty.”
Yeah, well, a happy home, thriving businesses, a loving woman and an extraordinary life had a way of doing that to a guy.
“I think I used to work so I didn’t have to think about the fact I was alone.
Especially after all of you kept finding your person.
Sloane makes me want to work hard so I can come home to her. ”
Alec held his bottle up. “Here’s to the women we love and our future with them.”
Gage clinked them together, and he took a drink before seeing Alec go tense. “What is it? Something wrong?”
He turned to look in the direction Alec faced, but all he could see was Gabriel Wolfe, Hudson, Jameson and some of the others on the fire crew crowded around, blocking his view of whatever the issue was. “Some kind of medical thing going on?”
“I don’t think so,” Alec said. “They’re running interference.”
“For what?”
Alec straightened to his full height. “Not what. Who. Harrington is back.”
The words had no sooner registered when Gage caught sight of a fancy three-piece suit and dark coppery hair, and anger spiked through him.
Gage stalked in that direction, and when he got there, Alec was at his back and Hudson blocked the way.
Over Hud’s shoulder, Gage spied Noah Harrington looking irritated. “What are you doing here?”
Sloane had shared Noah’s words to her about being proud of her for standing up to their father, but it didn’t erase the hassle he’d given his sister on their father’s behalf.
Hudson shifted a bit to allow Gage to slide into the semicircle, but it just as quickly closed ranks behind him.
“I came to congratulate my future brother-in-law. And bring gifts for my sister.” The man held out a small traveler’s case.
“What’s that?”
“The majority of our mother’s jewelry. I thought Sloane might want to wear a few pieces when she walked down the aisle, and it’s not something I wanted to ship.”
A sharp grumble came from behind him before an elbow in the ribs announced Sloane’s appearance. “Noah?”
“Hey, kiddo. Don’t worry. I’m not staying. Just heard about the engagement.”
“You’re still keeping tabs on me?” Sloane’s irritation left her voice high-pitched.
“Just making sure you’re okay, that’s all. Now would you like this or not?”
Noah held up the case once more.
Gage heard Sloane gasp as though she instantly recognized the item and then watched as her shoulders slumped. She nodded, blinking hard and trembling a bit as she stretched out both hands to take the gift from her brother.
“I can’t believe you brought this. Noah— Thank you. It means a lot.”
Her brother winked at her and glanced around at the group of men still glaring at him before shifting his attention back to her. “You look happy, kiddo. I’m glad.”
Gage wrapped an arm around her shoulders to offer support, knowing of all her family, Sloane was closest to Noah despite their complicated and very messed up history.
“I am happy. I read about the takeover. Congratulations to you and Jarrett.”
For the first time, Gage noted the two bulky men behind Noah Harrington and pegged them to be bodyguards.
Sloane had told him about her father’s underhanded dealings into his clients’ accounts.
And about some of their clients being mob connected.
Were the men behind Noah part of the takeover?
Insurance that he didn’t follow in his father’s footsteps?
“Thanks. Now can I get a hug before I leave, or would your entourage have something to say about that?” Noah opened his arms slightly.
Sloane pulled away and stepped forward to hug her brother, who dropped a kiss atop her head. “Be happy, Sloane. And if he ever hurts you, you’d better let me know.”
The last of Noah’s words were said while staring hard at Gage, and he dipped his chin in acknowledgement of the words. If it were Isla, he’d feel the same way, so he couldn’t argue with Noah’s concern.
“I hope you’ll find someone, so you’ll be happy too,” she said to him.
“We’ll see. Until then I’ll let you get back to your party. Gage,” Noah said. “You’d better treat her right.”
“I will.” That was a promise he’d keep. People were precious. Love even more so.
And his Merida?
If she was brave enough to take on her father, the mob, and him with all his control issues, he’d grovel anytime he had to. Some women were worth it.
And she was definitely one of them.
Want more of Sloane and Gage? Go to for a bonus scene! Or keep reading… You won’t want to miss what comes next!
The light was on again in the old building off Sea View Avenue, Gabriel Wolfe noted it as he headed to the firehouse on foot from Gage and Sloane’s engagement party.
The building had been many things over the years. A fish and tackle shop, a clothing store, a Pilates and yoga studio. Then it was emptied and papered up, left dark for the last six months or so, even though the space above had been renovated.
He shoved his hands into his pockets and whistled under his breath. He liked walking the quiet streets of Carolina Cove and had taken a detour toward the boardwalk for some sit time on the swings.
It was a gorgeous night, the sky clear and full of stars, the salt breeze cool after a hot day but hinting at a hotter summer.
As the building got closer, he met a group of women on the sidewalk and wasn’t so blind that he didn’t see them eyeing him. He avoided their gazes and flirtatious smiles and kept going.
He had everything he needed in his life. A home, a good job. Fantastic friends and a fire crew that had taken years to recruit and hone.
Not that they were perfect.
But Jameson Dean and Hudson Blackwell had rounded out an already solid crew.
The job was hard, the hours endless, and the stress and danger that were a part of their lives twenty-four seven weren’t for everyone.
Especially the ones who came in thinking they were going to play hero in media photos but never face the flames or the grunt work behind the scenes, not to mention the sights that kept one up at night.
Want to hear some morbid jokes? Talk to a firefighter or EMT. They had them all. It was one of the ways to process the grotesque and disturbing things they’d seen without losing their minds.
As he moved past the storefront of the old building, Gage paused when he heard a woman’s muffled scream and a loud, banging clatter and then, “No, no, no!”
He ran toward the door, thinking it would be locked given the time of night. But it wasn’t, and he burst into the building while scanning for danger.
A gasp and angry muttering drew his attention to the deepest end of the building where a woman hung suspended from something along a wall.
She twisted this way and that, arms stretched up and back as she tried to free herself and couldn’t. She looked like a puppet dangling from the puppet master’s hands.
He ran toward her, taking in the scene, figuring her mutters and grumbling were pretty good indicators that she was otherwise okay. Just caught like a fly in a trap. “Need some help?”
The woman’s jerky movements froze before she slowly turned her head to look awkwardly over her left shoulder.
Gabe managed a smile despite the sucker punch that came from meeting her blue-eyed gaze and the riot of soft brown hair framing her too-slim face.
She was beautiful, but she also looked completely worn out and tired, with dark circles shadowing her eyes, like she had as hard a time sleeping as he did.
“Where did you come from?”
Once he made it around one of the many obstacles in his path, he eyed the scene and noted she’d slipped off the ladder now lying on its side on the floor.
Thankfully her shirt had caught on something and held her aloft.
For now, anyway. “I heard you scream and a loud noise. I’ll get the ladder set up again. Hang on.”
“Ha. Funny,” she muttered.
He chuckled at her humorless tone and quickly righted the ladder, holding it steady as she blindly managed to get her feet back under her on a rung. She held the top with one hand and used the other to try to free herself but wasn’t able to.
Gabe tried and failed not to notice the flash of bare skin and a pretty blue bra before he forced himself to get a grip and mind his manners.
Rookies might be distracted under such circumstances, but he’d been at this job for far too long and seen far too much to ever be unfocused from the task at hand. “Okay, stop. That’s not working.”
“It has to,” she said, breath ragged due to her efforts.
“Just stop and hold still. Okay? What’s your name?”
“Bronwyn Ashby, but—everyone calls me Winnie.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Gabriel Wolfe. Stay still, and I’ll get you loose.”
“What are you going to do?” she asked as he tried to ensure the ladder wouldn’t shift.
“I’m climbing up to help free you,” he said, carefully stepping onto the lower rungs.
“Then we’ll both fall if it tips again.”
He kept going, slow and steady, and stopped with his feet on the rung below hers, his arms around her and hands gripping the ladder near hers. The scent of her teased him but only because she smelled like rain and…sweet frosting.
He shook off the surprising urge to lower his head and breathe in another deep sniff and forced himself to take stock of the situation.
She’d apparently made multiple turns while hooked on whatever had caught her and the easiest way to free her would be to get her out of her shirt.
Twisted up tight as she was, though, he’d have to cut her out of it. “That’s why I said hold still.”