Epilogue
CALLIE
I gaze out the window of our new home and into the backyard and smile, watching Felix and Kellen arguing over the construction of the playhouse they insisted on building.
At my twenty-week scan, we discovered we were indeed expecting a little girl, and all the overprotective men in my life went batshit crazy.
I laugh as Kellen shoves Felix, who falls on his ass, cursing.
So much has happened in the time Blake and I have been together that quiet moments like these are sometimes as much a blessing as a curse. Like stepping off a rollercoaster where you’re thankful for the reprieve, but your stomach still revolts, and your legs feel like Jello.
Christian’s death was a blessing, bringing me nothing but relief and a sense of safety. My mother’s death, however, brought me nothing but nightmares.
The aftermath of the fire didn’t kick in until a week or so after I left the hospital. I don’t know if it was because I had been so busy focusing on Marcus and June that it just took my brain a while to process everything, but the nightmares started coming thick and fast after that.
I know I did the right thing that day. Opening the door to the panic room would have, at the very least, resulted in Marcus’s death. And, given Christian’s frame of mind at the end there, it would likely have been the end of mine and Peaches’s life too.
As if she knows I’m thinking about her, she gives me two hard kicks to the bladder, making me grimace.
“And now I need to pee,” I mutter to myself, heading away from the window and moving toward the bathroom, almost colliding with Aiden in the hallway.
I don’t know Aiden as well as I do the others, but only because he had been away on a job for a chunk of Blake’s and my courtship. And what a job it turned out to be. Car crashes, bad guys, movie stars, and an epic romance all spilled over into real life, but that’s a story for another day.
He came back for our wedding—a simple affair held right here in the backyard—causing a stir when he brought Hollywood’s sweetheart Matilda Carson as his date.
“Sorry, Callie.” His deep voice rumbles, his hands wrapping around my arms to steady me. “I’m just finishing up the furniture in the nursery. Want to take a look?”
“Oh, hell yeah, but let me pee first. This kid seems to think my bladder is a football.”
He chuckles and lets go once he’s sure I’ve got my balance. “You do that. What time is Blake supposed to be getting here?”
I look at my watch as I start jigging on the spot. “In about an hour if the traffic gods smile upon him. June wanted him to meet her latest suitor first, so who knows.” I shrug, smiling, and for the first time in a long while, it doesn’t feel forced when talking about her.
Much like with my mother and Danny, June is another person I feel tremendous guilt toward. Especially when it was confirmed that it was the same two goons who beat Danny that attacked June. They were arrested and won’t be hurting anyone else again, at least not for a while. I’ve been working through my feelings, but I often wonder if I will ever be able to look at June and not feel responsible for what happened.
Initially, despite her attack, June had been doing well. But on day three of her hospital stay, she had a massive stroke and almost died. Thankfully, she pulled through, but her road to recovery will be a long one with zero guarantees at the end. She was moved to a speech and physical therapy rehabilitation center when she was strong enough, which is where Blake is picking her up from now.
She doesn’t want to miss out on today’s celebration, but she has flat-out refused to move in here with us. Blake assumed when she was finally strong enough to come home, it would be here with us. A fresh start for us all. But he seemed to have forgotten how fiercely independent June is, and how stubborn she can be when she sets her mind to something.
Blake has not been happy with her decision to sell her house and reserve space at an assisted living facility for when she leaves the center. They argue about it a lot. Blake, being his usual stubborn self—which he ironically gets from June—insists she move in with us and that be the end of that.
June, of course, is having none of it. She kindly informed Blake that she would not be giving up naked Tuesdays or wall-banging sex for anyone, least of all him. Eventually, he relented. Honestly, she seems genuinely excited to be moving into the fancy facility, but she knows the offer to live with us is always open.
“I thought you had to pee.”
I come out of my daze and find myself still standing in the hallway, staring at Aiden’s chest.
“Urgh, sorry. This baby brain is no joke. I drift off into a world of my own all the time.”
“Oh, I know. I was with you at the grocery store when you zoned out in the cat food section, remember? You were there for fifteen minutes staring at the boxes of kibble, and you don’t even have a cat.” He laughs, making me scowl.
“Don’t you judge me. This thing,” I point to my huge belly, “is clearly draining my powers. I can’t be super smart, sexy, and awesome while baking the next generation of badass,” I tell him before turning and flouncing away to the sound of his laughter.
I take care of business, and even though we’re having food delivered later, I decide some lunch is in order, so I make my way down to the kitchen.
After a lot of talks between Blake and the guys, they decided a new location for their offices was needed. Something bigger to accommodate their ever-growing clientele, which, thanks to Matilda’s recommendations, now includes a reality TV star, an author, and an up-and-coming rapper. We initially discussed moving to the city. It made sense business-wise, but it wasn’t what we wanted for our daughter. There is nothing wrong with being born and raised in a big city, it just isn’t right for us. I wasn’t sure the rest of the guys would feel the same, but they were adamant that Tempest was home, and they had no intentions of leaving us behind. Plus, they were more than happy to travel when they needed to, and that’s all the clients care about. And this way, we get to stay close to June. The facility she wants to move into is only half an hour away.
They closed on a large property on the end of Main Street a few days before the wedding, which was also right before we moved house. With me so close to giving birth, it’s been all hands on deck, but we held off on a housewarming celebration until now, when we finally had time to enjoy it.
“Hey, space cadet, what are you making?” Kellen asks, swinging the fridge door open and snagging a beer.
“Sandwiches. I have a craving,” I admit.
He stands there sipping his beer, watching me with amusement as I grill some bacon, trying not to gag at the smell, and then slice up some cooked chicken breasts. I layer round after round of bread with lettuce, mayo, cheese, chicken, and bacon. Stacking them on a huge platter, I slide them into the middle of the counter. I’ve made far too many, but I know these guys can put away a lot of food between them. Plus, I want to wrap some and put them in the fridge for when June and Blake get here.
Next, I set about making something tasty for myself to eat since Peaches can’t stomach bacon, much to my horror and the guys’ amusement.
“That is the most disgusting thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” Kellen says, looking queasy as he stares at my peanut butter, tuna, and pickle sandwich.
Marcus walks into the kitchen before I can answer, snagging half my sandwich from my plate and biting into it before either of us can warn him. Well, serves the fucker right for stealing my food.
Kellen and I stare at his back as he grabs his own beer from the fridge, waiting for him to turn.
When he does, he takes another bite and grins. “This is good, what is it?”
I smile at him as Kellen goes a little green in the corner.
“Trust me, man, you don’t want to know,” Kellen answers as I take a bite myself and groan in appreciation.
The sound of the doorbell has us all turning.
“I’ll go,” Kellen offers, happy to leave and let Marcus and me finish eating.
“Oh, food, thank god.” I look up at the sound of Arlo’s voice as he and Banner descend on the plate of sandwiches.
“Save some for Felix and Aiden,” I remind him.
“They snooze, they lose,” Arlo teases until Aiden walks up behind him and snatches the sandwich out of his hand. “Hey, motherfucker, get your own.”
“You snooze, you lose, asshole,” Aiden mimics before eating the whole sandwich in two bites.
Arlo picks up another sandwich just as Felix walks past, snatching it out of his hand and making him curse.
I burst into fits of giggles at the look of indignation on his face. Banner wisely stays out of the way, guarding his food from grabby hands.
Kellen strolls back in and over to me with a large parcel in his hands.
“Ooh, presents, gimmie.” I make space on the counter, pushing the plates aside.
Kellen places the box down gently on the counter and steps back so I can rip it open.
Reaching inside, I pull out a letter and open it with one hand as I lift out a bottle of tequila and then a bottle of vodka from the box and place it on the counter. I scan the words on the note and smile before reading them out loud.
Sorry we can’t be with you today for your belated house warming celebration, but we’re thinking of you all the way from sunny Barbados. Here’s a little housewarming gift. Can you ask Peaches to hold on until we get back, pretty please? Wade was mean and wouldn’t let me change our vacation dates.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy the gifts, see you soon.
Olivia, Mia, and Mr Mean.
P.S. The answer is always both.
I pull a little pink and white onesie from the box with a netted tutu around the middle and a fluffy pink stuffed bunny. Digging a little farther, I find a basket filled with pamper products for me and a pile of black T-shirts.
Lifting out one of the T-shirts, I see it’s a large men’s and it has writing across the chest. I can’t help the laugh that escapes as I toss a T-shirt to each of the guys in the room.
Marcus is the first to read it, and his laughter soon joins mine. “These are awesome,” he comments as the others read theirs, laughter ringing out around the room.
“I have a feeling this was all Wade’s doing.” Aiden laughs, slipping his T-shirt off over his head and replacing it with the new one.
Of course, now he’s done it, they all decide to follow suit, making me swallow my tongue and my panties dampen. I’m a bad, bad wife perving on the calendar boys. But in my defense, these pregnancy hormones have turned me into a sex fiend. Blake needs to hurry the hell up and get home so I can get my afternoon fix.
I frown when I realize my panties are really, really wet before it dawns on me. I’m not turned on; my waters broke.
Ah, goddamn motherfucking dickballs.
“Um guys,” I call out as they joke among themselves.
They carry on talking and making their way through the stack of sandwiches.
“Guys,” I call louder when nobody answers.
Kellen steps forward to move the box off the counter onto the floor when he sees the puddle by my feet. “Something is leaking,” he mumbles, dumping the box and grabbing up the paper towels.
“For fuck’s sake. It’s me I’m leaking!” I shout, and everyone freezes, taking a collective step back just as a contraction tightens across my stomach, making me hiss.
“Move out of the way.” Aiden shoves past Kellen and tucks me under his arm, moving me away from the frozen men in the kitchen and up the stairs to the bedroom. “Take a quick shower and get changed while I grab the go bags from the nursery and call Blake. I’ll leave the door ajar, so yell if you need me, okay?”
I nod, thankful that one of them managed to stay level-headed. “Thanks for not losing your shit,” I tell him, wincing when another contraction hits.
“If Matilda has taught me anything, it’s how to work under pressure,” he informs me with a wink. “Make that shower super quick.” He presses a kiss to my forehead before leaving me to clean up.
When he returns ten minutes later, I’ve already had another contraction, and I’m a hot, sweaty mess again despite the shower.
“How you doing?” he asks gently, placing his fingers on my wrist.
It takes me a minute to realize he’s taking my pulse. “I’m okay, but I think we should leave for the hospital now. You know those women that want to give birth all-natural like without any drugs? I’m not one of them. I want drugs, Aiden, all the drugs. You make sure to tell them that when we get there, okay?” I urge him, starting to feel anxious.
“I got you, short stuff, don’t worry. Let’s go. I have your stuff in the car already, and Blake is going to meet us at the hospital.”
I nod, feeling better, knowing he has everything under control. I take the hand he offers me, letting him help me to the bottom of the stairs where the other guys are.
“Who’s coming with me?” I ask, biting my lip as tears prick my eyes.
And that is how I find myself arriving at the hospital twenty minutes later with six hot guys, each wearing T-shirts that say: Guns don’t kill people, uncles with pretty nieces do.
BLAKE
“If you don’t slow down, you’ll arrive at the hospital in an ambulance instead of this car,” my grandmother says from the passenger seat beside me, her words slurred and halting, but understandable, unlike just after the stroke when she accidentally used the wrong words or forget some altogether.
The doctors declared her somewhat of a miracle, having been convinced she would never regain her speech at all. I think it’s because she is the most stubborn person on the planet and hates being told what she can and can’t do.
“Sorry, I just don’t want to miss this.”
She makes a noise I take to mean she gets it, but I slow my speed a little because she’s right. I’ll be no good to Callie arriving at the hospital needing treatment myself.
Thankfully, we aren’t far away so it doesn’t take long to get there. I try to keep my cool while looking for a parking spot, eventually finding one in the back before parking and dialing Arlo.
“I’m outside, right at the back.” I hang up, knowing he’ll be out here in a moment to help.
I climb out of the SUV, grab the wheelchair from the back, and set it up, making sure the brake is on before reaching into the car and lifting my far-too-thin grandmother into my arms. Instead of lowering her though, I hold her for a moment, resting my forehead against hers as I try to get a grip of my emotions.
“Love you,” she whispers. It sounds more like “lobe you,” but I let it wash over me, knowing how close I came to never hearing her say those words again.
“I love you too. How about we go meet your great-granddaughter?” I lower her to the seat of the chair and make sure she is comfortable before looking up.
“Hey, June, looking ravishing as usual.”
I turn at the sound of Arlo’s voice and step aside so he can kiss her cheek.
“Go. I got her, we’ll meet you there,” he orders me.
I look at her, and she nods with a half-smile, one side of her face unresponsive, and smile back at her before turning on my heel and sprinting across the parking lot.
I head straight to the maternity unit and find everyone except Marcus, Aiden, and Callie in the waiting room.
“Where is she? Is she okay? What the hell are you all wearing?” The last one makes them laugh and lets me know Callie is just fine.
“She’s doing great, but your daughter is getting impatient waiting for you, so hurry up. She’s in the last room on the left.”
I head there, not stopping until I reach the door and ease it open. Everyone turns to look at me as I enter. Callie is on the bed with her legs spread wide and a doctor standing between them with a nurse at her side. Aiden and Marcus are on either side of Callie, each holding one of her legs.
“It’s about freaking time!” Callie yells at me, making the doctor between her legs chuckle.
“Sorry, Callie, I’m here now,” I soothe, walking over and placing a soft kiss on her lips.
“Okay, Callie, you are ten centimeters dilated. On your next contraction, I want you to push,” the doctor informs her.
“My doctor told me first babies take hours. He promised me drugs, dammit. Why did he lie to me? I don’t like liars. I’m not ready. What if she hasn’t finished baking?” She panics before her face clouds with pain, making her eyes snap shut as she tries to breathe through it.
Fuck. I thought I was prepared. But seeing her scared and in pain like this is so much harder than I imagined.
“Most take longer, but this little one is ready to meet her mama, that’s all. Now push, Callie,” the doctor urges her.
I slide my hand into hers, and she holds it in a death grip, her face turning purple as she pushes with all her might.
“Good job, Callie. Same thing on the next one, okay?” the doctor prompts as the contraction passes, and Callie sucks in a deep breath.
“Oh god.” Callie’s head falls back, her skin sweaty as she looks up at me. “This is your fault. Why did you have to be so big? This baby is gonna come out the size of a toddler and ruin my vajayjay. Looks like I’ll have to use the Womb Raider after all,” she wails before another contraction overwhelms her.
“Push, Callie,” the doctor tells her once more.
Callie glares at her like she is possessed by a demon. “I am fucking pushing. If you think you can do a better job, get your bony ass up here and do it yourself,” she snarls before a scream rips free, her back arching off the bed.
“You’re doing awesome, keep going,” the doctor encourages her, not bothered by Callie’s words.
“I hope you like this kid, Bundy, because we are never having another one,” Callie snaps at me as another contraction starts immediately on the back of the last one.
“She’s crowning,” the doctor interrupts her. “One more really big push, Callie.”
I move to look at my daughter being born but Callie yanks me back with a surprising amount of strength.
“Nope, some things you can’t unsee. I don’t want you picturing the movie Alien every time you go down on me,” she yells, making the guys roar with laughter. But Callie screams so loud, I worry she’s going to cause damage to her throat.
And then I hear it, the most beautiful sound in the world.
My baby girl crying.
“Congratulations, Mom, she’s beautiful. Dad, would you like to cut the cord?”
With shaky hands, I take the scissors from the nurse as the doctor lifts my gunk-covered little girl for me to see. I cut through the cord, separating her from Callie, and follow her with my eyes as the nurse takes her to the table in the corner of the room to check her over while the doctor helps Callie deliver the afterbirth and cleans her up.
“We’ll give you some time alone. Well done, Callie.” I turn at Aiden’s voice and watch as he kisses her brow.
Marcus follows suit, smoothing her hair back from her face. “You did so good, Callie. I can’t wait to meet her.”
They both congratulate me and slap me on the back on the way out, but I only have eyes for Callie.
“I’m so fucking proud of you, baby,” I tell her, bending to first kiss the back of her hand, then her forehead before placing a kiss on her lips.
“Mom, Dad, are you ready to meet your little girl?” the doctor asks as the nurse walks toward us with a pink swaddled bundle and places her on Callie’s chest. I look at her tiny pink scrunched-up face and understand what people mean when they say they fell in love at first sight.
But it’s even more than that. I fell the moment I knew she existed. Long before she ever took her first breath, I was hopelessly and irrevocably in love with her.
“She’s so beautiful,” Callie whispers reverently with tears in her eyes.
“Do you have a name for her?” the nurse asks us.
“Juniper Price, after her great-grandmother, but we’ll call her Juni,” Callie tells her without looking up from her precious bundle.
“Oh, so pretty. Let me pop these bands on Juniper and Dad so everyone knows who this little beauty belongs to. I think there are some people in the waiting room wanting to meet her.” She pops the band around Juniper first, then me, before leaving with the doctor, giving the three of us our first moments alone.
When the door closes, I climb up onto the bed beside my girls and wrap my arms around them, basking in the warmth and knowledge that they are safe and sound. “Who would have thought waving a cock around would have led us here?” I joke.
She lifts her eyes and laughs. “I’m pretty sure you waving your cock around is exactly how we ended up here.”
I shrug, conceding she may have a point. “I’m feeling pretty fucking smug right now, not gonna lie.” I turn a little more, watching as Juni’s eyes flutter open, and I smile at Callie. “I held back for so fucking long, always so cautious with my heart, but you smashed through every defense I had.”
“We were both cautious,” she murmurs, “but the heart wants what it wants, and mine knew what it wanted way before my brain got on board.”
“And what did your heart want, Callie?” I ask her softly as Juni’s eyes move toward the sound of my voice.
“I wanted a safe haven. Instead, I found so much more. Family, love, happiness, and peace. I have almost everything I’ll ever need.”
I pause at her words and frown. “What else do you need?”
“Nuggets. I really, really need some chicken nuggets,” she tells me deadpan, leaving me roaring with laughter as our friends and family fill the room.
“Holy fuck, she’s so tiny. We’re gonna need more guns,” Banner mutters as his eyes fix on Juni.
“Don’t fucking swear in front of my daughter. Shit,” I cuss. This is gonna be harder than I thought.
Callie laughs. “Just start a swear jar. With how potty-mouthed you guys are, she’ll be able to pay for college outright and still have enough left over for a car,” she jokes. Or at least I think she’s joking. I’m not ready to start thinking about college just yet.
Arlo wheels my grandmother over and parks her beside me. Gently, I lift my daughter from Callie’s arms and lower her down to my grandmother.
“Oh no, I don’t want to drop her.”
I shake my head and wedge Juni in the crook of her good arm. “Grams, I want you to meet your great-granddaughter Juniper ‘Juni’ Price.
“Oh fuck me sideways.” She gasps.
“Definitely need a swear jar,” I mutter, making Callie laugh.
I look at everyone fussing over Callie, at my grandmother’s soft smile for Juni, the guys fighting over who is going to be the best uncle and who gets to hold her next and know Callie’s right.
I have everything I’ll ever need right here in this room, making me the luckiest son of a bitch on the planet.