Epilogue
One Year Later
Waking up in Jordan’s arms is the best way to start the day.
I kept him up late last night and his shift doesn’t start until eleven, so I decide he should get to sleep in for the holiday.
Max and Sugar stir when I get out of bed, and they follow me downstairs.
Jordan’s house is a lot like Hanson’s. Two-stories, with one wide open living space for the first floor.
But unlike Hanson’s the upstairs has three bedrooms.
I asked him once why he had so many bedrooms. He said the house was a good deal, and he didn’t care how many bedrooms it had, because the land was fertile.
The first time I visited was last winter, so I didn’t really see it.
But come spring, it was obvious. We had plenty of everything, to the point we were giving away morels and asparagus.
I make coffee for the morning and think about the day’s work.
We decided to host Christmas Eve dinner for everyone who helped us survive Christmas Eve last year.
Thankfully, Jordan’s house is also larger on the first floor.
A couple of rented tables and chairs and too many decorations later, the first floor was set as of last night.
Jordan’s house. It’s still hard to think of it as our house. Outside of the new and temporary Christmas décor, every bit of the place is Jordan, from the roughhewn flooring to the dark walls. I was able to get rid of his god awful black leather furniture, but changing a man’s home takes time.
And time is running out.
I make a cup of peppermint to settle my stomach and start to work breakfast. “Hey, Sugar, how about some toast?”
She wags her tail, which gets Max excited, too. He bounces into a play stance, and before I know it, they’re chasing each other around the house. I hope they don’t wake my husband.
My husband. The words make me happy down to my bones.
I happily sigh and make toast, while I go over all the details for the day.
It’s important to have the timing down for the different foods, and we’ve already done as much pre-cooking as we could, so at least the desserts and appetizers are ready.
I forgot how unbelievably stress-reducing it is to be able to plan things, and these days, I actually can plan things.
“Hey,” a sexy voice says behind me.
I turn around and smile. “Good morning, Husband.”
“Good morning, Wife.” he kisses me, then pours some coffee. “Is there butter, or did we use it all up in the pie crust?”
“Of course, there’s butter. But what for?”
“My toast.”
“What, no avocado for you?” I tease him.
“Blech, I still don’t know what’s up with your generation and avocados.”
I giggle, “Okay, Grampa.”
“Yeah, yeah.” He has been kind enough to have a box of avocados shipped to us every week since he found out that I love them. Once his toast is ready, he sits down and asks, “How’d you sleep?”
“Like a rock. You?”
“Same here. Except when Max and Sugar started twitching in their sleep. I swear they were chasing each other in their dreams.”
“Sounds like them,” I nod and laugh. “I’ve made a list for when you go into town today, just a couple more things.”
“For when I go?”
“I thought you were going to work today.”
His head tips back and he grunts. “Oh, right. I volunteered. I’m an idiot.”
“Don’t talk about my husband like that.”
“Well, I should have pawned the shift onto David. I’m sorry, sweetheart.”
I shake my head. “Don’t worry about it. I can handle the cooking. We did most of it yesterday, anyway. Besides, you had to let Michael have today off. It’s a big day for him.”
He grins. “Yeah, it is. Damn copycat.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Proposing on Christmas Eve. Like I did.”
I snort laugh, then pray aloud, “Oh my god, please don’t let their engagement day be as eventful as ours.”
He laughs loudly. “Unless Katie has some dark hidden past, I think they’re safe. And knowing Katie, if she had one, she wouldn’t have been able to keep it a secret, so she definitely does not have a dark hidden past.”
“True. She would have told me on our runs. God, I don’t know how she has her lung capacity. She doesn’t stop talking. Ever.”
“Oh, I know. Michael’s told me all about it, and trust me, she literally does not stop talking. Ever.”
I’m curious. “What do you mean by that, Jordan? You mean, when they’re…in bed?”
He nods. “Apparently, the chatter turns adult, but yeah, she really doesn’t stop. According to him, she even talks in her sleep.”
“Was she an only child or something?”
“I have no idea, but that would explain a lot.”
“Huh.”
I see him off by ten, then begin to cook for the crowd. It’s been so long since I’ve cooked for so many people, and I’m enjoying myself. We asked Wes to arrive early to have a chance to chat about everything. At two, he pulls up. I’m outside with the dogs. “Hey, you!”
He hugs me, then plays with the dogs for a minute, before we go inside. Wes gestures to all the tables and decorations, “Wow, this is quite a production.”
“Just put the ham in the oven. In a little while, you can help me peel potatoes. “
“Lucky me.”
The last bit of tension I hold forces me to ask, “Are we? Lucky, I mean.”
He nods. “The agent we’ve imbedded with the smuggling ring says there has been no mention of you.
When he brought you up, the basic response was, ‘Who?’ They don’t even talk about Riker.
It seems he was a bottom tier lowlife, nowhere near as important as we originally thought, but since Quinn knew about the organization, she’s been able to give us insight in return for better living conditions. ”
“And she’ll be in prison for life, right? No change there?”
“None. She has four back-to-back lifetime sentences to serve in this country alone. The only thing she gets out of this is a nicer cage.”
I sigh. “It’s a shame she gets that much.”
“I know. But this is how the game is played. And if we can keep hacking away at the smuggling ring, then that’s what we do. We take them down, and that’s thousands of lives around the world that we save.”
I smile. “You’re always a big picture guy, aren’t you?”
“Even if we were just saving one life, Stella, that would be the big picture.” He shrugs, “When I see something wrong, I need to fix it.”
“You know what I see wrong here?”
“What’s that?”
“You need a drink.”
He laughs. “Yes, I do. But I can’t.”
“How come?”
“Jennifer is still breastfeeding.”
I frown. “What’s that have to do with you?”
“Solidarity. If she can’t drink, then I can’t drink.” He sighs loudly. “But maybe a sniff of bourbon?”
“That seems like self-torture, Wes. But, whatever you want.” I get him the bottle and he takes a long, lustful sniff. I ask, “And speaking of whatever you want, how long did you think it would take me to figure it out?”
“Figure what out?”
“That you set us up.”
Wes frowns. “I don’t know what you mean, Stella.”
“How long did you worry about Jordan? I can only guess this little ruse started out with you worrying for him. He’s told me you always gave him a hard time for not being married at his age.”
“Jordan Waters is the kind of guy who needs a mission. Just so happens that this mission had the side benefit of revolving around a beautiful woman. Put Jordan near a beautiful woman, and there’s a very good chance something will happen.”
“Is that a fact?”
He quickly says, “Not since getting with you, Stella.”
I giggle. “I didn’t think so.”
Wes says, “I’ve never seen Jordan so happy. Not ever. That’s your doing.”
“No. You set us up. I’d say you have a hand in that, too.”
He laughs. “I can’t take credit for how it all went.”
“You risked your job to get me here, I haven’t forgotten that. Thank you, Wes.”
“I’m just glad it all worked out in the end.”
“How did you know it would work out?” I wonder.
He says, “I didn’t. But I know what kind of woman Jordan always liked.”
“So, I’m his type?”
He laughs, “Oh God, no.”
“What?”
“You’re beautiful and all that, but personality and all that, you’re the total opposite of the flakey chicks he used to date.
That’s why I decided to risk it. I thought, if he could finally find someone who actually suited him, then it would all be worth it.
I owe Jordan my life. The least I could do is give him some happiness. ”
I smirk and tell him, “The way he tells it, he owes you his life.”
When Jordan gets home, the party is in full swing. I kiss him at the doorway and sing, “Good evening, Husband.”
“Good evening, Wife,” he says, then smiles at the crowd. “I think we’ve been invaded.”
“I know, right? Most of my family made it, Mrs. Black, a bunch of people from church, there’s even a rumor that Michael and Katie might end up over here, but I sort of doubt it, considering what today is for them.”
“I’m going to get changed, before anyone notices me.”
“Jordan Waters! Did you think you could sneak past the mistletoe?” Mrs. Black stops him before he escapes.
“Merry Christmas, Mrs. Black,” he says, then gives her a kiss on her rosy round cheek. “I’ll be happy to chat, once I’m more appropriately attired.”
“Fine, fine, go on, then,” she says. He runs up the stairs, and she asks me, “Darlin’, how is married life treating you?”
“Wonderfully, thank you. How are you doing?”
Her eyes twinkle brightly, “I am quite well, thank you. I’ve heard a little rumor, and I’m wondering if you can confirm it for me.”
I smile down at her. “That depends on the rumor. I wouldn’t feel right telling someone else’s secrets.”
“I have heard you’re starting a business.”
“Oh, that. Yes, I am. An online customized scent business.”
“You mean, like perfumes and such?”
I nod. “With all my former resources available again, I am able to shift my business model to one that’s a lot more flexible and modern. I’ll be doing perfumes, lotions, room fresheners, candles, all of that. And it will all be customized to the client’s tastes.”
“That sounds ambitious. What does Jordan think about it?”
“He’s proud of me.”
Mrs. Black smiles, and her eyes almost vanish behind her cheeks. “I am so happy for you, Darlin’. In my day, a man felt threatened when his wife was a go—getter. I am so happy to know it’s not that way anymore.”
I shrug. “I’m sure it is for some people. But it’s not that way for us.”
“Well,” she pats my hand, “I will be your first client when you get it off the ground. I’ll text you my email, so you can send me the link to your website.”
“You’re the best, Mrs. Black, thank you. And your cookies are, too. Jordan warned me I shouldn’t bother to make Christmas cookies, and I am so glad I listened to him.”
She giggles. “He’s a smart one, that Jordan. You keep a tight hold on him, alright, Darlin’?”
“Oh, I will.” I wink. “Wouldn’t want him to fall for an older woman.”
“Oh!” she laughs. “He’s a little muscular for my tastes. But your grandfather, is he single?”
I laugh, “No, my grandmother is that one, the woman asleep in the easy chair.”
“Damn, he’s a doll. Oh, well.” She toddles off and makes mischief with some of the women from church.
I take a deep breath and sigh. The lights twinkle, the music plays, and everything smells wonderful.
I never thought I’d have so many people in my life, or a house full of love on the holidays.
Alex walks to me, and his limp is nearly unnoticeable these days.
He delivers a glass of eggnog and says, “Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas. How’s the leg?”
“I guess this is my anniversary, huh? It’s good. I’m done with physical therapy, and I’m still keeping up with my exercises. Me and Grandpa do them together. On the days I don’t see him, he texts me a reminder.”
I smile at him, then Grandpa. “He’s doing well. Thanks to you.”
Alex shakes his head. “He’s doing well, thanks to him and Grandma. They’ve been doing everything right, listening to the doctors—"
“Alex. Stop.” I set our eggnogs down and take his hands in mine.
“Last year, you were shot because you came to tell me how our grandfather was doing. And he was doing well, because you worked with him on everything. I know this was you, so stop deflecting the credit you earned. I know Grandma helps, but I spoke to her and she told me about everything you did for them. You went with him for all of his appointments, you kept track of his medications, you made sure he did his physical therapy, all of it. This was you. He is here for this holiday because of you. Thank you.”
The bottoms of his eyes flood, and he sniffs and looks away. “You know, I’m starting to wonder if I have a dog allergy.” He rubs his eyes and pretends that’s all it is. “Hope not.”
“I hope not too, but if you do, I have meds in the bathroom cabinet.”
He smirks. “Thanks for that.”
“You’re welcome.”
He picks up both eggnogs and hands me mine. “Cheers.”
“The smell is killing me. I should get some sparkling cider for the toast, just a second.” I pour myself a glass.
“How come?” Alex asks.
Jordan joins us and takes my eggnog glass. “Isn’t this your family’s recipe? I thought you loved it.”
“Oh, I do. But, for the toast, cider instead,” I raise my glass and they follow suit, “Alex, I had hoped to have you both here tonight for this. Jordan, I know you don’t want to redecorate the house, but we are running out of time for that.
The reason I’m not drinking the super boozy family eggnog is that—"
“You’re pregnant!” Alex erupts, and the party stops mid-sentence . Someone kills the music, and all eyes are on me.
Jordan looks in my eyes and asks, “Is…is that true?”
I nod. “I’m eight weeks along.”
He sets our drinks aside and kisses me so gently I almost cry.
Then he shouts, “I can’t believe it!” He grabs me tightly, then panics, “Oh my god, I didn’t hurt you or the baby just now, did I?”
I giggle. “No, honey. I promise you’re not going to hurt either of us with a hug.”
Then he wraps me in his arms. “You are the love of my life.”
“And you’re mine.”
Thank you so much for reading Stella’s Christmas Rescue.