His Valentine (Tangled in Temptation)

Epilogue

TRENT

One Month Later

“ My boy, come here.” Dad called me while on my way home from work today. We knew Gran’s health has been deteriorating. Shit progressed faster than any of us wanted. Up until last week, she’d been able to do a few more things, until we had to bring in-home health in. I’ve made it a point to stop by every chance I get, before work, during my lunch break, or on my way home to Kennedy and Briar.

My girls moved in a week after we made things official. Everyone helped pack and load the trucks, minus Lennie and Kennedy. The girls helped unpack and get everything set up. Asher would make Lennie take breaks or get off her feet, but she’d shoo him away, and he’d be back again ten minutes later. At first, Kennedy was reluctant to move again after only being next door to her brother and sister-in-law for a short time, until Lennon told her there are no hard feelings at all. I believe the words out of Lennie’s mouth were, you need to live with someone, completely immerse yourself, and live for the three of you . That flipped a switch, and Kennedy came home the next day with a car full of boxes. She’s also in Gran’s car, bought and paid for. I didn’t even mention her taking it instead of parting with her cold hard cash. I took the money, put it in an account for Briar, and Kennedy is none the wiser.

Briar did ask for a pool one day when I picked her up after school. No longer does she have to stay at Kennedy’s work if one of us can’t swing by to pick her up. Between Briar’s grandparents and my parents, plus Asher, she’s only had to stay once or twice. I’ve yet to bring up the pool situation with Kennedy, probably won’t until I get a few estimates, see the turnaround time, and go from there. It’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission. She’ll get a wild hair up her ass and try to say Briar doesn’t need a pool when she can go to Asher’s, which is true, except it wouldn’t be just for her. It’d be for all of us, and it’d be for our future.

“Hey, Gran.” I kick off my shoes and sit down beside her on the bed. She takes my hand in hers, lacing our fingers and holding me with both of her hands. It’s been hard to watch her lose weight, struggle to walk, and sometimes it’s hard for her to talk.

“Hi, Trent, you just missed Kenny and Briar. They came over after school.” Kennedy took the day off today. I met her at Matthew’s law firm, and she’s getting the ball rolling on terminating Chris’ paternal rights. He never called her after making that sudden appearance, didn’t text either, and it was me and Kennedy who calmed Briar down for a full week. She finally did, after we took her to Kennedy’s parent’s. Kennedy told me she needed her Gee-paw, and the next day when she came home, the worry had settled down and a smile was in its place.

“Your father told me a little tidbit of information. You were going to pop a certain question to a pretty lady and her daughter. It’s about time you made an honest woman out of her,” she says tiredly.

“Yeah, Dad mentioned before that I could use your rings. Do you mind if I give it to Kennedy? I’ve already got a ring for Briar, too.” Yesterday, I dropped by a local jeweler, found what I wanted, and bought it. I am not fucking around. The faster Kennedy and Briar are officially mine, the better.

“The rings are yours, both of them. I’d be honored to know that they’re going to Kennedy, and your grandfather’s ring is yours to do with what you want,” Gran says, holding her hand out with the rings in the palm. They are well over sixty years old. Granddad’s is a solid gold band, not to thick and not to thin. Gran’s ring is a solitaire diamond in a two-tone color with white gold at the head and flower design prongs.

“Thank you, Gran, love you.” I take a moment to look from the rings to her, emotion clogging my throat. “I love you a whole lot. Sucks it’s coming to this, but I want you to know I’ve cherished every moment I’ve spent with you.”

“Oh, my boy, I love you, too. Don’t be sad for me. Make memories like I did with your granddad. Love Kennedy and Briar, and if you have more, I hear Clara’s a great girl name, and for a boy, you could always use Oliver,” Grans says with a wink. I let out a laugh. It’s just like her to insert a little humor when things are getting hard to handle. “Now, go propose to Briar and send me pictures, okay?”

“Alright, I’m assuming you already told Kennedy your idea on names,” I ask for good measure.

“Only about every time she’s been over here. Now, skedaddle. I’m going to take a nap.” She pulls my head down, kisses my forehead, and then closes her eyes. I slip away quietly, say my goodbyes to my parents, trying to hold on to the good instead of the bad. But I can’t help thinking today is my final goodbye to my Gran.

--

“Kennedy, Briar, where are my girls?” I call, opening the front door. I didn’t come home right away after leaving Gran’s. Since Mom and Dad’s house is in Kennedy and Asher’s mom’s neighborhood, I stopped by to talk to them, letting them know when I’d be popping the question, and they welcomed me with open arms. I probably should have gone to Kennedy’s dad’s house, but they haven’t been talking recently, and he’s out of town. When I mentioned it to Mike, he shook his head, grumbled under his breath that he should get his shit together before it's too late. I didn’t say anything, though I damn sure agree. I needed to drive around a little bit with everything going on with Gran, to kind of clear my head, and then call Asher. I let him know what I was doing, and he gave me his blessing, though I’d have still asked without it.

“Trent!” Briar barrels into me head on. I dip down, pick her up, and hug her close to my chest.

“How was your day, sweetheart?” I ask the same question I do every day. Sometimes I get one-word answers, some days she spills all the tea from her day at elementary school.

“Good, Mommy and I are cooking dinner. Wanna help?”

“Yep, let’s go help her out.” I set her down, then Briar grabs my hand and leads me through the house. Kennedy has put her stamp on our place. There’s a multitude of pictures that weren’t there before, some candid, some posed, most of them have the three of us, and then there are a few where it’s the two of us.

“Hi, there, honey. You’re home earlier than you thought,” Kennedy says, putting the spoon on the rest she placed in the middle of the stovetop.

“Hey, babe, stopped to see Gran today.” She comes to me immediately, arms looping around my neck and holding me tightly. Yeah, my woman gets it. She must have seen it for herself, or Gran herself let her know in some type of way.

“You okay?” I nod, dipping my head and pressing my lips against hers. Briar wraps her arms around both of our legs, making it a group hug. There’s no better time than now.

“I am.” I pull back. “I’ve got a question for you, Briar.” I get down one knee, pull the ring from my pocket I bought her, and hold it out.

“Oh my god,” Kennedy breathes out. Briar is looking from me to her mom and then to the ring.

“Will you accept this ring to be my daughter and allow me the pleasure of marrying your mommy?” Briar nods. Before I can add on the last part about me loving her like my own, she launches her little body into my arms and hugs me so tightly, she makes it hard to take a deep breath.

“Does this mean you’ll be my daddy?” she asks in a whisper, but it comes out loud enough Kennedy can hear her question.

“Yeah, sweetheart, that’s exactly what it means. I love you.” She lets go of me a little bit, and I manage to wipe away a stray tear before sliding the gold band with her birth stone on her right ring finger.

“I love you, Daddy. So much.” I’m knocked flat on my ass. Briar needs me as much as I need her. Fuck, but I love her. It doesn’t matter that she didn’t come from me; she’s mine in every way imaginable.

“I love you, too. Want to help me ask your momma next?” I hand her the ring but stay planted on one knee, looking up at Kennedy. Tears are heavily streaming down her cheeks, hands covering her mouth, and she’s never looked prettier.

“Kennedy Fontaine, marry me. Make me the happiest man in the world and be my wife.”

“Yes, god, yes.” This time, I really am on my ass, with my girls, and I’d happily stay here forever. My mouth seeks hers, and she mutters, “I love you, Trent Hawthorne, with everything I am, and I’m going to love you until I can’t love you anymore.” I’d deepen our kiss, except we’ve got Briar in our arms, and she doesn’t need a damn anatomy lesson. I’ll be saving that for later.

“I love you, forever.”

“Put the ring on Mommy. It’s beautiful!” Briar holds it out, and I help her slide the ring on Kennedy’s finger, exactly where it’s meant to be.

“It’s stunning,” Kennedy agrees. We start talking, sitting on the floor in the kitchen. Briar asks a million questions, such as being the flower girl like she was in Auntie Lennie and Uncle Ash’s wedding. I listen as the two of them plan things, going over ideas. This is the best part of my day, coming home to them, and even though later this evening, I’ll get a call no one is ever prepared for, I at least know Gran is in peace and she left me with a lot of life lessons, and one of them is showing me how to love Kennedy.

I hope you enjoyed Trent and Kennedy’s story and will consider leaving a review.

Coming next is Possessing Her, Johnny and Winnie’s story and releases March 23rd!