Epilogue
Three months later…
“I’ll take a Firecracker,” I tell the bartender, looking around the once-again-crowded Finn’s Pub and smiling. It’s May, and I’m getting a lot of strange looks due to my outfit. People don’t usually wear Christmas sweaters this time of year.
What can I say? I’m feeling eccentric lately. The other day I got a sheer mesh, rhinestone-speckled scarf from my time at Royale’s out of my closet and wore it with jeans and a T-shirt to lunch. Michael couldn’t stop touching it. Or me.
“I thought that was you.”
I turn on my stool to find Seamus has replaced the girl at the bar, a broad grin on his face. “Hey there, you handsome unicorn of a man.”
“Is there a cold front I don’t know about?” he asks mildly as he shakes my hand. “And I told you about trying to make my husband jealous, Mr. Winston. You’ll be sitting next to him come Thanksgiving, and he’s very possessive.”
It’s the strangest thing, but apparently when I fell in love with Michael, I inherited his brother-in-law and the rest of his family.
It wasn’t that long ago I was getting my Finn gossip from Bex.
Now our roles are reversed, because I’m right in the middle of everything and her boss has taken himself firmly out of the getting-in-other-people’s-business game.
He’s too busy planning the wedding of the millennium.
Only one month to go before I’m on an island for that. (I’m finally going to an island. I’ll have to get a naked Michael to feed me cookies there, and then all of my fantasies will have come true.)
A Finn-by-association, Connor calls me. Because I married a man related to a man who married a Finn.
And yes, I said married. *insert fan-girl screaming here*
“It’s Mr. Winston-Demir now,” I remind him primly. “But I’ll forgive you, because that’s only been true for the last four days and ten hours.”
We weren’t planning it. We went to his family ranch in Colorado last week and I met his mother and her husband.
I’d already spent time with Michael’s two quiet uncles and managed to charm them into a sing-along during my first visit.
This time, when they suggested doing it again without any prompting, Michael’s mother almost burst into tears, wondering where I’d been all their lives.
Then I looked across the room, met Michael’s gaze and fell.
I should be used to it by now since it happens at least once a day.
The waves of love that continue to surprise me.
I know neither of us had any experience being in a relationship before, but as far as I’m concerned, we’re at the head of the class.
We can’t keep our hands off each other, and we talk about everything.
Every worry, every irritation. Michael is still slow to warm up to strangers, and close-mouthed even with family and friends, but with me?
He is fully transparent about whatever he’s feeling. We both are.
Because of that, when I felt the urge to propose to him in front of his family, he responded by flying my friends out and dragging me to a judge within twenty-four hours.
We didn’t need anything big. And unlike Tanaka, we weren’t willing to put it off for so long it started affecting our relationship.
We needed to make that promise in front of the people we loved as soon as possible.
“What are you doing here? Didn’t you just get back this morning?” Seamus asks as he hands me my pint.
“Fearsome foursome meeting. We have mysterious things to discuss.”
As if on cue, they suddenly appear.
“Winnie!”
“The groom!”
I wait for them to get their drinks and we head to our usual table, all of them smiling at me.
“So, what have you found out?” Bex asks without preamble, taking my hand.
I squeeze hers, marveling at the strength she’s shown over the last few months. She’s made a point of us coming to the pub on a regular basis, refusing to let what happened here stop her from enjoying one of our favorite hangouts.
She’s also moved back to her apartment while Connor moved in with Val.
Things with the Coach and Front Desk Veronica are still going swimmingly, but they’re taking their time. It’s all very sweet and wholesome and I love everything about it.
Val is also dating. Not anyone in particular, but he’s been out with several different women lately, which I’m guessing means he’s decided to finally move on from his first love.
They still haven’t told me everything that happened between them, but maybe this will be a good thing.
At least they seem more comfortable around each other again.
I set my beer down and lean closer to the table. “Either your boss has had a relapse or there’s a new matchmaker in town.”
“What?”
“This morning I heard from a reliable source” —Jake Finn, who thinks I’m cool and has been talking to me about wanting to become a teacher lately instead of taking over the world— “that the last three eligible Finns are all on their way to an undisclosed location for the next few weeks. Probably having to do with the wedding, but it is suspicious that it’s that trio in particular. ”
“We still don’t know where we’re going for the wedding?” Val asks Bex skeptically.
She holds up her hands. “I swear to you, I know nothing. We have several private planes going God knows where for a four-day weekend and a June wedding. That’s all I’ve got.”
Val scowls. “It’s only been a few days since I saw the rest of you, and I’ve been too busy overseeing the construction of Winnie’s dream house to talk to Brady’s cousin Owen. Not that he’d tell me anything. We’re business associates, not friends.”
Michael and I are building a house on property that adjoins Val’s. We’re going to be neighbors and Val is over the moon about it. You can’t tell because he always looks that grumpy, but I know it in my heart.
And before you go there, it’s just a normal house. I’m unwilling to be one of those people who marries an obscenely rich man and suddenly needs a house the size of a football field. Two people with tiny dogs don’t need that much space.
“I can tell you about this year’s football team,” Connor says, “but as usual, I know nothing about any of this. I just wanted an excuse to get together.”
I smile at him. “I miss you too, you big lug.”
And I do, but I know we’ve both been happier these last few months than we have in years. Bex was right. It was time.
“So is Michael making those shortbread finger-things for tomorrow?” my old roommate asks, waggling his eyebrows.
My new husband has become the hit of family dinner and game night, because he can actually cook and he always brings baked goods. My friends are so easy. “Of course he’s bringing them.”
“I wasn’t sure if he had time now that he’s working again.”
He and Bellamy kicked their evil cousin to the curb, and after a lot of frustrating conversations with the family lawyers, his brother recently drew up his own agreement with Michael.
He simply gave him the amount of his promised inheritance, along with a shared leadership role in the company with an impressive salary.
“You know this company better than I do, and you’ve done all the deep dives on our investors. Help me make it something we can both be proud of.”
I kind of loved Bellamy a little for saying that.
It means Michael will be traveling several times a year, but I know having the chance to improve the business he put so much time in really appeals to him.
And he and his brother seem to be enjoying each other’s company more often.
It might not be forever, and that’s okay. As long as he’s happy, I will be too.
I know. I’ll stop. I’m irritating myself at this point.
After another half hour of joking and talking, Val gets up to leave. He runs a hand over his closely cropped hair. “I have someplace to be soon, but I’ll see you three tomorrow.”
I’m pretty sure that’s code for Val having another date.
Bex looks down at her phone quickly, but not quick enough to hide her expression. Is she kidding me right now? Is she really upset that he’s dating after she put him off for so many years? I swear, those two are going to send me to an early grave.
“I’m leaving too,” she says, sliding her purse over her shoulder and adjusting the colorful scarf I bought her that hides her neck from view. “I actually have a boxing lesson.”
“Nice.” Connor gives her a fist bump. Then he stands up with a pathetic groan. “I have papers to grade. Aren’t you jealous of me?”
I get to my feet so I won’t be the only one left sitting at the table. “A little, yes.”
“What? Does that mean…?” His eyes light up like his team just scored a touchdown.
“Well, as you know, my problem with the assistant principal has been sorted out.”
Michael and Tanaka put their Wonder Twin powers together and found enough dirt on that skeevy man to get him out of my school and the education industry forever.
He lawyered up, but based on a few of the conversations I’ve overheard, things are not looking good for him. It couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.
Connor and Val weren’t happy that I hadn’t told them, but once they realized our own personal Batman was on the case, they let it go.
“I’m a little disappointed I can’t personally kick his ass out of my school, but I’ll live if it means you’re back in the saddle.”
My lips curve. “I’m coming back on a trial basis. For a year. We have to see if we can balance Michael’s travel with my schedule.”
Read: Can we handle the temporary separations. Michael doesn’t like the idea of being away from me so much, but I’ve promised to video conference him every night while naked.
He’s thinking about it.
Connor lifts me off my feet and spins me in a circle. “This next year is going to be better; I promise. And I’ve almost got an entire band ready to audition for you. I found out the custodian plays a saxophone, so we have to add him to the list.”
He’s really been taking this school band idea seriously. Maybe A Mighty Win will rise again.