Epilogue One
KEELEY
NEW YEAR’S EVE THE FOLLOWING YEAR
Jeffrey pulls up in front of Luke and Amelia’s house to drop us off, and as always, Sal jumps out on his side, then runs around to open my door. We’ve now officially been together for around sixteen months, and his gentlemanly ways haven’t once wavered.
Except in the bedroom. It’s safe to say, Sal is a powerful man in all aspects of his life. And I love it.
Once I’m out of the car, Sal pulls me into his arms and presses a kiss to my brow, taking in a deep breath as silence falls around us. He’s soaking up my warmth. His words not mine. But something we both do for each other.
No matter what life throws our way, we’re in it together, always there to help each other through.
After the Mikkleson men were sentenced to twenty-five years in prison, Sal sat back and reflected on his life, admitting that he’d been pretty reactive over the years, and that he wanted to change.
And change he has. He now only works six days a week, taking Tuesday off along with the team, and has dedicated a lot more time to his family.
Including Marc. I’m not sure they’ll ever have the close relationship he shares with Paige, but they visit each other often, and they’ve even discovered a shared interest in boating. By boating, I mean expensive yachts.
“Okay, I’m ready.” Sal stands tall and I laugh.
“You’re never going to get used to this, are you?”
“You mean attending a New Year’s Eve rager with a bunch of my players?”
“Rager, huh? Are you trying to keep up with the young kids’ slang?”
“I’m kidding. It’s getting easier, I promise. I just really like our quiet moments alone.”
I smile at the sincerity in his eyes. “Me too. Unfortunately, sometimes we need to be social. It’s time to head into the chaos.”
Sal laughs as he clasps my hand, intertwining our fingers before we head to the door.
Chaos is an understatement when we walk in, but it all fades away when Isaac’s smiling face comes into view.
His eyes light up when he sees us, taking off in a run, and I try to let go of Sal’s hand, but he holds firm until the very last second, then sneakily steps in front of me, wrapping Isaac in his arms. “You were running to me, right, Kid?”
Isaac laughs out loud as Sal playfully tickles him. “I love you, Pops, but I wanted Keeley.”
“Don’t we all,” he mumbles under his breath as he puts Isaac down, ruffling his hair. “I love you too, Isaac. I’m going to go and find your mom.”
Sal’s eyes twinkle when he refers to Paige as Isaac’s mom, and I have no doubt he’s feeling the same warmth in his chest that I feel every time I say it. It wasn’t an easy road, but Isaac’s adoption is finally official, and the Wilders couldn’t be happier.
Even Isaac’s smile grows. He’s been calling Paige Mom since she moved into their apartment, but he’s old enough to understand what it means now, and knowing it’s official really changed things for him too.
It brought him further out of his shell, something he’d been working on with his therapist. “Mom is in the kitchen with Dad,” he tells Sal, beaming as he points toward the back of Luke’s house.
“Thanks, Buddy.” Sal squeezes my hand as he walks away, and I immediately turn to Isaac.
“How was your day?” he asks, always so polite, nothing at all like his father.
“I had a wonderful day, thank you. How was your day?”
“Good, thanks, Keeley.”
Keeley. Not Aunt Keeley, like he used to call me, just Keeley.
Without anyone mentioning it, he stopped calling me aunt after the first day he saw Sal and me as a couple.
I was worried at first, until he told Paige it was because I was his family on both sides now, and the term aunt didn’t sound important enough.
Bless his innocent little soul.
After our greetings, Isaac drags me toward Juliet, his favorite person right now, and I chat with Amelia, spending the next hour mingling with friends, feeling Sal’s eyes on me the entire time.
It took him a while to feel comfortable enough to attend one of the guys’ events.
He’d heard Paige talk about them regularly, but never considered ever being invited.
It wasn’t until my mom of all people dragged his ass there, telling him he had to suck it up if he wanted to date her daughter.
She had an entire speech planned, but all she had to do was remind him that age was just a number, and that if I didn’t care that I was dating an old man, he shouldn’t care that he was dating someone younger.
He gave in after that, knowing I’ve been saying the same since we first kissed.
The thought of my mom makes my chest tight, while gratitude fills me. She may be struggling a lot more these days and spending most of her time in a wheelchair, but she’s still with us, and I’ll cherish every moment we get to share.
Thomas ventures over when I’m alone by the bar, his sincere smile always bringing about my own.
“Are you attending the Women in Sports fundraiser again this year?” he asks as he leans against the counter, folding his arms over his chest. “Lainey’s been invited to talk about movement therapy in the sporting world.
Her speech won’t be as explosive as yours, but I know she’d love to have a familiar face in the crowd. ”
I huff out a laugh as my eyes flash to his wife, Lainey, and I smile. “I’ll be there. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
My explosive speech, as Thomas called it, still elicits such a strong internal response for me now.
It’s always a mix of elation and sorrow.
Elation because I made a stand against the assholes in the sporting world who thought they could hurt women, whether physically or by other means, and get away with it.
I named names, not only Vance and my supervisor back in college, but also our ex-GM Tray, and our ex-owner Gregory for covering up Tray’s many cases of sexual harassment during his time with the Storm.
Suffice it to say, Gregory’s book was never published, and his accusations about the Storm team quickly went away with the focus being on him instead.
Since my speech, hundreds of women have come forward, and that’s where the sorrow comes in. I never could have predicted how many women, and men for that matter, were suffering at the hands of someone that others trusted. I don’t think I’ll ever get over it.
Thomas thanks me and squeezes my arm before heading back over to the guys, and I smile as they jokingly call him the boss.
After rejecting Vance for the quarterback coaching position last season, Wes shelved the restructure idea, opting to wait until the following season.
And lo and behold, Thomas accepted the job.
I’ll neither confirm nor deny that he may have been gently coerced by several different people, but the point is, he’s now a part of the family again, and we couldn’t be happier. Even Beckett seems to like having him around.
The night feels long, and by the time midnight strikes, I’m ready to leave.
As though he can read my mind, Sal glances in my direction, nodding his head toward the door.
I laugh, turning to grab my bag until Hayley sidles up next to me. “You and Daddy D are so in sync it’s sickening.”
“Ahh, like you can talk. Did you and Reed mean to color match?”
We both glance over to Reed in his blue-and-white striped tee and laugh as I gesture to Hayley’s dress. “Point taken. I was only teasing in the hope that you would stay longer.”
“I would…” I drag out the word, rocking my head from side to side, “but I don’t want to. I love you all, but I’m ready to ring in the new year with my man.”
I wink, knowing what she’s thinking, but in truth, I’m ready to curl up on the couch and enjoy a nice glass of wine.
I’m ready for Sal and me to be alone just like he mentioned when we arrived.
The second we get home, Sal pours us both a drink and gets comfortable on the couch, leaning back with his arms open, silently asking me to sit down. I settle into his hold, my favorite position, and he stretches out to reach for my drink, handing me my wine before grabbing his own.
“To our second New Year’s together.”
“And to another great drop.”
We click glasses before I take a sip, moaning at the taste. I thought I knew what good wine was, and Sal always amused me by keeping his office well stocked with my drink of choice. Only it turns out, I knew nothing.
Sal introduced me to a world of different flavors, and now I’m obsessed.
“Where’s this one from?” I ask, glancing behind me to see if I recognize the label on the bottle.
Sal smiles, always enjoying it when he finds something I like. “This one’s Australian. The Barossa Valley to be exact. It’s from a boutique vineyard specializing in Shiraz.”
“A boutique that sells in the US?”
“Nope. I had it delivered especially for you to try.”
“What?” I swivel in his grasp until I’m facing him, careful not to drop the red on our light gray couch. “That’s amazing. How did you find them?”
“A friend vacationed in Australia last year. He did a road trip through a few of their wine regions, and this was his favorite. Since I know you like that fuller flavor, I thought we should try it.”
“Just like that?”
“Yep.”
“Did you send your private jet to collect it?” Yes, Mr. Salvatore D’Angelo finally bought his own jet. And yet, he rarely uses it.
“Yes, Keeley,” he deadpans. “I sent my jet. I also forced Tabitha to go, to ensure we got the correct bottle.”
“You’re not the comedian that you think you are.”
“Sure I am. Anyway, I had it shipped here. It was their first shipment to the US but they were happy to oblige considering…”
“Considering what?” I eye him suspiciously.
“I may have bought a few cases.”
“A few?” My eyes widen as he shrugs. “What if I didn’t like it?”
“It was a risk I was willing to take. What if you did? Then I’d have to go and order more.”
“Heaven forbid.” A soft laugh escapes me as I pat his leg. Sal’s great with his money, until it comes to pleasing me. I should really tell him to stop…or not.
“It’s a moot point anyway,” he continues, waving me off. “You loved it.”
“How do you know?”
“The moan.”
“Oh, right. I loved it,” I admit, making Sal smile.
“I’m happy you feel that way because we have enough to last us until we’re old and gray.”
“Ummm. How do I say this nicely?” I purse my lips, furrowing my brow exaggeratedly as I glance away in thought.
“Don’t,” Sal warns.
“Don’t what?” I innocently bat my eyelids and he huffs.
“Don’t say it,” he warns again.
“What? That you’re already old and gray?”
“Yep, that.”
“If you weren’t, I’m not sure I’d be as attracted to you. This is the man I fell in love with.” I wave a hand in front of him and he chuckles lightly.
“I’m looking forward to the day you get your first gray hair. No more teasing.”
“Oh, I am never going gray. Matt and I have a recurring appointment to ensure that doesn’t happen.”
“Who the fuck is Matt?” Sal stiffens, crossing his arms, and I bask in his jealousy, taking my time to respond. His brows furrow, and I can’t help rubbing the crease between his eyes.
“Matt’s my hairdresser.”
“Oh, right.” He groans. “I knew that.”
“I like the fact that you still get jealous over me.”
“That’s lucky because that’s not going to change any time soon. I’ll never understand why you chose me of all people. You don’t have to worry about me ever taking you for granted, that’s for sure.”
“I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again. You are it for me, Mr. D’Angelo, so you better get used to it.”
He cups my face, staring into my eyes. “I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
“Good. So where were we?”
“You were complimenting me on the wine.”
“I’m not sure that’s true, but I do love it. Maybe one day we can visit Australia ourselves.”
“It’s funny you should say that. Check your email.”
“What?”
“Check your email.”
With my ass still on the couch next to him, I lean forward and gently place my glass down on the coffee table before grabbing my phone and bringing up my emails.
I have to scroll through the emails I received in the short time we’ve been sitting here, before I find what I’m looking for.
Travel Itinerary—Wineries of the world
“Of the world?”
“Of the world,” he says nonchalantly, as though it’s no big deal.
I nod as my eyes drift back to the phone, quickly scanning the contents of the email, gasping when I come to the finer details.
Forty-nine nights.
San Francisco > Australia > Europe (France, Italy and Spain) > San Francisco
“Are you insane? Forty-nine nights?”
“Yep. One night for every year of my life before I met you.”
My heart jolts. “Really?”
“Really.” Sal smiles softly, the crinkled lines of his eyes making me swoon. He’s always had a nice smile. I’m not the only one that’s noticed that. But when he looks at me like he is now, smiling with his whole face, his heart, and his soul, I feel like the luckiest woman in the world.
I get to keep him.
“It’s corny, really, but I figured that just because neither of us wants to get married, doesn’t mean we should miss out on a honeymoon. Of sorts.”
“A honeymoon?”
“Of sorts. Yes. Surprise.” He waves his hands in the air, and I stare at him, speechless.
Excitement courses through me as I think about the things we can do. I’ve never taken a vacation. Ever. This will be a first for me and it’s forty-nine nights. My stomach knots and I clench my teeth as I sheepishly turn to Sal.
“So, I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t ask this question… What the hell do we do about work?”
“Don’t worry.” Sal chuckles, clearly knowing that was coming. “It’s the offseason and it’ll still be there when we get back. But to warm your little workaholic heart, Tina has scheduled in quite a few workdays for us both, just in case.”
“Who the fuck is Tina?” I fold my arms over my chest, just like he did when he asked the same question about Matt, and Sal throws his head back to laugh. Whoops.
“Tina is our travel agent.”
“Of course. I knew that.”
Sal pulls me back into him, once again wrapping me in his arms. “I think we were made for each other, Keels.”
“I think you might be right, Sir.”