Epilogue
TWO MONTHS LATER
LIAM
The vast, endless mountain sky spreads above us, millions of stars twinkling against the utter blackness. A high, full moon casts shadows from all the trees around the cabin, but I’ve finally forced myself to stop looking into them for lurking danger.
At least, beyond the natural ones that have always existed here on McBride Mountain.
But I’ve never feared them.
Only respected the animals who were here long before us.
I sit back in the new chair on the porch and stare up at the sky, like I often do, letting the vastness of it overwhelm me and make me feel like a tiny speck in the universe.
There was a time when I thought disappearing would be a good thing for me, for everyone around me, when I believed that the taint that had been brought by my father could lead me to do something as awful as he had. When I thought there would be no escaping who I was in my blood.
But one woman changed all of that.
I never could have sat here, in this chair, or even finished it, if she hadn’t pushed me to move past my fears and embrace what’s right in front of me.
This wood may remind me of what happened that day up on the mountain and of what my father did to Willow, but it also serves as evidence that something horrible can lead to something beautiful.
Willow and Killian’s new life with their son.
Mine with Lucky.
It might not have happened if I hadn’t been in that mental state that night. If I hadn’t waited downtown, lingering because I didn’t want to spend another evening with my nightmares. I might not have driven on that road at that exact time and found Gizmo…and ultimately her.
Lucky pushes out of the cabin with a glass of amber liquid in her hand and grins at me as she slides into my lap, handing it to me as she examines the chair. “You finished it.”
I nod, running my free hand over the arm of it. “I did.”
“It’s beautiful.” She laughs, grinding into my lap. “And sturdy.”
“Very.”
Raising the glass to my lips with my left hand, the familiar twinge hits my shoulder and I wince, allowing Lucky to take the drink. I roll my shoulder slightly, trying to work out the discomfort the work I did today caused.
Her gaze narrows on me. "You all right?"
I nod. "I'm good."
She takes a sip of her bourbon, then hands it back to me, looping her arms around my neck. "Are you lying to me?"
Not about that.
It doesn’t feel good after pushing myself so hard this afternoon to finish the chair, but it will be fine—eventually.
And I had to do it today.
There wasn’t any other option.
I grin at her and take a sip, letting the warm, spicy liquid coat my tongue and burn down my throat into my belly. "You know I would never lie to you."
Her warm blue eyes search mine. "I do know that."
After all this time, she finally believes it. She finally understands that every promise I made to her, I would die to fulfill.
I almost did.
She feathers her lips over mine, then settles her head against my good shoulder and stares up at the sky with me. "It's beautiful tonight."
I nod, loving the weight of her body pressed against mine. How perfectly we fit together like this.
The sounds of the evening float around us.
All the normal ones the mountain at night always provides.
Its own symphony.
What happened here only a few months ago is finally gone from it, even if it isn't from our memories.
Today was the first time I walked into the barn and didn’t see the red stain. Even though we washed it and painted over it months ago, I could still see it the same way I felt the taint in my blood knowing about my father.
Until today.
Lucky pushes up and turns toward me, her brows narrowed over concerned eyes, locked on me. "You sure you're all right?"
I nod and kiss her, trying to distract her worry, but she can read me too damn well.
"Did something happen at work today?"
My hand tightens around the glass, and I take a long sip before I answer, swallowing the liquid courage. "I didn't go to work today."
"What?" Her brows fly up. "Where were you?"
I clear my throat, bracing myself for her reaction. "I went to see my father."
Her entire body stiffens, her palm coming to rest against my chest, directly over my heart. "Why didn't you tell me?"
The deep concern in her voice is one of the reasons I love her so much.
She understands what it means for me to go see him, to face the man I’ve been so worried about looking like and coming from for so long.
I raise my hand and cup her cheek, her soft skin like silk beneath the rough calluses of my thumb as I brush against it. "Because I knew you'd worry."
A little mirthless laugh floats from her. "With good reason. Liam, I don't understand."
"I had to do it. I had to look in his eyes one more time. I had to talk to him."
Her brow furrows. "Why?"
"So that I would know for sure."
"You would know what?"
I offer her a smile I finally feel. "That I'm not a Byers. I'm a McBride."
Lucky’s gaze softens. "What did you say to him?"
Probably not enough.
There were so many things I planned in my head over the past two years, so much I wanted to say and questions I wanted to ask if I were ever face to face with him, but all of that went out the window as soon as he opened his mouth.
I take another sip as I consider our conversation from earlier today at the state mental hospital where he's been locked up for almost a year now.
"I'm not even totally sure he knew who I was.
They've been medicating him, but ..." I shake my head slightly, my jaw tensing.
"I told him Willow was my sister-in-law, and that I was his son.
There was a flicker, a second where I thought maybe he understood everything, but—" I release a heavy sigh, the pain of that moment hitting me hard again.
"But then, it was gone. I think he's totally gone at this point.
But seeing him was good because I don't see myself anymore when I look at him. "
She smiles, with nothing but love and affection glowing in her gaze. "Good, you shouldn't."
"I saw a broken man who's been broken for a very long time, who had everything to live for—a wife and a child—and instead became a monster. I won't let that happen to me, to us.”
She leans into me, burying her face in my neck. "I know you won't. I'm glad you went and saw him."
I press my lips into the top of her head, inhaling that eucalyptus scent. "Me, too."
"But I wish you would've told me."
The pain in her voice makes regret sit heavy on my chest.
"I needed to do it on my own."
She pushes up and nods. "I understand that."
"Good, because it's the only thing I want to do alone. For the rest of my life, it's you and me…and Giz."
He pops his head up from the other chair beside us at the sound of his name, scanning to see why I said it, and then instantly slumps back down, returning to his evening nap when he discovers he isn’t getting any snacks or attention.
Lucky runs her hands through my hair. “Good. While you were gone today, I got a call."
"From who?"
"Agent Michaelson."
My back immediately stiffens. "Why didn't you tell me right when you walked out the door?"
She gives me a sly smile. "Because I didn't want you to worry."
"Using my own words against me, huh?"
A grin plays at her lips. "If that's what it takes."
"What did he have to say?"
"A lot."
* * *
LUCKY
I've been dreading having this conversation all day, but after what Liam just revealed to me about going to see his father, there doesn't seem any point in keeping it from him.
Not when we've been waiting for this news for a long time.
“I was going to tell everyone at breakfast tomorrow…”
His body tenses under mine. He's anticipating the blow because that's what it seems like has been happening over the last several months since the attack on McBride Mountain.
The Lorells set a series of crazy legal maneuvers in motion, trying to twist what happened in any way that would give them the upper hand in their battle against the people trying to bring them down.
They tried to argue it was some giant conspiracy to frame one of the youngest members of their family and cover up a murder committed by the McBrides. All orchestrated by me—the mastermind bank robber.
It was ludicrous.
And of course, Agent Michaelson didn’t buy any of it, nor did the U.S. Attorney’s office.
But we’ve still had to jump through hoop after hoop, give statements, attend interview after interview and retell the same story dozens of times.
Yet it has felt like everything has been stagnant.
There was no moving forward until today.
I smile at him. "It's good news."
A little of the tension in him releases. "What did he say?"
Settling back onto his chest, I rest my head on his good shoulder. "He said that their legal tactic has changed."
"How so?"
"They weren't going to get anywhere, trying to prosecute a RICO case using the robbery with almost all of the crew dead. Finding out who the other few were would have been nearly impossible, let alone tying them to the larger criminal enterprise. So, they came to an agreement with Brent's uncle."
He raises the glass and takes a long pull from it, like he needs the alcohol to settle his nerves. "What kind of an agreement?"
"One I think we can all live with.”
At least, I hope we can.
I still don't fully trust it. I don't think I can ever fully trust anything having to do with that man or his family after what he did to me, what he did to us. But he's long dead now and buried. And this is the fallout we have to deal with.
It’s going to be messy, no matter what.
There are no tightly wrapped, pretty bows around boxes that contain it.
I snag the glass from Liam and take a sip of the bourbon, staring up at the stars. "He said that the Lorells are agreeing to stop pursuing any legal action against any of us for Brent's death, if the government agrees to stop any potential prosecution of anyone in their organization."
"What?" Liam's entire body stiffens again, and he tugs my face up to look at me, searching my eyes. "But they tried to kill you. They almost killed me."
I bite my bottom lip. "I know, but they don't want the government breathing down their necks. They don't want to be constantly fighting this battle. So, if I disappear quietly, if this story remains under wraps…”
Which it mostly has, thanks to the people of McBride Mountain understanding how essential it was, and to Raven being able to keep her mouth shut for once.
“It'll all just go away, Liam.” I shrug.
“They told Agent Michaelson that if Brent was involved in the robbery, he acted alone and outside their structure.
I don't know if that's true. It's hard for me to believe he would do that, but there's no way to prove otherwise. If the FBI leaves it alone, leaves them alone, then they’ll leave us alone. "
It seems like such a simple concept.
Almost too simple.
Which is why it’s impossible to really trust it, but I don’t know how else this ends.
Liam drags my head down, pressing his lips to my forehead and holding me there for several moments as the night settles around us. "You're really okay with this?"
I release a heavy sigh.
No one is going to pay for what happened.
No one is going to pay for what was done to me and the McBrides.
At least, that’s what I initially thought, but as the day has gone on, I realized that the person responsible already has.
He's gone.
The man who did this to me, the man who hurt me, never can again.
And the one who brought me back to life, who gave me a life, now has his arms wrapped around me, and he continues to be my rock, my safety, my everything every damn day.
"This is all I need, Liam.” I raise a hand vaguely toward the sky. “This right here. You and McBride Mountain and this beautiful sky. Everything beyond it could vanish as far as I care."
He kisses my temple, tightening his hold on me. "That's the same way I feel about this place and about you. And if you're okay with this resolution, then the rest of us will be."
"Are you sure?"
The fallout from the attack on the homestead has been more than just legal.
Since doing what he had to that night, since killing those men, Connor has been untouchable.
He's holed himself up in that cabin and barely left, only coming down to eat, where he barely touches his food and hardly says a word.
He sits in the office at his desk, staring absently at the wall or a paper I know he isn't reading, going through the motions without really interacting with anyone or enjoying anything.
Liam, Killian, Willow, and I have all tried to talk to him.
We've all tried to get through.
He doesn't want to talk—the same way Liam never did about what he was dealing with—but the crushing weight of it is really starting to wear down on him.
"I'm worried about Connor."
Liam nods. "We all are."
"You really think he'll be okay with this?"
"He doesn't have a choice. We all have to be…"
And that's the real lesson—that sometimes in life we don't have a choice. Sometimes things happen to us, and all we can do is deal with them and live with the fallout.
It's taken me a long time to realize that what happened with “Brad” wasn't my fault, though there are times when I look at the giant scar on Liam's shoulder and remember how close I was to losing him, that I have to force myself to hear Willow's words over and over again assuring me of that.
"You really think he'll be okay?"
Liam nods. "I do. Eventually."
A door slams somewhere on the property, and I jerk up slightly, glancing at Liam, whose eyes narrow through the darkness.
We both listen as familiar voices float through the night air.
I glance at him. "Is that Connor?"
He nods.
"And Raven?"
His jaw tenses. "Sure sounds like it."
And though I can't make out the words, the tone is unmistakable.
"What are they arguing about? What is she even doing here?"
Liam shakes his head. "I don't know, but it can't be good."
He isn’t wrong. The way they bicker and the glares they toss at each other when they’re in the same room is enough to make everyone else leave it.
But I refuse to let whatever is going on with them interfere with this moment, when so many things have finally come together.
This right here, wrapped in Liam’s arms, staring at the night sky above McBride Mountain, is home.
I’m done running.
* * *
I hope you enjoyed Beyond the Mountain Sky.