52. Epilogue
Epilogue
TEAGAN
We pull into the driveway of my childhood home and turn off the ignition. The ground is covered in a bed of white, the snow glistening like diamonds under the golden rays of the early morning sun. Several cars line our driveway, ones I recognize belong to my friends, and though I’m always glad to be home, today is different. Today is special because of the two girls seated beside me.
It's only a few days before Christmas, and we plan on spending the next two days here with my family and friends before returning to Cumberland where I’ll spend Christmas morning at the lake house, watching Sophie and Lane open their gifts.
“We’re here,” I announce, turning to Lane.
She sits in the driver’s seat, her posture rigid and her face a mask of nerves as she stares out the windshield.
I reach out and softly touch her hand. “Lane?”
She turns, blinking. “What if they don’t like me?”
“Impossible.” I shake my head.
“But—”
“I love you,” I say, lifting her hand to my lips where I press a kiss. “So they’ll love you, too. It’s that simple.”
“Mom,” Sophie whines from the back seat. “Stop worrying so much. Just be yourself and it will be fine.”
I chuckle under my breath while Lane shoots Sophie an incredulous look. “I’m the parent. Aren’t I supposed to give you advice?”
“Sometimes Mommies get scared, too.” She shrugs.
My lips quirk. Sweet Sophie is so full of wisdom, I sometimes wonder where she gets it until I remember who her mother is—fucking amazing woman that she is—and it all makes sense. “You ready to meet everyone?”
Lane pales, so I squeeze her hand. “It’s going to be fine, I promise.” Sensing she’s still not convinced, I lean across the seat and place a soft kiss over her lips, then look her in the eyes. “You trust me?”
She nods, her teeth sinking into her lower lip, and if it weren’t for the child in the back seat, I’d be freeing it with my own. “Then, come on.”
I slide out of the car and help Sophie from her booster seat as Lane joins us and we walk to the front door, but I don’t even have to knock. Before we’ve even made it to the porch, the door flings wide open.
“Brother!” Jace yells, arms spread out in front of him. “You’ve made it.”
“Shut up, you big buffoon!” Brynn hisses behind him, her blonde head bobbing. “You’ll scare Sophie.” Turning her attention to us, she offers a little wave and says, “We’ll just wait inside.” Then she ushers him down the hall while he grumbles about beating everyone else to the punch.
I snicker as we mount the porch, holding Sophie’s hand in my left and Lane’s in my right as we step inside and make our way into the kitchen where a burst of commotion ensues. My mother rushes to me and gently pulls me into a hug, being careful not to hurt my still healing back. Dad ruffles my hair like I’m still two years old, Jace offers me a fist bump, and Brynn a side hug. Atlas and Graham amble forward, each of them placing a hand on my shoulder while Mackenzie and Skylar follow closely behind.
“Good to see you in one piece, man,” Graham says.
“Good to be here.”
My heart swells as I glance at the people around me. I’ve always been lucky to have so many people in my life, but I feel even luckier with the women by my side. “Everyone, I’d like you to meet two very special people.”
“Wait for us!” a small voice yells and seconds later, both Trista and Sable, my little sisters, are bustling into the room, looking five times older since summer break when I last saw them.
Once everyone’s settled, I clear my throat. “As I was saying, everyone, this is Sophie.” I run a hand over her little curly head while she hugs my leg, suddenly shy in the presence of so many strangers. “And this is my Lane.” I reach out and clasp her hand in mine, glancing at her with so much love and adoration I think I might explode from it.
When I turn back to my friends and family, I point, going through each name and introduction, and by the time I’m finished, I can practically see how overwhelmed Lane is before my mother and the ladies whisk her away to the kitchen for girl talk while Sabel and Trista take Sophie up to their room.
Later, after dinner is finished, and we’ve caught up, I hover by the stairs as my parents wish everyone goodnight.
My mother pulls me into another hug, whispering in my ear, “You did good.”
“Thanks, ma,” I murmur before they retreat upstairs, leaving me to lean against the wall and wait for Lane.
A creak on one of the wooden risers alerts me to her presence, and I turn to her with a smile. “Everything good?”
Her blue eyes sparkle as she takes the last step to meet me on solid ground. “Sophie is officially passed out in your sister’s bottom bunk next to Sabel. Trista was worried she’d fall off the top, so they insisted on bunking together.”
I chuckle. “They got along well, huh?”
“I think she has two new idols.” Lane grins.
I bite my lip and pull her into my arms with slow, careful movements so as not to jar my back. After more than six weeks of healing, it’s not as painful as it was, but I still need to be careful. “I told you everyone would love you. Both of you.”
“Do you always have to be right?”
“About you? Yes.” I smooth a hand over her hair. “Thank you for being here.”
“Thank you for wanting me here.”
I smile and brush a thumb over her lower lip. “I’ll always want you, Lane, whatever piece of you you’re willing to give.”
“How about all of me?” Lane rises on her toes to meet me, and our lips collide. She tastes sweet, like the wine she and my mother shared after dinner, and I want to drown in her.
I was already in love with Lane Turner, but having her meet my family and friends brought my feelings to a whole other level.
Turning, I press her against the wall, cupping her face with my hands as I lose myself in her, groaning when her hands slip beneath the front of my shirt, tracing the ridges and grooves of my stomach with her fingertips.
Pulling back, she says, “Should we get back to your friends?”
I press a kiss to her jaw, then her neck. “Fuck my friends,” I say, claiming her mouth with another heated kiss. “I have other things in mind.”
“Like?” she asks, breathless.
Like taking her up to my room and getting her naked.
My fingers grip her hips as I sink into her touch, and I’m about to hoist her up and wrap her legs around my waist, when I remember my back and curse my injury.
I suck her lower lip instead, and she lets out a soft moan when someone behind us clears their throat.
I lift a hand, giving them the middle finger, and it’s worth the momentary twinge of discomfort because I know for a fact my parents are upstairs, which means it must be one of the guys.
Another throat clears, then Jace’s voice calls out. “It’s fine. We only get so much time together before we all go our separate ways again, but I’m kind of enjoying the show, anyway, so we can wait.”
I mutter a string of obscenities as I pull away from Lane, whose cheeks are flushed a bright shade of red, and adjust myself in my jeans before turning. “This better be good.”
Jace stands next to Atlas, and his eyes flicker south. “Well, it’s confirmed. His cock isn’t broken. Congrats, man.”
I scrub a hand over my face and groan. “Seriously?”
Beside him Atlas chuckles, and Lane snorts.
“What? As your best friend, I was concerned for you. Can you blame me?”
“Yeah, I can, actually. Because it was my fucking back, not my dick that got hit.”
Jace shrugs. “You just never know with these things, but I’m glad to see he’s back in business.” He slaps a hand on my chest. “How does that work with a broken back, anyway? Her on top, right?”
“Let it go, man,” Atlas says beside him, stifling a grin.
“What?” Jace shrugs. “I mean, because he can’t—”
“Say another word, and you’ll be the one with the incapacitated dick,” I deadpan.
Jace raises his hands, palms out. “Sheesh. You don’t have to get so violent. I was just wondering,” he grumbles.
Beside me, Lane bites her lip to hide a smile, her cheeks pinken as we rejoin the others in the living room. Between the armchairs and the massive sectional, everyone is spread out and coupled up.
I gingerly sink down onto the sectional and pull Lane beside me as Jace announces, “His cock works.”
“Give me that.” I motion to the throw pillow at Lane’s side and when she hands it to me, I chuck it at his head, wincing as I hit my target.
His mouth gapes, hand flying to the back of his skull. “I hope that hurt.”
“It did. But it was worth it.” I smile.
Graham snickers, and they launch into a story about the time Jace ran out of the showers in the locker room, slipped, and almost face-planted into Graham’s genitals.
I sit back in my seat, laughing along with them as they give Lane the highlights reel of our friendship over the years like they’re sharing a greatest hits album.
The last time we were all together in the same room was my mother’s barbecue, the day I found out the truth about Knox. It feels like it just happened yesterday, yet so far away at the same time. The night we all said our goodbyes around a fire at Crow’s Creek before we parted ways last summer, feels like a lifetime ago.
I can’t help but think of how much everything has changed since then. The crazy boys of Riverside have grown up. Our bond may be stronger than ever, but we’re no longer the boys we started as. We’re men, forged through the fire of tragedy, heartbreak, loss, and everything else life has thrown in our paths.
I glance over at Atlas, his dark gaze glittering as he smirks at some dumbass thing Jace is saying, one arm slung around Mackenzie’s shoulders.
When he bulldozed into our lives more than a year ago and stole Mackenzie from Graham before he could confess his undying love for her, I thought he’d break us. He was arrogant and jaded and tough as fucking nails. As it turns out, it takes a whole lot more than a girl, football, and Graham’s asshole father to tear us down.
And Graham . . . My gaze shifts. His sandy hair falls in his eyes as he presses a kiss to the top of Skylar’s head.
I remember sitting with Sky at our senior football banquet and being so fucking grateful she found a way to bring him back to life when I thought we’d lost him.
Shit, he went to hell and back, and still came out on top. A broken heart, gambling debts, his parent’s infidelity, a surprise half-sibling, thugs, and fires weren’t enough to keep him down, and we were right there with him, every fucking step of the way.
“Babe, you know you love it,” Jace croons, drawing my attention.
Beside him, Brynn slaps him on the chest and rolls her eyes. “Okay, maybe I do.”
“See?” Jace grins like an idiot, and I shake my head.
“Do I wanna know?” I ask, having missed the punchline.
“Trust me when I say, you don’t,” Graham supplies.
“That’s what I thought.”
I tighten my arm around Lane as I watch my best friend eye my sister like she hung the moon.
When I discovered he’d been secretly seeing her behind my back, I lost my shit. He’d always been a player, and after everything Brynn had gone through in high school, I was so damn afraid of her getting hurt. She deserved whole-hearted devotion and loyalty, and I’ll admit, it took me a hot minute to realize just how much Jace loved her. Turns out, he’s exactly the man to give her everything she needs.
We’ve been through break-ups, funerals, injuries, betrayals, victories, infidelities, loss, and so much more.
And now, here we are.
I lift Lane’s hand to my lips and press a kiss to her palm.
Ever since the day she showed up at my dorm, we’ve seen each other every single day, and though I fucking miss football like I’d miss an arm or a leg, I have to admit, having my schedule open up has its advantages. No more squeezing in time on my lunch break or sneaking around. No more travelling for weekend games or early morning conditioning. Now, I’m building a life for myself outside of football, instead of around it, with Lane and Sophie at the helm.
“Teagan?”
At the sound of my name, my head snaps to Graham, pulling me from my thoughts. “What’s up?”
“I have something for you.” Digging into his pocket for his phone, he pulls it out. “Cal sent me an email I thought you might want to see. Consider it a Christmas gift.” He rises from his spot on the armchair and hands me his phone while I instantly sober.
If Graham’s father sent an email regarding Knox, it must be good.
My gaze homes in on the text, and I quickly skim the short message.
Hope this email can give the Nichols some peace and healing this holiday season.
My hand shakes as I click on the attachment and an article loads.
I read, almost afraid to believe my eyes.
“They brought Knox in on charges for sexual assault and sexual battery,” Graham explains, confirming what I’m seeing. “He’s going to be indicted.”
I scrub a hand over my mouth and drop the phone, searching for my sister. “Brynn—”
“I already know,” she says, from her perch on Jace’s lap. “Jace told me as soon as we got here. You know he can’t keep a secret.” She rolls her eyes.
My chest tightens. “And you’re good?”
She nods with a smile that reaches her eyes. “I’m good.” She glances down at Jace and threads the fingers of their clasped hand together. “Better than good.”
“I figured you guys could tell your parents tomorrow. Together,” Graham adds. “Merry Christmas, bro.”
I nod, overwhelmed with emotion as I turn and place a kiss on Lane’s cheek, heart full. “Yeah. Merry Christmas.”
Silence settles over the room, and I imagine everyone is lost in their own thoughts, likely thinking about the stab of betrayal like I am, and how it’s finally over. We’ll have justice, and the four of us are stronger for it.
“I think this calls for a group hug, am I right?” Jace asks, breaking the silence, a wide grin stretching his face as he rises. “Bring it in, boys.” He reaches out and yanks Graham to his feet, then heads straight for me. “Come on, right to Daddy.” He motions toward himself while I stand before he can do anything stupid and hurt my back.
One of his heavy arms falls over my shoulders. “Call yourself Daddy again while you’re touching me, and I’ll fucking throat punch you,” I deadpan.
“I think I just gagged.” Graham shifts closer.
Unfazed, Jace tips his chin at Atlas. “Come on, Mr. Macho, let’s go. You too.”
Atlas groans and curses under his breath, but he rises to his feet and joins us, completing the circle as Jace tries to squeeze the life out of us like a human boa constrictor. “Damn, I missed this,” he murmurs.
“Watch my fucking back, man!” I snap.
“I feel the love, don’t you?” he murmurs.
“Okay, now this is getting weird,” Graham says.
“Getting weird?” Atlas blinks across from me, his arms around Graham and Jace. “It’s been fucking weird.”
“When do we break?” Jace whispers, ignoring them. “Is it time to break? The chicks are all watching us, and I feel like we’ve held too long now for a casual release.”
Graham flinches. “Casual release? The fuck you talking about?”
“Okay, we’ll break on three,” Jace whispers. “One, two . . .”
“Oh, dear lord . . .” I close my eyes.
“Three!”
LANE
SIX MONTHS LATER . . .
It’s funny how all of life’s miracles happen when you least expect it.
Getting pregnant with Sophie.
Finding Teagan.
I’ve been blessed enough with those two things alone to last me a lifetime.
I glance over at Teagan’s profile in the sunshine while he watches Sophie try and bait a fishing hook, chuckling when she sticks her tongue out in concentration, and I smile.
On days like today, while we’re sitting on the dock of the lake house with the water stretched out before us, I glance over at the two of them and I feel so full I might burst. Life without Teagan Nichols was fine, manageable, but life with Teagan Nichols is nothing short of incredible.
Everything is falling into place.
Teagan found an amazing apartment just off campus—though it’s more a formality than anything considering, since we moved in a few months ago, he spends most of his time with us here. And I don’t see that changing anytime soon, especially with spring semester having come to an end and summer starting. All Teagan has been able to talk about is everything he hopes to do with us between his summer classes and my work schedule, including teaching Sophie how to fish, which is why he’s currently helping her cast a fishing line into the lake.
They’ve been at it for hours, and though she’s getting better, she still needs help.
“Last one,” I call out, “and then we really need to get going.”
Today is Sunday, which means brunch with my parents, and instead of avoiding Sunday afternoons at my childhood home, I actually get to enjoy them now. No more Chance. No more tiptoeing around the house, uncomfortable encounters, or the guilt of keeping secrets from my folks.
Ever since his injury, Teagan has earned himself a permanent place at their table, and I’m not sure who’s happier about it, him or my mother. She loves his voracious appetite, and he loves her cooking, and though he and my father talk football, it’s no longer the only point of conversation at the table.
Once Sophie reels her line back in, we pack up the tackle box Teagan bought for her birthday last week and head for the car.
The drive to my parents’ house is filled with laughter and chatter from the back seat as Sophie talks about the zoo trip Teagan promised her next weekend during Brynn’s much anticipated visit. By the time we pull into the driveway of my parent’s house, she’s practically bouncing with excitement.
We head inside, and the comforting scent of crepes and strawberries wraps around me like a warm blanket. We’re not more than three steps into the kitchen when my mother pounces.
“Teagan, love!” Mom crosses the room and pulls him into her arms for a hug before she holds him at arm’s length, looking him over like she hadn’t just seen him last week. “All that sun you’ve been getting at the lake this week agrees with you. You look dashing with a tan.”
“Mom.” I blush, completely mortified at the way she fawns over him all the time, but also in complete agreement because Teagan is heart-stoppingly handsome with all that smooth, golden skin.
“What, darling, I have eyes.” She winks and my mouth gapes while Teagan chuckles beside me.
“Thanks, Dolly. You don’t look so bad yourself. Getting ready for your trip to the Virgin Islands?”
“Yes! We’re all set. I still can’t believe Ed surprised me with three weeks away. What will I ever do without my Sweet Sophie?” she asks, using Teagan’s nickname for her as she wraps her up in a hug.
“Sitting on an island, sipping Painkillers? I’m sure you’ll manage.” I laugh.
True to his word, Dad took the rest of the season off football, and despite his plans to return in the fall, he surprised Mom with a trip for their anniversary. A thank you, he said, for putting up with him through years of football.
“I’ll miss your Sunday brunches, though,” Teagan says, eyeing the platter of crepes behind her on the island while he pats his flat stomach which I know firsthand is rippled with muscle.
Mom laughs. “That’s why I made extra today, so Lane can freeze the leftovers and feed you while I’m gone.”
“If didn’t already love your daughter, I would now,” he says in reverence.
I snort at the same time Dad enters the room in a hurry. “Sorry. Got caught up on a call. Where’s the food? I’m hungry,” he says, glancing into the dining room, looking all forlorn.
“We’re coming. We just got to chatting.” Mom hands us each a platter of food to take to the table while Dad places a kiss on my head, gives Sophie a squeeze, and Teagan a pat on the back.
Once we’re seated, we begin to eat when Dad clears his throat. “So, I have something I want to discuss.”
I tense, my body instantly rigid. Though it’s been months since Chance’s name has been mentioned, it’s still conditioned in me to expect these Sunday brunches to be hyper-focused on football and all things Chance Lockhart.
Shortly after Teagan’s injury and my father’s leave of absence, the athletic board decided not to press charges against Chance for the stolen playbook, but they did suspend him from the team indefinitely.
He had to sit out the last month of the season, including quarterfinals, and just this past week, instead of getting drafted to a team in the Big Ten on the East Coast like he’d hoped, he was drafted to the Los Angeles Chargers as second string.
Looks like he’s backup plan now.
I smirk to myself before I sober, hoping this isn’t what my father wants to discuss.
“I just got off the phone with Harvey O’Neil,” Dad says, and I instantly relax.
“The athletic director at John Marshall high school?” Mom asks. “Gosh, we haven’t heard from him since you left your spot there. What did he want?”
“I guess they lost their assistant coach this summer. Moved to Colorado with his family.”
I stare at my father for a moment while I chew my food. I know him well enough to know he’s getting somewhere with this, I’m just not sure where.
“So Harvey wanted to know if I had anyone in mind.” He shrugs, then lifts his head, his gaze finding the man beside me. My heart beats faster as I realize what my father’s getting at. “I was wondering if maybe you’d want it,” he says.
Teagan’s eyes widen. “Me?” he chokes out.
Dad nods, his gaze steady as he waits for Teagan to process what he just proposed. “I think you’d be a great fit. You have a season of college football under your belt, and you’re good. More than good. It would be a shame to waste all that talent when it could be put to good use coaching young men. Plus, it would be a foot in the door at John Marshall High for a teaching gig once you graduate and great experience for a head coaching spot someday, should you want it.”
Stunned into silence, my heart swells as I glance between them.
If Dad’s willing to put his neck on the line for Teagan professionally, it speaks volumes of how highly he thinks of him.
“Uh, I mean,” Teagan’s throat bobs. “I’d love to talk with them about it, yeah.” He turns his baby blues to mine. “What do you think, Lane?”
As if he has to ask.
I offer him the biggest smile I can manage. “I think they’d be really lucky to have you.”
“Okay, great. I’ll set up a meeting, then.” Dad grins, then turns back to his food while I hold Teagan’s gaze,
Reaching under the table, he clasps my hand in his and I mouth, I love you, to which he mouths back, I love you more.
The rest of brunch flies by with the five of us sitting around the table long after the food is gone and the leftovers tucked away. Eventually, we wander to the back porch where we play cards for a couple hours while Sophie plays on the swing set.
After a while, we head home where we grill on the back patio, then catch fireflies with Sophie before tucking her into bed.
I step out onto the dock where Teagan waits for me, a bottle of wine and two paper cups behind him on the tattered wooden boards, and I grin to myself. Seems we haven’t upgraded our choice of tableware since those many months ago.
He glances up at the sound of my footsteps and smiles, a radiant, beautiful smile that brings out his dimples and sinks straight to my bones.
I settle down beside him, taking the paper cup he offers me, smiling into the brim as I take a sip and stare out at the setting sun.
“I see those wheels spinning. What are you thinking about, Lane Turner?” he asks.
I turn to find him staring, thinking how we’ve come full circle.
Humming, I rise to my feet and grip the hem of my shirt.
His gaze darkens, zeroing in on the movement, before drifting back to my face where I arch a brow. “Want to go skinny dipping?”
Teagan hops to his feet and grabs me so fast, I squeal. His mouth finds mine while he helps me out of my shirt, whispering against my lips, “And they say there’s no such thing as a stupid question.”