The Jinxed Jackpot

EPILOGUE - Maggie - seven months later

Waking up this morning, I smiled at the sounds of waves crashing in the distance. Renting this Airbnb right on the ocean was a perfect decision, and today would be the perfect day.

I rolled over to go back to sleep, but jumped out of my skin when I bumped into a warm body that was not supposed to be in my bed.

“Ben?” I asked in a shocked tone. “When did you come in here?” My eyes trailed over his shirtless, tanned torso, scruffy face, and hair sticking up in forty different directions. He still had on his slacks and shoes from last night and was sleeping on top of the covers.

“Hey baby,” he mumbled, grabbing for my hips to pull me into him.

“No, no, no,” I swatted at him. “You were supposed to sleep in the other room. We’re not supposed to see each other today until the ceremony!” I quietly hissed, feeling panic rise up in my chest.

“I tried, baby,” he said in a groggy voice, eyes still closed.

“What about the bad luck!” I smacked his shoulder, which just made him chuckle softly. “I’m serious, Ben! I’m not the kind of person who should tempt fate, you know this.”

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled into the pillow, still trying to pull my body closer. “You know I can’t sleep without you.”

My heart melted at his words, but they didn’t erase my anxiety. I quickly hopped out of bed, dragging the sheets with me.

“We’re pretending this didn’t happen, okay? Okay.” I nodded at him, trying to settle my nerves.

He just groaned. “Come back to bed, babe.”

“Nope, I can’t. One of us has to be the sane one here.” Taking pity on him, I rounded the bed and pulled his shoes off and dumped them on the floor with a thud. “I’m going for a run to clear my head.”

He sighed and rubbed a hand down his face. “Alright, I’ll come with you.”

“Nope. No.” I wagged my finger at him. “You stay and sleep. I will see you at the ceremony.”

“At least take one of the boys with you then, yeah?”

I rolled my eyes. “I’ll be fine.”

“Don’t go by yourself, baby. The bad luck,” he mumbled, half-asleep.

I threw my hands down in frustration. “I know! I was trying to avoid more of it by not sleeping with you last night!”

“But we didn’t sleep together last night.” A grin tugged at his lips. “We could right now though.” He reached out for my body with way too much quickness for a guy who was just half-asleep.

I jumped away from him, making him frown. “If we sleep together, Charleston will end up getting hit by a hurricane and our whole wedding will be canceled.” I turned on my heel and grabbed my running clothes.

“Fine,” he grumbled, scratching his chest. “Take one of the boys. Please. For my sanity.” He flopped back down on the bed.

“Yeah, yeah,” I muttered, waving him off as I made my way to the bathroom.

After getting back together, Ben made it his mission to figure out what kind of workout I would enjoy. Turns out, I loved power-walking or jogging to get coffee in the morning.

And turns out, I didn’t even have to go in search of a running partner.

A knock on the door sounded and I opened it to reveal Hunter, tying his shoelaces.

“Ready?” he asked with a smirk, looking clear-eyed and ready to go.

I smiled. “You know it.”

I couldn't get over the change in him this school year, and the change in Archie. The two of them were really prospering now that they weren’t stressed and threatened every time they left school… Now that they lived with us.

Hunter graduated a couple weeks ago– Ben and Coleson made a huge scene when the principal called his name, making sure no one had any doubts that he had a fan section– and starting in the fall, he’d be attending a college close to home and majoring in art. He was choosing to stay home and commute because he wanted to stay with Archie. I also had a feeling he wanted to stay close to Abby, who he did take to prom and was now dating. She still had to finish out her senior year, and I had a sneaking suspicion he didn’t want to leave her. Either way, Ben and I were fine with him staying as long as he wanted. Hunter and Archie would always have a home with us.

After everything went down back in November, the two brothers were swept into the system, and it was almost impossible to find them.

Coleson finally tracked them down when Hunter was picked up by a local police station for fighting, and that’s when we found out that the two brothers had been separated and sent to new schools, which was not good for either of them. According to their new schools’ reports, Hunter’s fighting and Archie’s bathroom accidents became daily events.

With Coleson’s help, I applied to foster the two brothers that night. I had a feeling Coleson and his hacking skills had a hand in moving the process along a lot faster than usual, but I wasn’t about to ask questions.

Over Christmas break, Ben surprised the three of us with a trip down to Charleston to visit Penny and Tilly, and we all fell in love with the city. As we sat together eating ice cream and overlooking the ocean, Ben said his New Year’s resolution was that we’d all make it back there again soon for another vacation.

I had no clue it’d be this soon.

And I had no clue it’d be for our wedding.

But it was perfect.

We rented out a huge house on Isle of Palms, right on the water, and it was large enough that our immediate family and the few friends we each invited could all stay in it.

“You ready for today?” Hunter asked me as we pushed outside into the warm salty air.

“Yeah,” I said with a smile. “I kinda feel like Ben and I are already married.”

“The whole school thinks so too,” he said with a laugh, pushing his short mop of curly blond hair back.

His unruly hair was a little more ruled now that it was shaved shorter on the sides. I think Ben enjoyed helping the boys with even the small stuff, like how to manage hair. He told me one night that he felt like an older brother to Hunter, which was fun for him because he never had that before, and more like a dad to Archie.

“We’re already a family,” Hunter said with a hesitant smile.

Hearing him say that made happy tears spring to my eyes. “We are.”

He blanched. “Oh jeez, don’t cry. You’re going soft on me.”

“Hey, I’ve always been soft,” I said, elbowing him.

“True.” He grinned. “Ready to get this started?” He nodded to the running path. “I gotta keep up with my training.”

At the end of the first week living with us, Hunter came home with a black eye and split lip, the tell-tale signs that he got into another fight.

Ben took one look at his face, grabbed his keys, and then gave me a chaste kiss, saying, “I got this.”

Ever since that day, Ben had been taking Hunter, and now Archie too, to the boxing studio.

I was hesitant at first, thinking we weren’t supposed to be encouraging the fighting, but Ben explained that Hunter just needed an outlet. Turns out, he was right.

And now, every time they came home from the gym, they were all smiling and laughing– usually at Coleson’s expense.

“Yupp, let’s get going,” I said, plugging in my headphones.

He shook his head, a wry grin on his face as he popped his airpods in his ears. “I can’t believe you still use headphones with wires .”

“Sorry I’m not a cool gen z-er, okay?” I quipped back as he took off in a run.

I followed Hunter’s lead down the running path that went the opposite way from the beach. The trail followed a river that cut down the middle of the island.

I was bopping along to some old pop punk when I could’ve sworn I saw something in the water.

I slowed to a stand-still jog and pulled out my headphones.

“Hey, Hunter?” I called out, still keeping a curious eye on the river only about five feet from me.

And then I saw it: An eye.

I blinked in shock.

And then the crocodile popped its whole head out of the water, scaring the absolute shit out of me. I let out a bloodcurdling scream as the monster snapped its jaws, looking straight at me like I was its next meal.

Still screaming, I bolted. Unfortunately, I didn't think where I was going, let alone look. I just ran in the opposite direction of the crocodile… Straight into the road.

Tires squealed. Horns blared. Someone screamed.

My life flashed before my eyes as a golf cart barrelled into my body.

I was flung into the air and then hit the ground, rolling multiple times on the asphalt.

And then I lay completely still, staring up at the beautiful fluffy clouds in the bright blue sky.

Hunter’s head suddenly blocked the sky as he leaned overtop of me. His blue eyes widened and his mouth moved. He was saying something, but I couldn’t hear because a loud ringing filled my ears.

“I knew it was bad luck to see…” Black seeped in, taking me under before I could finish my sentence.

________

“Can you walk?” Hunter asked hopelessly. He cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled, “Ben!”

“No!” I cut him off. “That’ll just give us more bad luck! We can’t see each other.”

“Mags, we have to tell him,” Hunter said with wide, worried eyes.

“Yeah, he’ll kill us if he finds out you’re hurt and we didn’t tell him,” Conor said, rubbing his jaw in thought.

After I passed out in the street, Hunter called just about everyone in the house. The only one who answered their phone was Conor, and he immediately rushed to the scene of the accident to help us.

“I’ll be fine,” I said, taking a deep breath.

“You’re all cut up!” Hunter cried, pulling at the front of his hair.

“Shhh, don’t stress, I am fine,” I reassured him. “It probably looks worse than it is,” I said with way more confidence than I actually felt. My legs and arms were stinging from the road burn. At least my face didn’t seem affected.

Hunter shook his head as he paced the kitchen, muttering things under his breath.

“I’m okay, Hunter. I promise,” I said, not wanting him to go into a panic attack.

“Okay, how about you try to walk?” Conor proposed. “If you can, then we won’t tell Ben. How’s that?”

I gave a firm nod and hopped down from the kitchen island, trying hard to hide my flinch. “See, all good,” I said tightly.

Conor gave me a look that said bullshit and crossed his arms over his chest. “Walk.”

Steeling my spine, I took a step forward, but my right leg immediately gave out on me. Both Conor and Hunter reached for me.

“Ben!” Conor hollered.

“Traitor,” I grumbled.

“What’s with all the racket?” my brother’s voice came from the other room. “Jenny and I found these cool lily pad candles for tonight, Mags. Wanna see?” he rounded the corner and his face dropped, right along with whatever he was holding. “Oh… Oh my God.”

It all happened in a split second.

The lily pad he was holding had a lit candle in it. He dropped it right as his girlfriend, Jenny, came walking in behind him, and her linen pant leg immediately went up in flames.

I screamed.

Hunter dashed for the fridge.

Conor grabbed the lemonade on the counter and doused her with it.

We all stared at each other in silence.

The only sound was the lemonade dripping to the floor.

“I’m so sorry,” my brother said, slowly turning to his girlfriend, his face full of anguish.

Jenny swallowed hard, her eyes wide with shock. “It’s okay.”

“Are you burned?” His hands went to her shoulders, his eyes still on her burnt pants.

“No, no, I’m okay.” She reached for his hands. “Everything’s okay.”

“No, it’s not,” he choked out. “It’s not okay, Jenny. It’s me. It’s this bad luck. It’s stuck on me like a bad smell. It’ll never go away.”

“Hey,” Jenny said with a kind, watery smile. “I am not burned, and I promise it’s okay.” She took his face in her hands and kissed him. “I’m not mad at you, my unlucky bastard.” She laughed.

A relieved breath punched out of him and his shoulders sagged. “As long as I'm your unlucky bastard, I guess,” he said warily.

“You’ll always be mine,” she said, full-on laughing before kissing him again.

My heart warmed watching the two of them. Because I knew how my brother felt. Jenny accepted him, just like how Ben accepted me and all my quirks.

“What the…” Penny came to a half in the kitchen, her loose, long auburn hair fluttering behind her. Her eyes widened first at the soaking wet Jenny, and then at me. “Oh my God!”

“It’s okay, I’m okay,” I quickly reassured her, wincing as I sat back up on the island counter because my legs were feeling weak as hell.

“Where’s the first aid kit?” she asked, dashing to the kitchen cupboards to try and find one.

“What’s going on?” Ben asked from the stairs.

“No, no, no!” I whispered urgently. “He can’t see me!” I told Penny.

Her mouth formed a little oh, then she dashed to intercept him in the living room. At least someone understood.

“Don’t go along with this,” Conor hissed furiously at his little sister. “He needs to see her!”

Penny thankfully just rolled her eyes and ignored him.

“Where’s Maggie? What was all that yelling? I swear I heard her scream,” Ben said, concern lining his voice.

“Oh, she’s fine. She’s just a little queasy, probably nerves,” Penny said.

“What?” he snapped. “She’s not nervous.”

“How do you know?” Penny quipped. “No, you can’t go back here. It's bad luck to see the bride.”

Ben just laughed. “We’re already jinxed.” I smacked a hand to my forehead. “Mags, I'm coming back, okay?”

When he rounded the corner and saw me, the smile dropped off his face. “What the fuck happened?” His eyes darted over my body. His long stride carried me to him and then he started inspecting my arms and legs.

“We need hydrogen peroxide, and some gauze, and prolly some painkillers,” Penny said. “Tilly’s asleep with Addie’s girls. Can someone watch her if she wakes up? I’ll run to the store.”

Ben nodded without taking his eyes off my wounds. “What the hell happened?”

“You don’t even want to know,” Hunter mumbled behind him.

Ben looked at him and then me in question.

My shoulders went up to my ears. “I saw something.”

His eyebrows furrowed.

“There was a crocodile!”

“Where?”

“In the water,” I answered sheepishly.

He blinked at me. “They live in the water, Maggie!” he exploded. He rubbed a hand down his face, looking like he was in agony.

“Are you mad at me?” I winced. “You sound mad.”

“Yes!” He looked at me hopelessly. “You’re all hurt, baby.”

“Do you not want to get married today?” I pouted, totally being sarcastic.

He rolled his eyes and braced his hands on the counter on either side of me. He breathed hard, trying to calm himself down.

I just laughed as I wrapped my arms around his neck.

“You know I want to marry you,” he growled in my ear.

Everyone started trailing out of the kitchen to give us some privacy.

“I want everything with you, always,” he continued in a thick voice.

I smiled against his neck.

“You as my wife. You round with our baby,” he said, placing a hand to my abdomen. His words made him pull slightly back. His eyebrows furrowed again as he stared at his large hand on my stomach.

“What?”

“It just occurred to me.” He frowned as he rubbed his jaw.

“What did?”

“When that day comes, I’m going to have to bubble wrap you up.”

I threw my head back laughing. His arms wrapped around my waist and his head rested against my stomach.

My skin stung, and my head was pounding with an incoming headache, but feeling his arms around me, l felt… lucky.

The day I first drove out to Colorado flashed in my mind. I listened to love stories as I drove, feeling bittersweet over having experienced one of my own. When I lost my wallet that night, it could’ve been so easy for me to turn around and go back home and live content– not happy– but content, comfortable, safe… But I didn't do that. I knew I couldn’t. Instead, I fought for my happy ending. And because of that, because I didn’t give up, I went from being alone to having a family of my own.

“Are you crying? Does it hurt?” Ben asked, trying to pull back, but I kept him there, holding me.

“Yes, no,” I mumbled shakily, racking my nails through his hair the way I knew he loved.

“Yes? No? You’re gonna have to elaborate for me.”

“Yes, I’m crying,” I blubbered out, half-crying and half-laughing. “But not because it hurts.”

Looking up at me, he immediately smoothed my tears away with his thumbs. So much concern and care lined his features that more tears sprung to my eyes. “No, don’t cry. It’s okay. I’ll take you to the hospital, we’ll get you fixed up. It’ll all be okay. We’ll have a beautiful day, baby,” he promised.

“No, I'm okay,” I wheezed. “It’s just… I feel so lucky,” I blubbered out, smiling through my tears.

It was true. Me . Maggie Quinn. I was lucky . I was finally the girl who got everything she wanted.

And I wished I could shout it from the rooftops to all the girls traveling down similar lonely roads as the one that led me to this moment: Your luck can change for the better in an instant– a single instant – you just have to keep digging ‘til you hit your jackpot.