Epilogue
The day was warm for being a week before Christmas. It had taken Sway months to find her way again, to let go of the anger. Glancing back, she saw Vicious and the rest of the chapter lined up on the small road that wound through the cemetery. Turning her attention back to Tesh’s grave, Sway ran her hand over the headstone.
Sway laid the blanket she brought down in front of the gravesite and sat down. “I call you every day so I can hear your voice.” She spoke as she dug in her bag and pulled a few things out. Setting a can of his favourite beer, a box of Marlboro Reds, and a Snickers bar against his headstone, she smiled. “Things got real very quickly.” Sway closed her eyes, remembering Tesh smiling at her.
“I miss your smell, your foul moods . . . hell, I even miss your horrible cooking.” Opening her eyes, her fingers played with a few wildflowers sticking out from the ground. Tesh would say she was stalling. Taking a breath, she knew he’d be happy for her. “I found someone to hold me when things get hard. You know him. It’s Vicious from the Royal Bastards. He tells me all the time you were a good friend.” She couldn’t help but smile. “Don’t roll your eyes at me.” Sway laughed at her comment.
“Some bad shit went down and I ended up in the middle of it. At first, I blamed you because blaming you meant I didn’t have to blame myself. Truth is, you died trying to stop something you knew was wrong. Me digging into your death brought the trouble to my doorstep. Maybe we’re both to blame, but in the end, those who caused your death and my pain are gone.” Staring out at the field of tombstones, she felt at peace over the whole thing, like it was finally behind her.
“Today’s your birthday. It’s also my wedding day.” It was her way of celebrating his life by making sure something wonderful happened on his birthday. “I wish you were here to give me away. Since you aren’t, Lottie’s giving me away. I know you’re laughing at me, but who else would I have asked?” Pulling a few more weeds, she tossed them aside. “Speaking of Lottie, I moved in with Vicious and rented the apartment to her. It’s working out well for everyone involved.”
Looking back at the line of bikes, Sway knew she needed to get going. Shoving to her feet, she picked up the blanket and folded it. “I miss and love you, Tesh. I’ll call you tomorrow and tell you about the wedding.”
She stood there for a long minute, wanting to hear his voice. When a lone stag stepped out into view from behind a large mausoleum, she recognized it from the day of the funeral. With the sun behind it, the horns appeared ringed, making the deer appear angelic. Stepping back, Sway turned and walked to Vicious, who was coming toward her. He crossed the grass like a predator, and if the entire chapter wasn’t waiting on them, she’d run just to have him chase her. Instead, she sauntered closer, trying to contain her smile.
“You ready to marry me, handsome?”
“Yeah. Did Tesh give you his blessing?”
Sway glanced back and saw the stag nibbling on the grass at Tesh’s grave. Looking back at Vicious, she smiled. “I think he did.”
“Good. Let’s get going so we can get to the honeymoon.”
“You just want to sleep with me.”
“Oh, no, baby, there won’t be any sleep tonight.”
Sliding her hand into his, Sway walked back to the bikes with Vicious. After he settled into the seat, she climbed on the back of the bike, wrapped her arms around his waist, and rested her head against his back.
The low rumble of the bike vibrated beneath her. Squeezing her thighs against his, Sway tightened her hold as she felt the bike shift into gear. She was heading into the next chapter of her life with the man of her fantasies.