Epilogue
MYA
“I’ll have the Sense and Sensibility, please,” I ordered at the makeshift bar set up inside the Hawkins’ home at their ranch.
“Clever drink names.” Adelina lifted the little placard with the book title names on them. “No description of what’s in these. Sure Savanna’s not a mystery writer?” She pointed to the last name on the list, chuckling. “Moby Dick, huh? Don’t tell me, this cocktail is . . .”
“Oh please, finish that thought.” A deep Southern voice rolled over our shoulders and had my sister setting down the placard to face him.
“Adelina, meet Jude Ambrose. Thirty-six. Navy SEAL. Best in his class at sniper school. And Charlie Team’s resident bad boy.”
“Well, damn. You had me pegged, Mya, up until that last bullet point.” Jude placed a hand over his heart and tipped his head. “I’m not that bad, am I?”
The bartender handed me my drink and I passed it straight to Adelina. “Here. You’re gonna need the Sense and Sensibility more than I do.”
Adelina declined with a wave of her hand, never losing sight of Mr. Bad Boy. “I think I’m more interested in ordering the Moby Dick.”
Jude’s husky laugh had my sister doubling down on shooting him her seductive light-green eyes. While she was all right angles when it came to her job, when she wasn’t wearing her badge, she turned into an Italian goddess who had men falling all over her.
“Maybe it’s Jude I should save from you.” My remark earned me an elbow in the side from her.
“I think I can handle Miss Cattaneo, don’t you worry about me.” Jude’s wink wasn’t directed my way, and he’d need to do better than that to win over my sister.
Also, what was with snipers and their love of winking? Did it have to do with constantly closing one eye behind the long gun? I think they do that, at least. Maybe the shot of Pride and Prejudice I’d tossed back with AJ from Echo Team a few minutes ago had already hit me.
Leaving my sister alone with Mr. Bad Boy, I took my drink over to where Savanna, Ella, and Sydney were chatting. Ella’s mother, Deb Hawkins, could turn her house into quite the event center when needed. It was too cold out to host the party in the fields like they did for weddings, and Savanna’s coffee shop wasn’t large enough to host everyone, but this was perfect for the book release/reunion party.
“Your sister will handle Jude just fine,” Sydney said, reading me like a book as I met up with them. “She’s like you. Tough.” She held her hand out. “And I mean that in the best possible way.”
I sighed, then sipped my cocktail, which looked more like the drink we’d called a Windex back in college because of the blue Cura?ao in it.
“How are you feeling about tonight?” I nearly had to shout my question to Savanna, because AJ, Ella’s brother, just turned up the music. He was usually the DJ for team parties, and between him and their older brother, Beckett, who was married to Sydney, the two of them had a pair of lungs on them. They had the voice of Luke Combs and Cody Johnson combined.
“Griffin’s spoiling me with this event. I’ll never be able to have a book release without a shindig like this to go along with it.” Savanna smiled, looking wistfully across the room toward her husband. Griffin was talking to his best friend, Carter. Tonight, the guys were armed with drinks instead of their babies.
All the children were down the hall in the other room being babysat by McKenna, Levi, and Elaina—the eldest of the kids gathered at the ranch. Well, technically, Gwen was the oldest, but she was one of us and currently dancing with Easton. And based on Wyatt’s lack of chest rubbing, maybe Wyatt approved of that pairing?
Or, knowing Wyatt, he’d cornered Easton before the party and asked him to distract Gwen to keep her from the likes of bad boys like Jude, because Easton knew better than to piss off the grumpy dad. From what I knew about him, Jude wouldn’t give a damn. Even if Wyatt outranked him. Or maybe even because of that.
“Don’t forget to sign my books before the end of the night.” Although Sam had given me back my advanced copy when Oliver and I stayed at Malcolm and Vanessa’s place at Emerald Lake last month, I’d bought quite a few at the bookstore in town the other day.
Savanna shot Ella a knowing look. “I heard about the group text Griffin initiated. He sent Falcon on quite the missions across Alabama this week, buying up every book of mine in sight.”
Ella covered her eyes for a minute. “I know nothing.”
“Mmmmhmmm,” Savanna teased.
“Hey,” Ella began, lowering her hand to her side. “We’re family. We have each other’s backs on the battlefield and back home, too.”
Carter’s wife joined us a moment later, raising her glass, and the four of us clinked them together. “Cheers to your book release, and to Falcon being back together again.” After the toast, Diana commented, almost casually, “Oh, and I think I’ve finally figured out the whole cold fusion as a reliable source of clean energy thing.”
I about spat out my drink. “Just going to drop that on us all nonchalant-like, huh?”
Diana innocently tipped up her shoulder. “Oh, looks like your brother is about to . . .”
“Yup, for sure.” Ella laughed, and we all turned our attention on AJ as he began rounding everyone up in the room to play what felt like our traditional party song.
AJ pulled Jesse over next to him, and they waved over their wives, about to do the two-step to “The Git Up” by Blanco Brown.
“You coming or what?” Julia gestured my way as Finn hauled her to his side, the both of them in cowboy boots. Talk about a sight I’d never thought I’d see.
Okay, actually Michael Maddox wearing a Stetson dancing alongside Finn was probably even more shocking. He spun his wife, Kate, around before lifting her into the air.
At the sight of Diana convincing Carter, despite some scowling, to do the two-step, well, hell, was I dreaming?
“Why aren’t we out there?” Oliver wrapped his arms around me, drawing my back flush to his chest.
I relaxed against him, feeling safe and at home in his embrace. Plus, I was in a room full of operators—who came strapped, despite the fact it was a party—so there really was probably no safer place to be.
“That’s an excellent question.” I turned around and slung my arms over his shoulders.
“Going to answer it for me, Mrs. Lucas?”
“Jumping the gun there. Five more months until we walk down the aisle.” In Italy with all of our friends and family there, and no evil entity pulling the world’s strings anymore.
“Bah. In my head, you’re already my wife. Don’t need paperwork to make it official.” He leaned in and kissed me, setting me on fire with his lips. It didn’t matter we were in a room with over fifty people as the song switched over to another one everyone loved—“A Bar Song” by Shaboozey—because when I was in his arms, it became only us.
It took Sam’s dog, Scrappy, jumping against our legs to get Oliver to remove his tongue from my mouth.
“Down, boy, she’s mine.” Without pulling away, he waved Scrappy off, then returned to making out with me, not a care in the world.
For tonight, at least, no worries. Falcon would be returning to “active duty” soon since their book-buying mission as a test run had been a success.
I still couldn’t help but inwardly chuckle at that. A bunch of hot dads and operators running around buying up Savanna’s new book—couldn’t get more sexy than that.
After our hot kiss ended, and when AJ and his brothers began singing, Oliver escorted me to the dance floor where his dad and Cindy were already dancing. My sister was there, too, hanging out with Mr. Bad Boy.
Still no sign of Mason. His brother promised me he’d be showing up, but apparently, fashionably late.
“He’s here,” Oliver said into my ear a minute or two later, and of course I knew precisely who he was talking about.
From the corner of my eye, I spied Adelina going still. She stopped dancing with Jude, arms falling to her sides, gaze cutting across the room.
I followed her attention to Mason in the doorway, leaning against the frame. He was staring right back at her just as intensely.
No longer dancing with Oliver, we both went over to my sister, and I let her know, “There’s someone I’d like you to meet. One of my close friends.”
“Mason Matthews is your close friend?” She zeroed in on me in shock, then leaned in so I could better hear her over the loud music. “Why didn’t you mention him before?” When she pulled away, a putting-two-and-two-together look crossed her face. “He’s your ex, too?”
My ex, too? So, you two did more than date. I knew it. “Not like that. Um . . .” Awkward conversation to be having right in front of Oliver. But the man knew everything about me. No need to hide anything from him. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. It felt . . . I don’t know. Weird?”
“You could say that.” I had to read her lips, because she’d spoken too softly to be heard over AJ now serenading his wife while getting heckled by Echo Team.
Oliver kissed my cheek and let me know, “I’ll give you three some space.”
“Okay.” I brushed my lips over his for a more intimate kiss, and it was broken up quicker than I’d wanted when I accidentally bumped into Echo Four and his wife who were partaking in a little dirty dancing. They had to be lost in their own bubble, otherwise Roman would’ve joined Echo Team to give AJ a hard time.
Resetting on the mission at hand, I secured a hold of my sister’s arm as if she might float away, and we headed for Mason.
Mason shoved away from the doorframe, dragging his hands through his hair, before standing tall. His chest lifted and fell with a deep breath, and out came the name, “Lina.”
“Mason,” she whispered back, her voice barely cutting through the noise. My flirty sister looked like she’d seen a ghost, transforming into a shy introvert. It was a side of her I’d never seen.
“Hi.” His brows scrunched tight as he studied her.
“Hi,” she echoed. “Been a long time.” Her hand went to her stomach as she stared at him.
He positioned his palm against the interior doorframe as if in need of support. “Yeah, haven’t seen you since the day you walked out on me.” His expression softened in the blink of an eye, and he hid whatever emotions he’d been wearing. “You finally found your sister. Had I known . . .” He let his words trail off while tipping his head my way.
“I’m going to get another drink. Maybe a War and Peace,” I sputtered, then hightailed it to Oliver, not wanting to third-wheel their conversation any longer.
“Everything okay?” Oliver asked while taking me in his arms, setting his hands at my lower back.
“There’s a story between them for sure. From the sounds of it, Mason’s been holding out on me. Doesn’t sound like whatever was between them was nearly as casual as he made it seem.” Based on what I knew, the guy never even showed anyone his condo in New York. She took off on you? From where? What happened? “It seems to me he suffered from a broken heart, and by her hand, rather than a mutual parting of the ways.”
“For a guy who never really dated . . .” He scrunched his nose as if remembering my friends-with-benefits past with Mason. “Looks like he fell for two sisters, and?—”
“Ugh, don’t finish that.” I covered his mouth with my hand, and he licked my palm like always. “You know what this means, though?”
He fake-mumbled against my hand, emphasizing I should lower it from his mouth. I cracked a smile as my adorable fiancé distracted me.
“What does it mean?” he asked once I uncovered his mouth.
Eyes back on the former lovebirds, and thank God I was okay with birds again, I shared, “That the puzzle isn’t as complete as I thought it was.”
“Pretty sure when it comes to my curious and inquisitive fiancée, there will always be a story out there for you to tell. A puzzle to finish.” He nipped my bottom lip with his teeth before pulling back. “And as for them,” he said, gesturing in their direction with his head, “you know as well as I do that you just never know when a plot twist might happen. Maybe their story will change. And if it doesn’t, then it wasn’t meant to be.”
“And who says you’re not a writer?” I dismissed all the heavy stuff in favor of the joy in front of me. I linked my wrists behind my man’s neck, mesmerized by him.
He grinned. “So, what you’re saying is, I can finally be the Clark Kent to your Lois Lane? I’m no longer your Jimmy Olsen?”
I pressed up on my toes, drawing my body even closer to my future husband. “Who are we kidding?” I sighed. “You’ve always been my Superman.”
Continue for a bonus scene from Gwen’s perspective.