25. Epilogue
Author’s Note:
I’m not crying, I swear. I’m just really happy to have found out what Milo and Rowan’s happy ending was.
I’m also really sad to say goodbye to them.
I’m so glad that they weren’t left in that airport, passing like ships in the night and not exchanging phone numbers.
Nope, I think burning down a cabin is a much better meet-cute.
Well, you guys, this was a wild ride, and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.
Because, let’s be honest, this wouldn’t be done if it weren’t for all of you. So thanks, readers. You’re awesome.
MILO
“Who has the corner piece? I’m missing a corner piece,” Raina muttered.
“What color are you looking for?” Mildred asked.
“It’s a corner piece. Who cares what color it is,” Harold cut in.
“Are we really going to have the outside edge versus color sorting argument again?” Ethel grumbled.
Harold opened his mouth, but Riley shot him a death glare, and he very wisely shut it.
I’d never expected that sitting at a round table with Rowan’s family and my crew while working on a 3,000 piece puzzle could be so entertaining.
We were having a barbecue at our place. Yes, our place, since I officially asked Rowan to move in with me after the whole kidnapping thing. We’d been living together for over a month, but Ethel had declared that we needed a party to celebrate, and I had to admit it was a fantastic idea.
Ethel and Riley were back to making eyes at one another, and Riley kept winking at Ethel, which made me wonder what Ethel’s real reason for wanting this barbecue was.
I sighed and got up to check on the progress in the kitchen (and to grab some more chips, because all the curly ones were gone from the bowl).
Ruben, Rowan, and Troy were all in there, joking around and poking fun at one another. It made me smile. It was clear that they all loved one another, and their bickering was just a sign of that. I walked by to grab some chips, and Rowan pulled me over to him, giving me a kiss on the forehead.
“Never thought I’d see the day you’d settle down,” Ruben said, then he winked at me.
“I’m not the one who’s sleeping my way through the orchestra,” Rowan replied.
Ruben smirked. “Let me tell you—the violin players are really good with their fingers.”
We all groaned, and Troy threw a towel at Ruben.
“Don’t worry—one of these days you’ll meet your mate,” Troy said.
“I’m not worried,” Ruben answered. “I’m having fun.”
Was I the only one who sensed a little bit of melancholy in that answer? I looked up at Rowan, and he squeezed my shoulder and smiled a little, nodding his head. Yup, Ruben definitely wanted to settle down, but he wasn’t going to admit it.
“We need more chips!” one of the twins called. (I still wasn’t sure which was which.)
Raina’s girls were sweet and spunky, and as far as teenagers went, they seemed pretty level-headed. The only ones missing from this gathering were Rowan’s parents, who were apparently in South America dealing with crooked corporations.
Ray was also currently missing, because I counted him as family, too, but he was on his way.
It had taken quite a bit of persuasion to get him to agree to come.
He said he was fine after the last asshole he dated, but Ray definitely hadn’t been himself since then.
I thought he was probably still dealing with a lot of emotions, which was understandable.
He’d dated some real assholes, but I loved that Ray never gave up on finding someone.
I hoped this last guy hadn’t ruined that optimism for him.
I went out back to check on the barbecue, but before I even opened the lid, Rowan was there.
“I got this,” he said, taking the spatula I’d picked up out of my hand.
“Hey, I know how to barbecue,” I defended.
Rowan seemed to suspect that everything I cooked would be awful, which really wasn’t fair. I had been positive that those pretzels I made the other day would come out okay. I was starting to think that the crew was sabotaging me, because the baking never turned out correct.
“I know you do,” he reassured me. “You made those great steaks the other day, and you only started a small fire in the process.”
I grumbled, because the fire really hadn’t been my fault. And the steaks had turned out great, despite that little hiccup.
“Ethel just walked into the kitchen,” Rowan added, looking through the back window.
Perfect—Rowan knew I wanted to talk to her. I gave him a kiss on the lips and a quick hug before heading inside. Ethel was pouring chips into a bowl, which I had forgotten to do. Oops.
“Are they still arguing over the puzzle?” I asked.
“Probably,” she answered.
I was really trying to figure out how to broach the subject of Riley, and Ethel must have noticed me standing there awkwardly and tongue-tied.
“What is it, sweetie?” she asked.
“I just wondered if you and Riley… I mean, not that it’s really any of my business…” I trailed off.
Ethel looked at me fondly. “Of course it’s your business. We’re family, Milo. And don’t you worry about Riley. She’s just being a sweetheart and flirting with an old woman in order to make her feel young again.”
I stared at Ethel. She really meant what she said, both about the family thing and about the Riley thing.
“You’re right, we are family, and I love you. But I’m not so sure you’re right about Riley. I think she may really be interested.”
Ethel stopped fussing with the appetizers and looked at me, grabbing onto my arms. “Milo, your aunt was the love of my life. She always will be.”
I stared at her. There was openness and kindness in her eyes. We’d never talked about their relationship, not really, and I suddenly wondered why.
“I should have asked more questions,” I admitted. “I should have been more supportive.”
Ethel snorted at that, turning back to the appetizers. “You were always supportive, and your aunt was a very private person. You respected that and didn’t pry. We knew you knew, and we figured if you had any questions, you’d ask them. But really, what was there to ask?”
I hummed, thinking about that. I supposed she was right. Ethel and Aunt Anabelle had been in love, and I had known and respected that. What was there to ask about?
“It was a gift,” she told me.
“What was?” I asked.
“You just accepting it. We knew you knew, but you never made a big deal out of it, and you never acted like it was strange. You gave us your total acceptance, and your aunt and I always appreciated that. So thank you, Milo.”
“Thank you for raising me,” I told Ethel.
She turned around and looked at me, and her eyes looked a little wet. “It was always my pleasure. You were the highlight of our lives, Milo, and we always counted ourselves as blessed to have you. I still do.”
We hugged tightly, and if there was a little sniffling involved, I’m sure neither of us was going to tell. Eventually we let go of the hug.
“Love you,” I told her.
“I love you, too,” she answered, then wiped her eyes and turned back to the appetizers. “Now get in there and entertain our guests. Ray arrived and is in the living room, too.”
“Good,” I answered, and with one final squeeze on the arm, which Ethel smiled at, I headed back out into the living room.
Some people were still working on the puzzle, but a few had given up and were sitting on the couch and chatting.
Mildred was talking to the twins about purses—apparently they both liked designers and also liked thrift shopping—and Ruben, Harold, and Ray were chatting on the far side of the room.
It was awesome to see how well our two groups got along, and I foresaw a lot of gatherings in our future.
I watched as Ray laughed at something Ruben said, and Ruben smiled and winked at him.
Oh, well that was interesting.
Rowan came up behind me and wrapped an arm around me, kissing my temple. I leaned back against him, amazed at how lucky I was.
“I love you, boo,” I told him.
“Love you, too,” he answered.
Then, because I couldn’t help myself, I gestured toward Ruben and Ray. Just then Ruben reached out and casually put a hand on Ray’s arm. Rowan hummed behind me.
“Ruben enjoys his freedom,” Rowan reminded me.
“I don’t know. Maybe he’s ready to settle down. Plus, Ray starts with an R,” I whispered to Rowan. He laughed a little, and everyone else in his family looked over.
Yup, I’d forgotten about their super sensitive hearing.
Ruben just smirked, though, so I figured he didn’t mind what I was hinting at.
“So, boys, what’s next?” Ethel asked, looking at us. “Organized crime? Should we look for some serial killers? I’ve been doing a lot of research and there are a few avenues we could head down next.”
“We can do whatever you think is more pressing,” I answered.
What ensued was a conversation arguing which crimes should be punished, and how exactly we’d find offenders. Both Rowan’s family and the crew were bloodthirsty, and there was no shortage of suggestions.
Rowan held me close, occasionally interjecting with a comment, but mostly just being a warm presence behind me. I squeezed his arm and thought again of how lucky I was. I got to fight crime with my hellhound boyfriend.
As for what we did next? It really didn’t matter to me, and I was sure my strawberry milkshake would be up for anything (as long as he didn’t get too messy).