Epilogue
Flynn
A few months later…
“Angel? Where are you?” I call when I step into our cabin. It’s not like there are many places for her to be; it’s a small place. We’re currently building our dream home out on some land not too far from Great Dane’s. But in the meantime, it’s just me and my girl and our son, as Temple so often likes to refer to Piglet.
I pretend it bothers me sometimes just because it usually leads to Temple doing dirty things to me.
“Temple?” I call again.
That’s when I hear the shower running. I step inside the bathroom to find my wife singing a Jess Munoz song. Piglet is curled up on Temple’s discarded clothes on the bathroom floor.
“Angel.”
She squeals. “You scared me.” She pokes a wet head out of the side of the shower curtain to shoot me a glare.
“Need any help washing anything?” I ask.
She rolls her eyes. “No, I’m almost done.”
“Have we had any deliveries yet today?”
“I don’t think so. At least nothing before I got in here. Why? You expecting something?”
“I am. I ordered you a surprise.”
The water shuts off and she pulls the towel hanging over the shower curtain rod into the tub with her.
I’m just about to tell her she better not be covering up any of my favorite parts of her when she slides the curtain out of the way. She’s still gloriously naked. Water droplets cling to her every curve. But her hair is wrapped up in the aforementioned towel—turban style.
She tilts her head and smiles. “What did you get me?”
“It’s a surprise,” I say.
“Well, that’s no fun. Anything I can do to convince you to tell me?”
I pull her wet body against me, my hands instinctively going down to squeeze her ass. “We might can think of something.”
She leans up, licking a hot trail up my neck. Then her teeth are nibbling at my ear lobe.
“It’s a replacement vibe for the one we left in that hotel shower,” I say.
“Oh, good. I really liked that one. Maybe I should stop using them in showers though.”
“Where’s the fun in that?” I ask. “Let’s go to the bedroom.”
“Okay,” Temple says.
Our doorbell rings.
“Oh, perfect timing. Go grab our new toy,” she says, then she walks across the small hallway to our bedroom.
I open the door expecting to find a delivery man and instead find my sister.
“Daisy! Long time no see.” I pull her into an embrace, and she immediately bursts into tears. “Hey Angel,” I call over my shoulder. “Put some clothes on, we have company.”
“Who is it?” Temple yells.
“It’s Daisy.”
“Daisy!” she squeals.
I’ve got my sister on the couch with a bottle of water by the time my wife makes it out to her.
“I have missed you so much,” Temple says as she comes forward and embraces Daisy.
Daisy sniffles. “I’m so sorry I missed your grandmother’s funeral. I wanted to be here. I tried.”
Temple’s brow furrows. “Hey, do not think another moment about it. You’re here now, that’s what matters.”
Daisy looks between me and Temple. “I can’t believe y’all are all in love and married.”
“We are,” I say, reaching across to squeeze my wife’s knee.
“You both deserve to be happy.”
I know something is bothering my sister, something more than missing a funeral. For a moment I’m worried she has more of a problem with mine and Temple’s relationship than she’s let on
“I have news,” she says. Another sniff. “I’m pregnant.” Then comes a sob.
“Sweetie,” Temple coos. “Why is that sad? Or is it just hormones? Babies are not always timely, but they’re always a blessing.”
“It’s not the baby. It’s that I have to do it all alone.” Daisy blows out a breath. “Turns out my perfect British boyfriend wasn’t so perfect at all. He’d been separated from his wife, divorce papers in hand. At least that’s what he told me.”
I stand to pace, to give the anger surging through me somewhere to go. “Do you want me to kill him?” I ask. “I can make it look like an accident.”
Daisy gives a watery laugh. “No. He’s not worth it. He went back to his wife. She’s pregnant too, it seems. He gave me a lump sum amount of cash for a trust fund for the baby, signed off on his parental rights, and paid for me to come back home.”
“You don’t worry about a thing,” Temple says. “We’ve got you.”
Another doorbell. I walk over to the door and take the package from the delivery guy. I close the door, then hold up the box. “Guess it’s good this came after my sister showed up.” Then I wink at my wife.
***