Epilogue
“She’s fitting right in,” Kostya said as he looked over to where Lainey was sitting with Jada, Lark, Bonnie, and Leila. Once Lainey’s reputation had been cleared at Lionel Security and Trust Bank and Janice had been fired, she could easily get a job in Virginia Beach if she wanted to. Now she was conspiring with some of the other Omega Sky women.
“She’s fitting in a little too well, if you ask me. She spends every Wednesday night with them,” Mateo grumbled.
Gideon snorted. “Aw, poor baby, he doesn’t get to see his woman one night of the week. It must be so rough.”
Mateo looked around the group of men here in Kostya’s living room. The women were in the dining room looking over some printouts. “Hey, she only moved down here three months ago, it is rough. What’s more, two of those months were spent finding a house with a big enough yard for Xena.”
“I like your dog,” Gideon said. “She plays well with Lucy. She has no fear.”
Mateo could finally chuckle just a little. When they opened up Lainey’s bedroom where Xena had been cooped up, she came out all teeth and claws. All the men had backed up from her, not wanting to hurt her. They were more than willing to let her have at Ivan, though. That fucker had deserved all the clawing and bites that he got, before they’d started to pound on him. Unfortunately the cops had come before they’d been able to get the information they needed. But Xena had been a champ. Mateo still grinned about her turnaround.
But when Xena had found her mama, she’d started to whine and cry, but after she was done, she stood guard. Her snarling and growling started all over again when the EMTs arrived. It took everything Lainey and Mateo had to get her to calm down enough to let the EMTs take Lainey away. According to Kostya, even as the cops were taking Ivan away, they still had to hold onto her as she tried to bite and claw Ivan again. Apparently he had become her favorite chew toy.
Amanda left the apartment in a body bag, which made Mateo extremely happy, after he found out exactly what she had done to Lainey.
“So, when is the housewarming party?” Brax asked Gideon.
“Still four more months. It hasn’t mattered how much money I’ve thrown at this project; it has taken forever.”
Kostya laughed and so did Linc, Mateo, and Jase.
“I don’t know how my wife got roped into all of this,” Linc said.
“They want the translations to be right on the webpages, and Lainey said you can’t just trust the AI translation apps.”
“Your woman sure seems hellbent on starting up this low-income loan program,” Kostya said.
“Yep. But it was your wife’s fault. Lainey was planning on getting a degree in non-profits, but Lark said why wait.”
Kostya laughed. “That’s my girl.”
Linc rolled his eyes as he swished another chip through queso and popped it into his mouth. “At least there’s food.”
“At least I got to come this time,” Mateo said.
“So, when are you going to pop the question?” Brax asked.
“Keep your voice down.” Mateo frowned at Brax. “I have a plan.”
“So, fill us in. Maybe we can help.”
“If I needed your help, then I would have asked for your help already.”
“Do you have the ring?” Jase asked. “According to my daughter, it’s important that there are diamonds in it.”
“Yeah, I remember what you told us.” Mateo laughed. “Yep, diamonds are involved in the ring. But I have a lot to compete with since she has her grandmother’s jewels.”
“I hope you ponied up,” Brax said.
“I rode a horse, okay?” he gave his friend a pointed look.
“Okay. Okay. Okay.” He threw his hands up in the air.
Gideon winked at him.
“Have I told you how happy I am that you pulled me in to work on this?” Leila said for the third time.
“Why wouldn’t we?” Lark asked.
“Sometimes I feel kind of out of things, since I’m always travelling so much with my job.”
Lainey laughed. “And I feel just the opposite, all of you are employed. I’m the lump on the log, just sitting around with pie-in-the-sky ideas.”
“Uhm, have the doctors given you the all-clear?” Bonnie asked tentatively.
“Sure they have,” Lainey said. “I’ve been good for ten weeks now. Why do you ask?”
“It’s just something Jase said.”
Lainey narrowed her eyes. “Which means it came from Mateo. Okay, let’s have it.”
“Bet you and I heard the same thing,” Jada piped up. “Gideon told me that it’s only been in the last two weeks that you’ve been okay to go back to work, and before that we should all take it easy with you.”
“I’ve got to have a talk with Mateo. He is way-over-the-top protective.”
All the women around the table burst out laughing. Finally, after she caught her breath, Lark said, “Good luck with that.”
Lainey frowned. “What do you mean?”
“They’re all over-protective alphas. If they could wrap us in bubble-wrap and keep us under guard at home 24/7 they would do it.”
“Mateo’s not that bad…”
Lainey looked around the table at her new friends who were all grinning at her.
“Oh my God, he is that bad.”
“It gets worse when you have kids,” Lark said.
“We’re not even engaged,” Lainey protested.
“Not yet,” Bonnie grinned.
“Did my girl do good by you?” Gideon asked when he followed Mateo into the kitchen.
“Gianna is an amazing artist,” Mateo enthused. “But I don’t know how she had time to design Lainey’s engagement ring with three kids under the age of four running around.”
“Did I tell you that the oldest boy’s middle name is Gideon?” Gideon asked.
“Only about forty times.” Mateo smiled as he reached into the fridge to take out the vegetable plate.
“Vegetables? I thought we were getting beer.”
“Lark made me promise I would try to get us to eat some vegetables.”
Gideon chuckled. “I haven’t talked to Sebastian for a while since he took the desk job. Did she say how he was doing?”
“I got the feeling he was just biding his time to get back out into the field.”
“That sounds about right.” Gideon nodded. “So, how did the design turn out?”
“I gave her pictures of some of Lainey’s grandmother’s jewels, and she came up with something that was in the same vein. I told her to not skimp on the size of the stones, and she didn’t. She even found a jeweler for me to go with.”
“I wish you luck,” Gideon said as he patted him on the back.
Lainey stretched out on the yoga mat in front of the fireplace. Ever since she had her gallbladder removed, she was more conscious of her body and liked to ensure it was limber and in shape. It also made sex even better!
She heard the garage door come up. Xena got up from her spot by the fire and ran toward the garage door by the kitchen. Mateo came in calling out, “Corazón, I brought home dinner.”
He did that at least once a week. Even though she currently didn’t have a day job, he took what she was doing seriously enough to bring home dinner, and he also cooked once a week. He was perfect.
“No, Xena, this isn’t for you. This is for your Mama and me.”
Lainey got up from the floor and saw Mateo’s eyes widen. “Let me get cleaned up for dinner,” she said.
“You know you’re wearing my favorite outfit.”
She giggled. He did love her yoga clothes. When he saw the one set she had, he went out and bought three more sets. Lainey would never feel comfortable wearing them out in public, but here at home? For Mateo? Sure.
“I’m sweaty,” Lainey protested.
“You have a glow,” Mateo countered. “Come sit down at the table before the food gets cold.”
Lainey liked their new dining room set. There wasn’t a chance in purgatory she ever wanted to see her old dining room set again.
She heard a pop and frowned. As she circled the couch and made her way into the dining room, she watched Mateo pouring champagne.
“Is there something we’re celebrating?”
“Have a seat.”
He looked serious, so she sat down.
“I lost Luis when he was twenty and I was sixteen.”
Lainey gulped and covered his hand with hers. “I know, I’m so sorry.”
He nodded. “I lost my mom when I was twenty-three.”
She squeezed his hand. He turned his over so he could tangle his fingers with hers.
“I had my team of brothers, but it wasn’t the same. I didn’t have that connection of the heart, that comes with having a family. As I saw my friends pair up, I despaired I would ever have that again. Then I met you.”
“You thought maybe I could be your connection?” Lainey asked hopefully.
“You were so much more than that. Lainey, my life is more meaningful with you by my side. You’re more than just my lover and the woman that I love. You’re the connection that bridges my heart, soul, and mind. We are so intricately entwined that I feel like I can do anything. I’ve been scared to death at the idea of getting married and starting a family. I never wanted to lose someone I loved ever again, but because of you, I now have the courage to try. Will you marry me, Lainey Simpson? Will you be my wife? My other half? And maybe one day, if God blesses us, the mother of my children?”
She nodded.
She had no words.
She nodded again.
This time, she didn’t try to stop the tears.
She kept nodding and saw Mateo’s smile.
He untangled their fingers, then grasped her left hand. Through her tears, she watched him ease a ring onto her finger.
She picked up a napkin to wipe her eyes so that she could see the ring clearly.
It was a large emerald-cut yellow diamond, with two emeralds offset on either side, and tiny black diamonds set along the top and bottom of the emeralds. It was the most beautiful ring she had ever seen in her life.
“Are you going to say something?”
She nodded.
“Sometime tonight?” He chuckled.
“Yes,” she whispered. “Having you as my husband is my dream come true.”
Mateo got up from his seat and came around the table. He pulled out Lainey’s chair. “Stand up,” he whispered.
“The food will get cold,” she whispered back as she stood up.
“Like I care.” Mateo laughed. “I just got the most wonderful woman in the world to agree to marry me.” He picked her up in his arms and whisked her down the hallway.
Xena knew better than to follow.