Epilogue
Hutch
I slide into my seat at happy hour and pull Jocelyn onto my lap. Al is already passing us our drinks as several neighbors make their way to the bar.
Tonight’s happy hour is different. It’s Jocelyn’s graduation party. We all just watched my girl get her graduate degree, and I couldn’t be prouder.
Aside from all our neighbors, her mom, dad, and sister are here, and so is my family. They just met a week ago out at the cottage. I installed a covered dining patio so we could enjoy the outdoors even more this summer.
I can hear our dads talking about a baseball game they both watched last week.
And our moms are exchanging recipes. Even our siblings are here and chatting about a new band they all like.
I smile as I look at Ally and Bryson. I’ve spoken with each of them separately.
My brother took some time to come around and trust me again.
He was hurt, just as I was. But we’re mending the fences of our relationship, slowly but steadily.
For now, we’ve decided to stay in my apartment.
Maybe someday, we’ll move out, but until Jocelyn figures out what she wants to do, living here is perfect.
She even gets together with her dad once a week for lunch.
They are forging a new relationship. I know it will take time for them to work through everything, but they are off to a good start.
As for me, I’ve been going to therapy every week and working on my trauma from the accident. I feel closer to my family than I ever have. My siblings have even come over a few times for dinner. It’s not all perfect, but it’s way better than it’s been in years.
I’ve been working on trying to be more present with my football friends as well. I made a promise to see Farley play for his new team next season, and for now, I’m feeling like I can keep that promise. With Jocelyn at my side, I feel stronger and more settled for the first time in a long time.
“No flower mystery solving tonight?” Jocelyn teases as I grab my beer.
“You know what? I don’t think I’m going to look anymore,” I announce.
She gives me a curious look. “At all?”
“Oh, come on. We just installed those new motion cameras,” Kasen groans. “That shit is expensive.”
“Mr. Kasen!” Ava scolds as she points to the swear jar.
Kasen sighs and drops five dollars in it.
“Fine, maybe I’ll look occasionally. I just don’t feel the need to do it every day,” I clarify.
Kasen nods as if satisfied.
Bray shifts Ava on his lap as Carly walks over to him, a frown on her face.
“What’s up?” he asks.
“Hey, sweetie, Miss Jocelyn’s mom wants you to try her new peanut butter bars,” she says as she points to a table of food.
Ava grins and runs over to it, chatting with every adult who showers her with attention.
“What’s wrong?” Bray asks, a look of concern etching his features.
“Ava’s summer camp just got cancelled,” she says. Carly teaches, but in the summer she works at a local tutoring center to earn extra money.
Bray places his hand on hers. “I can help. I’ll just make sure I have night shift,” he says.
She frowns. “You have to sleep,” she says.
“I only work three nights a week and two nights on call. It’s fine,” he promises.
Her frown deepens. “I don’t know. If it were for a week or two…but it’s for five whole weeks. She still has that dance camp at the end of summer. Let’s talk about it later,” Carly says.
“OK,” he replies, but I can tell by his face that this is a finished conversation. “We’ll figure it out,” he reassures her.
I nudge him. “The rest of us can help too.”
He nods.
“Really?” Carly asks.
Everyone nods. She smiles. “I don’t know what I’d do without you all. Oh, that reminds me,” she says as she reaches in her pocket and pulls out a ring. “Does this belong to anyone?”
This time, everyone shakes their heads.
“Here, let me take a look,” Al says and Carly hands him the ring.
He holds it up to the light. “No idea. Another mystery here at one-eleven Hearts Lane. I’ll take it to a friend to see if it’s worth anything,” he adds.
“Sure. Thanks, Al,” she says.
“Oh, hey, we got you guys a gift for the cottage,” Drew says as he walks over, pulling everyone’s attention to him.
He’s here for one more week, and then he goes back to Italy to stay with his boyfriend again.
They’ve decided to split their time between countries until one of them can get residency, which might be Drew because he just got a job offer in Rome.
He pulls out a box, and together, we open it.
“What in the…” Jocelyn’s voice trails off as I pull out a fully taxidermied raccoon.
“Please tell me…” I stop because I don’t even want to think what this could be.
Drew gives us a look of disgust. “Ewww. No. It’s not Cliff. Besides, you two were just out there with her last night. It’s from an antique store. You need a Cliff at the cottage.”
“Uh, thanks,” I manage as I place the offending stuffed creature back in its box.
“Yeah, uh, it’s great,” Jocelyn says.
“I knew you’d love it,” Drew says proudly as he grabs another drink and walks over to Cam.
“We aren’t putting that out, right?” Jocelyn whispers.
“Fuck no. It’s going in a closet,” I state.
“Good, because I don’t think I could sleep somewhere with that thing looking at us,” she whispers.
I kiss her and she grins. “See, we’re perfect together. No dead animal decorations. Our house decor philosophies are completely simpatico.”
“I love it when you talk big words to me,” she teases.
“Oh yeah, what other big things do you like?” I taunt as I grab her thigh. She giggles, and I smile into her neck. I never thought I’d have the perfect woman, but here she is, and she’s all mine.
* * *
Jocelyn
The crickets are loud. We’re down feeding Cliff. It’s our nightly ritual except when we go to the cottage for the weekend. Then, we put out the automatic birdfeeder.
Somehow, we’ve found the perfect routine. Everything is a million times better than it was nine months ago. I’m still working at the bookstore until I figure out my next career move, but I’ve been thinking lately, and it’s time to run my idea by my man.
“I have an idea,” I say as I lean my head on his shoulder.
“You want to do it in the shower?” he asks.
I poke his ribs. “Is sex all you think about?” I tease.
“No, I think about food and sleep too,” he retorts with fake horror.
I giggle. “Right.”
He leans back and wraps an arm around me. “What’s on your mind, princessa?”
“I think…I want to write a book,” I state. “I mean, I’ll keep working part-time at the bookstore, but I want to try it. What do you think?”
“I love it. Do it,” he says and pulls my face up to his so he can kiss me.
“Really?” I say against his lips.
“Really,” he replies, kissing me again. I melt into him.
I feel so lucky to have him. I was always attracted to the bad guys, the ones who only cared about themselves.
I never once thought I’d get my own happily ever after.
I thought I’d just read about them in books because they were fictional. I was so wrong.
I turn and take his face in my hands. “I love you,” I whisper.
His eyes crinkle as he smiles. “I love you too,” he replies as he places a gentle kiss on my lips.
We lean our foreheads together. “Now what?” he asks.
“Oh, I don’t know. I think now, it’s back to that happily-ever-after thing,” I say with a dreamy sigh.
“I like that idea,” he agrees as he places a kiss on my forehead.
“Me too,” I reply as I gaze into Hutch’s eyes, something I’m pretty sure I’ll never tire of in this lifetime, and that is something I can trust.
I hope you enjoyed this story.