Epilogue
Troy
2 weeks later …
“I’m over here.” Lincoln Landry leans against the doorway of the break room with a shit-eating grin on his face. “Just in case you didn’t see me.”
“Like I ask you every time you’re here. Why?”
“Very funny.” He follows me to my office like a puppy. “I don’t even get a thank you?”
I hold the door open for him like the diva he is, and then close it. He gets entirely too comfortable in the chair across from me.
“I believe I told you thank you for letting us use your house,” I say. “But, thank you again.”
“What about the rest of it?”
I have no idea what he’s talking about.
“Linc, today is my first day back. It’s early.” I’d rather be home with my girl. “Very early. I wouldn’t say I like these guessing games in the afternoon. I sure as hell don’t like them before the sun is up.”
“The bed!”
I flinch. “What?”
“Dude, I literally had every bedroom in that house cleared out except one. My guys did it within a two-hour window. Danielle doesn’t know this, so hopefully, I can get it all put back the way she had it before we go down there in a couple of weeks.” He cringes. “But I hooked you up.”
Oh, for fuck’s sake.
“That’s why there was one bed in the house?” I ask.
“Yup. I was helping you make some moves. The two of you have danced around each other for two years. If it didn’t work out, the couch is pretty nice.”
“You know what? I hate to say it, but you might’ve had a hand in this. So all sarcasm aside, thank you.”
“Did you just say thank you to Lincoln?” Ford grimaces, coming in with a cup of coffee. “Also, why are you here, Linc?”
“I said the same thing.”
“Good to have you back, Troy.How’s Dahlia?”
“She’s here, actually. She said she can’t sit at home doing nothing.”
“I told her to take time off. What is it with you two?” Ford asks.
I shrug.
He swipes his phone screen. It rings through the speaker.
“Hi, Ford,” Dahlia says.
I furrow a brow.
“Good morning. I’m in Troy’s office. Could you come by, please?”
“Sure. Be right there.”
It’s not thirty seconds before there’s a knock on my door.
“Come in,” I say.
She enters with a confused look on her face.
I helped her get dressed this morning—black pants and a loose-fitting top. Her arm has been hurting and she didn’t sleep well. So I sat up reading to her, trying to keep her mind off the pain.
“What’s going on?” she asks, looking around the room.
“How do you feel?” Ford asks.
“It hurts. A lot.”
Ford kicks back, resting one ankle on the other knee. “I have a proposition for the two of you.”
Dahlia comes around my desk and stands beside me.
“Okay,” I say, wondering where this is going.
“I’m in a bit of a pickle with the two of you. I don’t love the idea of Troy being in the field and Dahlia in the office.”
“So you want me in the field. Makes sense,” Dahlia says.
I snort.
Ford laughs. “Not where I was going, but interesting angle.” He shakes his head. “Maybe you’d like to head our new Safety and Consulting division. We’ve been thinking about it for a long time. Troy, I think we’ve talked about it before.”
“Yeah. We sure have.”
“You can totally say no,” Ford says. “We’ll figure it out. But I’d like to dip our toes into consulting and I don’t have anyone else I’d trust to run it. It might be a perfect fit.”
Dahlia looks at me.
“Wow,” I say. “That’s a big deal. Are you sure?”
“You’re my best guy. Don’t tell Theo. It’ll hurt his feelings.”
“I’m definitely telling Theo.”
Lincoln and Dahlia laugh.
“But, seriously, yes. I think it’s a great idea. Thank you, Ford.”
“Why don’t you two come into my office in a couple of hours? I have a few things to take care of and then we’ll discuss specifics. Get a game plan together.”
“We’ll be there,” Dahlia says, resting her hand on my shoulder.
Ford turns to her and smiles. “I’m going to add a new section in our protocol handbook that says always trust a woman’s intuition.” He points at her. “I should’ve listened to you about Freddy. I’m sorry.”
“I appreciate the apology. I’m also sorry for dragging you all through that.”
“Like I said, you’re family.” Ford motions for Lincoln to follow him. “Come on, Lincoln. Leave my employees alone. Why are you here, anyway?”
They close the door behind them.
“You know,” Dahlia says, standing in front of me. “We could do some serious role-playing here. I could be your naughty secretary, and you could be my big, bad boss.”
I grab her ass and bring her closer. “Keep it up, and your boss will order you to go home.”
“Why? Because I think you’re hot?”
“No. Because you’re going to make me want to fuck you so bad that I’ll have to take you home so the whole office doesn’t hear you scream.”
She groans. “I’m so wet right now.”
I look up at her, into her beautiful eyes, and only see love. There’s no judgment or disappointment, no fear or apathy. Only the same way I feel about her reflected back to me.
“We can have that life together. That’s the life I want…with you. So what are we waiting for?”
I’ve considered her words countless times, wondering if it’s too fast. Will she regret it at some point? Is this the honeymoon phase where it’s all sunshine and roses? Except there was a car chase, an assault or two, and a stalker.
But it’s not. Her love is consistent. And I know I’ll never stop loving this woman.
I remember the last time my morning started like this, with Ford and Lincoln in my office. And the only piece of advice that Lincoln has ever shared with me—even if it doesn’t entirely make sense—stuck.
“You don’t need a parachute to skydive. You only need a parachute to skydive twice.”
I take a deep breath … and jump.
“Will you marry me?” I ask.
Dahlia’s jaw drops. “Are you serious?”
“I’m ill-prepared. I don’t have a ring or a speech or a pretty location. But I’m jumping.”
“Jumping?”
I laugh. “I’m asking you to marry me anyway. We’ll buy you whatever ring you want. I want you, and I want you to know I’m always here for you. Every day. For the rest of my life.”
She cups my chin in the one hand she can lift, and grins. “I’d love nothing more than to be Mrs. Castelli.”
“Want to sneak out of here for a couple of hours?”
“I thought you’d never ask.”