Chapter 33 #3
He sat on the other side of me, while Remy situated himself on the opposite side. I smiled and leaned in to give Drake a kiss in thanks.
“Some people gifted her some beautiful memorabilia.” Jace reminded us. “I say we let Terrance and Race get first pick.”
“I already got what I wanted.” Terrance smirked leaning his head back and looking up at the stars. “I’m not going back.”
Jaxson adjusted Addison in the carrier he was wearing and ensured her blanket was snugly around her. “Umm, going back where?”
“To the bunker.” Terrance explained. “There are just too many bad memories there and I’m not really needed there any longer. It looks like Paul is keeping the facility open, but I have already refused his invitation to stay.
“I talked to Pops and I’m going to take my leave. I have saved up over three months of PTO, not including my sick leave. I have to decide what to do with my house. I can continue renting it out or sell it. Either way, there’s work that needs to be done around the place.
“After I get all my personal affairs in order. I think I’ll travel for a bit, visit some of the places Dawn and I talked about and then decide where I’m going from there.”
I removed Andy and attempted to burp him, my pats stuttering when I realized this wasn’t just news to me but to everyone else in our semi-circle.
Troy nearly burned himself as he attempted to light the patio fireplace that was situated in the middle of us.
He adjusted the pilot and shot me a rueful look.
“I know most people from out of town rented local Airbnb’s and hotel rooms, but we have the room for you to stay here for a while.
” Remy offered. “I know your renters don’t leave for almost a week and we aren’t going to be around that much considering how much we need to get done to get the place livable. ”
Remy and Terrance were alike in so many ways.
Terrance was one of his best friends. They constantly pushed each other especially when it came to lifting and sparring.
I knew it bothered Remy that Terrance was leaving but I also knew he believed Terrance needed to do what he needed to do to begin his healing journey.
“Thanks. I have a hotel in town tonight, but I’ll let you know what I’m going to do after that.” Terrance responded.
“What do you mean you’re going to decide where your going after you take your vacation?” Rachel nervously chewed on her nail. “When were you going to tell me—I mean us?”
“Take a vacation, but don’t leave us, man.” Marcel seemed just as stunned by Terrance’s declaration.
Terrance gave her a fond smile before reaching over and ruffling her hair. Normally, she would have ducked and glared at him, but she didn’t seem to be receptive to getting teased out of here mood.
Terrance frowned slightly before continuing in a placating tone.
“I’m telling ya’ll right now and I can’t make any promises what my next steps are.
I love being a Knight, but I can’t imagine going back to how things were before Blake moved here.
We’ve been going at one hundred for so long that crawling at ten would drive me insane. ”
Troy cleared his throat before stating. “I think you need to do what you feel is best for you, but we’ll miss you man.
If the Knights don’t challenge you enough, I have positions opening up in my company to work on security.
We’re opening a new location, and I know Pops will work with your schedule if any missions pop up. ”
Last night before we went to bed, we had a discussed what we wanted in our next phase of life.
Even though I hadn’t known our house was completed it was evident our time in the bunker was expiring soon.
Paul had approached all of us as well. We had politely declined but let him know that we were only a phone call away if he truly needed us.
With Horatio gone, we all believed life was going to slow down a lot, well in that capacity that is.
“I have a positioning opening up on my personal security detail as well.” Lincoln offered next.
“I have a meeting with my agent next week and now that we’re no longer in hiding, I can’t keep turning all of the jobs down.
I’ll have to make some more public appearances and would love to have people I trust at my back. ”
Terrance looked indecisive. Both offers seemed to tempt him but at the same time he had already informed us he couldn’t make any promises.
Life did have a tendency to change. Right now, he needed to get away.
Who knew if he found the other path in his life while he was doing his soul-searching mission?
At that moment Sierra and Gavin’s daughter made a squawking sound. Gavin immediately hopped up. “She probably has a dirty butt. I’ll quickly go change her.”
“I left Rory’s bag in the nursery,” Mercedes stated.
Rory, short for Aurora, was born within minutes of Gavin and I arriving at the labor and delivery room. Sierra had been in labor the entire time we had been battling Horatio and his minions. It explained her strange looks of pain, and I couldn’t believe I hadn’t seen it.
They hadn’t had a list of names for their daughter but after Dawn had passed away, they decided to honor her by calling their daughter Aurora.
The Latin name for dawn. It fit her perfectly.
She was born months after our babies but since she was full term she weighed the same as Addison and a little more than Andy.
She was perfect and beautiful and ironically was a perfect mix of Sierra and the original Gavin.
It was crazy the first time I had seen her, and I wasn’t the only one tripped out when we noticed the similarities.
“Do you mind if we used the nursery?” Gavin paused in the doorway.
I shook my head and smiled. “I already told you guys to feel free to use it.”
I was excited to see that the other houses were almost completed as well.
It was a physical representation of the future we had only dreamed of.
We still had a lot to get for the house but the nursery, our bedroom, and a few of the guys’ extra rooms were already furnished.
The guys had a personal shopper get the basics like towels and bedding but it was only temporary until we could all go shopping or order the other items we needed.
As the conversations continued to surround us, I settled into Remy’s side and felt a strange sort of peace.
Yes, my heart was hurting. I also felt like I had been put through the wringer and spit back out.
There was still a part of me that felt like I shouldn’t be too content and on alert just in case there were any blowbacks from Horatio incarceration.
I had to keep telling that little voice in my head to hush up.
I had to trust that the future was ours.
Our lives had been in limbo for far too long.
Any plans we had had been put on hold while we literally fought for our lives.
I still bore the scars of what the last year had done to me.
Yet I couldn’t complain because I came out on the other side as a survivor.
Ella and I no longer lived hand to mouth.
We got amazing educations, more opportunities then we could ever wish for, and a family that had shown us what love was.
I knew life wasn’t going to be easy. I realized we would face more obstacles.
Only this time I had seven amazing men in my life that loved me.
Two beautiful babies. Amazing friends that had become family and a father figure that showed up for me just as much as my own father had.
I was blessed. I was loved and what more can a woman ask for.
Epilogue
Seven-year later…
“Did Anna bring the camera?” Jemmy asked nervously from the kitchen sink.
The backyard was bustling with activity. Jemmy and I decided it was time for a barbecue. Summer was coming and the guys were great sports and agreed to it, so now our yard was packed with all of our close family and friends, and let’s be real, there were a lot of them.
Jemmy was looking at our back yard with uncharacteristic nervousness.
She had matured over the years, thanks to therapy and finally accepting that she didn’t need to change to be loved by those around her.
She was still outrageously in your face and outgoing, with a healthy dose of spirit, but there was no doubt her return back to us had calmed her and made her grow up in so many ways.
“Rachel and Anna have them ready when we are. And Darren is manning the sound booth.” I smiled trying to decide what I needed to carry out next to the food table.
Darren had worked for his uncle for a couple of more years but Cat and him decided that they wanted to start a family. They didn’t think raising children in the bunker would be conducive so they reached out their feelers to us. Noah had hired Cat immediately and Gavin, Ben, and I hired Darren.
I decided it was time to carry the carousel of cupcakes Drake and I made earlier.
It took us twice as long because he was feeling extra randy, and in a super rare occurrence, we had the house to ourselves.
With a family as large as ours and most of our family and friends living on the compound the house was a revolving door of people.
Of course, I had to take some blame for our activities since I decided to show up to the kitchen in nothing but an apron.
We proceeded to role play, where I was a line cook that needed extra help from the executive chef.
Drake still loved to role play, and I was only too eager to oblige him.
Especially since they guaranteed good, hard, fun.
As if Drake materialized from my thoughts, he came into the kitchen, freshly showered. “I’m going to start carrying this food out.” He grabbed a tray of stuffed mushrooms before dropping a kiss on the top of my head.
“See you soon.” I murmured to him, exchanging a secret smile.