Epilogue
A month later…
Sterling leaned against the makeshift bar at the pavilion at Mallor's Landing and stared at the happy couple dancing. Who knew Trent had moves outside of tangoing with gators?
The wedding itself had been nothing short of spectacular.
More romantic than Sterling would have guessed.
Dove cried as Jack, Trent's dad performed the ceremony. Trent got all choked up during the vows. And there wasn’t a dry eye in the place when Dove gave tribute to Trent’s mom, Linda, informing everyone they were having a little girl and naming her Scarlet Linda Mallor.
Sterling glanced across the outdoor space at his parents.
They were seated at a table with Jack, Silas, and Silas' wife, laughing and enjoying all the good things that Calusa Cove had to offer.
This was, by far, one of the best decisions Sterling had ever made with his life.
He knew living out the rest of his days in this town, with these people, would keep him content until his last breath.
But it was the woman strolling toward him that made his heart race.
"That dress is absolutely stunning." Juniper hopped up on the bar stool, crossed her ankles, and swayed with the music.
"I don't think I've ever seen Dove wear a dress.
" Sterling waved to the bartender. He'd already placed his order, but had asked to wait to be served until his lovely date had returned.
"Not even when we were up in Jacksonville, and Timothy White, the man who runs that office threw a big party and made all of us wear suits. "
"What did Dove wear?"
Sterling shook his head and laughed. "A tie and sport coat. She looked like just like her uncle, the Marshall. We tried to nickname her Marsh. It didn't work out, though. She threatened to kill us in our sleep."
"Well, she carries off cowboy boots and a wedding dress like she was born to style it." Juniper took the strawberry martini the bartender placed in front of her and sipped. "I heard the wedding dress was pieced together from Trent's mom’s and Dove's mom’s wedding dresses. How sweet is that?"
"That's what everyone's saying."
"If I ever do it again, I could handle something like this." She set down her glass. "Not this big, though. But even the gators seem to be enjoying themselves."
"I honestly thought Trent was gonna put Dolly, the big girl, in a tutu and a leash, and walk her down the aisle." Sterling took a pull from his beer. "Here comes Dawson."
"And in uniform. I feel bad he has to work."
"Someone has to keep this town safe." Sterling looped his arm around Juniper. "Good evening, Chief."
"Rumor has it, there's news over here." Dawson glanced down at Juniper's hand.
Sterling was going to have to have a word with his mother.
"What news?" Juniper asked, tilting her head, obviously oblivious to his mother mistaking his request for the ring to mean he had immediate plans.
Which now wasn't even the point because she was staring, smiling, and waving excitedly. That could only mean she’d told people that he had intentions.
He did, but not today, although both his parents had always told him he shouldn't put things off.
"The news I'm about to deliver," Dawson said. "Just trying to be funny. My wife says my humor falls flat these days."
"I seriously doubt that." Sterling had to hand it to Dawson for his quick wit and fast recovery. He'd buy him a beer later and see if the man could help with damage control before the entire town turned on him for not being romantic. Or a shitty boyfriend. Or accused him of some other love crime.
"Anyway, I thought you’d both like to know that Bea is fully cooperating," Dawson said.
"Did she cut a deal?" Juniper set her drink aside and folded her arms. "Is she going to get off scot-free?"
"I wasn't given the details, so whatever deal she did cut, we'll never know how she's paying for her role. But Chloe's found she's giving names. And between what she's told those running this show, and what Doyle's added, Koda's going away for a very long time."
"How big was Shrike?" Sterling asked.
"Not as big as you would expect," Dawson said.
"Koda’s been running the show from the beginning.
He found the people he could trust, or at least, manipulate, and played both sides of the fence.
He didn't care who it hurt. And it was never about controlling the government.
It was about power. Greed. Money. That's it. "
That didn't surprise Sterling. Not after what he'd seen when he'd taken down the first corridor.
"What about the Hallorans? Do you know if their names have been associated with any of this?" Juniper glanced up at Sterling. "I know they appeared clean. And I also know my interest has more to do with things I wish I didn't know and that aren't any of my business—"
"We're all worried about Tamara," Dawson said softly. "And I haven’t heard or seen Royce or Graham in any of the reports. And I've asked. And I’ll keep asking."
The bartender leaned across the counter and handed Dawson a water bottle.
He nodded and mouthed, "Thank you."
Turning to Juniper, he said, "I hear you're staying in Calusa Cove. If you want a job in my department, I can always make room for a former agent. It's finding the money in the budget that's a problem."
Juniper laughed. "I believe my law enforcement days are over. I'd rather serve booze, feed the town, and listen to gossip."
"The town's lucky to have you." Dawson cracked open his beverage. "I better go before someone decides to run a red light, when I'm not there to see it. I need to fill my quota for the month."
"That's just rude." Sterling lifted his beer. "Have a safe night."
Dawson strolled out of the pavilion, toward the parking lot as the music shifted to some upbeat disco song. A wave of people flooded the floor, as Trent and Dove exited it with Buddy and Fallon. The foursome practically charged the bar.
Sterling stood taller, wrapped his arm around Juniper, and slid in tight. "We're about to be attacked."
"Now you're being dramatic," Juniper said. She reached around behind her, snagged her drink, and raised it. "Cheers everyone. What a wonderful party. I'm having so much fun. Time of my life."
"So, he actually did it?" Dove grabbed her left hand, and her drink sloshed over the rim and half of it landed on Juniper's lap.
"Did what?" Juniper asked as she jerked her hand back. "Ugh. I need a napkin. Or eight."
Sterling took the towel the bartender shoved at him—ignoring the man’s smirk—and blotted Juniper's dress. "I don't think it will stain. The liquid's close to the color of the fabric."
Dove glared at him. "Why didn't you do it?"
"Yeah. I want to know the answer to that, too," Fallon said.
"What are you talking about?" Juniper asked.
Sterling continued to wipe the towel across Juniper's dress.
He often struggled with forming words at moments like this.
"I need to speak with my mother." He loved Juniper. He told her that every day. And she loved him. There was no question about that. And even before the news Dawson had just shared, Sterling hadn’t been the least bit concerned about where Juniper saw her future.
They might not be discussing marriage. However, they were communicating about how they both wanted to stay right where they were.
But the one thing they both understood, more than most, was that nothing in life was ever guaranteed.
There was no pressure to do anything but live in the moment.
And that's exactly what they'd been doing.
"Excuse me?" Juniper took the towel from his hands. "Why, and what does she have to do with why three people have asked me if you've done something yet?"
"Oh, this is gonna be classic Sterling." Trent waved to the bartender. "We need a round of shots for the gentlemen. And make it a double for my man Sterling, here. He's gonna need it."
"Did my mother tell everyone I was planning on doing something tonight?" Sterling pinched the bridge of his nose.
The bartender lined up three shots and shrugged. "She might have taken out an announcement in the paper for tomorrow morning."
"For the record," Fallon said. "Your mom, who is lovely by the way, told us that you’d requested something and planned on doing it before the ceremony."
"She asked us if we had a problem with it, and we, of course, said absolutely not," Trent said.
"I'm so lost, but not as lost as I wish I were." Juniper snagged a shot and downed it. She gasped. "Jesus, that's some good tequila."
"Mind giving us a moment?" Sterling asked.
Buddy, Fallon, Dove, and Trent, grabbed their drinks, and quietly walked toward an empty table, leaning toward each other and whispering.
Sterling stole a glance at his parents. His mom looked away, but she still smiled and didn't look remotely sorry. He chuckled. He couldn't help it. His mother had always known him better than anyone. Could read his innermost thoughts and desires even before he could.
It didn't make what she'd done right. And he was still going to let her know that she couldn't do it again. Not that she'd ever have the chance. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity for Sterling, but his mom hadn't gotten it wrong.
"Do you want to hear something funny?" he asked.
"Only if it has to do with what I'm missing."
"It does." He stuffed his hand in his pocket and stepped in front of her, because no way was he doing this while staring at his folks. "If you haven't noticed, my dad's kind of a quiet guy, and my mom's the polar opposite."
"They make for a balanced couple."
"It was always interesting growing up because sometimes my mom could be so embarrassing. But that's also part of her charm," Sterling said. "My dad would also be the first one to admit, that he was so tongue tied around her, he couldn't even ask her out. He even struggled to propose."
Juniper tilted her head and arched a brow.
"They were in college, nearing the end of their last year.
My dad had been carrying around his mom's—my grandma's ring—for weeks, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it.
Not because he was afraid she'd say no. But because he was scared he wouldn't be romantic enough. Or say something stupid. She knew he had the ring. So, one afternoon, she invited him to the park. She’d told all her friends that she thought he was going to propose.
She found the ring. Put it in her pocket.
She ordered a picnic lunch and a bouquet to be delivered, in my father's name, to a certain part of the park.
When they arrived, she acted all surprised. "
"What did your dad do?" Juniper asked.
"He proposed. She pulled out the ring, and here we are."
Juniper covered her mouth and laughed. "That's got to be the sweetest, dorkiest, strangest, proposal I've ever heard."
Sterling's heart thumped steadily in his chest. He'd marry Juniper tomorrow, if she wanted to. He pulled his hand out of his pocket. "This is my grandmother's ring. The one my dad gave to my mom."
"Oh, my God." Juniper dropped her hands to her lap. Her eyes grew wide. "Are you proposing? Is that what they were talking about? Does the entire town know you were going to do this?" Her gaze went from his, to the ring, and back to his eyes. "Wait. Your mother tricked you?"
"No. Not like you think." He took her hand and pressed the ring on the tip of her finger.
"I broke my mother's heart when I told her a long time ago that I never had any intentions of getting married or having children.
I never meant to hurt her, but when I started working in the field, and had to tell wives and husbands, that their spouses weren't coming home, I thought it would be bad enough if my parents had to live through that.
I didn't want to have to do that to someone else I loved. "
"It's not easy," she whispered. "But I wouldn't trade a day of loving Mark for a day of being grief-free."
"Now that I've fallen in love with you, I understand that.
" He inched the ring a little further down.
"After everything that went down with Koda, Bea, and Doyle, I asked my mom for the ring.
I told her how much I loved you, and that maybe someday, we might take this journey.
Have a family. But that for now, we were taking things slow.
But, I don't really want to do that anymore.
I'm almost forty." He pushed the ring all the way down, lifted her hand, and kissed her knuckles.
"I love you. I want you to move into my house.
I don't care if your lease is up or not.
I want us to be together. Forever. Always. Will you marry me?"
The pavilion went dead silent. There was no music—actually, now that he thought about it, the music might have stopped a while ago.
"Everyone heard me ask you that, didn't they?" Sterling asked.
"Your timing was impeccable."
"I bet Trent had the DJ cut the music and slid a mic near my feet." Sterling sucked a deep breath and lowered his gaze. "Asshole," he muttered.
"At least, Stacey Mohawk isn't here with her cameraman to get it all on video." Juniper dropped her forehead to his chest.
"No, but I can see my dad out of the corner of my eye and he's pointing his phone at us along with everyone else." Sterling tilted her chin with his thumb. "You haven't answered my question."
"I rent month-to-month, so I can move in next week."
"Good to know. But not the answer I was actually looking for."
"The ring is on my finger, and I'm not giving it back, so I’m pretty sure the answer is yes." She wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
"Thank God." He kicked the mic away with his foot and did his best to pretend the entire town wasn't watching as he kissed her. It was the kind of kiss that belonged to forevers. A kiss that was sealed with the sunset and held together by town that protected its own.
Thank you so much for reading Deception in Calusa Cove. Please feel free to leave an honest review. Next up in the series is: Justice in Calusa Cove