Epilogue
Three months later
The truck glides to a halt facing a row of palm trees. Beyond is the Pacific Ocean bejeweled in oranges, reds, and warm gold.
“Quite the show for your big day.”
I can’t help but grin even though my twin is already ribbing me about how ridiculous I look all the time now.
“It’s just like I hoped it would be.”
Axle grumbles something.
“Lucky bastard,” is the tail end of whatever he said.
“I am.” I really am.
“Your bride-to-be gave me this to give you now.”
I swing my gaze toward him, wondering if he’s playing some kind of joke on me, but the red envelope he passes me does indeed have my fiancée’s neat handwriting on it.
An immediate pressure in my throat makes me fight to catch my breath.
God, I love the woman.
“I’ll leave you to that,” Axle says as he pops open the passenger door on the truck.
Blurry eyed, I pull the note free. Crazy how love can make the hardest, most broken man whole again.
All the hard days were worth it to find you. My protector, my lover, my future. I can’t wait to be in your bed tonight, the first night as your wife. It seems impossible to love you more than I do now, but I know if anyone can prove how foolish that is, it will be you. My love. My best friend. My everything.
Love always, Ally
PS, You better not be late.
Axle pecks on the window. “My second job was to make sure you get here on time.”
Dashing away the water leaking from my eyes, I swing open the door. “I’m always on time, what are you two talking about?”
“Maybe she’s a little anxious to be your wifey.”
“Miracle of miracles.”
He punches my arm. “So, are you going to name your first kid after me?”
“Fuck, no.”
He chuckles but grabs my arm to stop me. “I want to say something.”
There’s a twist in the pit of my stomach. “Yeah?”
“I’m glad we’re talking again. I missed you.”
“I missed you too.”
He grabs me in a bear hug. “Little brother.”
“I’m one minute younger.”
“You’re just… smaller.”
“Fuck off.”
He slings an arm around my neck as we head toward the beach. The rightness of that feeling—of having him at my side—takes me back to years of hell-raising as kids.
“Glad you’re here.” My voice is froggy. “Even if you’re a giant pain in the ass.”
“Let’s get you hitched.”
He shoves me in front of him as we step onto the warm black sand. The instant my bare feet touch the beach my soul takes a deep breath.
We made it. Survived the gauntlet. Allison’s safe now. All we have to do is be happy.
A man beckons us forward, his smile bright and genuine as he holds a small book in his hands.
The beach is wide open, only a few houses and a little beach hotel off to the right, nested in a grove of palms.
It’s a quiet Monday evening. No one else on the wide expanse. But I can feel her.
Somewhere in that shady retreat, Allison is getting ready, and she might as well be tethered to me by a rope.
Is she as nervous as I am?
Ridiculous, given all the things I’ve done. Jumped from planes, fought crocodiles, defended my country on countless dangerous missions. But this is next level.
Predictably, Axle is laughing when he sees the beads of sweat on my forehead as I close the distance to the officiant.
“Mr. Reese.” The gentleman extends his hand.
“Thank you for your time today.”
“The pleasure is mine.” He dips his graying head toward the little hotel. “You probably want to look that way.”
The air punches out of me.
My god.
My Ally is always beautiful, cargo pants, T-shirts, the panties I pick out for her… but the sight of her in her wedding dress will be tattooed on my mind until the day I die.
I am a lucky man.
Walking side by side with her mother, my fiancée’s smile is bright.
She has a happy glow now that’s chased away all the fear and pain from her time in hiding.
My mission in life now is to keep her this way.
Lifting the hem of her white sundress, she walks barefoot toward me. Blonde hair loose around her shoulders, gold bracelet and the necklace I gave her winking as they catch the light, drawing me more into the enchanting sight.
Our gazes hold the entire time.
“Hello, beautiful,” I rasp. “You’re crushing it in that wedding gown.”
She chuckles, and the husky sound squeezes around me, tripping my pulse. “You’re looking pretty fine too, fiancé.”
Smoothing my hand down my Hawaiian-style shirt, I elbow Axle. “His idea.”
Smiling at my brother, Allison gives him a nod. “Good job for a guy who lives in cargo pants and tactical T-shirts.”
“Ma’am,” I tip my head to Vanessa. “So happy you could be here.”
Allison’s mom dabs the corner of her eye with a tissue. “You couldn’t keep me away from my daughter’s wedding if you tried.”
They’ve been together a few times since that phone call. Getting closer as they get to know one another. Thankfully she approves of me. Not that she’s getting rid of me.
Vanessa leans in and hugs me back when I lift my arms to her.
The officiant clears his throat. “Shall we begin?”
I take Allison’s hands in mine, quickly pulling her to me so I can duck down to kiss her cheek. “Love you.”
She sighs happily.
I’m not sure what the officiant says. All I can see is the loving light in Allison’s beautiful eyes. The way her smile softens as she looks at me. Her small hands clasped in mine. Trusting me.
“Mr. Reese, do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?”
I have to swallow around the tears clawing around in my airway. “I do.”
We both laugh when I almost fumble the ring. Damn. Dropping it in the sand could have been a disaster.
But the hand-carved wooden band finds its home on my wife’s hand.
“Ms. Brewer, do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?”
The officiant uses Allison’s real last name, not Westerly now that all of her past has been tainted by the other man’s name.
“I do!” She does a little dance as she slides the dark gray silicone ring on my finger.
It’s perfect.
She ’s perfect.
Our life together is perfect. A little unconventional. Just like our rings.
We both knew that gold and silver or even platinum rings weren’t made for a life of digging in archeological sites and being on ops with my team.
It didn’t mean we loved each other any less. When we retire, I’ll deck her in diamonds and shiny rings of any kind that she wants.
“You may now kiss your bride.”
“Oh, the good part.” Allison tosses her flowers down and laughs wildly as she launches at me.
My heart expands to the size of a planet.
Axle lets out a loud whistle as I pick Allison up for a long, probably too graphic, kiss.
The sweet sound of my brother’s laughter and her mom’s hoots barely even register.
When we’re done, the entire three-person wedding party—the officiant and Axle and her mom—is strolling back to the hotel. Leaving us alone.
I set her on her bare feet in the soft, dark Vandemora sand. “God, you’re so pretty, I just want to devour you.”
A sheepish grin curls up her just-kissed lips. “Come on. We can do that later.”
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.”
We walk the beach, hand in hand, picking up seashells as the sunlight falls. When we reach the far end of the cove, a flickering light catches my eye. “What is that?”
“You up for a swim?”
“It’s about time I got in the water, my gills are getting dry.”
My eyes pop as she shimmies her wedding dress up over her hips. Farther up over her pretty tits, and off over her head.
Well, good god.
“That kind of swim… okay . You don’t have to bribe me to skinny dip with my hot wife.”
Wearing only a pair of lace panties and a delicate lace thing that can hardly qualify as a bra, Allison beckons me toward the water. “That’s our honeymoon suite.”
“The boat?”
“Yep.” She laughs at my expression. “Only this one has been inspected to make sure it’s going to float all night.”
“You little she-devil.” I grab her, thrashing into the water as I carry her. “I love it.”
The warm, calm water laps around my thighs, rising quickly as I move farther from the beach.
Fifty yards offshore, our boat awaits, a lantern winking in the falling light. It’s a perfect night for making love on the water. Calm, glassy surface. Gentle breeze in the air. The jungle sounds starting to emerge as the night falls.
My plan for the best hotel suite in Vandemora goes out the window. This is perfect and so much more us.
Just like the quiet beach wedding. And when the Agile Team comes off deployment, we’ll celebrate with them at headquarters. But for now, it’s just us. And the chance to bring our beginning full circle.
“What made you think of this?”
She leans back in the water, floating, smiling at the twilight sky. “It’s been a little fantasy. It was actually really hot being on the boat with you… even though I was mad you were basically kidnapping me.”
“A-ha! So, you admit you were into me.”
“Maybe a little.”
I pull her slick, wet body against mine. “Are you ready for me? I’m rock hard and starving.”
“You’re always like this.”
“This is extra.”
She laughs and kisses me. Diving her fingers into my hair, her tongue sliding against mine for a deep taste. Just as hungry as I am, and I can’t get her on the boat fast enough.
We leave a trail of water as we tumble onto the bed. A groan tearing out of me.
With desperate hands, I pull her to me. Soft, delicate curves against the ridges of my muscles and bone. “Gonna be hard for me to go easy.”
She’s already breathless and holding onto me tight enough for her fingernails to bite. “Don’t. I want it to be a night to remember.”
Rolling her beneath me, I growl into her ear, “Anything you want, Doc. I’m your man.”