Epilogue #2
As we walk up the aisle, my eyes scan the crowd for our loved ones.
Baxter is skulking at the back and I wink at him as we pass.
My dad and Chelsea are sitting with Bex and Aadi.
Monty and his new partner Rachel are sat with Maggie.
There’s no animosity between them now that Laura is out of the picture and although Maggie hasn’t ever dated anyone, Elsie swears that she and Frost are into each other. I’m not convinced, but we’ll see.
I spy Cap and Adrianne in matching suits, alongside all of the original female recruits, and quite a few of the new ones that Elsie has helped to train.
I love seeing their faces and knowing that they’re all here for Elsie, not me.
She’s had such a massive impact on their lives, charming everyone and making them fall in love with her sweet and fierce heart.
She’s finally surrounded by the loving family she always deserved, and blood has nothing to do with it.
I pretty much sniffle my whole way through the ceremony and Kalen doesn’t even pull any stunts like pretending he lost the rings.
Like I said, no one dares fuck with Elsie these days.
She gave a whole new meaning to the term ‘Bridezilla’ and I know that she’s going to make the most formidable, loving, mother bear there ever could be.
“Jesus, are you still crying?” Baxter asks low in my ear as the photographer takes pictures of the happily married couple. I know that Elsie is about to tell Jasper her little secret and I’m dying to see his reaction.
“Shut up.” I snap. “It’s allergies.”
“Sure it is.” He snorts before nudging me and holding out a tiny switchblade with a bow on it. “What do you think?”
“You got them a knife for a wedding present? I think she wanted a carving set.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. This is for the baby.”
“What baby?”
He scoffs and nods at the bride and groom.
Jasper’s grin could be seen from space as he whoops and lifts Elsie into his arms, swinging her around like crazy before putting her back on his feet.
He drops to his knees and kisses her completely flat stomach with absolute adoration in his eyes. Guess the cat’s out of the bag then.
“Yeah, because that’s normal behaviour for a married man who isn’t about to become a dad.”
“How the hell did you know? I swear Elsie and I were the only ones…”
“I know things.” He shrugs.
“And yet you don’t know that buying a switchblade for a baby is completely inappropriate,” I snap.
He laughs and grins at me.
“Not considering who the baby’s mum is.”
Okay, touché motherfucker, I’ll give him that one. Elsie will probably be over the moon with this freaky gift, but each to their own I guess. I know she’ll equally love all the designer shit I’ve been buying for my unborn godchild too. It’s not a competition, but I’m totally gonna smash it.
“Bought any sharp stabby implements for your own child yet?”
“She’s not mine.”
“You treat her like she is. Told the mum you’re in love with her yet?”
“We’re taking things slow,” he quips.
“So slow she doesn’t know how you feel.”
“Like I said. S-l-o-w.”
“I want to meet her.”
“No way.” He shakes his head vehemently. “She’s exactly your type.”
“Um I think you’ll find Elsie is the one who likes women…well, liked. I have no idea where she stands on that now, she only seems to have eyes for Jasper and his freakishly dark nipples…ugh.” I shudder.
“I meant, for The Order. I’m trying to get out, not bring more people in. She’s exactly what you’d want.”
“A couple more years, I promise. You’re practically out anyway.”
“I want it official. I’m not going to make a move with a kid involved until I can guarantee everyone’s safety.”
“That’s fair. It won’t be long, I promise.”
“I’ll hold you to that,” he vows before walking away.
Elsie giggles and calls me over, and I congratulate Jasper before posing for a million photos. By the end my face hurts from smiling so much, but I can’t help it. Every single smile is genuine today.
“Can I have this dance?” Monty asks, holding out his hand to me.
“You can.” I take his hand and we move onto the dance floor.
“The Knox foundation has officially been approved today.”
“Are you serious?” He nods at my question, and tears spring to my eyes. “That’s amazing news.”
After my petty – yet catastrophic – stunt when I was trying to get kicked out of Knox Academy and I publicised everyone’s records, I really did feel remorseful.
I wanted to find a way to not only undo the damage that I caused, but to help future students too.
So from now on, every student that enters Knox Academy has their records sealed by a team of our experts.
No one besides us has a copy, not even the courts, and no one will ever be able to get their hands on those records.
It’s a way for every student to truly have a fresh start.
Along with that, I wanted to start up a foundation for students who graduate – but who aren’t eligible to join The Order – so they’re not thrown back into the world with nothing but an education.
The foundation will help make sure they have housing and job opportunities.
As well as anything else that they need to make a new life for themselves.
Monty has also helped restructure the way the school works, so that it isn’t just where wealthy kids who mess up go – no offence to any of them, but they get enough privilege in life being wealthy – now Knox Academy is solely for kids who really need a second chance.
Kalen taps Monty on the shoulder. “Can I cut in?”
“You sure can,” he replies, stepping back and allowing Kalen to take his place. Kalen is smirking, and I instantly know that he’s up to something. He moves us across the floor so that we’re close to Maggie and Frost.
“Hey, Mum, you look good.”
“So do you, son.”
Maggie looks at me and we silently have a conversation. She also knows that her son is up to something. He always is.
“Frost,” Kalen nods. “Is it too soon to start calling you Daddy?” He cackles at his own question.
“Kalen—”
“What? It’s so obvious that they’re together.”
“It doesn’t matter,” I chastise him. “Maggie will tell you when she is ready.”
“Fine,” he concedes. “But when she does, I’m calling him Daddy Frost.”
Maggie shakes her head at her son and Frost actually smiles. He looks really happy. And he definitely deserves to be. We all do.
I dance with all of my men, and even Baxter.
The food is divine, the speeches are perfect, and just before midnight we all head out to the gardens to watch the finale of the night: a spectacular fireworks display provided courtesy of Camilla and Dirk.
Allegedly, they’re discussing business together in the south of Italy, but I suspect they may be holidaying, having become friends these past few years. It’s weird, but I don’t question it.
Outside Sawyer takes his place behind me, cradling me back into his chest and wrapping his arms around me to keep me warm. It’s a fairly mild summer night but I do still like to bitch about the weather at every opportunity I get.
Slate and Kalen stand on either side of me, their arms touching mine.
Onyx stands the other side of his twin, but when he catches me shivering he wordlessly removes his suit jacket and tosses it my way.
He’s so attentive to my needs, always watching protectively to make sure I don’t want for anything.
Beside me, Kalen bounces up and down with excitement.
“What is it?” I ask.
“I love fireworks.”
“Me too,” I reply just as the first one goes off with a whistle. A shower of golden sparks rains down over us, the tips tinged with purple. “Those ones are my favourite.”
“I like the ones that bang.” Of course he does. That’s Kalen all over. All noise and show.
“I like the howlers and the screamers,” Onyx adds with a smirk.
“I’m just glad we managed to talk Kalen out of his wedding gift idea,” Slate states. I groan.
“Oh god, what was it?”
“He wanted to release a hundred white doves,” Sawyer tells me.
“Well that doesn’t sound so bad. It’s sort of romantic.”
“At midnight.”
“Oh.”
“To the backdrop of the fireworks.”
“Oh in that case I’m really glad you talked him out of that.“
“Yeah. I didn’t think Elsie would appreciate the grand finale to her big, very perfect, day being her guests covered in a waterfall of dove shit.”
“Oh my god, definitely not. She would have killed him.”
“Yeah so you’re welcome, two times.” I chuckle and lean back so that Sawyer can lower his head to press his lips against mine.
Beside me, Kalen is protesting that it was a good idea and I shake my head at him.
He hasn’t changed one bit. Or maybe he has.
When I first came here there would have been no talking him out of any hairbrained scheme he set his sights on.
Then again, I also did some questionable shit.
Seducing my teacher – more than once, sleeping with my stepbrothers, trying to get my mother stoned, pretending to date Baxter… I could go on.
Three years ago, when Laura walked into that courtroom, I never could have imagined that this is how my life would have ended up.
In a very small way it’s because of her that I have four amazing men in my life that love me as much as I love them.
That I have the most amazing friends and a place that I feel at home.
The sequence of events that lead us here also brought so many people into my life: Bex, Camilla and Debbie.
And to top it off, everyone is happy. What more could I ask for?
It took me a long time to let go of the guilt from taking her life, even after everything that she had done to me.
I lived in a place of self-hatred for so long because of her, and in the end I had to learn to accept that without her, none of this would have been possible.
That she unknowingly gave me the best gift, in exchange for her life, gave me mine back.
And looking at everyone here today, how can I feel guilty for that?
So all that I have left to say is…fuck her.
The End.
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