Epilogue
Knox looked down at Quinn as Father Ben married them. She was radiant. Sydney had supplied her wedding dress and Quinn was glowing with joy. He couldn’t believe she was really going to be his wife after all the dreams he’d had about her back in college.
They’d spent their bachelor and bachelorette parties together handing out gifts and spending time with the kids at the children’s hospital and now she’d promised to love him forever. Quinn couldn’t be more perfect for him.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife,” Father Ben said, beaming with happiness for them. The church was packed with the team who whistled and cheered, and the townspeople applauded as Knox took Quinn’s hand and walked down the aisle toward their future.
Knox’s house was almost unrecognizable. There were tents covering the patio and backyard.
The firepit was lit and portable heaters filled the tent creating a warmth that didn’t fit the winter night.
However, he and Quinn didn’t want the reception anywhere else.
This was their forever home and they wanted their forever to start here.
It wasn’t a formal event. Women wore dress slacks or long skirts with sweaters. Some men were in jeans and casual blazers. They were all having fun, which was exactly what Quinn and Knox had wanted.
Helena was glancing around as she approached them. She reached out and handed something to Quinn. “Could you at least keep your panties on until we leave?”
“What is this?” Quinn asked as they both looked down at the sky-blue cheeky panties that Helena had placed in her hand.
“Your underwear. You left them in the hallway. I mean, good for you two, but come on.” Helena rolled her eyes.
“Hel, these aren’t mine.” Quinn told her, and Knox had to laugh.
“The panty droppers strike again.”
“Panty droppers?” both Quinn and Helena asked as Quinn tossed the panties outside the tent.
“It’s been going on for so long. I guess I’m just used to it. Every wedding someone gets frisky and leaves their panties behind,” Knox told them.
“Do you know who it is?” Quinn asked.
“Nope. No one does. We don’t know if it’s one couple or more. For all I know, it could be the entire town.” Knox shrugged. It was a mystery that might never be solved. “Come on, Q. I believe that’s our song.”
Quinn tossed her head back and laughed when the boy band song that was popular during college began to play as Knox whisked her off to dance.
“Ladies,” Miss Lily said, holding up a champagne glass. “We did good.”
Miss Daisy shook her head after taking her sip. “Just when I think we’re ready to retire, we get more young’uns who need our help. Bless their hearts.”
“Yes, but I so do enjoy hugging them.” Miss Violet winked at one of the football players who immediately hid behind his teammate.
Nico approached and the women all turned to him. “Ladies. I wanted to thank Marcy for the apple pie along with her recommendation for Quinn to join the team here in Lexington.”
“You’re so welcome, young man,” Marcy Davies said innocently as if the whole point of that pie hadn’t been to place Quinn in Knox’s path.
“If you have any other recommendations, I’ll take them . . . and the pie.” Nico gave them a quirk of his lips. They all knew he was hurting and they all wanted to help. And they would when the time was right.
“Come here, young man. You need a hug.” Miss Violet tugged Nico down with surprising strength and buried his face in her chest. He didn’t flail like the others. He stoically took the hug.
“Thank you. Have a good evening, ladies.” Nico turned and only then did he drag in a huge breath of air.
“Don’t worry,” Marcy said, reading their distress. “Nico will have love. Well, he’s already found it. He’ll claim it soon. But now onto our next gentleman.”
Miss Lily smiled as she snagged a glass of champagne from a waiter.
“Oh, Nolan!” Nolan Flynn heard Miss Lily call out. He turned from his friends to see Miss Lily motioning for him to come join them.
“Excuse me, guys.” Nolan left his friends and headed for the table of the matriarchs who ruled Keeneston. “Hello, ladies. It’s a beautiful wedding, isn’t it?”
They smiled and reminded him of sharks going in for the kill. What had he done? He said ma’am and sir. He held the door open for others. He said hello to people on the street.
“I was hoping you could do me a favor,” Miss Lily began.
Usually this involved single granddaughters, but Poppy and Zinnia were their closest relatives and they were both happily married.
“Of course, ma’am,” Nolan answered, hoping he hadn’t signed away his next free Saturday night. Miss Lily held up the champagne to him. “Oh, no thank you, Miss Lily. I’m more of a beer guy.” Nolan held up his beer as if she couldn’t see it.
“I know, but Helena is a champagne woman. I promised to grab this for her and I’m too tuckered out to take it to her. Would you mind?”
Nolan took the glass and looked at his hands. Beer and champagne. Even their drinks of choice were total opposites.
“You know,” Marcy started to say, “you’d be surprised how well beer and champagne go together.
At first you think they couldn’t ever have anything in common.
But once you do away with the fancy window dressing, you see that they complement each other, each filling a void where the other couldn’t.
In the end, they make the perfect pair.”
Nolan wished that were true, but he knew a great deal about beer. It didn’t have anything in common with champagne. “I’ll take this over to her now. Have a good evening, ladies.”
Nolan turned to where Helena was talking to Ariana, Jameson, Greer, and Sebastian. Nico had just joined them and took a spot next to Helena. The idea of Nico hitting on her made Nolan tighten his grasp on the glasses.
Nolan was a big guy. Not as big as Conley, but he had wide shoulders from tossing feed sacks his whole life. And he used those shoulders to wedge himself between Nico and Helena. “Champagne?”
Helena looked confused, but then smiled at him. “Thank you. I would love some more.”
Nolan swallowed and took a chance. After all, he’d asked Abby out. If he could do that, he could ask the woman he was currently thinking about every second of the day and night to dance. “Would you care to dance?”
Helena smiled at him and he felt like a freaking superhero.
“I would love to.” She set down her glass and he set his down next to it.
A thick beer mug and a delicate champagne flute—it was strangely symbolic of the two of them.
Nolan thought even more so when he placed his hand over Helena’s and his other around her waist. She was so much smaller than he was.
If Nolan thought he’d had protective instincts in general, the protectiveness he felt for Helena was off the charts.
“When do you go back to New York?” Nolan asked, hoping maybe he’d have time to ask her out for an official date, but to what end? She wasn’t living in Keeneston and he wasn’t going to move to New York. Was this over before it could even begin?
“I’m flying from here straight to Africa to gather evidence against a warlord.”
“You’re very brave,” Nolan told her instead of telling her what he really wanted.
He wanted to tell her not to go because of how dangerous it was.
He wanted to go with her to protect her.
He wanted to prove that he was good enough for someone like her.
Instead, all he did was smile as he moved across the dance floor with her in his arms. It felt so natural having her there. Too bad it was only for a dance.
“I’m not the brave one. The women coming forward are. And you are. Knox showed me a video of you rescuing a child from a fire. You ran in without hesitation.”
Nolan tried not to be uncomfortable with the praise, but he was. He just wasn’t that kind of guy. “That’s my job.”
Helena took a small step toward him and snuggled up to him as the slow dance continued. Neither of them spoke, but for this one moment he was living his dream.
Nolan had been reluctant to let Helena go, but the song ended and Quinn had stolen Helena away. Nolan grabbed his beer and headed over to the group of guys sitting around a table.
Jack was teasing Flint when Nolan joined them. “What’s going on?”
“Flint has the hots for the woman who does all the corporate stuff at the Thoroughbreds,” Jack answered. “But Amber is all over him and now she thinks Flint is taken.”
“Amber? Is she the new Belle?” Nolan asked. He felt old, thinking about this new group of Belles. They were all closer to Flint’s and Jack’s age than his.
“Yeah, and she has her sights set on Flint,” Conley confirmed.
“And I have my eyes set on that cutie. I think she’s one of the new Belles too,” Jack said, getting up from the table to go ask one of the Belles to dance.
“So,” Colton said, leaning toward Flint. “That’s Bette. As far as I know she’s single. Cady would know more since Cady works with her a lot, supplying bourbon to the suites. Do you want me to ask her?”
Flint didn’t get to answer because it was announced that the happy couple was leaving for their honeymoon.
Knox and Quinn had changed into their travel clothes. They were going to leave the reception and catch a quick flight to the beach. That’s why their reception started earlier than most did. However, Knox left strict instructions with his friends and family that the party must keep going.
He held Quinn’s hand as she carried a small bouquet and he carried a small toy football. No one needed Quinn’s garter. That was his and his alone.
“Okay, guys. Time for me to throw the last football of the season.”
Knox turned around and threw the football over his shoulder. He still put some speed on it, even throwing it backward. Knox turned around to find Jaylen shoving people out of the way and snagging the ball.
Quinn and Knox shared a private smile. Jaylen was so head over heels in love with Elisha that he was going to propose during their break. Quinn winked at Knox, turned, and threw her bouquet. It had to be the worst throw ever. It somehow sliced like a golf ball on a bad swing.
There was a surprised-sounding squeak and then Maeve was standing there against the wall holding the bouquet.
Her eyes were wide since the flowers did a ninety-degree turn to land in her hands.
The Belles groaned. Zack turned so that no one could see Maeve, but Knox was pretty sure he was kissing his girlfriend.
It might be sooner rather than later for Knox to find a new assistant.
“Well, Mrs. Everett. Are you ready to start our honeymoon?”
Quinn linked her fingers with his and kissed him. How did he ever get this second chance to love his college tutor? He didn’t know, but he was so very thankful for it. “More than ready, husband.”
Knox scooped Quinn into his arms to the cheers of his team, family, and friends and carried his wife into their happily ever after.