Epilogue
Four months later...
Lacey
“ I think I pulled a muscle just looking at that box,” I hear Theo say as he and the guys unload the last of our things from the moving truck.
I’ve always hated moving, but I’ll admit having all of your friends lend a hand definitely makes the experience less miserable.
We were up at 5:00 a.m., scrambling to finish packing up the house in time for the move. Daniel, Sierra, Oli, Kelsea, TJ, and I looked like a bunch of headless chickens running around, but it was worth it because we have to give the truck back at 9:00 p.m., and we finished the last trip at eight thirty.
I felt a bit sad leaving behind the only place my siblings and I had known since our dad died, but the feeling quickly dissipated once we went to pick up the keys for our new duplex.
I’d forgotten how big the place was until we unlocked the door an hour ago and began exploring the five-bedroom house TJ, Kelsea, Sierra, Oli, and I now get to call home—and that’s without counting the apartment on the second floor where Daniel will be living. He wasn’t lying about wanting to be more involved in our lives.
If you’d told me a year ago that I’d be able to rent a house this size, I would’ve called you bonkers—granted, the rent is split three ways and unevenly between TJ, Daniel, and me, but hey, a win is a win.
I remember the day TJ and Kelsea moved in with us like it was yesterday. TJ had just been discharged from the hospital following the kidnapping attempt.
TJ was under strict orders from the doctor to take it easy for at least six weeks, and I wanted to be close to him to play nurse, so I suggested that he and Kelsea live with us for a while.
Kelsea and Sierra were all for it, overjoyed by the idea of sharing a room and having nonstop sleepovers. As for Oli, he wasn’t thrilled about having to share a bathroom with three girls, but he came around pretty quickly.
Once he began developing a not-so-subtle crush on Kelsea, to be exact.
You know how the story goes—boy falls in love with his sister’s best friend, even though she’s older than him and only sees him as a kid.
TJ and I never called him out on it, but we could see the signs. I often worry that he’ll get his heart broken, seeing as he’s been friend-zoned by Kelsea since the moment they met, but then again, who knows what the future might hold? They’re young right now, but they won’t be teenagers forever.
I had no idea when I first brought up TJ and Kelsea moving in for six weeks that “six weeks” would turn into, well… forever .
In time, it became harder and harder for me and TJ to be apart, and without even realizing it, we began to rely on each other to take care of our siblings.
With the help of Daniel and Mrs. Harrison, we found a way to juggle chores, our studies, our social life, and, most importantly, our love life.
It all felt natural, effortless, and although we were worried about people calling us crazy for moving in together so soon, we eventually figured, “ What the hell? This works for us. Screw what people think .”
We’ve been inseparable ever since.
I love the life we’ve built together in the past few months, but all good things must come to an end, and I knew as soon as TJ was given the green light to play basketball again that everything would change.
And I was right.
After TJ got injured, we thought he wouldn’t be able to enter the NBA draft, but thankfully, he already had a handful of teams interested, and once he explained that the injury wouldn’t be a long-term issue, he managed to work something out with them.
The team he chose wound up agreeing to give him time to recover until he felt ready to play at a high level again.
He’ll be leaving next week for the NBA summer leagues, and from there, he’ll probably get swept up into the craziness of his new life, traveling all over the place and barely making it home. I was worried about it at first, but Mrs. Harrison is only a ten-minute drive from our new place, not to mention Daniel lives right above us. I have a great support system, and I’m confident I’ll be able to manage on my own just fine.
TJ says we can make it work long distance and that he’ll be flying us in to his games all the time, but it doesn’t change the fact that the next few years are going to be chaotic. I just hope we don’t drift apart in the process.
“Holy shit, how many families are going to be living here?” Chance snorts as soon as we step foot through the front door.
He’s right. The place is huge. But TJ made it clear we wouldn’t have to worry about money now that he’s going to be playing pro. He’s also planning on moving his mom back into his childhood home and getting her around-the-clock care.
“Last one goes in the kitchen,” I tell Finn.
“On it,” he says before carrying the gigantic box out of the room.
The house is a mess—no surprise there. The furniture is all here, but you can barely see it with all the bags and boxes scattered around the common areas.
It smells like cleaning products, too. Aveena and Dia stayed back to wash the kitchen floors, the windows, and the insides of the cabinets while we were filling up the truck a second time.
Aveena turns the corner, taking off her rubber gloves as she says, “All done. You could eat off that floor.”
Dia follows not far behind. “Man, don’t ask me how the last tenants could see through those windows. They were disgusting .”
I hurry over to my friends and give them a hug. “Thank you, thank you, thank you. You’re the best.”
The girls laugh, embracing me with twice as much enthusiasm.
“Shit, I have to take this,” Aveena says when her phone goes off in her pocket. “It’s Xavier. I think Tyler’s being fussy.”
I don’t know how Xavier does this. He’s been juggling his basketball career, being a good partner, and being a father since he got drafted four months ago. Same goes for Theo. We’ve barely seen him since his birthday. While TJ was recovering, Xav and Theo were already out traveling the world and adapting to their new crazy reality.
Of course, it hasn’t made having a newborn easy for Aveena and Xavier, but they were able to make it work. Vee and Tyler have been travelling with Xavier for the most part, and when they’re not together, Aveena has a great support system, which allows her to take a breather every once in a while.
“I’m going to go check on the guys. Make sure they’re not assembling your new furniture backward.” Dia laughs.
They both walk off at the same time Daniel, Kelsea, Sierra, and Oliver come barging in. The kids were riding with Daniel from our old apartment.
“Six closets in this place, and I bet you we still won’t have enough room for all your damn clothes,” Oli mocks his sister.
Sierra punches him in the shoulder. “At least I’m not collecting toys.”
“They’re not toys. They’re limited-edition action figures,” Oli fires back.
Sierra scoffs. “Exactly, toys .”
Oli rolls his eyes before diverting his attention to me. “Which one’s my room?”
“The smallest one,” Sierra declares before hurrying down the hall to claim ownership of one of the five rooms in the house, most likely the biggest one.
He’s chasing after her in no time. “Like hell!”
“Is TJ on his way to give the truck back?” I ask Daniel.
He nods. “Yeah, but it’s a seven-minute drive from here. He should be back any second.”
“Where’s Kelsea?”
“Outside, FaceTiming her boyfriend,” Daniel says.
That’s all she does these days.
TJ wasn’t a fan of his sister entering the dating world at first, but he felt better once he checked out the kid and made sure he wasn’t a part of a human trafficking ring.
It turns out not every teenager out there is trying to kidnap our sisters and sell them for parts.
Makes sense that he was concerned, though. If there’s one thing Aaron taught us, it’s that you can never be too careful. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be calling him Aaron. His real name is Leo—Aaron was just one of the fake names he used to target women and young girls all over the country.
Turns out the guy they abandoned at the scene the day they tried to kidnap me had loose lips. He didn’t hesitate to rat out his buddies in an attempt to save his own ass. He took a plea deal and told the police where they could find the bastards he was working with, as well as who was involved in the kidnapping attempt.
The police went to the given address and found Aaron—I’m sorry, Leo—dead at the scene. Probably at the hands of one of his own. They also arrested Gabriel, or whatever his real name was, the guy who’d been grooming Sierra for months.
The man with the broken skull tattoo was nowhere to be found at first, but then they caught him trying to flee the country. We’ll never really know what went down after Leo and his accomplices escaped that day, but the police had more than enough evidence linking Gabriel and the man with the tattoo to multiple crime scenes to put them behind bars.
Obviously, these guys were but small cogs in a very big machine, and stopping them doesn’t fix the country’s human trafficking problem in the slightest, but the man who snitched gave answers to many grieving families and admitted to kidnapping a few of the kids that had gone missing in the area.
What sucks is it doesn’t bring law enforcement any closer to locating those missing kids. They could be anywhere in the world by now—and that’s assuming they’re still alive.
Daniel moves closer to give me a side hug. “Here we are.”
I smile, returning his embrace. “Yep, here we are.”
Daniel presses a kiss on top of my head. “Welcome home, kiddo.”
I can’t believe we get to be neighbors. I knew Daniel wanted to move closer to us, so he’s the first person I told once we decided to get a bigger apartment. He was in between places at the time, so when I stumbled upon an ad for this duplex, I sent it to him without a moment’s hesitation. The rest is history.
I can confidently say divorcing my mom was the best thing that ever happened to Daniel. He’s a lot more present than before, and he’s become an important part of our lives. He’s even dating now, although he promised that he’d never let a woman stand in the way of his relationship with his kids again—and that’s including TJ.
I know TJ and Daniel technically aren’t related, but it doesn’t erase the eight years Daniel spent raising him. Once TJ found a way to make peace with his past, he agreed to spend time with Daniel alone and focus on strengthening their bond. Kelsea, however, was so young when he left she doesn’t have many memories of him, but that’s a work in progress.
My stomach growls just seconds after Daniel and I have separated. We haven’t had a chance to stop and get dinner yet.
“You hungry? I was thinking of ordering pizzas for everyone. My treat,” Daniel says.
“I’m sure everyone would love that. Thanks, Dad.”
“Great, I’ll put the order in and go unpack while we wait.”
On that note, Daniel makes a beeline for the front door to go up to his apartment. The door swings open before Daniel’s able to reach it, and TJ enters the house, greeting Daniel with a smile on his way in. Daniel pats him on the shoulder as he’s walking out.
TJ’s eyes find mine across the room, and the next thing I know, he’s sprinting toward me, lifting me up, and spinning me around like we’re in a romantic comedy.
Only it’s not.
This is my life.
Our lives.
I can only hope that nothing changes while he’s gone.
“There’s my girl.” TJ showers my face with kisses from the moment he’s set me down. “What does my baby think of our new place?”
I laugh, struggling to steady myself for a second. “She thinks it’s big. And fancy. And a little too good to be true. I can’t believe we get to live here.”
TJ smiles, nudging a piece of my hair behind my ear. “Well, believe it. Nothing’s ever going to be too good for us ever again.”
His mouth claims mine in a hungry kiss, and I grip the fabric of his shirt, holding him as close to me as physically possible.
“I just wish you’d be around to enjoy it a little longer,” I admit in between kisses.
“I know, baby, but it’ll only be for the first few years.”
I force a smile, my anxieties gnawing at my insides. My fake smile doesn’t seem fool him in the slightest.
“Lacey, look at me,” he whispers.
I oblige, sinking my teeth into my bottom lip.
“ Nothing is going to stop me from building a life with you. I’ll be coming home every chance I get. And when I’m not home, we’ll always keep in touch. I promise you won’t even have time to miss me.”
“You say that now, but you can’t be sure. You might get caught up in your new life and feel differently.”
He releases a sigh, studying my face as though he’s not sure what else he could say to convince me.
He offers me his hand. “Here, I need to show you something.”
I take it. “What?”
His mouth quirks up at the corner, mischief flooding his eyes as he intertwines our fingers. “Just come with me.”
The next thing I know, TJ’s guiding me through the house toward the back door. I’ve yet to see the backyard of the house since we moved in, but I intend to make it a cozy place. I’ve been collecting pictures of cute backyards online to give me inspiration.
The backyard is a decent size, with a wooden fence, a concrete patio with a grill for barbecues, a firepit, and a large shed sitting in the far corner. It’s pitch-black outside, but there is too much light pollution around for us to see the stars.
“What did you want to show me?” I ask, glancing around in confusion.
“Just a little farther” is all TJ says as he’s dragging me across the backyard.
He comes to a slow stop in front of the shed and turns to look at me. “You said you’re wondering how sure I am about us. Hopefully, this answers your question.”
I watch as he pushes the door open and ushers me inside the windowless shed.
The inside is pitch-black, and I can’t help snorting out a laugh. “Is this supposed to be some kind of metaphor about how your life would be nothing but darkness without me?”
He laughs. “It would be, but no.”
It becomes clear he has no intention of elaborating when he fishes his phone out of his pocket. I can’t see what he’s doing from this angle.
He presses something on his screen, and the lights come on—and by lights, I mean a thousand little lights covering every inch of the empty shed. The walls come alive with an endless sea of stars, swirling galaxies, and wisps of colors, practically transporting us into a different universe.
My mouth falls open.
Only when I spot the four constellation projectors he’s got set up in each corner of the shed do I understand what he’s doing.
He’s recreating our first time. In the observatory behind Chance’s cabin. Pillows and blankets are scattered across the floor, covered in rose petals and snacks. A telescope sits next to the blanket, and my heart melts at the gesture.
I venture farther into the shed, in complete awe of the effort he put into making this happen.
I have no idea how he even had time to do this. Things have been so crazy with his recovery and the move. But that’s just the thing, isn’t it…?
He didn’t have time, which means he made the time to come here and set this up. He must’ve asked the owner if he could use the shed a few days early.
“I know it’s not as impressive as the real thing,” TJ says.
Is he serious?
Tears have begun to amass in my eyes.
“No, it’s… it’s incredible,” I choke out.
“Good.”
I hear him move closer behind me, but I can’t tear my eyes away from the galaxies around me, mesmerized by the view.
“Because I have something to ask you,” he adds.
I manage to snap out of it a few seconds later. I spin around, intending to give him a big hug for surprising me like this, only to see the man I love down on one knee, holding a velvet box in his hand.
It’s as though all the air has been sucked out of the shed and my lungs. My hand flies to my mouth, my speeding heart threatening to carve a hole through my rib cage when he opens the box and I get to see the diamond ring I’m going to be wearing for the rest of my life.
“Lacey…” His voice catches in his throat, thick with emotion. “The day we went into that observatory is the day you agreed to be my girlfriend. Only this time, I recreated it in the hope that you’ll agree to be my wife. Now, I know what you’re going to say. We haven’t even been together a year, so getting engaged would be crazy, and to that, I say, what part of our story so far hasn’t been crazy?”
I catch myself laughing through the tears. He has a point. Our love has been a ginormous mess from day one, but our bad luck never once made it any less real.
“And I know that we’re young, and things might be a bit difficult now that I’m leaving, but I need you to know that this isn’t a silly college romance to me. Lacey, I love you. You’re it for me. I want forever. I want everything life has to offer, and I want to experience it with you.”
My knees buckle, and I drop to the floor in front of him, crying so hard breathing properly is a task I have no chance of completing. At least not right now. I reach for TJ’s face, the tears covering his cheeks merely increasing the intensity of my sobs.
“Every day I’m apart from you will be a day I spend working to create a great life for us. For our weird little family made of broken pieces and new beginnings. This is how sure I am that nothing’s going to change even when a thousand miles stand between us. Marry me, rich girl. Marry me and make me the luckiest man the world’s ever seen.”
I don’t think twice, throwing myself into the arms of the man who entered my world with the intention of ruining my life but ended up saving it instead.
“Yes. Yes, I’ll marry you.”
I used to think my love would always be unrequited.
Having TJ get down on one knee, even though he once thought of me as his enemy, is just one of the ways the universe has gone above and beyond to prove me wrong.
Because we each have a person out there. A match. A soulmate. A crazy, messy story just waiting to begin.
All we have to do is be brave enough to go look for it.