Never Say Never: Gravel Hill Boys Book Two

Epilogue

Zac sidledup next to me carrying a tiny plate filled with teeny appetizers, Sarah Jane along with him. “This place is sick, man,” he said. “Is this all gonna be yours someday? Damn.”

The Enright estate was sick, as he said. Seven bedrooms, sixteen bathrooms—sixteen!—on eight acres on Philadelphia’s Main Line, where most of the people somehow spoke without moving the bottom half of their face, and the residents had ridiculous nicknames like Bitsy and Biff.

The place and what it stood for kinda made my skin crawl, but I’m sure Madison’s family felt the same way about me and my humble beginnings.

“Not mine, but Madison’s, yeah.”

“Sick,” he repeated.

Beau chimed in. “You ever get lost here?”

I made a face as if he were crazy but went with the truth. “A couple times. I got locked out the other day and couldn’t get back in. Honestly, I think it was intentional. As if I’d just go away and leave my fiancé and my baby because the doors were locked.”

Zac gave me a rare compliment, sorta. “I can think of lots of reasons people wouldn’t like you, but that’s just cold.”

Scowling, I thanked him, and he clicked his rocks glass with mine. While champagne had been flowing throughout the party following Quinn’s baptism, and the priciest scotch and whiskey were freely available, there wasn’t a drop of beer to be found. Ask me if I was surprised. I wasn’t. But my sweet baby mama was, because her grandmother had promised her beer would be stocked at the bars—yep, bars plural—but she insisted it be served in a glass and that no one would be allowed to drink from a can or a bottle.

It was funny actually. As if my friends and family would suffer without access to beer. Since I was insulted plenty by Madison’s family, I learned quickly to just let it roll off my back. But Madison, that was a different story. She took major offense, and the way she stormed off earlier, I was pretty sure she, her daddy, and her Gibby were squaring up for a come-to-Jesus moment.

“Anybody know what happened to Barrett?” Macie asked. The girl still had stars in her eyes where our lead guitarist was concerned. They’d hooked up a time or two, I was certain of it, but Barrett was like a fucking honeybee, flittin’ from flower to flower, spreading pollen but not taking up residence in anybody’s hive. I was too familiar with that sort of existence, though it was no longer part of my life.

“I haven’t seen him,” I said. “He said he’d be here.”

“He had a gig in Vegas with another band,” Beau said. “He was taking a red-eye out of Vegas, but he should’ve been here by now.”

Zac tossed back the dregs of his drink and set it on the tray of a passing server. “Speak of the devil.”

I looked up to see Barrett heading toward us, a big grin stretched across his face, and holding the hand of a woman with long, lavender hair. She was a stunner, which was fitting, because I think we were all stunned that Barrett had brought a date.

Our lead guitarist didn’t date. He hooked up and moved on.

“Hey, guys!” He gave me a bro hug and slapped me on the back. Kissed Madison and Brooklynn, gave Macie a wave, and fist-bumped Beau and Zac.

“Sorry we’re late. The plane was delayed, and by the time we got to the hotel this morning, we needed to nap for a couple hours. He beamed down at the woman by his side, and I’d bet my ’61 vintage H?fner hollow-body electric bass that the nap he referred to had nothing to do with actual sleep.

Who could blame him? If we’d had time this morning before we had to get to church, I would’ve taken Madison for a ride or two in the bedroom. I slipped my arm around her waist and rested it atop her sweet little ass.

“No worries, man,” I said, curious about the girl with the colorful hair. Not only had he brought a date, he’d brought her all the way from Vegas.

Madison, the ultimate hostess, held out her hand. “I’m Madison Enright, Ian’s fiancée and Quinn’s mother. Thank you for coming.”

The girl held out her hand. “Thank you for having me.”

Barrett’s grin grew as he put his arm around the mystery woman’s shoulders and pulled her to his side.

“Since we’re all here… Guys. I want y’all to meet Calliope, my wife.”

THE END