Epilogue
Ten Years Later . . .
The engine on the car purred like a newborn kitten. Boogie understood why Vernon and Zander fell out over this car. It was a beauty, and now it was all his.
“Faster, Daddy! Faster!” Lucy shouted over the wind whipping around them.
Boogie looked in the rearview mirror and grinned.
Her pigtails looked wild as she clapped from her car seat.
His baby was growing up so damn fast. She was six already and spoiled rotten.
Lately, she had been asking for a baby brother.
It was hard to explain to her that Sweetie couldn’t have any more kids.
The pregnancy had been really hard on her and almost claimed both her and Lucy’s lives.
The experience was traumatic, and they agreed that they wouldn’t have any more children, not even by adoption.
They chose to pour their love into Lucille ‘Lucy’ DeLuca instead.
Besides, Chloe and Denzel popped out babies every year, it felt like, so Lucy was not alone.
She had five cousins and counting, and that was just on Boogie’s side.
Audra had two kids as well. Their families were growing and getting along better than ever.
It took a few years, but Vernon and Zander finally made up and decided to gift the car to Boogie instead of either one of them keeping it.
At first, Boogie didn’t want the shit. He felt like it was a bad omen, but after a while, Sweetie convinced him to accept it.
It was her grandmother’s, after all. He was glad he listened to his wife.
This classic car was his pride and joy, outside of Lucy, of course.
Boogie pressed on the gas before he glanced at Sweetie.
She looked so free. Her hair was in long curls that day and whipping around her head.
She’d only gotten more beautiful the older she got.
It had only been two years ago that she retired from cheerleading, and his baby had a good ass run.
She blew up cheering for The Riptides, and she was considered a damn celebrity.
Her following on social media made Boogie’s head spin.
Needless to say, he was proud of his wife.
When they pulled up into Cadence Prep, Boogie cut the engine and then looked over at his girls. He chuckled. Their hair was all over their heads, but they looked as beautiful as ever.
He got out of the car and let them out before he grabbed the picnic basket. “Come on.”
They walked through the courtyard. It was a Sunday, so it was empty. Over the years, this was something they did often. Coming back to the spot where their story started was therapeutic. They’d even done it during a few disagreements to ground themselves.
When they found their tree, Lucy took off for it and immediately found their carving, which was now complete.
Sweetie & Boogie + Lucy
A large heart circled around the names, and every time Boogie saw it, he felt right at home. His girls. It was all he needed to feel whole. Fuck the streets. Fuck money. Fuck anything else. This right here was it for him.
They spread a blanket out and got comfortable. Lucy talked their ear off while they ate, and when she had her fill, she took off for the playground.
Boogie sat back against the tree trunk and pulled Sweetie into him so that she sat between his legs. They sat and watched their daughter for a moment before Sweetie said, “It’s still so surreal when we come here. Can you believe we met when we were around her age?”
Boogie kissed her temple. “We ain’t know shit about shit.”
Sweetie giggled. “We knew we weren’t supposed to like each other.”
She had a point. They definitely knew that. Boogie grinned before he captured her lips with his. They kissed sensually for a moment before Boogie pulled away and said, “Yeah, but I ain’t sorry for that.”
“Me neither. Meeting you ended up being the best thing that ever happened to me.”
Boogie had to agree. Falling in love with Sweetie was a violation to their families, but to Boogie, it was simply The Sweetest Violation.
The End