Epilogue—Evie
TWO MONTHS LATER
The necklace sits on my skin, the golden North Star peppered with small diamonds twinkling at me as Matteo clasps it behind my neck, our gazes locking and holding in the mirror.
“So fucking beautiful,” he rasps, kissing the nape of my neck.
Leaning back into his warm broad chest, my smile is as wide as can be as I stare at the man that means the world to me. The one that puts all others to shame.
“Thank you.” Turning in his arms, I slide my hands up his biceps, lingering on the muscles. “Are you excited for tonight?”
As if he was holding his breath this whole time, he releases it in one fell swoop. “I’m nervous beyond belief. I’ve never had so many eyes on a website I’ve created before.”
“But?” I probe.
His lip twitches. “But I’m excited. It’s going to help so many kids.”
“It will. I’m so proud of you, Matteo.” My heart warms, utterly melts into a puddle as a pink flush works into his cheeks.
Tonight is the website’s launch party, an intimate one considering how many people Kieran and Matteo know. Hosted at Kieran’s house, I’m sure he’s just as nervous.
When Matteo first told me about it, I thought he got the idea from his parents, from the years of neglect he suffered from them. That was until I spoke with Kieran and all the pieces began to fall into place.
This means so much to the both of them for different reasons and yet all the same. They were both children growing up who needed to ask for help and didn’t know how. Now they’ve created a safe space that’s easily accessible for children to do so.
And I couldn’t be more proud.
“Thanks, Dove.” Clearing his throat, he steps back. “Now I know it’s technically my night…but I have something for you, too.”
My eyes widen, my hand clasping the necklace he gifted me after the trial, the North Star so I could always find my way back through the dark. “For me? Matteo, you have to stop gifting me things all the time!”
He’s halfway out the door when he frowns at me over his shoulder. “Yeah, that’s never happening. You’re the love of my life, I’ll spoil you rotten if I want to.” He’s only gone for a second before he returns with his hands behind his back. “Plus, this isn’t anything big, I promise.”
I cock a hip. “You said that about the necklace that has diamonds in it.”
A crooked grin lights up his face. “I did say that, didn’t I?”
“Mm-hmm.”
Shaking his head, he chuckles to himself. “Well…this isn’t that big.”
“And what exactly is it?” I ask, trying to peek behind his back.
He tsks at me. “Hold your hands out and close your eyes.”
I do as he says, because if I’ve learned anything over the years, it’s that Matteo takes gift giving very seriously. “Okay, big guy.”
There’s rustling before something smooth is placed in both my hands. Keeping his hold on me, Matteo helps me spread my arms out, the rustling continuing. It’s not paper, per se. It’s far too thick to be.
“Open,” he says gruffly.
Fluttering my eyes open, I look down to see a black and white map of the world. Matteo explains softly, “So you can start ticking off all the places you visit. You color it in once you visit the country.”
A smile springs across my face as I lift my head to Matteo, who’s watching me nervously. It’s the only time he’s nervous—while giving gifts. As if I would ever be like his parents and not show interest. I adore everything he does.
“This is amazing,” I breathe, peering back down at the map. “Matteo, it’s great. Thank you so much.”
“It gets better.”
Taking the map from me, Matteo walks behind me to the blank wall in the bedroom we now share.
We haven’t moved out of the apartment with Caleb yet, not when he’s…
still not doing as well as either of us had hoped.
When his drinking began to increase…we knew we couldn’t.
My stuff is still in the other bedroom, but let’s face it, I stopped sleeping in there a long time ago.
I just like the closet space all to myself.
Pinning the map to the wall, Matteo steps to the side, pulling a dart out of his back pocket and handing it to me. “Take aim and fly.”
My eyes widen. “But what about the wall?”
He waves me off. “I put a corkboard behind it. It’s fine, I promise.”
“Okay,” I murmur, shrugging off my concerns. Lifting the dart, I squint, not particularly sure what I’m aiming for.
I’m about to let it go when Matteo comes up behind me, his rough calloused hands gently sliding up my forearm. “Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and let it fly,” he whispers in my ear, sending a shiver down my spine.
Letting his voice guide me, I do just that. Exhaling, I let the dart leave my fingertips.
“Where did you land, Dove?”
I take a step forward, removing the dart. “The Dolomites.”
Whistling, Matteo steps up beside me, tucking a lock of blonde hair behind my ears. “What a great fucking pick.”
“Pick?” I ask with a frown.
A mischievous grin lifts Matteo’s lips as he nods toward the map. “Want to go to the Dolomites this summer?”
My head flies back and forth between the map and my boyfriend before I’m jumping up and down with joy. “Yes! Oh my god!” Stopping, I turn to him with wide eyes. “Are you serious?”
His grin has turned into a full-blown smile. “It’s time you got to explore the world. Fucking figures our first trip will be a hiking one.”
Before I can stop myself, I’m squealing and throwing my body at his, knowing that he will always catch me. He spins me in a circle, laughing alongside me. “Imagine the photos you’ll take there.”
Gasping, I slide down his body. “Oh, it will be incredible.” I have to start blinking rapidly, trying to keep the tears of joy at bay.
This.
This right here is proof that you are never asking for too much, you may just be asking the wrong person. I had to beg my ex-boyfriend to travel with me, even though he knew how badly I wanted to see the world.
Yet here I am on Matteo’s big night and he’s surprising me with a trip.
I clasp his cheeks and kiss him before pulling back. “You, my beautiful man, are so goddamn special to me.”
“Forever and always, Dove,” he whispers.
“Forever and always.”
I’m absolutely buzzing, not just because Matteo and I are going to be planning the trip of a lifetime, but because of tonight, because of all Kieran and Matteo have achieved and will do. The impact they will make on this world, the positive change they will help create in so many young hearts.
The only thing that saddens me is that Matteo’s parents aren’t here to see all he’s accomplished.
They never made an effort before but after everything that came out in the press, they didn’t want to associate with the Ellington name at all. Despite the fact that Caleb and I had no power over anything.
It was the final straw for Matteo, receiving that call from his parents where they ordered him to leave me and keep his distance from Caleb to “protect” the Valenti name.
Besides his confrontation with Marcus, I had never seen Matteo as angry and hurt as I did that day.
Had never heard him raise his voice before then. It was…heartbreaking.
No one knows that he cried in my arms that night, that the last shred of hope he had been clinging to was utterly destroyed by that call.
He blocked both of his parents’ numbers after that.
They have no way of contacting him and that’s how he wants it.
Despite how much it broke his heart to do.
I know better than anyone that although they might cause you pain, it’s never easy cutting contact with a parent, no matter how much you know you deserve better.
Sometimes I still have the urge to call my mom. That is, until I remember everything she said and did—or lack thereof.
Those moments are the hardest.
I’ve lost a parent, but they’re still breathing in this world.
Shaking off the sudden turn in my thoughts, clinging to Matteo’s hand, we step onto Kieran’s patio, taking in the twinkling lights hanging along the back deck and all throughout the yard.
I’m happy that Matteo, Caleb, and I have family in these people.
That, although we don’t share blood, they are family in every sense of the word.
Like the IceHawks team that always shows up without a doubt.
The men dropped food off at the apartment every day for a month so none of us had to cook in those early grueling weeks.
When they all showed up after the courthouse, each of them gave me flowers and made the apartment look like a florist shop.
All of them are looking out for Caleb now, watching him like a hawk, trying their hardest to help him heal.
And the girls. They dropped everything they were doing the second I called.
They showed up and cleaned the apartment and brought dinner over on the nights that I struggled to get out of bed. I’ll never forget the strength they lent me during the roughest period of my life. Don’t even get me started on how hard they make me laugh during book club.
And my friends at the dispatch center.
There were flowers blooming on my desk my first day back at work. The kindness and patience everyone showed me still brings tears to my eyes when I think about it.
They’re all here tonight, everyone here to support as we always show up for each other.
Even a few of the women from the case are here.
No one besides me, Caleb, and Matteo know who they are.
Most of their identities were not leaked to the press—surprisingly.
They’re here to support a cause they wish had been around when they were being hurt.
I’ve met a few of them, but mostly, I’ve gotten close to the women through messages.
I haven’t been able to attend a meeting yet and I don’t think I ever will, but it means the world to me that they showed up today.
Even Sarah and her partner Ellie are here.
It seems we started a trend that day in the park. We’ve caught up every two weeks, meeting for coffee and a walk in the park. Some days are filled with laughter and positive updates and some are heavier than others, but every time I walk away with my heart full that I have Sarah back in my life.
To look around a full room and feel love, warmth, and support is the biggest success in life, and how lucky are Matteo and I to say we have that? Perhaps the universe gave it to us in spades, knowing that after the childhood we had, we needed it.
We deserved it.
Squeezing his hand, I look around the room. “How lucky are we?” I whisper.
“The luckiest.”
Turning my head, I expect Matteo’s gaze to be on the room, on all of our friends, but instead, he’s looking at me.
The sound of a glass clinking draws our attention to Kieran, who stands in the far-right corner, Emmy on his hip in an adorable pink dress and Layla at his side. He lifts a glass in the air. “A toast!”
The room falls quiet, all eyes turning their way.
“I’d ask Matteo to come over here and say a few words but I know the silent bastard would just grunt.”
The room, including myself and Matteo, bursts into a fit of laughter.
“You’re just worried I’ll steal your spotlight,” Matteo says.
Kieran winks. “Guilty.” Another round of laughter erupts until Kieran is grinning as well.
“No, but in all seriousness, I just want to take a moment to thank every single one of you. This project means so much to both of us, and I won’t speak for Matteo, but to have you all here celebrating something that I know deep within my heart and soul will change so many lives for the better means the world.
” Kieran pauses for a moment, looking at his beautiful daughter before turning his gaze on Layla.
Her eyes are swimming with tears as he says thickly, “I wish this had been around when I was growing up…so here’s to making a change. ”
“To change,” Matteo repeats beside me. “And to giving children hope for the future.”
My throat tightens as we all collectively toast, “To change and hope.”
Angel, standing beside Tristan and Kalani, raises her voice. “And now to Matteo and Kieran!”
The IceHawks boys clap and whistle. “Kieran and Matteo!”
“Now just give us something to celebrate in the playoffs!” Tristan yells, making the crowd laugh as Angel rolls her eyes.
Snorting, Matteo bends down, whispering in my ear, “Is he drunk?”
“You and Kieran supplied free alcohol. Of course he’s drunk.”
Matteo chuckles deeply at that, the sound making a shiver shoot down my spine. Taking two glasses of champagne off the table behind us, Matteo passes me one, staring into my eyes as he lifts his glass. “Here’s to flying, Dove.”
Lifting my glass, I smile at the boy I fell in love with when I was a little girl. “To flying.”
“I can’t believe I got the girl,” he says in awe before kissing me so passionately that whistles and hollers break out behind us, yet neither one of us end the kiss because it’s only ever been us.
Forever and always flying side by side.