Bonus Epilogue
Kenny
I made no attempt to hide my gigantic grin. Why should I? It reflected the rainbows exploding out of my chest.
Basically, this situation was causing a Care Bear Stare of Joy to unleash from my body.
Tristan gave me a look, just the smallest lift of his left brow that said simmer down.
I would not.
Adam held his hands out and pressed them down like, chill, man.
Bruce, ever one of our collective dads these days, hooked an arm around my neck. “You cannot attack them when they come in. We’re not supposed to know.”
“Impossible. Literally impossible.”
Cookie chuckled, Wilder suppressed a smile, and my boy Stone gave his head a slight shake. Eddie walked in, eyes wide, and nodded at Bruce, but before I could do anything to calm the explosion of excitement, Beast walked through the door and my legs catapulted me to him .
He took the hit to his body with far more acceptance than I would’ve imagined, one arm patting my back even as he kept moving through the doorway, sliding me back along with him.
When I pulled back to smile at him, one of the founding members of the Saint Security too-cool-to-smile club, he was beaming.
“Guess you all know, huh?” he asked.
“Legit, though? It’s true?” I asked, hope tinging my voice.
Jess was laughing and grinning. “Yes. It’s true. I’m pregnant.”
The room exploded then—party poppers bursting with confetti, a cheer rising from everyone, and hugs of congratulations all around. Damn if I didn’t love good news more than anything else in the whole world, save the people who were sharing it.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been happier about anything in my whole life,” I said, a little twinge plucking in my chest.
Jess hugged me, still laughing, then patted my cheek. “I love you for saying that.”
Her eyes seemed to say something else, but I couldn’t tell what. Maybe she was just so radiantly happy, she was shooting meaningful laser beams out to all of us.
“Alright, let’s circle up, everyone,” Bruce said, corralling us all to the conference table where we each found a place. “Again, congratulations to you both, Pop, Beast. We’re thrilled to be adding another little member to the team.”
Beast slid a hand up his new wife’s back and gently squeezed her neck.
I’d only gotten to see them like this for a few months because they’d only given us a few months before they’d up and married and flown off on a two-week honeymoon. Since coming back, we’d all been busy with assignments and I’d hardly had a chance to catch up with them. I’d heard the rumor she was pregnant and now here they were, being all cute and affectionate in front of all of us.
“Pop, you want to say anything before we, uh…” Bruce notched his chin down a touch in a gesture that instantly sent me on alert.
Something was happening… something that required explanation.
She nodded and gave us all another smile. “Thanks for the very dramatic congratulations. We are very happy. But… my body is not super thrilled thus far. I’m going to be dropping my hours significantly, if not, uh, taking a little break.” Her gaze found Beast’s and they shared a moment. “I’ve been diagnosed with hyperemesis gravidarum, and I’m not sure when it’ll get better. I spent a few days in the hospital and?—”
“What!? How did you not tell us this?” The words jumped from my mouth before I could stop them, so I slapped a hand over my stupid face. This wasn’t about me, even if I had to wonder why Beast hadn’t called me.
Beast grunted and gave me a glare like he’d talk to me later, and Jess gave me a soft look.
“My friends were helping, and there wasn’t much anyone could do. Point is, I just wanted to see you guys today, but I’m going to need a lot of rest. This, it’s like morning sickness on steroids and kicking in twenty-four-seven.” She sighed. “And I’m probably going to go insane, but after the last few days, my denial has decreased.”
The group murmured their sympathies and exchanged glances, all of us clearly aware that something else was coming up with that t-up from Bruce and Jess .
“With this change in mind, we will bring on a new team member,” Wilder explained, and all focus shifted to him.
“Nice. Who’s coming on board? Anyone we know?” I asked, always happy to add more to the fam.
“Some of you do, from what I hear,” Wilder said, his eyes on me.
Me? Huh. Maybe Rob Waverly was finally out. It’d been six months since I’d checked on the guy. Or possibly Shane Easton? He was getting to retirement age. You never knew with EMU guys. Some liked to hang on as long as they could before transitioning to being a regular old person.
“So? Who is it?” I prodded again. How was no one else asking this question?
Every eye in the building shifted to the space where the door was, so I followed suit.
And my heart stopped.
My stomach dropped.
My eyes ate up the sight of her standing in the doorway of the Saint Security conference room like every dream and nightmare I’d had for the last few years.
Elizabeth Malcom.
And then she answered the question like it was something simple and not the most life-altering phrase I’d ever heard.
“It’s me.”