Epilogue - Gray Eleven Years Later
How the hell did that happen?
And now, she’s perched on the edge of the pool with her college friends, pretending to be unimpressed by the whole thing, but I catch the half-smile she’s trying to hide.
Aiden, my ten-year-old, bounces in the water beside me, splashing me directly in the face. “Come on dad, hurry up and serve!”
I wipe my face and glare at him. “Watch it, kid.”
We’re in the water volleyball championship of the day.
The teammate beside me, Avery—yes, that’s right, my beautiful, famous, bestselling novelist wife of 11 years—shifts, amusement dancing in her eyes. The woman who turned my world upside down. I still can’t believe she actually married me.
Across the net, Cassy, Jake and Brian—Avery’s dad. Jake and Brian are arguing. Again.
Brian shakes his head, grumbling. “I’m too old for this.”
“You’re fine!” Cassy, Jake’s brand-new wife of six months, eggs him on. “Come on, Brian! Don’t let him get in your head.”
Yeah, you heard that one right. Jake and Cassy. Who would’ve thought?
The ball spins in my hands as I get ready to serve.
“Come on, old man!” Jake calls out. “Some of us want to play before we retire!”
I arch an eyebrow. “Old man?” The ball rolls against my palm. “Avery, remind me again why we invited your brother?”
“Because unfortunately, we’re stuck with him.” She laughs. “Now serve the damn ball before your son explodes.”
I glance over at Maddie. She’s watching, trying to look bored, but I catch her whispering to her friends. “Look at them trying to be cool,” she stage-whispers. “Dad’s going to make this all about winning. Just watch.”
I don’t even turn my head. “I heard that, young lady.”
I launch the ball high, bringing it down with what I’d call professional precision. It sails straight toward Brian.
“Ha!” Cassy intercepts it, bumping it perfectly to Jake. “That all you got, CEO?”
The ball flies back over the net. The sky is bright blue, the sun hot overhead.
As I go to punch the ball mid-air, I catch Maddie shaking her head in sheer embarrassment and nearly miss, just barely managing to get my hand on it. Thank God. The ball barely clears the net.
“Dad!” Aiden squirts water directly at me. “Stop letting them win!”
Brian, up to his chest in water, swats at the ball. “In my day, we played proper sports. On land. Like civilized people.”
The ball sails back toward Avery. “Yikes!” she yells as it comes straight for her. She dives, punching it back just before it hits the water.
It skims the net.
I lunge forward, but before I can reach it, Jake’s hand comes out of nowhere, spiking it straight back down. SPASH! The water explodes everywhere as Aiden and I collide trying to save it.
“Point!” Cassy screeches. “That’s what happens when you get distracted by your own ego, Hayes!”
I push my wet hair from my face. “Excuse me, but I was clearly fouled by my own son.”
“Was not!” Aiden protests, climbing onto my shoulders uninvited. He giggles. “You’re just slow, Dad.”
“Slow?” I grab his ankles before he can escape. “We’ll see about that.”
From her perch, Maddie groans. “Oh God, here we go. Dad’s about to turn this into the Olympics.”
Damn right, I am.
The score is tied at 22-22. Officially.
Unofficially, I know it’s 23-23, but I’m surrounded by liars and cheaters who refuse to acknowledge the real scoreboard—my scoreboard. Either way, there’s no chance in hell I’m letting Jake’s team win.
Brian serves. The ball soars high over the net, cutting through the air and heading straight for Aiden.
My adrenaline spikes. “Aiden, get under it! Now! Hands up! Keep your—”
Somehow—miraculously—Aiden lands the hit, sending the ball crashing down on Jake’s side of the net.
“YEAH!” Avery and I explode into cheers, high-fiving.
Jake groans in frustration, mouth moving but—thankfully—inaudible. I can read his lips though, and I’m pretty sure he just called my ten-year-old son a little—
“You kiss your wife with that mouth, Jacob?” I smirk.
Jake flips me off behind Cassy’s back.
Okay… Game point.
Avery tosses me the ball, but I hand it right back. “Finish them.”
She grins. Evil woman.
I watch as she launches her serve, and it blazes high over the net. Cassy jumps to return it but misses entirely and accidentally punches Jake in the face. “Ow!”
The ball splashes into the water and the game dissolves.
Laughter. Shouting. Water flying everywhere. Jake is half-drowning, spluttering. Cassy is crying from laughing too hard. Brian’s shaking his head like this is the biggest disgrace of his lifetime.
And I—winner that I am—dive straight under the water in victory. The world shifts. The sounds above muffle. The water is warm, with golden light filtering through the rippling surface.
I spot her—Avery. Her legs kick gently as she treads water, completely unaware.
Launching up, I grab her and pull her with me. She gasps as we break the surface, but before she can protest, I just kiss her long and slow.
Around us, the mayhem continues—Aiden’s screaming something, Maddie’s probably hiding her face, Jake’s still rubbing his eye—but right now, none of that matters.
I kiss her again. “Avery Hayes, thank you for making me the happiest man on this planet.” She grins against my lips and her hands slip around my neck.
Lost in my well-earned victory, I launch into an elaborate Grayson splash dance, arms slicing through the water, completely oblivious to Aiden screaming at the top of his lungs—
“But Dad! I’ve still got to take another shot!”
Now it’s the end!