Epilogue
Kate
“So how was it?” Izzy asked as she grabbed the bowl and followed me into the dining room. “I bet Millie had the best time ever.”
I couldn’t keep my smile from spreading. “Amazing.” My voice was a little hoarse from all the screaming, but I didn’t care.
Millie and I had gone to our very first BTS concert. It was incredible. Even more so because my poor husband was there with us. He still didn’t fully understand why we were so obsessed with this boy band, but that didn’t stop him from supporting our addiction.
I loved him a little more for that.
Izzy laughed. “Did Tristan wear the shirt again?”
“He did.” I laughed too. “And he made a sign.”
“No way.”
“All right, all right.” Evie joined us at the table, adding fresh rolls to the spread. Rubbing a hand over her very pregnant belly, she leveled my sister and me with a stare. “What or who are we laughing at?”
“Tristan wore the shirt,” Izzy provided. “And apparently he made a sign.”
Evie shook her head and laughed. “I don’t know what it is about these men but, phew, are they possessive.” She leaned forward and cupped her hand over her mouth. “It’s hot.”
“It is,” I agreed.
Her green eyes sparkled. “Can you imagine when Rafe gets a girlfriend? That boy will be all up in her everything.”
I had a feeling she was right. He might’ve been the jokester of the bunch, but I’d bet everything I had that he was the most intense.
“Where is he, anyway?” I asked.
Evie shrugged. “Not sure. My sister isn’t here yet either.”
Izzy and I shared a look. Over the past few months as these Sunday dinners became a staple, we’d noticed the tension between those two. It was like watching first graders flirt. Boy pulls girls hair because he likes her and girl sticks her tongue out because she likes him back.
“Maybe they got caught up in traffic,” Izzy said then added, “together.” Under her breath.
Evie didn’t miss it. She made a face. “Then we’re calling a funeral service because those two alone together will definitely lead to murder.”
“Or super-hot sex.” Apparently my sister’s brain-to-mouth filter was gone.
“Do I even want to know what this conversation is about?” Tristan slipped in behind me and wrapped his arm around my middle.
“No.” I leaned into him. “You really don’t.”
He chuckled and pressed a kiss against my temple. “Just a heads-up. Eleanor arrived with your parents.” He’d said the words low enough only for me to hear.
Eleanor and I were still finding our footing with each other. Every visit had gone better than the one before. Especially since Bryce wasn’t in the picture anymore. She’d filed for a divorce the day after Millie was found.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
In the next few minutes, the rest of our friends and family filed in and took their seats. All except Rafe and Cece, who still hadn’t shown up. Liam and Tristan shared a look that resembled the one Izzy and I gave each other earlier.
Something was amiss.
Before we could find out what though, our little girl decided it was time to tell everyone about her first concert experience. By the time we got to dessert, she was still going.
Probably wouldn’t have stopped if it weren’t for our two missing guests finally making their appearance.
“So sorry we’re late.” Rafe breezed into the dining room with a furious-looking Cece on his heels. “Our plane only landed about an hour ago.”
More confused glances passed across the table.
Liam was the one to voice the question we all wanted to ask. “Your plane? You two were together?”
“Of course.” Rafe’s smile was bright, causing his dimples to pop. “Kinda needed my bride next to me before Elvis could declare us officially married.”
All of us spoke at once.
“What the fuck?”
“Excuse me?”
“Did he say married?”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Rafe just smiled and curled his arm around Cece’s waist, pulling her to his side. She went but didn’t look happy about it.
“I know you have questions,” Rafe said. “And we’ll answer them. Later. Right now, I’m more than desperate to be alone with my wife. Ciao.”
And then they were gone.
Not a single one of us moved. We were too damn stunned to do anything but stare. I didn’t even know how long we sat like that before my mom got up and started clearing the table.
That snapped the rest of us out of our stupor. As to be expected, the conversation in the kitchen and living room was all about the bomb Rafe had dropped.
By the time our family and friends had gone home, Tristan and I were still speculating about it.
“I mean, there was definitely tension there,” I said, rubbing lotion onto my legs. “But I figured it was the jump-into-bed kind of tension, not the let’s hop on a plane and get married kind.”
“Yeah, baby, I know what you mean.” He took the lotion from me and continued where I’d left off. “I’ll call him in the morning. Or maybe Liam and I should go over there.”
I sighed at the feeling of his hands on my skin. “That’s a good idea,” I muttered, closing my eyes.
“Hmm. Know what else is a good idea?” Tristan brushed his nose along my neck. “You…me…naked.” His lips latched on to my skin, nipping and sucking in that way that drove me wild.
“That’s a very good idea,” I breathed.
He scooped me up in one fluid motion and carried me to bed. As he moved between my legs, his hands and mouth worshipping my body, I knew I was home.
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