Epilogue
Four years later
“Can I help with anything?”
Elodie slowly turned to face both of her sisters-in-law. She adored Quinn and Dahlia. They’d grown so close that they often dropped the in-law part when introducing each other. To say they’d become a close-knit family was an understatement.
Elodie arched her brow, pointing to the food on the buffet counter. “It’s catered.”
Dahlia chuckled, holding up her hands. Her small belly protruded from her fitted shirt. There was no pregnant woman cuter than Dahlia Serra. Though Quinn was equally adorable. Their bodies just seemed to bounce back immediately. Elodie, on the other hand, was still struggling to lose the last five stubborn pounds from over three years ago.
She scanned the counter where all the food had been setup. She’d come to terms with her lack of culinary skills. They had a full-time chef on staff at home. But she refused to completely give up. The meal might’ve been professionally cooked, but she’d added a few sides that she’d made, though she wouldn’t be sharing that information with anyone. Over the years she’d built a reputation as a bad cook. While most were polite enough to try, others were less willing. One in particular.
“Will you call everyone for dinner?”
Quinn rounded the counter, heading toward the French doors overlooking the yard and the lake. It was the perfect oasis. If Elodie had it her way, they’d live there all year round. But it was an hour outside of the city. Oz had made the surprise purchase three years ago just after their son was born. Renovations took over a year, but when it was done, it was magnificent. Probably larger than it needed to be for a small family, but it became everyone’s weekend getaway. No one loved it more than her uncle. He’d come on weekends or a week at a time when no one else was using it. Hank called it his happy place. On one rare occasion, over too much wine, he broke down when it was just the two of them sitting on the dock.
“I can feel her here.”
My mom.
“She would’ve loved this,” Hank said.
They never spoke of it after that night, but it always stuck with her. So much so she’d shared it with Oz. The next day he’d made a point of telling her uncle he had an open invitation even when they weren’t there and gave him his own key. Hank hadn’t spent as much time at the lake in the last two months, though. He’d been prepping his house to sell. The city had gotten to be too much for him.
“I just want quiet and calm, kiddo.”
He’d earned it. Hank was looking at property down south. It was cheaper, and on his fixed income, it made sense. That didn’t mean she didn’t try to fight him every step of the way. Elodie knew she was being selfish, but she was having a hard time parting with the last remaining member of her immediate family. They’d always been close, and in the last few years since she’d had her son, Hank made a point of visiting regularly with Luka. He shared stories about her mom in a way only a sibling could tell them.
Elodie stepped back and watched as everyone filed in. It wasn’t a huge group. Their family was small. But growing. Trey walked in with his son on his hip. When Dahlia tried to take him, Trey turned and lifted his chin to the table, insisting she make a plate for herself. Trey was a great dad. And an even better husband.
“You make anything?” The booming voice came from behind her.
Elodie slowly turned to the man a few feet away.
Fucking Rogue.
She smiled. “No.”
His gaze narrowed. He knew she was lying, but she refused to tell him her personal dish. She’d tasted it, and aside from a little too much dill, her potato salad was delicious. Elodie folded her arms and flattened her lips, staring back at him. Her relationship with Rogue was a work in progress. He had redeeming qualities. He just made it really hard to see them sometimes.
Unlike her friend Madalyn, who had gently told her that her cooking skills could use some tweaking, Rogue’s idea was to buy her a four-month long cooking class for Christmas. It wasn’t so much the gift that got under her skin. It was the delivery that followed.
“I ain’t eating in this house again until you get yourself some fucking lessons. And I wanna see the certificate as proof. Ain’t taking your word.”
Rogue had paid a lot for those classes. Wasted fucking money, Rogue. She refused to go on principle alone. Rogue didn’t stay true to his word and ate at their house plenty of times, but Elodie assumed that came from a higher power with a strong threat. My husband is the best.
She was rounding the counter when she saw a moppet of curls making a beeline for the corner’s sharp edge of the table. Shit! She lunged forward and hooked her arm around the tiny waist and stepped back, hugging the little girl into her chest with a relieved sigh that gave way to an amused chuckle. This little baby was like a hurricane. No one was safe in her proximity.
Elodie brushed her face against her neck and the girl giggled, kicking her feet. My girl. Not biologically. Elodie was more than happy and satisfied with her son, but there was something to be said about the bonus kids she collected along the way. This sweet spitfire had become one of her favorites.
“Tabby!” he shouted, jerking his head from side to side.
Elodie battened down her smile. They’d given her such a soft and sweet name. Tabitha. They’d expected her to live up to it. Apparently, Tabby had other plans. A wild child under the age of two.
How? How does this beautiful ball of chaos come from those two people? Elodie hooked her arm under the little girl’s legs, pressing her lips to her cheek and eyeing the girl’s father.
“I’ve got her!”
Nash jerked his head, and an ease washed over his features. Girl dads. Braver than most. He circled the counter, trying his best to give his daughter a stern authoritative glare. He failed. As soon as Tabitha reached for Nash, his face softened. Barely two and she already had him wrapped around her finger. Oz was no different.
Elodie rubbed Tabitha’s back as she clung to Nash. “How is she the product of two of the most reserved people I know?”
Elodie was only half joking. Nash and his wife shared so many traits. Quiet, reserved, and low-key. The polar opposite of Tabitha.
“Apparently, it skips a generation.” Nash smirked.
Apparently!
Elodie watched him walk out to the yard with his little girl clutched to him. Family. They were very much a part of hers.
“That wasn’t my idea!”
Elodie spun around gazing into the doorway of the dining room. She couldn’t see them, but she recognized her voice. His? Elodie wouldn’t hear him. He’d always been discreet. His counterpart was a different story. Elodie smiled and zoned in on eavesdropping. This couple had the best arguments. Nothing was more entertaining.
“Okay, so that might’ve been my suggestion.” There was a small stretch of silence before she heard a heavy masculine sigh and faint grumbling.
Elodie muffled her laugh and looked over at Dahlia and Quinn. They were just as invested in this conversation.
“Well, yeah, that was my idea too but not the last part.” Elodie furrowed her brows and leaned closer toward the door. “As a friend, it was my duty to go along with it. Don’t get mad at me because you don’t understand girl code.”
Elodie broke down, laughing and clutching her chest. I love that girl!
“Elle?”
She spun around to find Noelle, Dahlia’s security, at the edge of the hallway. She hooked her thumb over her shoulder. “The delivery guys just dropped off the bounce house. Oz said to tell you he has cash in his wallet for them.”
Elodie held up her finger. “Let me grab it.”
While their house in the city was huge, the lake house was more reserved. It was homier with only five bedrooms. She rushed upstairs, rounding the banister and into their room. She zoned in on his nightstand. It was closest to the door. She grabbed his wallet and flipped it open, grabbing the bills. She was about to close it when the corner edge of a slip of pink paper caught her attention. She pulled the business card out of the sleeve, smiling. Years later, marriage, and a baby, and he still kept her business card from the night they’d met.
The day went on, and she couldn’t have asked for better weather or company. The barbeques at the lake house had become tradition. They’d grown over the years. What began as apprehensive security showing up for Oz’s birthday party turned into an annual event.
Again, family.
Not traditional but family just the same. With a twist.
Elodie had finished her plate of food and sipped her beer, eyeing the grassy knoll of their property. Children were running around, enjoying the playset they’d installed at the beginning of summer. She was taking in the scene when she felt his hand grip her shoulder. I know his touch.
“Take a ride with me.” Oz slid his hand down her arm and clasped her palm, pulling her up from her seat. The gathering had died down, but there were still a few people hanging around.
“Now?”
“Yes.” He glanced across the table to her uncle. “Hank, come with us.”
This was odd. Yet no one questioned Oz. She followed his lead and watched her uncle stand up.
What the heck is going on?
****
It was a twenty-minute drive, but they never left the community. Had they taken their boat, it would have only been five minutes. But that might’ve given too much away.
Oz pulled into the long driveway. It was steep, but during renovations the builders had done their best to level it as much as possible. He pulled in front of the garage and parked.
“What are we doing?” Elodie asked from the back seat.
“We’re getting out.” Oz stepped out of the car, rounded the fender, and walked toward the backyard.
The yard had sod put down and had a small fence. It didn’t obstruct the view but posed as a barrier to a straight run to the dock one hundred feet away.
Elodie walked to the edge and smiled then pointed across the lake. “Is that our house?”
He gave a curt nod.
“So this is the house that’s had all the construction for the past six months?”
“Yes.”
She looked over to her uncle, who was scoping out the house, walking up to the windows. It hadn’t been much more than a small shack when Oz had seen it for the first time. It also hadn’t been for sale. The previous owner had died, and his nephew had been holding onto it for a decade in hopes of remodeling. It was beyond simple renovations. The house had been neglected for far too long.
“So, it’s for sale?” Elodie asked.
“No.”
She raised her brows sharing a look with her uncle. “Are we trespassing?”
His lips twitched. “No.”
“Can I get more than a one-word answer?” She winked and started toward him.
“I bought it.” Oz said.
Her mouth fell open. “What? When?”
“Last year.”
“And you didn’t think to tell me?”
He smirked. “No.”
“Well, son, this is a fine house.” Hank said peering at the lake.
“I’m glad you like it.” Oz dug into his pocket, pulling out the keys and offering them to her uncle. “Because it’s yours.”
“Oz.” Hank paused, staring down at the keys in his palm. Oz heard the hitch in his tone. Pure emotion. “I can’t take this.”
It was the response Oz expected. But not one he’d accept.
“Yes, you can. And you will.”
Hank stepped back, darting his eyes between Oz and Elodie. “It’s too much.”
Oz folded his arms. “You either take it or it sits empty and rots away.”
Hank snorted, shaking his head. “Oz.”
He ignored Hank and turned to Elodie, lifting his chin toward her uncle. If anyone could convince him, it would be her.
“Take it,” Elodie blurted, hooking her arm around Oz’s waist. “You love this place.”
Hank cupped his mouth, peering up at the house. He would take it and spend the remainer of his days on the lake. Her uncle walked down the small embankment and onto the dock. Oz had purchased a small fishing boat. He’d gotten close to her uncle. Well, close for him. Maybe it was a part of his penance. He’d never be able to erase the memory she had of her father’s last moments. But he could ensure she watched her uncle’s last days in a happy space.
“I love you,” she whispered, smiling as they watched her uncle get into the boat.
Oz pulled her against his chest. In the end, it was just a house, only money. But the gift she’d given him was greater than anything he could ever repay.
Elodie gave him life again.
The End