EPILOGUE
Eddie smiled at Isabella carefully plucking flower petals from her little white basket and dropping them as she walked toward him. She took her job as flower girl very seriously and moved right over to stand next to Reina, just like they’d practiced. Then she waved at him with a cute smile.
The first notes of the wedding march hummed from the DJ’s speakers. Everyone stood and turned to face the home he’d built for Lucia and Isabella.
They both loved the style of the early Spanish missions and commissioned his brother-in-law to design it.
Local stone was used for the exterior, and they incorporated exposed wood beams, arched doorways, and a red-clay-tiled roof.
The large backyard had been specially designed to be beautiful yet functional, and they’d chosen to have their wedding beneath the canopy of one of the many large mesquite trees they’d kept on the property.
Not only did the tree produce fragrant yellow blooms, but it provided much-needed shade for their guests.
The tall set of carved wood doors at the wide archway at the back of the house slowly opened, and Lucia stepped out.
Sunlight streamed down on her through the portico and glinted off her engagement ring.
Her long hair was pulled up into a decorative twist and sprinkled with local wildflowers—the same flowers used in her bouquet.
She’d wanted their wedding to be less formal and opted to wear an ivory lace dress that hit just above her knees and showed off her honey-brown skin and long, gorgeous legs.
Eddie’s lungs stopped working. He cleared his throat in an effort to get rid of the lump that had formed.
Cole, who was his best man, put his massive hand on his shoulder and gave it a little squeeze of support.
Eddie couldn’t take his eyes off of her. She seemed to float down the dark green fabric laid out across the grass to create an aisle between the rows of seats.
All eyes tracked her when she walked past them on her way to meet him at the altar made from vines and covered with more wildflowers. She stood next to him, gave him a coy smile, and a beautiful dusky blush flushed her cheeks. He loved that he could still do that to her.
“You look … amazing.” He looked her up and down.
“You don’t look so bad yourself.” She subtly bumped her hip against his.
A light chuckle murmured throughout the gathering of family and friends.
In addition to Cole as his best man, he was honored to have Mark standing with him as a groomsman. He’d suffered a bullet wound to his right leg that left him with a bit of a limp, but it hadn’t stop him from being elected sheriff of Cameron County.
Lucia chose Reina to be her maid of honor and “Aunt Calliope” to be a bridesmaid.
His teammate had been shocked and extremely honored when asked, and she’d even fought back a few tears.
Shockingly, she’d agreed to wear a dress, making their wedding the first time Eddie had ever seen her in one.
Her acquiescence to Lucia’s requests was further proof Calliope had a sensitive side she trusted only a few people to see.
The minister was from the church Eddie’s mom and most of his sisters’ families attended. He was a super chill dude who wasn’t hung up on formality. Perfect for what they’d wanted.
Eddie’s entire family—all seven sisters, husbands, and nieces and nephews—were there. Along with some of Lucia’s friends from school.
All of his teammates, including the newest member, Josh Carlisle, as well as a few of the O’Hallerans, their spouses and significant others were in attendance.
Josh had suffered a pretty severe concussion from being bashed on the back of the head by Martín, but Cole had been impressed with his work, and when he asked him to join Dark Ops, Josh had jumped at the chance.
Apparently, he felt like his life after the military had become boring and monotonous.
Helping out with Eddie’s situation had reminded him of how much he loved being a part of the action and how much he’d missed it.
Eddie hadn’t expected them all to be there and was thrilled to see them again after almost a year apart.
Once the dust from the Munoz case settled, he’d talked with Cole about leaving the team. To his friend’s credit, he didn’t try to strong-arm him or talk him into staying. He understood why Eddie needed to leave and was very supportive.
His teammates had also been incredibly supportive—for the most part.
Calliope took it kind of hard, only because he didn’t talk to her about it beforehand.
His leaving had been a big surprise, and she was not a fan of surprises.
Once he explained his reasons for leaving, she called him a dick, punched him on the arm, and wished him good luck.
Then she’d challenged him to a race on the Dark Ops obstacle course.
The minister began the service, then got to the part where they both had something to say.
“Eddie.” He nodded at him.
He cleared his throat, started to reach for his notes in his pocket, then changed his mind.
His words would come from his heart, not his head.
“Lucia, I’ve known you most of my life, and no one, no one has ever meant more to me than you do.
I love you so much, and I promise to spend the rest of my life earning your trust, your respect, and your love.
” He smiled and squatted down in front of Isabella.
“And Isabella, I am so proud that you have trusted me to be your dad. I love you very much, and I promise to try to be the best dad ever and to always be there for you, no matter what.”
She dropped her basket and hugged his neck. “I love you, too, Dad.”
He picked her up and held Lucia’s hand. That’s when he noticed the tears sparkling in her eyes. Only this time, they were happy tears.
They found out that Isabella’s biological father, Curtis Woodson, hadn’t been going to Mexico for a cruise, like he’d said he was.
He’d actually been running from the law after getting caught embezzling money from the nonprofit.
Federal Marshals caught up to him just as he was about to board a flight to Bolivia, a country with no US extradition treaty.
After being convicted, he’d signed away his parental rights.
Eddie approached Lucia about adopting Isabella, and she was thrilled with the idea.
They both sat down with her and ran the idea by her.
She’d had a few questions about why her dad left and if it was her fault.
They’d assured her it had nothing to do with her, then explained what he’d done.
She’d asked Eddie if he really wanted to adopt her, and did that mean she could call him Dad.
After he told her again that he loved her and was one thousand percent sure he wanted to be her dad, she’d happily agreed.
The adoption had been finalized a few months later.
“Lucia,” the pastor spoke softly. “Your turn.”
“Eddie, you are the air I breathe, each beat of my heart, and my safe place in a storm. I will spend the rest of our life together doing everything I can to make you happy and to show you how much I love you.” She lifted Isabella’s hand and kissed the back of it.
“Isabella, I love you so much and am so proud of you. You are so brave, and so smart, and so strong.” She gave her hand a little shake.
“I want to be just like you when I grow up.”
“But you’re already grown up.” She was genuinely confused.
Everyone laughed, including the bride and groom.
“Eddie and Lucia”—the pastor grinned at their daughter—“and Isabella, by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife and family. You may now kiss the bride.”
Isabella tilted back enough to give them room, and Eddie kissed his wife.
He and Lucia had actually practiced different types of kisses, trying to determine what was appropriate for the guests in attendance.
They’d finally decided to keep it somewhat tame and save the deeper stuff for later, when they were alone.
Then, at the same time, they both kissed Isabella’s cheeks.
The pastor held his arms out and said, “Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Eduardo Calabretta and their daughter, Isabella Calabretta.”
The music started, and everyone stood and clapped as the three of them walked down the aisle together.
“Congratulations.” Boone clapped him on the back as he walked by.
Lucas stepped out when Calliope walked by, held her hand, and they walked out together.
All of the guests moved over to another large tree with tables and chairs set up beneath it. The bar on the patio nearby featured a bartender his sister had worked with before. Strings of white lights were woven through the branches of all of their trees, creating a magical fairytale look.
The kids ran around over on the play area with playground equipment they’d had installed for Isabella.
Everyone loved the incredible food provided by Olive’s restaurant and enjoyed the designer cocktails.
When it was time to cut the cake, they all gathered to watch as Eddie gently fed a small piece to his new bride, and she did the same for him.
They’d both agreed it was stupid when someone professed their undying love for a person, then thirty minutes later shoved cake in their face.
The DJ played all kinds of music and encouraged everyone to get up on the dance floor.
Eddie sat with his teammates and watched his beautiful wife—man, he loved being able to call her that—dancing with one of his nephews.
He turned to Charlotte, who sat holding Hawk’s hand.
“I was happy to hear you’ve been helping the girls Rios kidnapped.” Eddie hadn’t seen the four girls since the night he’d helped them out that damn window. “How are they doin’?”
“They’re doing as well as can be expected.” Charlotte was an independent therapist who did work for OSI, Dark Ops, and Dulce’s foundation. “We’re working with the families, since they were all deeply affected by what happened.”
“How about Imogen, the little girl that was sick. How’s she doing?” Calliope sat on Lucas’s lap.
“She had a severe inner-ear infection that, if not treated when it was, could’ve caused permanent hearing loss.
” Charlotte shook her head. “She’s fine now.
The only good thing about her being sick is, thanks to her fever, she doesn’t remember much about their time in captivity.
Unfortunately, experience has taught me that those memories could return without warning. ”
“I’m glad they all made it home.” Boone skimmed Luna’s hair over her shoulder.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
“A toast.” Cole raised his glass, and the rest of them followed. “We miss having you on the team, but you’re right where you’re supposed to be. Congratulations, man.”
There was a chorus of congratulations and hear-hears, and they all clinked their glasses together and took a sip. Open bar or not, none of his teammates would be getting drunk tonight.
Too many people here who needed to be watched over.
“Thanks.” Eddie was humbled by their support. “You guys know you’re welcome here anytime. We have plenty of extra rooms.”
Not only had they built the house big enough to have friends and family visit, but they also had plans to expand their family with children of their own very soon.
He and Lucia had been having a lot of fun practicing for that day.
“And if you ever want to slow things down, I’d be proud to have you come work for my agency.” After the dust settled, Eddie opened a private detective agency called Sombra Investigations.
Sombra, or shadow, was a nod to his past as an undercover agent and his time spent with Dark Ops.
Before he made the move, he’d finally sat down and had that conversation with Mark. Eddie had wanted his input on the idea of opening his own agency. Mark thought it was a great idea and had even brought him in on a couple of the sheriff’s department’s trickier cases.
During the few months it took to get the agency set up, he’d supported Lucia and Isabella as they dealt with the trauma of what they’d been through.
They’d both proven to be incredibly resilient but still suffered through recurring nightmares.
They were seeing therapists that Charlotte had recommended who specialized in violence-related trauma.
After news of Munoz’s death hit the streets, the family business fell into disarray, and the other cartels began circling like buzzards, hoping to pick up any scraps of business they could.
Burke was finally able to identify the person who’d been feeding Rodrigo information. He’d personally seen to it that the traitorous asshole would spend the rest of his life in one of the roughest federal prisons in the country.
He also made sure Raphael Serrano, the border patrol agent who let Rios, Ortega, Martín, and Munoz into the country, was arrested the day after Munoz died.
He’d tried to deny any involvement, but the surveillance videos told their own story.
Luna was also able to trace multiple payments directly from Munoz to Rios, then Rios to Serrano, made right around the time he let them into the country.
He faced fifteen years in prison for each bribery charge and managed to plead it down to thirty years without the possibility of parole.
The music changed pace, slowed down, and Lucia walked over to him.
“Dance with me?” She held out her hand and wiggled her fingers.
“Forever.” He took her hand and stood. “Excuse me, I’m going to dance with my wife.”
His teammates stood and led their loves to the dance floor.
Eddie pulled Lucia closer, and she molded her body to his as the mellow sounds of Thomas Rhett’s song “Die a Happy Man” weaved around the couples holding each other and sharing private, quiet conversations.
They’d chosen the song together because it was about those intimate, ordinary moments couples shared, like lying together, hearing his beloved laughing, or slow-dancing together. And that her hand in his was all he needed.
“I love you, Mr. Calabretta,” she whispered in his ear, then kissed his cheek.
“And I love you, Mrs. Calabretta.” Eddie would make sure she never doubted that for a minute for the rest of their lives.
Thank you for reading Dangerous Enforcer! Keep reading for a sneak peek of Dangerous Obsession, book 1 in the thrilling OSI Dark Ops spin-off series.