Epilogue #2
Fletch appears with Reese at his side. Killer and Brit are flying solo. And finally, Hayden joins us with a beautiful woman on his arm.
“Whoa, has Marilyn got a girl?” Killer announces loudly enough for everyone in the bar to hear.
We watch as they take the final few steps toward us.
Hayden looks incredibly handsome and a lot older in his tux, and the woman at his side is stunning.
She’s slim and has flawless porcelain skin.
Her hair is dark like Hayden’s, and her dress is the exact same shade of purple as the pocket square he has tucked into his jacket.
“Shut up, you idiot,” Hayden mutters, his cheeks and the tips of his ears both pink with embarrassment. “Everyone, this is Rylee, my sister.”
“I fucking knew it. No way are you ever pulling someone this hot,” Handsy teases.
“Guys,” Hayden warns.
“It’s okay,” Rylee says softly, gripping his upper arm. “I can handle your friends.”
“Hey, Rylee. I’m Parker, and this is Casey and Freya,” I say, introducing the most important people in our group. “It’s so good to finally meet you. I’ve heard many, many amazing things.”
A smile splits Rylee’s face. “He talks about me?” she teases, glancing back at Hayden.
“All the time. I’ve even started reading some of your favorite books.”
She instantly lights up. “Really?”
“Yeah. You’ve got good taste. Your book boyfriends are spot on.”
“Uh…I’m sorry. What was that?” Linc asks.
I chuckle before turning to him and tapping his chest patronizingly. “Sometimes, you just can’t beat a fictional guy.”
He scoffs. “I beg to fucking differ.”
Rylee laughs, instantly fitting in with our group.
“Can we get you a drink, Rylee?” Casey asks.
“Uh, yeah. A fruit juice would be great.”
“You got it.”
As we all stand there catching up with each other, I can’t wipe the smile off my face. I have everything I ever dreamed of—the man of my dreams at my side, a job I never thought I’d land, and the best friends and colleagues I could ever ask for. If this is the best life can offer, I’ll take it.
Two weeks later…
“Is this really necessary?” I ask as Linc slips a blindfold over my face.
“Yep, totally necessary.”
“I told you that I didn’t need anything but a night in with you for my birthday.”
“Yep, I know that, too.”
“So why are we going out, and why are you being all sneaky and shit?”
He chuckles before kissing my forehead and demanding, “Trust me.”
I huff in fake annoyance as he closes the door. It might appear like I’m sulking, but deep down, I’m excited to see what he’s done.
We’ve only been together a few weeks, but everything has been so incredible. I’m getting to discover city after city with my best friend, while we both do the jobs we were born to do.
The Valentine’s gala was everything I hoped it would be.
Linc was right; it wasn’t anything like prom night.
It was so much better. By the time we got up to our hotel room, my face and stomach hurt from smiling and laughing so much.
But as fun as our friends were, I was so ready for some one-on-one time with my man.
And boy, did he deliver. I have no idea who was in the rooms surrounding us, but I probably owe them an apology.
And I have no doubt that whatever Linc has planned for tonight will be equally as awesome.
Okay, sure, I am a little concerned that I’m only wearing jeans and a Vipers hoodie, but I trust him. Not that I’m going to tell him that.
“You look cute,” he tells me as he drops into the driver’s seat and starts the engine.
“How far are we going?” I try.
He laughs. “I haven’t kept this secret all this time to ruin it now.”
“Hmm…sounds like a big secret.”
“You have no idea, babe. It’s just about killed me.”
Curious as fuck about what he’s up to, I try my best to relax while he drives to wherever it is we’re going.
It’s roughly thirty minutes later when he brings the car to a stop and kills the engine.
Ideas of what’s half an hour from our apartment run through my head, but none of them feel right.
I really am clueless about this. Whatever he’s planned, he’s done a good job of keeping tight-lipped about it.
We got back in late last night from a road game, and as far as I knew, we were having a chilled evening at home.
“Can I take this off now?”
“Nope.” A blast of fresh air hits me as he climbs out of the car. “Come on,” he says as he takes my hand and tugs me from the car.
With his hands on my waist, he guides me forward.
I take a deep breath through my nose, hoping scents might help me identify my surroundings, but it doesn’t help.
I’m clueless. Utterly clueless.
“Small step,” he instructs.
The sound of distant traffic and the final bird song of the day fade as we head inside a building.
The scent is familiar, but I can’t quite pinpoint it.
“That’s it. Keep going,” he says softly.
We take a few more steps before he brings me to a stop.
My heart thunders in my chest as I try to figure this out.
“Okay. Are you ready?”
“I literally have no idea.”
Silence greets my comment.
“Three,” Linc starts, his fingers hooking beneath the elastic around my head. “Two,” he teases. “One.”
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!”
My heart is in my throat as everyone I know and love greets me.
“Holy shit,” I gasp, my hand jumping to cover my chest to stop my heart from beating right out of it.
I look around, meeting everyone’s eyes as I take in the fact that we’re in Kodie and Casey’s house.
Kodie hates having people over and hosting parties, and yet, here we are.
“Happy birthday, Parker,” a little voice squeals as Sutton bursts through the crowd and wraps her arms around my waist, hugging me tightly.
My eyes turn as I embrace her and meet Casey’s gaze.
“You,” I mouth.
She grins innocently before pointing at Linc.
“What do you think?” Linc asks, almost nervously. He was so confident on our way over here, or at least, he seemed to be. But now…not so much.
“I think you and Casey are sneaky little shits for planning this, but I love you both for it. Thank you.”
Everyone cheers the second I wrap my arms around my man. He kisses the top of my head before leading me closer to everyone.
Casey is next to greet me.
“I can’t believe you did this?”
“Well, I’ve got to keep myself busy while you’re all out of town,” she mocks. “And anyway, the person who really needs all the credit is Freya. You should see the food.”
Spotting her over Casey’s shoulder, I wave her over.
My heart is so full of love as we make our way around the room.
The entire team is here, a huge number of the medical team and the front office staff.
My parents. The only person missing is Rett, and despite understanding why he can’t be here, I can’t lie, his absence is like a massive hole in my chest.
Things haven’t really gotten any better for him.
The Bandits are firmly at the bottom of the division, and watching them play is painful.
They’re trying to put on a good show, but somewhere along the way, they’ve lost themselves this season.
There is story after story about my brother’s antics circling online.
I’m even more worried about him than I was when he visited last month.
But there is nothing I can do but be there on the other end of the phone.
It hurts not to be able to do more, but when he’s ready, I’ll be here.
There is a pile of gifts on the coffee table in Casey’s living room, but I don’t make a move to open them—I’m more focused on spending time with the people in my life than I am on gifts. The food that Freya has made, on the other hand...I’m more than ready to dive into that.
I’m standing at the island with Casey, Freya, Mom and Sutton, grazing through the plates of mouth-watering food, when Linc marches over, announcing that he’s got one more surprise for me.
A ripple of awareness and excitement goes through the room, and I figure there’s another secret everyone else knows that I don’t.
Everyone moves a little closer, ready for the big reveal, and I watch my boyfriend with curious eyes as he waits for everyone to settle.
“If anyone is expecting me to get down on one knee, I’ll tell you now, you’re about to be disappointed.
” A round of groans sounds out. “But don’t think that’s because I don’t want to.
I do. And one day in the future, it’ll happen.
So if anyone here thinks they stand a chance with my girl, I’m here to tell you that you absolutely don’t.
I waited years to make her mine, and that isn’t going to change. Ever.”
I laugh at him. We’ve had a few discussions about the future and where we’d like our relationship to go, and thankfully, we’re both in agreement.
We want to get married, have kids, and get a house with a picket fence, but for now, we just want to enjoy life.
And that is exactly what we’re doing. We have plenty of time for all the serious stuff in the years to come.
Right now, we’re making up for all the time we lost out on.
“Most of your gifts from me are at home,” Linc confesses. “But I do have one very special one for you right here.”
Ripping my eyes from Linc, I look around at everyone. Some people look as lost as I am, but others—mainly the team—seem to know exactly what’s about to happen. Excitement and anticipation twinkle in their eyes.
“Will someone…”
“Oh, for the love of God. Again?” I cry when the blindfold returns.
“Sorry, babe. It’ll be worth it.”
People shuffle around and footsteps move closer.
For a moment, I think it’s Linc standing in front of me. But as I breathe in, I know it’s not. It's someone else I know just as well.
“Surprise,” a deep, very familiar voice rumbles, and I rip my blindfold off long before anyone has a chance and jump into my brother’s arms. “Happy birthday, PK.” I squeeze him so freaking hard. Not that he probably feels it because the man is built like a tank.
“I can’t believe you’re here. How?” I ask as I pull back from him, lifting my hands to wipe my eyes.