Epilogue
Six months ago my ex shot me. It hurt like a bitch and healing hurt even worse. The pain was manageable until I got home, but then it wasn’t. It took me a long time to get inside once we got home. I refused everyone’s help for the first hour of being inside until I nearly collapsed trying to go to the bathroom.
It took me a while to be fully functional again. I went back to work in the office about two months after the shooting and everyone was so excited to see me. Rowan and Mia planned a surprise welcome back party and I cried in front of my entire office.
Rowan was insistent that I didn’t have to but I did explain to them what happened and what led to the situation to begin with. The least shocking part for people was Rowan and I getting married.
Although we couldn’t get married legally, I had a commitment ceremony of sorts with Max and Theo. This gave Rowan and I an opportunity to have a real ceremony where others could attend.
The guys got together and designed a ring for me. It has three simple stones to represent each of them with ‘Love without limits’ inscribed on the inside of the band. Their bands have the same inscription.
Theo and Annie’s dynamic changed dramatically when she got pregnant with Andrew’s baby. There wasn’t any question that it was his and not Theo’s. He and Annie hadn’t had sex in over two months when she got pregnant. Theo ended up spending most of his time helping Rowan and Max with me as I healed. This allowed Annie and Andrew to become even closer and Theo and I to become closer too.
They sat down and decided that because of the change in their relationship with me and Andrew, it was best that they divorce. Ultimately, Annie wanted to be married to Andrew and not Theo. They didn’t actually tell me until after they filed in fear of me thinking I split them apart. I still did think I was the cause. Hell, I still do. If I had never been shot, Theo never would have distanced himself from his wife.
Annie and Andrew moved out to prepare for the baby. We are all still friends. Theo and Annie still talk and communicate as before, but Theo has told me that the sexual part of their relationship is over because she wants to be monogamous with Andrew. I think I will always hold guilt for this, even though I know I did not directly cause it. I did not ask to get shot, and I did not ask for Theo to distance himself from Annie. Just as no one asked Annie to get closer to Andrew.
Harper was put on hospice care last week. I was informed when they got permission from the court to allow their lawyer to contact me. Emma had already warned me that someone was going to reach out because she acted on my behalf in court. I have not decided if I want to visit yet. If I do, then I will naturally see my parents as well. I haven’t decided if I want to see her before she passes, but I know me. I know I will go see her.
What no one but Emma knows is that I vouched for her to get put back on the transplant list. Harper is a bitch, but she was taught to be that way. Unlike my parents, I do think that she has redeemable qualities. I think that if she decided to, she could be a good person. She should not die because our parents are pieces of shit.
“Alright, guys. I know we normally have our meetings in the mornings but Anika and I ended up delayed at the airport for quite some time. Anika?” Rowan says.
“Right. Andrea Davis is currently in a contract with one of her books for the production of a movie. This is the first time the company has had an author who has gotten a movie deal. Andrea has requested in her contract with them that we will be in charge of any final checks of the script. In a roundabout way, this is just Andrea’s way of having our approval I suppose? I will have an editor go through the script alongside her book to ensure that it is an accurate representation of her publication. Beyond that, Amanda Larson was placed on the bestseller list for her newest book. Mia?” Mia goes through her authors before everyone else goes through theirs. Rowan dismisses us and I gather my stuff.
When I get back to my office, I start gathering my stuff to go home. I am facing away from the door so I don’t notice Mia come in until she is right behind me. I turn around to leave my office and scream when I run into her.
“Jesus. Would you not do that? You people are going to kill me one day,” I say breathlessly.
“Ready?” she grins.
“You good?” Rowan asks with a smirk from the doorway.
“You all find way too much joy in scaring me,” I frown.
“Theo and Max are here,” Rowan says.
“Why?” I ask as I turn and grab my phone. I see a text message that makes me happier than I ever thought it would.
Emma
She got a kidney. She’s in surgery now. She knows you got her on the list and wants to see you after.
Me
I need to tell the guys first but I’ll go see her. Restraining order is dropped?
Emma
Theo knows most of it, just not that she actually got the kidney. And yes. Just hers.
“Theo wants us all to talk,” Rowan says.
“Where exactly are we talking?” I ask. The location will determine if he’s mad at me or not for hiding it.
“We are going to dinner. Why? Did you do something wrong?” Rowan asks as we walk to the front.
“Uhhhh…” I say and Mia laughs.
“What did you do?” Mia asks.
“I may or may not have been hiding something for two months from everybody. Emma just told me that he knows,” I say and Rowan raises an eyebrow at me as we step out.
“Hi,” Theo says, narrowing his eyes at me.
“Emma told me you know. There is more to it so just let me explain before you get too mad,” I say before kissing him and then Max.
“Do you have to do that here?” Marvin says as he exits behind us.
“If you’re jealous Marvin, just say so,” Max says before kissing me again.
“Definitely not jealous,” he laughs.
“Why’s that?” Theo asks.
“I’d advise against answering that,” Mia laughs.
“He’s just upset that the boss gets to fuck her and not him,” Max says and I laugh.
“I’m not into whores,” Marvin says as he goes to step past us. Without warning Mia turns and punches him. Marvin stumbles back in shock. I burst out laughing which pulls everyone else into laughter.
“You bitch. I’ll get you fired for that,” he hisses.
“Take it up with the boss, dick head,” Mia snaps. “Learn to keep your fucking mouth shut.”
“Mia, why did you punch Marvin?” Arthur Genesis, the owner of Genesis Press, asks.
“He called Anika a whore for kissing her husband. He is constantly making degrading comments about their dynamic to the point that she actively avoids him so that she doesn’t have to hear the comments. We are outside of the building and not on the clock, so I hit him.”
“Is this true Marvin?” Arthur asks.
“Yes,” he seethes.
“Starting Monday you’re working from home. You can attend the meetings though,” he says to Marvin simply.
“Whatever,” he rolls his eyes and walks off.
“Why is it okay for a man to fuck three women but it’s not for a woman to do that?” Mia asks.
“Sexism, that’s why,” Arthur says as he walks to his car. “You all have a good weekend.”
“Anyways,” I laugh. “Dinner and I’ll tell you guys what’s going on and hopefully you all won’t be as mad as Theo looks.”
“I’m not mad, Anika,” he says softly, kissing my forehead. “I would like to know what else you have to tell us though.”
“Let’s go to dinner and I’ll tell you guys,” I say.
We all go to the restaurant and sit down. I have Theo to my right and Max to my left. I suspect that Max knows but Rowen doesn’t because he is sitting across from me and not staring at me as opposed to how Max and Theo are staring me down. Mia and Emma are beside Rowan. Annie and Andrew are to the other side of Rowan on the opposite side of the table from Theo.
“Are you and Annie okay?” I ask Theo quietly.
“We are friends if that’s what you’re wondering,” he says. I sigh and look back to my glass of water. “Anika.”
“Yes,” I say.
“It’s not your fault,” he whispers to me before pulling me close and kissing my temple.
“I feel like I just showed up and wrecked your marriage,” I say quietly.
“You didn’t. I suspected this would happen when she started spending more time with him before you ever even came into the picture. People grow apart sometimes,” he smiles. “All that you need to know is that I love you and Annie is your friend. Okay?”
“Okay,” I force a smile.
“So, what is it that you hid from everyone?” Rowan asks with a touch of an attitude in his voice. I am suddenly reluctant to say anything. If he’s upset now, just wait until he finds out I dropped the restraining order so I can go see her. Theo knows everything besides that she got a kidney today.
“So?”
“Rowan, don’t be a dick,” Theo says.
“What he said,” Max agrees as he eats a fried pickle. Rowan sighs heavily and looks at Mia.
“Don’t look at me. If she didn’t tell me then she probably had a good reason to hide it. I suspect Theo found out by accident,” she says.
“Go on,” Theo nudges me. I look up from my glass and sigh.
“He’s going to be angry,” I say quietly.
“I’ll handle it,” Theo says with a smile. “Go on.”
“I advocated for Harper to get back on the transplant list,” I say cautiously. Rowan looks like he is about to get mad when Mia glares at him.
“Why?” she asks.
“Well… After Isaac shot me, I had a lot of time to reflect on things. Our parents made her that way. It’s not her fault that the only thing she knew was how to be spoiled. They never gave her a chance to live beyond that. She shouldn’t die because of them so more than I should have…. So, I advocated for her to get on the list,” I explain.
“What else?” Theo asks.
“I dropped the restraining order on her. She was placed into hospice care last week and I wanted to see her before she died,” I say and look at Emma.
“You knew this?” Mia asks Emma.
“I helped her drop the restraining order,” she says. “Tell them.”
“She’s in surgery right now for a kidney transplant,” I say. “I plan on going to see her.”
“So she’s going to be okay?” Mia asks.
“As long as it doesn’t reject… I guess so,” I shrug. “The only thing I had planned for was just giving her a chance at surviving.”
“What do you hope happens?” Theo asks me. He is clearly asking me as a psychiatrist, not my husband.
“I hope she takes this chance and does good with it. She’s never been given a chance to be anything other than what they made her to be. You guys gave me a chance at a life away from my parents, so I want to give her a chance to have a life away from them also,” I say. “By no means is this me saying that I want a relationship with her, but I’m not saying that she doesn’t have the ability to be good. I think that she is redeemable.”
“When are you planning to see her?” Rowan asks me.
“Tonight, when she’s out of surgery. There is a very good chance that my parents will be there, but I don’t suspect that they are going to be much of an issue. Harper knows that I was the one who helped her get back on the transplant list.”
“Do you want us to come with you?” Rowan asks.
“I do,” I nod. “Are you mad?”
“That you saved someone’s life? No, Anika. I’m not mad,” he smiles. “I don’t like that you hid this though.”
“He just wants something to punish you for,” Max laughs.
“I’ll give you something,” Mia smiles.
“Shut up. I didn’t mean to say it out loud,” I frown at her.
“What?” Rowan asks her.
“She called herself ugly this morning,” Mia says.
“Really?” Theo deadpans.
“I… Yeah,” I say slowly. “I was frustrated.”
“Anika,” Theo sighs heavily.
“I’m sorry.”
“Did you mean it?” he asks.
“At the time I did,” I say.
“Then we will handle that later. Emma, can you get an update on the surgery?” he asks.
“I just got an email from her. She’s awake and surgery went smoothly,” Emma says. I feel more relieved than I imagined and Theo sees this.
“Let’s finish eating and go see Harper. After we will handle you being mean to yourself,” he says.
“Okay,” I smile. Everyone resumes eating but I lean in and speak quietly to Theo. “What was that thing you said about little girls who treat themselves like they belong in the streets?”
“I bet you’re dying to find out, huh?” he chuckles.
“Considering you’ve been….” I stop and think about the word that I want to use when Max leans over and finishes my sentence.
“Gentle. He’s unnaturally gentle with you,” Max laughs.
“I am not that gentle,” he says defensively.
“It’s not a bad thing. I’m just saying you act like you are afraid you will hurt me,” I explain.
“You got shot, Anika,” he frowns.
“Six months ago,” I remind him.
“Doesn’t stop me from fucking her speechless,” Max shrugs.
“Or me,” Rowan chimes in.
“Is that why you’ve been a brat more to me than them?” he asks.
“Yes, but you won’t break,” I laugh.
“I don’t want to hurt you, Anika,” he sighs.
“It’s okay if you’re becoming more submissive, Theo. This is a safe space to open up,” I say with a conniving smile.
“Oh shit,” Annie bursts out laughing. “Is he still afraid to hurt you?”
“Yeah,” I say as I break away from Theo’s stare and look at her.
“My advice is to just keep pushing. He will break eventually,” she laughs.
“Keep calling him a submissive and he might just bend you over in the middle of this restaurant,” Andrew smirks and gestures at Theo who is staring a hole into me.
I turn and look at him and Theo is glaring at me. “You look upset, Theo. Was it something I said?” I ask with a sweet smile.
“Here we are, guys,” the server says as she sets our pizzas on the table.
“We are good,” I say with a smile.
Theo finally breaks his stare and we all eat. I hurry and finish first before faking a bathroom trip to give my debit card to the server. If anything will make him break, it will be me paying for everyone.
When I get back to the table Rowan immediately knows what I’ve done and laughs.
“What? What’d you do?” Max asks me.
“You’ll see.” I giggle when I see the server coming over with my card and the receipt.
“Here’s your card back,” she smiles at me. She hands me the card, receipt, and a pen. When I start to quickly fill the receipt out before Theo can take it from me, she waits. I sense that she knows I am not supposed to be paying for everyone.
“Here’s your pen also,” I say as I hand her the receipt and her pen back.
“You all have a great weekend,” she says before walking away, laughing.
“Thank you for dinner,” Annie says with an all-knowing smile.
“You are most welcome,” I reply with a grin.
Theo doesn’t say anything until we all get to the parking lot. “Anika, how many times have we asked you to stop paying for everyone?” he asks calmly.
“About as many as I’ve told you that you won’t hurt me,” I shrug.
“That is not the same, Anika,” he frowns at me.
“Look, someone gotta be the dominant one here,” I say as I step away from him. Theo grabs my waist and backs me against the truck.
“Stop saying that,” he requests.
“What? That you’re going soft on me?” I ask and he grows more tense. “We can go somewhere private and talk if you don’t feel comfortable opening up here.” Mia laughs heartily at me pushing Theo.
“Anika,” Theo growls.
“I wonder if he’s into pegging now?” Mia asks and everyone laughs.
“You need to calm it down, little girl,” Theo growls.
“Or what?” I ask with a smile and Rowan chuckles. “Will you gently teach me a lesson, Theo?”
“You are pushing me, Anika,” he warns.
“Am I? I was afraid maybe you might have started to believe all the bad things I say about myself,” I say simply. Knowing I’ve definitely won now, I go to step away. Theo wraps his hand around my throat and pushes me against the truck before getting in my face.
“There he is,” Annie says happily.
“What’s wrong, Theo? Or are you upset because you’re going submissive on me or because you’re realizing I’m right about everything I say when you aren’t around?” I ask softly.
“This is going to be fun,” Max says giddily.
“Anika, you’re pissing me off,” Theo warns as he tightens his grip.
“It’s okay if you don’t find me attractive anymore. I’m a big girl. I can handle it,” I say. “Or is that the issue? Do you not like big girls, Theo?”
“Alright, if that doesn’t break him then he really has gone submissive,” Mia laughs.
Theo leans in and whispers in my ear, “You want me to fuck you like my dirty little whore? Is that it?”
“Yes,” I say with a bright smile.
“As a lawyer, I want to remind you that fucking in public will get you on the registry,” Emma laughs.
“Oh darn. No punishment for me,” I say with a dramatized, pouting face that turns into a giggle.