Epilogue
Three months later
December
Wolfe
“Come on! Cut the ribbon, would ya?” I shouted, needling Reagan as she stood on the front porch of the new bar. “We’ve been waitin’ a long damn time for this.”
Reagan laughed, as I had expected her to.
Beside her, my cousin watched Reagan closely. The man was so far gone it was amusing. Or rather, it would’ve been if I didn’t know exactly how the man felt.
These past few months had been … well, amazing was one way to put it. Although that was probably an understatement.
“Y’all ready for this?” Reagan asked the crowd that had gathered in the parking lot.
I was pretty sure half the town was there despite the fact that it was unusually cold for winter in Texas.
A chorus of cheers erupted.
“You sure?” Reagan asked, cocking her head to the side.
Lynx laughed, then moved closer to his woman.
I waited along with everyone else.
Finally, Reagan leaned down and snipped the ribbon that was tied between two cedar posts that supported the overhang covering the wraparound porch.
Lynx had mentioned that Reagan had always wanted a wraparound porch, so it had been added at the last minute.
I knew my cousin would go to any lengths to make that woman happy.
Lynx gave a whistle and everyone cheered.
It had taken them three months to get the bar built, and the day had finally come to open the place. Granted, it probably would’ve been built even sooner than that had my cousin not decided that he wanted to start building his own damn house while they were in the process of erecting the damn bar.
It seemed to have worked out for everyone though.
Well, maybe not everyone.
There were still a couple of pissy people, but as Lynx said, you couldn’t please everyone all the time.
I had to agree. Truth was, it didn’t fucking matter if everyone else was happy.
Decisions were made, lives were changed, and people were smiling.
All was right in our world and those who didn’t like it could fuck off.
Glancing around, I set my sights on the two people I'd been waiting for.
While the rest of the crowd stood patiently waiting for the doors to open, I wound my way around the horde to the spot where Rhys and Amy were standing beside his truck.
“You’re seriously workin’ tonight?” I grumbled.
“Someone’s gotta keep you crazy-ass Caines in line.”
True.
Rhys tugged Amy close and kissed the top of her head. “You don’t let our boy get in any trouble tonight.”
I laughed.
Amy chuckled. “I’ll try. But I can’t make any promises.”
Not caring who was standing around watching, I closed the distance between Rhys and me. I stood there, toe-to-toe with the man I loved, while the woman we loved smiled up at us.
“So, sheriff,” I said, keeping my voice low. “You gonna kiss me or what?”
The blush that stole over Rhys’s face had my dick twitching. God, I fucking loved this man.
I glanced down at Amy. “That was the agreement, right?”
“Technically,” Rhys said, clearing his throat. “I agreed to kiss you in public when Lynx announced—”
I interrupted him. “Wait for it.”
“Oh!” Lynx’s booming voice sounded from behind us. “And one more thing! We’ve got some celebratin’ to do tonight.”
I cocked an eyebrow, never looking away from Rhys.
“My girl said yes, y’all! Reagan’s gonna be my wife!”
And the cheers shot to a deafening level.
I merely grinned, waiting.
Rhys shook his head and Amy laughed.
“Come on,” I goaded. “What’ve you got to lose?”
Surprising me, Rhys leaned forward. My breath halted in my lungs when the sexy sheriff grabbed my shirt and jerked me closer, crushing his mouth to mine.
Hot damn.
I fought the urge to take the kiss further, but it wasn’t easy.
More cheers sounded.
Amy giggled and Rhys pulled back, both of us glancing down at her.
“I think they’re happy for you,” she said sweetly.
“For us,” I clarified, wrapping my arms around her and lifting her off her feet. I pressed my lips to hers and grinned against her mouth when she wrapped her arms around my neck.
Yeah. It was safe to say, we were holding things together just fine.
Lynx
I shook some hands as people passed by me into the bar. I kept one arm wrapped around Reagan, not wanting to let her get too far. We had been counting down to this night for so long it was almost hard to believe that it was finally here.
Granted, three months wasn’t a terribly long time, but when it came to getting the bar opened up, it seemed like an eternity.
“Congratulations!” Darrell Jameson said, smacking me on the arm.
“Thanks, man. Go on in, grab a beer. You and your lady’re drinkin’ free tonight. This place wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you.”
Darrell nodded, then took his wife’s hand as they slipped inside.
A couple more people passed by, congratulating us both before heading inside to see the new place.
I tried not to look obvious as I glanced around, scanning the area for one specific person. I wasn’t sure how well I was doing, especially when I caught Reagan watching me.
“What’re you up to?” she asked, pinching my side.
I laughed, trying to pull back but still refusing to let her go. “What makes you think I’m up to—”
“Congratulations.” The deep, raspy voice had us both turning.
And though I had known this was going to happen, I felt the emotion slam through me. I couldn’t help it. My eyes teared up and my lungs stopped working momentarily.
“Oh, my God,” Reagan choked out. “Oh, my God!”
I met my father’s eyes, trying to remain steady on my feet as the man I loved more than life stood there in front of us. It was the first time Cooter had ventured out of the house since…
“You think I’d miss this, honey?” Cooter asked, smiling at Reagan. “Not a chance.”
Reagan threw her arms around him, and my old man held on to her for a minute, probably giving her a little privacy to cry. Hell, I was still hovering on the edge of tears myself.
“Thanks, Dad,” I mouthed.
Cooter nodded, then released Reagan when she pulled back. He leaned down and looked into her eyes. “You good, honey?”
Reagan laughed. It was a watery sound, but it was a laugh nonetheless. “I’m good. I’m so glad you’re here.”
She squeezed his hand, then stepped back.
I wrapped one arm around her shoulders and tugged her into my side. “Go on in,” I told my father. “Have a beer. Calvin’s in there somewhere.”
Cooter nodded and our gazes held for a second longer. I was so proud of my father. So fucking proud.
Being in love with Reagan, I knew the kind of love my father had felt for my mother. I didn’t want to ever imagine the pain he had gone through, but I understood exactly what had driven the man to lock himself up in his house all this time. That sort of loss… It was unbearable.
Reagan turned her face into my chest when Cooter headed inside. I hugged her tightly.
Someone cleared their throat and Reagan pulled back.
I found myself looking down at Billy Watson.
Two steps away, Tammy stood by his side.
Neither was smiling, which I didn’t find surprising.
Considering Tammy was four months pregnant and the pair had endured what might’ve been called a shotgun wedding at the hands of her father, I didn’t imagine they had much to smile about.
I had heard that Billy had attempted to pay Tammy off to get her to claim the baby wasn’t his, which had sent her into a fit of rage. Couldn’t blame her for that.
Needless to say, Tammy’s father hadn’t been happy about any of it, but they had come to the decision to keep the baby and to get married. The best part was, Billy and Tammy were living with Tammy’s parents in Austin. Looked as though date night had brought them back to town.
“Congrats,” Billy said, his tone defeated.
“Thanks,” Reagan quipped, leaning in closer to me.
“I promise,” Tammy said, looking directly at Reagan, “he won’t be causin’ any trouble tonight.”
No, I didn’t figure he would.
The pair moved into the building and I turned to Reagan. “You ready to get this party underway?”
She nodded, then shot me a sexy smirk. “I’m lookin’ forward to midnight.”
“Midnight?” That was closing time. I cocked my head, trying to decipher her meaning.
“Keep thinkin’ on that one,” she said sweetly. “And get back to me when you figure it out.”
With that, the sexiest woman on the planet spun around and headed into the bar.
Damn. I hated to see her leave, but I fucking loved to watch her go.
Midnight
“You ’bout done in here?” I asked, watching Reagan as she pushed in one of the chairs before flipping off the overhead light.
“Not quite,” she told me as she moved toward the bar. “I need help with somethin’.”
“What’s up?” I asked, following her around behind the bar.
She turned to face me, that sexy smirk from earlier back on her face. “Thought maybe we could christen this place tonight.”
The impact those words had was like a punch to the gut, stealing my breath. However, this wasn’t a bad feeling. Not by a long shot.
Gripping her waist, I hefted her up onto the bar, coming to stand between her legs.
“I like where your head’s at,” I told her, sliding my hand beneath her hair and pulling her in for a kiss.
The thunk of her boots hitting the ground had me chuckling as I pulled back. I noticed she was already unbuttoning her jeans.
“Hot damn, girl,” I rasped. “Lemme help with that.”
A few minutes later, I had her naked, her bare butt planted on the bar top, tits beckoning me. She took my Stetson from my head and propped it on her own.
The woman didn’t know how fucking hot she looked just like that. Hell, I wasn’t sure I could look away long enough to do this moment justice.
“I’m not sure this is what Wolfe had in mind when he designed this bar,” I said, my hands cupping her breasts as I lifted one to my mouth. I laved her nipple with my tongue, watching her face as I did.
“Not sure if the health inspector would be too happy about it, either,” Reagan said, her eyes bright as she watched me.
I released her nipple. “What he don’t know won’t hurt him.”
“True.”
“Now, where was I?”
Reagan lifted her breast toward my mouth. “Right here.”
Damn, this woman knew how to drive me absolutely crazy.
Leaning in, I grazed her nipple with my teeth, then sucked her into my mouth.
Her moan echoed in the empty room.
I fucking loved that.
When her fingers slid into my hair, holding me to her, I gave her my full attention. My hand slipped between her thighs; my thumb trailed between her smooth, slick lips.
I released her breast from my mouth, then hooked her knees over my forearms. “You’re wet for me.”
“I am,” she agreed. “I always am.”
I met her eyes for a second before dipping my head down and sliding my tongue through her slit. Reagan leaned back, propping herself up with her hands, which practically offered her pussy to my eager mouth. I didn’t waste time.
“Lynx… Oh, God…”
Listening to her sexy moans, I ate her like a starving man, working her close to the edge and then backing off until she was practically bucking against me.
“Quit teasin’ me,” she demanded.
Grinning to myself, I went full throttle, lapping at her pussy, then sucking her clit until she was screaming my name.
She was breathing hard when I stood up.
“So, how ’bout we try that again?” I suggested.
“Try what?” she asked, her chest heaving.
I helped her down from the bar and spun her around.
“Stand right there,” I told her. “On that step.”
Reagan did as I instructed.
“Now put your hands across the bar,” I insisted, helping her to curl her fingers around the outer edge. “And don’t move.”
“Okay, but what are we gonna try again?”
I freed my cock from my jeans, then lined up behind her. I ran the sensitive head of my dick through her slickness, then pushed inside her.
“Fuck…” I hissed, the pleasure almost too much to bear.
When she started to push back against me, I stilled her with my hands on her hips.
“Hold on, girl,” I whispered against her ear. “This time, when you scream my name, I’m gonna make it fuckin’ count.”
Reagan giggled, but that died off quickly when I thrust into her.
I fucked her right there in the bar until we were both out of breath.
And when she screamed my name that time…
Fuck yeah!