35. Epilogue
Epilogue
JAKE
Six months later
The hammer struck the nail on its head with a resounding thwack that traveled all the way up his arm.
This had been a long time coming, and after several trips to the library, they finally had a good stash of books to build Marley’s little free library.
The exact location had been up for debate for several weeks before Marley decided the best spot would be on the walking trail at the edge of their property and by the lake.
Marley was in charge of registering their little free library and coordinating with the librarians and the community to donate books for it.
Jake was in charge of gathering the materials needed to build it—and then, of course, building it.
“I think it’s crooked,” Marley groaned.
“No, it’s not,” Gia said from behind him. “I think it looks perfect.”
“You think so?”
Jake grunted as he nailed another piece together, pretending he couldn’t hear them talking.
The sound of approaching footsteps made him look up. Quynh waved excitedly at them while Griffin offered a tip of his chin.
“Hey, guys! What are you doing out here?” Quynh asked when she was within a few feet of them.
“Jake’s finally putting up the little free library,” Marley answered.
Jake huffed out a laugh, rolling his eyes. Marley had been on his case about putting it up for months, but the winter had been long and cold, which made the ground too frozen to work with. With spring approaching, the ground had thawed enough for the next stage of the project.
Today was the first day the ground was soft enough to build the damn thing.
“Oh, that’s so cute! Can I put my book in there?” Quynh clapped her hands together with excitement.
“Yes!” Marley exclaimed.
“We would love to have your book in there!” Gia said.
“Great, let me run back to the house…” Quynh’s voice trailed off. Jake looked up to see Griffin already walking away. “Or not. Guess Griffin will get a copy.”
Jake tuned them out as he put the finishing touches on the wooden box.
The girls walked along the trail while Griffin tossed a stick and played fetch with Rover, his dog.
At some point, Ben, Emily, and their two children joined the crowd.
Everyone was glad to be outside after being stuck indoors for the past few months.
Dusting off his hands, Jake stood up with a groan, knees protesting as he pulled himself to a standing position. He took a step back, admiring his work. Marley had painted it blue to match their house, and he admitted it looked adorable, having a near replica in front of the real thing.
His phone vibrated in his back pocket.
Weird, he thought. Everyone who would be texting him was standing behind him.
Pulling out the phone, he noticed a text from an unknown number.
UNKNOWN
You see the news yet?
You’re welcome.
Tell Gia I said she did a good job. We got the bastard.
Good job? What are they talking about?
Suddenly, his phone pinged with breaking news alerts. He caught sight of the headline before an incoming call from Minh changed his screen.
“Hey, Minh. What’s going—” he started to ask, but Minh’s screech had him pulling the phone away from his ear.
“Where is she? Has she seen it yet?”
“Um…” Jake turned around and saw Gia, who was drawing something in the sand with Charlotte, Emily’s daughter. “She’s with me.” He smiled fondly at the pair, thinking that, one day, this could be their future.
“She needs to see this!” Minh huffed, sounding out of breath.
Is she running?
“Wait for me to be there so we can show it to her together!” Minh said before he heard the sound of the Bluetooth connecting their call to her car.
“Yeah, sure. See you in a couple of minutes.” The tone of the call ending was the only goodbye he had.
Jake
Kenji?
UNKNOWN
Looks like we’ll be neighbors soon. My wife could use a friend.
Wife? When did Kenji get married?
Jake
You’re married?
Message not delivered.
Typical of Kenji to block him, or use a burner phone to contact him.
“Hey, are you okay?” Jake looked up from his phone, meeting Gia’s worried gaze.
“Um… We should probably go inside. There’s something you need to see.”
“You’re scaring me, Jake.”
“I know, but Minh will be here soon. We should meet her at the house.” He reached out, clasping her small hand in his firm grip. “Come on.”
“What about Marley?” Gia shot a look over her shoulder.
Marley was playing with Rover and surrounded by their friends and neighbors. He didn’t want to break up the merry scene. “We can tell her later.”
Jake led the way, not missing the way Gia dragged her feet behind him. Once inside, he shut the screen door behind them, toeing off his shoes while Gia did the same. Grabbing her hand, he led her into the living room, urging her to sit on the couch.
The sound of a car pulling into the driveway, followed by the slam of a door, signaled Minh’s arrival. She didn’t bother knocking before coming through the front door.
“Gia Huy!” Minh yelled in greeting.
“In here!” Gia shouted.
Minh practically sprinted into the living room before pausing at the doorway, out of breath. “You ready?”
“Ready for what?” Gia asked, brows drawn together, her eyes bouncing between her older sister and Jake.
“Show her, Jake,” Minh said as she sat down next to Gia and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Jake reached for the remote, turning on the TV and putting the local news station on.
“We’re following closely with breaking news straight out of Hollywood,” Trinh, the news anchor, stated as the cameras zoomed in on her serious expression.
“Preston Blackwell was arrested early this morning for allegations of sexual assault and misconduct.” She paused to play a video of what looked like officers entering and exiting a building roped off with crime scene tape.
“While under investigation for these crimes, detectives uncovered Blackwell was involved in a sex trafficking ring spanning decades.” The video footage showed officers carrying out boxes of what Jake assumed were documents. “We will follow the reports closely.”
Jake held his breath, watching Gia closely. Her lips parted, her gaze focused intently on the news. He’d known something big was coming, but he could not have expected it to be breaking news.
After Alex had dropped the case against Jake for punching him—something that only happened because Gia stepped in to press charges of attempted sexual assault—she flew back to LA to report her attack at the hands of Preston Blackwell, with Jake at her side.
Her testimony opened up an investigation, which stirred the media into a feeding frenzy. She’d shaken the hornets’ nest, and they were chomping at the bit to smear her name. By sharing her story, other women from all walks of life started sharing theirs, and they all pointed to the same assailant.
About six months ago, Jake asked Gia to move in and remained by her side throughout the ordeal. He’d held her every night for the past few months while she cried, wondering whether this was the right thing to do—and worrying about the potential blowback the people in her life would face.
She was right to be concerned.
The media tried to paint her as a washed-up actress looking to make a quick buck.
They tried to drag her personal and family life into the light.
Worst of all, they dragged Thao into the media, which made Gia sick to her stomach.
But despite it all, everyone stood behind Gia and gave their full support.
The whole town even became involved and started notifying each other when anyone from out of town showed up. There was only one way in and out of town, and that meant having to drive by Willowbrook Inn. Since it was a small town, it was easy to spot someone who didn’t belong.
“The whisper network,” as Marley liked to call it, involved a group chat to warn businesses so they could lock their doors, thereby icing out anyone who came asking questions.
With nothing exciting to report and nowhere to stay—Willowbrook Inn was still under renovations, according to the sign out front—they would leave empty-handed.
This was different.
Crouching in front of where she sat, Jake gathered her trembling hands between his palms, squeezing gently. “Gia? Kitten? How are you doing?”
Her gaze, which had been glued to the TV since he turned it on, flew to his. She licked her lips. “Is this really happening?” Her voice was low, like she was scared it was a dream.
Minh squeezed Gia tighter to her side. “Yes. This is really happening.”
Jake nodded slowly, reaching to cradle her head between his hands. Out of his peripheral vision, he saw Minh get up and leave the living room to give them privacy.
His forehead touched hers as he lowered his voice. “You did it, baby.”
Her eyes grew watery, tears spilling down her cheeks. “We did it.” She sniffed before letting out a sob and collapsing into his arms.
Jake picked her up, spinning to sit on the couch with her on his lap, and he held his woman close to his chest. The woman who had been his first love—who had fought through grief, addiction, and assaults and still came out on the other side with more heart and grit than anyone he’d ever met.
She deserved every bit of peace and happiness life had to offer, and he’d spend the rest of his life making sure she never needed anything ever again.
“You did so good, Kitten,” he murmured into her hair, stroking her back.