Epilogue Violet
FOUR YEARS LATER
Handing over the bouquet of red roses to the young man, I smile. “Here you are.”
He grins at me while the bell announces someone entering the store.
Connor continues his stride to my table, while the other young man leaves. “Why was O’Keefe here? He mentioned Hadley’s name.”
I suppress my grin that wants to appear. “Because he bought her flowers, as she has a dance audition, or show, maybe a date. Is that… a problem?”
“He’s an ass, but whatever. If he wants to get flowers for Princess Snark, then he can be my guest.” He adjusts his neck, clearly agitated.
I tap my nails on the roll of ribbon, figuring out the best way to approach this. Ah, hell. “For someone who often declares that your next-door neighbor is an annoying creature, it’s odd that you seem a little… bothered.”
“Totally not. Hadley is a complete headache, and now I nearly feel sorry for O’Keefe that he wants to sign himself up for time with her.
Then again, he was booted from the varsity hockey team when he was in our junior year, so maybe he is resorting to desperate measures to find someone willing to date him. ”
I shake my head, exasperated from prying for details because it will be one big circle.
“Not everyone is like you, Mr. Just Voted Newest Player to Watch in the Hockey League.” He’s been drafted from college hockey to the pros, to the Spinners, which despite what people may think, neither his father nor uncle played a role in that.
He can’t control his proud smirk. “Talent is talent.”
Walking to the bucket of sunflowers, I begin to count the flowers. “Thirteen, right?”
“Make it fourteen. Mom loses it when I say Wyatt also got her a flower.”
“You have the seven-year-old in on your ploys now too?” I’m impressed.
“Of course.” Connor walks to Nugget’s cage and peers in. “This guy causing you any trouble?” he asks me.
I laugh. “No, he doesn’t age. I was kind of hoping he would nap more and then I could pretend that he isn’t here plotting ways to murder me. Instead, he speaks words, lots of words.”
Declan bought out the building as a wedding gift to me, and he even negotiated a new home for Nugget. Yet, when it came down to it, I couldn’t let my faithful parrot go, so Nugget got to stay.
“You love it,” Connor reminds me.
“That’s what Declan tells me.” I circle back around to my workstation and roll out some wrapping paper for the bouquet of sunflowers.
Connor taps Nugget’s cage while the bird angles his head in various ways. “Where is your husband these days?” Declan and I have been married for two years, after a beautiful wedding which was by no means small here in Lake Spark.
“He’ll be arriving back from out of town. He was out in Arizona for a few league meetings. Don’t worry, he’ll be at family dinner tonight.” We all meet up at least a couple times a month, but sometimes we’re missing Connor or Declan due to hockey life.
But it’s June, which means everyone is on downtime. Well, at least, once Declan is back this afternoon, then I get him all to myself for a few weeks.
Luckily, tomorrow is Sunday which means we will not be leaving our bed. He’s always extra insistent that we stay in our little bubble after he returns from business travel. I can’t complain. We just need to survive a chaotic dinner first.
“I say we bail five minutes after dessert is served,” Declan murmurs into my ear while my eyes roam the outside table to ensure nobody notices how my husband hasn’t removed his hand from my thigh for the last five minutes and his voice is thick with need for me.
I smile tightly, avoiding glancing at him. “Ten,” I counter.
He growls low into my ear, giving up in defeat before he leans back on his chair.
The lake is quiet on this early evening, but the backyard of Ford’s house is anything but.
Puck circles the table with his wagging tail, desperate for any handouts, while my near-four-year-old nephew Alex sings a song that makes no sense.
Meanwhile, my other nephew Wyatt protests to my brother that he should be allowed to play more hockey.
“Dude, relax. One more year, then you can start to really play games that mean something. Don’t rush it. You’ll be living in my shadow anyway, so good luck with that,” Connor informs him.
Brielle instantly reproaches him. “Connor.”
Ford touches his wife’s arm affectionately. “Relax, our son has a good point. Spears boys are exceptional hockey players, all eyes are on them.”
I sputter my sip of wine that I’m drinking. “You sound ridiculous. It’s not like it’s genetic.”
Ford makes a sound of doubt.
“Come on, it’s not like some men have some magical hockey swimmers. If that’s the case, then good luck, because one day, we—” I gesture between Declan and me “—may just produce our own little hockey team that could outshine your crew purely because my husband also has hockey swimmers.”
Declan winces before guiding my waving hand back to the table. “Can we not talk about my… in front of your brother?”
“Yeah, please don’t. I’m going to need therapy for this.” Ford shakes his head while he folds his arms on the table.
“We really should pivot into a new topic,” Brielle suggests. “By the way, I saw your parents, Declan. They mentioned looking at real estate out here. They were having lunch at Jolly Joe’s.”
My eyes snap to Declan. “What?”
He nervously offers me a tight smile. “They mentioned, but I forgot to tell you.” I mean, I love Pearl and Walter, but his parents living so close? I don’t know. Naked backyard sex will just feel too risky, in case they stop by to borrow eggs.
“Ooh, someone is going to get an earful on the drive home.” Connor winks and clucks his tongue at Declan.
Declan gawks at my nephew. “Or not, as there is nothing more to say. By the way, how is the signing bonus my team paid you? Reminding you to mind your own business?”
I snicker a laugh, as these two always tease one another but are close.
Ford sets a hand on Connor’s shoulder, as they are sitting next to one another. “Connor knows he is on the straight and narrow now. A little less partying and staying humble.”
Connor just rolls his eyes. “Let me just grab my fictitious guitar and we can all sing Kumbaya together.”
Declan and I glance at one another, and we both roll our eyes, entertained.
“Why do I fear the years ahead?” Ford says to the sky.
“Because my husband may have hockey swimmers like you, and we’re your competition on producing the future hockey leaders of our world,” I deadpan.
My brother looks at me, pretending to be unimpressed, yet he can’t control the trace of a smile on his face.
All while my husband glides his fingers along my thigh, informing me that he has plans for me tonight.
It’s an hour later when we’re back at the house, and the moment we make it through the door from the garage to the hall, Declan’s hands are on me, and our bodies are flush together as he walks us forward, with him behind me.
His hot breath spreads just below my ear in that sensitive spot before he kisses the nape of my neck.
“I’ve missed you,” he whispers.
“It’s been three days but three days too many.” I hum a sound when his fingers drag the hem of my dress up as we continue to head toward the stairs. We may just burst from the overpowering urge to forge our reunion together, literally.
“My favorite part of returning home to you is when I get you naked and take you, with our hands and our wedding rings linked together. It’s the reminder that you’re always waiting because you’re mine.”
I reach behind my back to yank on his belt. “Wedding rings do tend to symbolize that. So do some collars, but you’re not a fan of that,” I taunt him.
His chuckle rumbles against the back of my neck, and he fists some of my hair. “Naked. Now,” he barks.
“You’re so impatient.” I begin to shimmy my cotton dress to the ground, and my eyes catch the outside patio lighting, which flashes an image of backyard sex, and then my head spins into a different direction. “Your parents,” I state.
Declan stops his own clothing removal in a heartbeat, because admittedly, I just ruined the mood. “It’s not a big deal,” he insists.
“I just didn’t realize.” Really, it is that, because I guess it’s a minor thing in the grand scheme of things.
Declan guides my body to face him, and I’m standing before him in my bra and panties. “They might have said something the other week, but I didn’t think they were serious.”
“Okay.” I blink several times. “Why do they want to move?”
His fingertips cascade down my arms to link our fingers together, and he gives me one gentle yank to bring our bodies close again. “Because they made a grandchild remark.”
“And? They often do.” In a gentle not pushy kind of way, more of “do we need to plan our year around any potential development” kind of way.
A peculiar look flashes across his face, with the sexiest most endearing smile appearing on his lips.
“I didn’t remind them to be quiet.” Declan kisses the outside of my hand and steps closer, letting go of my hands to cradle my face.
“Instead, I smiled to myself.” His thumb runs along my bottom lip, my heart thumping like crazy, because a balloon of hope fills my chest.
“What are you trying to say?” My eyes narrow as I try to read his mood.
“I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately, and don’t you dare think your little ‘my husband has the good hockey genes’ speech back there is any influence,” he warns.
“Influence over what, exactly?” Feelings swell because we’ve always respected that we didn’t want kids right away, we have time, but I’ve been feeling the desire lately. I never wanted to push, but now it seems…
Declan drops one hand to my belly. “I want to put a baby inside of you.”
A warm smile instantly hits me, as my entire body enters a new state of happiness. Maybe we’ll be lucky to one day get pregnant, maybe not, but right now, we’re on the same page and timeline, and that feels like a positive start to a new chapter for us.
“I couldn’t focus during my meetings because I’ve been thinking about it for a while, but I’m ready, and you better believe that this place is turning into baby-making central.”
I leap into his arms and kiss him with so much excitement. “We don’t need to make it a big thing, let’s just do what we always do, minus birth control.”
He’s walking us to the stairs. “To hell with that. The number of times that I’m going to have you on your back with legs in the air will be way above our daily average.”
I kiss him again, inhaling his love, feeling so incredibly lucky that this man is my husband.