Epilogue
FOUR MONTHS LATER…
Shiloh
When I got home from school, I parked my lime-green Kia Soul on a dead patch of grass next to Holden’s GTO and Bailey’s summer project.
He’d been working on that old Camaro every free minute he got so that it would be ready by the time he headed off to college.
I threw open my door and got out, mouth instantly watering at the scent of grilling meat. I’d skipped lunch today, knowing we’d be having this going-away party for Bailey, and I was starving.
Laughter and happy dog yips carried on the wind from the backyard. I headed that way, tote bag still slung over one shoulder.
I wanted to be sure I didn’t miss Bailey’s send-off. I wasn’t sure how late he’d want to hit the road. The fact that he’d waited for me to get home from school meant a lot, considering I was the new guy in the family.
Over the past few months, I’d settled in and made myself more at home.
We’d gone to St. Louis and picked up the remaining belongings I’d wanted to save—mainly more clothes and my mementos from former students.
Gray had come along and immediately grabbed up my small love seat to add to the living room.
That house was crammed with men, and it was getting harder to seat us all comfortably at once. I loved it, though. I’d lived alone for so many years, and now there was always someone around, always voices and laughter when I needed them.
Brick and Curtis had taken a plea deal after they were picked up by the St. Louis police, so I didn’t have to worry about them. Dalton told me they went to the same prison as Jimmie, and as far as I was concerned, they could all have each other.
I had a whole new life, and I wasn’t going to waste another second worrying about any of them.
Banshee greeted me as I stepped into the backyard. I patted her head and glanced around. Loki and Oreo were racing around the yard, barking happily.
An old, weathered picnic table sat in the center of the yard, the grill on a small patch of concrete right behind the back door. Holden worked the grill because of course he did. My man would leave nothing to chance.
He’d gotten a little better about trusting his brothers, but he’d always be a control freak. Which suited me just fine because he mostly saved his bossiness for the bedroom.
And I sure did love taking orders from him.
He glanced over, eyes catching mine, and a smile lit up his face. “Hey, hon! Come get a burger.”
Axel and Dalton sat at the picnic table, plates full of half-eaten burgers and cobs of corn in front of them.
Bowls of potato salad, chips, and salad took up the center of the table, and on the other side, Jose was wiping his little grandson’s messy face with a napkin while the kid surreptitiously tossed a bite of food to Taz under the table.
Emory and Gray were sitting in camp chairs in the shade, along with Allison, Matteo, and Flynn. Sugar sat with her head resting on Matteo’s knee, gazing up at him like he was her true love.
As I crossed the lawn, I didn’t see Bailey anywhere.
“Where’s Bails? His car was still out front, so I couldn’t have missed him.”
“You didn’t. He’ll be back out in a minute. He’s on the phone with his bestie, Nova. She couldn’t make the cookout because she’s traveling with her family.” Holden handed me a plate with a burger on it and leaned in to steal a kiss. “How was school?”
“Good.” I smiled. “Parker said hello.”
Holden immediately scowled, which made me laugh. He’d always been a little jealous of Parker, and I liked to tease him about it so he’d see how silly he was.
“I’m glad you’re friends with Parker,” he said, sounding anything but glad, “as long as you remember you love me more.”
“Always.”
“That’s what I like to hear.”
The door opened, and Bailey emerged. “Okay, Nova says she’s going to check up on you when I’m gone. Make sure you’re not withering away without me.”
Holden chuckled. “Good. We’d like to see her.”
Bailey swept a glance over the yard. “I should probably head out soon.”
“Go say goodbye to everyone, and we’ll get you loaded up.”
“Okay.”
“You can start with me.” I swooped forward to hug Bailey tight. “I’m going to miss you around here. Make sure you visit.”
“I will. All the time.”
“Not too much,” Holden said. “You’ll need to study.”
I drew back with a grin. “And party and meet cute boys.”
Bailey’s gaze shifted past me, and I followed it straight to Flynn. Oh, boy.
“Cute boys your own age,” Holden grumbled. “College boys.”
“Yeah, I got it,” Bailey said. “I’m not really looking for a boyfriend.”
Axel had just come over to grab a fresh beer from the cooler at Holden’s feet. “Who says they have to be a boyfriend?” He grinned. “Have some fun.”
Bailey laughed. “Right. Yeah.”
“C’mere,” Axel said, pulling him into a big hug and slapping his back hard enough to make me wince. “Be good. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
“Not possible,” Bailey mumbled into his shoulder.
“Text us every week, asshole. Don’t go disappearing. I’m not losing you.”
Bailey drew back, meeting Axel’s eyes. “I’ll stay in touch. You’re not ever gonna lose me. Bro Code, right?”
“Damn right.”
I headed over to the table with my plate, dishing up a few side items, and dug in. Jose patted my shoulder.
“So good to see you again,” he said. “Holden sure seems happy.”
“Yeah? I’m happy with him too.”
He nodded. “It makes my old heart warm to see the love around here. These boys have come a long way.”
Bailey made his way over to say goodbye to Dalton and Jose.
“You make me so damn proud,” Jose said. “A college man.” He shook his head in amazement. “I helped raise this one, you know?”
“You did a good job,” I said.
“It’s all Bailey.”
Dalton clapped Bailey on the arm. “Don’t be a stranger.”
“I won’t. Take care of Axel, okay? He doesn’t handle people leaving well.”
Dalton’s expression turned serious. “I will. Don’t worry about your brother. He’s got everyone here to remind him that you’re not leaving him, okay?”
“Thanks.” Bailey turned away quickly to go say goodbye to everyone else. But I suspected he wanted to hide the damp eyes I’d glimpsed.
I imagined leaving home was hard, especially from a family this tight.
I finished off my meal while Bailey said his goodbyes to Gray and Axel. I noticed he didn’t say much to Flynn, which was surprising.
They’d spent a lot of hours in the garage this summer, getting Flynn fully up to speed to step into Bailey’s lead mechanic role. Gray would help support him when he didn’t have bikes to service, and Axel had offered to step in two days a week.
Bailey was leaving a sizeable void, and they’d all be doing their part to fill it.
“Okay, I’m going to load up and go,” Bailey said.
Holden closed the grill. “Yeah, I’ll help you.”
“Me too,” Axel said.
One by one, the brothers trailed after him. Dalton, Emory, and I brought up the rear but gave them a little space.
“This is going to be hard on them all,” Emory murmured.
We exchanged a look and said at the same time, “Bro Code.”
Dalton chuckled with us. “Maybe we need a Bro BF code. I feel like we’re in this pact too.”
“We do!” Emory said with a delighted laugh. “As soon as I’m fully licensed, I’ll do your tattoos.” He glanced at me. “If you want, that is. I don’t know if teachers are allowed to have ink?”
“Oh, we’re so doing it,” I said, enthused. “If it’s against policy, I’ll just hide it with a leather bracelet.”
Holden and Gray emerged from Bailey’s room, each carrying a large box. Axel followed.
Dalton stepped forward. “What can I carry?”
It didn’t take long to load up Bailey’s Camaro. Luckily, he didn’t have too many belongings because he didn’t have a ton of storage space.
“I wish you’d let me buy you a new car,” Holden grumbled. “What if this thing breaks down on the trip there?”
“Are you serious?” Bailey asked. “You do remember I’m a mechanic.”
“I know that,” Holden said testily. “I just don’t want you worrying about crap like that when you should be focusing on school.”
Bailey rolled his eyes. Couldn’t really blame him. The kid was a great mechanic. Car breakdowns were the least of his problems.
“Well, I should go.” He shuffled his feet. “I want to hit the road before it’s too late.”
“You could wait for morning,” Holden said.
“I want to settle in over the first weekend. If I don’t go now, I’ll wait until Sunday night, and then I’ll be rushing straight into classes.”
“Right, yeah, that’s smart,” Holden said.
Gray, Emory, Axel, and Dalton said one last goodbye and headed inside while Holden and I lingered.
“Do you want us to follow you over and help you settle in?” Holden asked. “We could do that.”
“No, I’ll be okay.”
“Are you sure—”
“He’s sure,” I said gently. “Bailey’s ready.” I smiled. “He’s going to do great.”
“Of course he will.” Holden expelled a big breath. “I hope you know how proud I am.”
Bailey nodded.
“I know this wasn’t your idea, but you deserve to get out there and see what the world has to offer. Do great things, kid, okay? We’ll be here whenever you need us.”
“Yeah,” Bailey said, voice thin. “Thanks, Holden. For pushing me. I didn’t really believe in me, but you did. I don’t know much, but I know you want the best for me, and you always have. I’m lucky to have—”
Holden grabbed him in a hug, cutting off the rest of his words. “Love you, Bails.”
“Love you too,” Bailey said.
Holden released him, stepping back. He glanced at us both. “What? Don’t look so shocked. I can hug people now.”
Bailey laughed. “Yeah, but you usually save all the good stuff for Shiloh.”
“Not sure you want some of that stuff, Bailey,” I teased. “Might be weird since you’re brothers.”
“Oh, gross, stop. You’re putting images in my brain that I don’t want there.”
Holden chuckled. “Drive safe, all right? Call me when you get there, or I’ll worry.”
“Okay, Dad.”
“Yeah, we don’t want Sugar Daddy to worry,” I joked.
Holden rolled his eyes and groaned, but Bailey laughed, which was what I was going for. He was far too serious for a guy about to head off to college.
Just as we headed to the house, Flynn came around the side of the building, hands tucked in his front hoodie pocket.
“Hey, Bailey!”
Bailey paused at the driver’s-side door while Flynn jogged over and gave him a big hug. A hug that went on for maybe a beat too long.
Holden lingered on the porch, glaring at the final goodbye.
“Really? He said goodbye already at the party.”
“They worked together for months,” I said. “Maybe he wanted a private goodbye.”
“Well, he doesn’t need one with my baby brother,” Holden grumbled.
Flynn released Bailey, whose cheeks were a little red. They exchanged a couple of words, then Flynn took a couple of steps back, and Bailey got in the car.
“Relax, Sugar Daddy. Bailey’s going to school. Flynn won’t be there.”
He sighed and cast me a baleful look. “I don’t want him to have distractions.”
“Mm. But maybe you need one?” I teased. “Want me to put on a little show for you tonight?”
Holden might be too tense with this goodbye for more touch. Stress tended to aggravate his aversion. I didn’t mind. Giving him shows was how we first fell in love, after all.
His eyes darkened. “Only if you do everything I say.”
A thrill zipped down my spine, just as it did every time he gave me an order.
“Okay, Sug—”
“And don’t call me that ridiculous nickname, or I’ll make you pay.”
Tempting. But tonight was about comforting Holden, not teasing him.
“You know I’ll do anything for you,” I said.
His gaze softened. “The feeling’s mutual.”
Behind us, Bailey’s car started up and left. We both turned to watch as he drove down the bumpy lane toward the highway.
“Well, that’s that. My little brother is all grown up. My other brothers are settled and happy.”
“You’re settled and happy too, aren’t you?”
He glanced at me, surprised. “The happiest, Shy. Thanks to you.”
“I think you had a little something to do with it too.”
“Hmm. Maybe,” he mused. “But I’m trying to be less of a control freak and acknowledge the roles other people play in my life.”
“Just don’t change too much. I like your bossiness.”
“Good.” He chuckled. “Because I’ve got plans for you.”
“Tonight, you mean?”
“Tonight and every other night for the rest of our lives.”
My heart skittered. I knew he wasn’t speaking about sex, but about us, our relationship, the life we were building together.
He loved me. I knew he did. But there was a promise of something even stronger in his gaze. The promise of a future together, of growing old, of being out on this porch in our forties, our sixties, our eighties.
Together until the end.
I leaned in to graze his lips with mine, heart bursting with love.
“That sounds perfect.”
Bailey’s story is coming next! He’s headed off to college to figure out his future, but will it lead back home to his brothers and Flynn or take him farther away than ever?