EPILOGUE
Everly
3 MONTHS LATER
“Do you know which courtroom you’ll be in today?” I ask from the bathroom as I finish getting ready.
“Not sure. I’ll have to check the email Olivia sent,” Linc says back from the bedroom.
“Well, text it to me and I’ll stop in after I finish paying for my ticket.”
Once again I have to go down to the courthouse and pay for a parking ticket. I’d been doing so well and it’d been months since my last one. I still don’t even know why I got this one. I checked before I even got out of the car to make sure that I was in the correct zone.
“Do you want to ride together to the courthouse?” Linc asks from the doorframe.
“No, because you might be there all day and I’ve got one of my last physical therapy sessions.”
“Maybe if court ends early, we can grab some lunch before your session?” He offers.
“I’d love that.”
My recovery is going great and I’ve almost built all my muscle strength back up. At the spa, I work more on the management side of things, and only do thirty-minute massages or less right now if I’m needed to fill in for someone.
Linley Lewis took a plea deal after finding out that she wasn’t going to be able to cop with the insanity case. She agreed to serve twelve years with possibility for parole in nine. Olivia, who apparently knows everyone or has connections in every corner of this world, worked very hard to make sure she was given the strictest punishment she could get for all six charges that were brought up against her. She said that she called in a lot of markers to make this happen. The tabloids ate her up and spit her out in the media. It was definitely not the press she was hoping for. Olivia is wanting to sue her in civil court and for the damages done to me. Her attorney has already made a deal with us and I gave every cent to SafePlace, Linc’s foundation. That money is going to help build another building since the one he has is now at capacity.
“I’ll see you later, angel,” Linc comes over and kisses my forehead. “I’ll text you the courtroom number.”
He doesn’t wait for me to kiss him back before he’s gone. Linc’s been really stressed the last week. I’m sure it has to do with his case he has today. He usually doesn’t get worried but for some reason this case is putting him through his paces.
I finish up in the bathroom, then head out to the garage to my car. Linc said after this ticket he’s getting me my own version of Dale, his security guy/driver, but I’m holding firm for as long as I can. I really only go to a few places because most of the time I’m at home, work, or at Saylor and Levi’s place. She’s four and a half months pregnant and barely looks like she’s carrying a baby. She really only looks bloated after eating too much at lunch.
I park in the designated parking space for the courthouse and start to walk up the steps to the doors. As I enter, I can’t help but remember the last time I was here and it puts a smile on my face. If it wasn’t for a parking ticket, I might never have met Linc.
As I reach the steps that lead up to the second floor, I check the ticket to make sure I still need to go to room 208 like last time.
“Do you need some help, angel?” I hear a familiar voice ask.
I look up from my ticket and see the absolute perfect blue eyes staring down at me. He touches my upper arm when I don’t respond fast enough and I feel a jolt like I always do when we touch.
“I’m heading upstairs to pay a parking ticket,” I tell him.
“I can walk you over there and show you, if you want,” he offers, then sweeps his hand toward the stairs that lead up to the next floor.
It’s like Deja Vu all over again and I play along as we ascend the stairs.
“Do you work here?” I ask as I check him out.
The moment we get to the top of the stairs, my eyes widen as I see rose petals down the hall, that stop right in front of room 208. Linc takes a hold of my hand and leads me to the end of the path. My hands are shaking and my knees wobble as he gets down on one knee.
“I never knew what living was until I met you all those months ago, here at the courthouse. I will forever be grateful for you breaking the law and having to come here,” he says and I laugh. “There’s not an image of my future that doesn’t have you in it. My world begins and ends with you, angel. Please do me the greatest pleasure of all and marry me. Marry me and be with me until we are old and grey. Be with me through the good and bad times. Through all of our future children’s and grandchildren’s lives. I love you so much, Everly. Will you marry me?”
He reaches into his pocket pulling out a jewelry box and opens it. I don’t even have to look at it before I’m telling him my answer.
“Yes! Yes, Linc, I will marry you,” I sob as I throw my arms around him and kiss him with everything I have in me.
I hear clapping and cheers echoing down the hall, making us break our celebration. Our friends and family are all surrounding us with cameras. Once Linc slides the ring on my finger, everyone converges on us with love and hugs. After we take a million pictures, the crowd starts to thin out.
“Are you happy future Mrs. Thorne?” Linc asks, pulling me in for another hug and kiss.
“So happy, future husband,” I respond and then call out to our family, “Does anyone know where the Justice of the Peace is located?”
“Room 323,” Levi yells out and we all laugh knowingly. I do catch the disapproving look from Daniel, Linc and Levi’s dad. Linc had mentioned that he wasn’t happy with them getting married so fast. But anyone who knows Levi and Saylor know that they love each other so much. In two weeks, they plan to tell the family that they are pregnant. We’re hosting everyone at our penthouse for the big reveal.
“Love you, angel.”
“Love you too.”
Linc
FOUR DAYS LATER
“Mr. Lincoln, Levi is here to see you,” Ruby announces over the phone’s intercom. There’s a muffled sound, then she starts to whisper, “He doesn’t look well.”
“Send him in,” I respond, thinking how odd her remark is.
Within seconds, the door opens and a disheveled Levi comes into the office and straight over to the windows. He’s in a pair of jeans and a graphic shirt. He looks like he hasn’t slept in days and it worries me.
“Is everything okay bub?” I ask, needing to know if I should call anyone.
“No,” he says in a defeated tone and it has my back sitting ramrod straight, bracing myself for this conversation.
“What’s going on?” I go to stand but stay right next to the chair. I’m not trying to overwhelm him until I hear everything he needs to get out.
“I,” he pauses for a moment before he turns around to face me. “I need your help on two things.”
“Anything. You name it and I’ll make it happen,” I tell him because I would help hide a body without hesitation. Besides Everly, he is the only other person I’d cross lines for.
He starts to run his hands over his face, then through his messy hair.
“There is someone trying to kill Saylor and I need to find out who it is,” he says and I can hear the desperation in his voice.
My knees bend and I fall down into the chair. A lot of thoughts start to swirl around my head trying to figure out if I heard him correctly, or if this is something that’s been blown out of proportion.
“What do you mean someone is trying to kill Saylor?” I speak slowly and evenly to make sure I’m understanding all of this.
“For the last month, someone has been making threats and yesterday they almost made good on them.”
“We need to go to the police, Levi,” I start to say, as I type into my contacts.
“No police.”
“And what was the second thing you needed help with?” I place both hands on the desk, wanting to know if it’s about to get worse.
“I want a divorce—”