Epilogue
Three Months Later
Ranger
To the world, I’m an asshole. To Elle, I’m whatever she wants me to be. Sometimes that’s an asshole, but most of the time, it’s a man with a smile. There’s been some bumps in the road. Both Elle and Ginny are in therapy, sometimes even going together, and Elle’s had some nightmares. I set up a makeshift studio in one of the spare rooms at my house with the knowledge she wasn’t ever going to be able to work in the studio again. I’ve also set up a corner for her in the shop so she can be close when she needs to be. There’s not much, but I make sure there’s a stack of sketchpads and fresh pencils at all times.
Her mom and brothers did swoop in early the morning after the incident and took over. When they showed, Elle told me I should sit back and watch and let them do what they do, so we did. My house was completely renovated in three weeks. There were no less than five crews working on it simultaneously. New floors, new walls—or fewer walls in some cases, and an addition to the back of the house that’s an enclosed sunroom. It’s where Elle paints now. Her artwork graces the walls and her touches are in every room. I have throw pillows. Joker had a field day with that.
But today, I have something up my sleeve to surprise Elle with, and I hope she loves it. She misses the gallery in the Cove. Her brothers sold that building as soon as they could, and Jorge is the Art Director of a new location. They are going to bring featured artists in to work in the big studio and Elle has a smaller one for those times we visit. She misses pottery, though, and I know she misses mingling with others while talking art.
“Where are we going?” she asks as I blindfold her and walk her out of the house and to the truck.
“If I told you, it would ruin the surprise.” I kiss her cheek.
“I won’t tell.” She smiles at me.
“Not a chance, Tink.” I wink at her.
”I can feel you winking at me,” she mutters, stubborn as always.
“It’s almost time,” I laugh. ”Just a little while longer.”
I drive us to the shop and park my truck. It’s a full lot already. Everyone is here today to surprise my girl. It makes me happy that this family we’ve built in Boulder Canyon shows up when bad things happen, but they also show up when good things are happening. It’s grown over the years. My friends have found their perfect matches and brought new family in, and now I’m part of that. Elle is definitely my family.
“Ready?” I ask as I open the truck door and help Elle out.
“Still wish I knew what for,” she grumbles.
“Patience, baby. Patience.”
I walk her around the building to the front, Tiny quieting the crowd of family and friends and various others from the community gathered, and place her right where I want her. I look around at everyone smiling, some with tears in their eyes already, and smile at the love my girl is being shown.
“Thank you all for gathering here today,” I begin, making Elle turn towards my voice. “A couple of months ago, someone came into our slice of heaven and tried to hurt us. We won’t let that stand. And today, I’d like to present Elenore Workman with a surprise to let her know that not only do we love her, we value what she can bring to this town. This community. I’d like to welcome you all to the official opening of Elle’s new gallery and studio.” Elle gasps beside me, but I continue. “She’s going to have to name it, I’m not good at that,” the crowd laughs, “but, Elle,” I say, turning her in my arms with her back against my front, “I want to show you something special I’ve been working on with your brothers.”
I remove her blindfold, and she looks at the building with wide eyes, tears already making them shine. “What is this?” she quietly asks me.
“You need a space to keep being your talented self, baby, and this lets you do that, and all the other amazing things you want to do. It’s a place for the community to learn more about art in any way you want to show them.”
“Jonathan,” she whimpers. “How?”
“Your family can get shit done on a timeline. Did you know that?” I smirk when she laughs. “They helped. And now, it’s a reality, and no matter where we are, you’ll be close.”
“Can we go inside?” she looks so excited, I can’t help but pull her in for a kiss. We get lost in it until she breaks it off to the whistles and whoops of the people watching us.
“Lead the way.”
It’s many hours later when our friends and family have all departed, and Elle is with me in the shop, helping me clean my station. A few of the brothers wanted some ink while they were here, so I lined them all up and we knocked them out with Barbie’s help. Daniel also showed up with a new tattoo idea that we scheduled for a few weeks out. The reunion wasn’t some love fest. We’re military men, after all—that shit happens when there aren’t people standing around watching. We hugged, he said he was glad I pulled my head out of my ass, and he introduced me to his son, Wyatt. And that was that. Brothers once more.
“I still don’t know how you all did everything without me knowing. It’s the same building!” Elle exclaims, leaning against the wall and watching me.
“Early mornings, Tink.” I grin at her. She hates mornings. “They worked through the earliest of hours when you weren’t here and cleared out for the day before we arrived.”
“It’s amazing. Thank you.”
The storefront next to me was formerly a small clothing boutique, but the owner, Mrs. Raffa, came to me a while back asking if I knew any buyers. She wanted to retire and move closer to her kids, but didn’t want to close up and leave if it meant the space would be empty. I had already approached her before all the shit went down and a preliminary deal had already been agreed to. We just moved up the timeline with Elle’s brothers coming in to help. Mrs. Raffa is taken care of for life now and her moving expenses—and an all-inclusive vacation for her entire family—has been paid for by the Workman Corporation and she’s a happy lady these days. She didn’t announce she was closing, just flipped the sign on Saturday night and didn’t unlock the doors the next morning. The work crews were in there within the day.
There is a small gallery area up front with art for sale by Elle and a few other local artists she’s connected with over the months. Behind that are two rooms, the pottery room and the painting room, for monthly group things. I’m told there’s usually wine involved and women come and paint random things. Kids love the pottery stuff, so she already has a waiting list on the first class. There are a few small studios in the back of the building, but it’s the upstairs that I’m most proud of. The walls between the unit and the shops have been removed, and it’s one big open apartment/studio now. There’s an actual bedroom and full kitchen, and the bathroom has been upgraded. There’s also a replica of Tiny’s couch in the sitting area. We like the couch. Her new studio supplies are set up in front of the new bench window, just how she likes.
I was afraid she wouldn’t go up there, but she proved me wrong. She charged up the stairs and cried in my arms when she saw it. Then she ran down, grabbed Ginny’s hand and drug her up there where they cried together and then walked every inch of the place, oohing and aahing over everything. It was good to see them moving forward. It makes me happy that Elle had Ginny and the other girls who eventually joined and the tears began again.
“Okay, but when did they put the inside door up that connects us?” she randomly asks.
“Last night. After we left.”
She walks up to me and pushes me down on my chair, crawling over my lap and kissing me.
“Thank you.”
“You already said that,” I point out.
“Don’t be an asshole.” She grins at me. “And take your shirt off.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I drawl as I reach behind my head and yank my t-shirt over it. “You have any special plans? Or just want to see me naked?”
“Yes.” She smirks. “And, yes.”
She pulls out a pen, one that we use to stencil on skin, and grins at me. “Trust me?”
“Of course.” I return her grin, grasping her hips. “Are you aware that you have a skirt on today?”
“I am aware of that.” She licks her lips, looking at my chest. “And it will work to my advantage—after I do something first.”
“What do you have planned?”
“You’ll see.” She raises her brows at me and bites her lip as she goes to work, drawing on my chest above my heart.
I learned quickly not to question Elle when she has her mind set. Let her do what she’s going to do and you realize you won’t regret much. But that doesn’t mean I have to make it easy on her.
I raise the ends of her long skirt until I can get my fingers on the skin of her legs. I make small circles with my thumb, slowly sliding my hands higher up her thighs, which are already placed perfectly over my now rock hard cock.
“Careful,” she admonishes, “wouldn’t want me to mess this up.”
“Don’t care. Whatever it is, Barbie’s making it permanent in the morning.”
She grinds down, the warmth of her pussy heating my own body up. I groan as she sits up and undoes my jeans, pulling my fly open and putting her hand under the band of my boxers. She grips my cock and lines it up my body just how she wants it before pulling her hand out.
I start to protest when she lines her pussy up perfectly over the ridge and sways her hips back and forth.
Groaning, I grip her hips. “Tink.”
“Almost finished,” she promises, still drawing on my chest and grinding on my dick.
“You’re being bad.”
“But you like it.”
I reach the apex of her thighs and move the scrap of panty covering her out of the way. Her breathing accelerates as my thumbs spread her open and my finger circles her clit. My other finger dips into her pussy opening and is rewarded with a flood of moisture.
“Jonathan,” she warns as the pen tip digs into my skin more than it should.
“Careful,” I coo. “Wouldn’t want to damage my skin so I can’t get it permanent tomorrow.”
“Then you need to stop. I’m almost finished,” she pants.
She’s telling me to stop, but it’s her hips still grinding over me, her pussy gripping my finger.
“How about we compromise?” I ask, watching her face. “You remove the pen for two minutes, I get you off, and then you can finish before it’s my turn?”
She shakes her head. “Won’t work for me. I need you inside.”
“New plan,” I thrust up from below, adding the ridge of my cock to the tease. “You put the pen down, take me on the chair, and then finish.”
“Deal.”
The pen flies over her head as she reaches down and whips her shirt off so we are both exposed. I yank her down, fitting my mouth over her right tit, sucking the nipple into my mouth.
“Need you,” she pants. “Naked.”
To prove her point she grinds her pussy over my covered cock again and I pop her nipple out of my mouth to sit her up enough that I can lower my pants. As soon as my cock springs free, she grips it, stroking it once, twice, three times before lowering herself over me.
Her pussy swallows me up until she’s gyrating her hips, doing some magic to my cock.
“Tink,” I growl. “Not gonna last long with you doing that.”
Her pussy squeezes me for good measure and my eyes roll up in my head.
“Like that?” she quietly asks.
Her fingers dig into my chest for better leverage, and I grip her hips. I’m just holding on for the ride. Every forward sway, her clit rubs the hair at the base of my cock.
“That’s it, baby, you’re going to come for me, aren’t you?”
She doesn’t answer, just increases her motions. Grinding harder, swaying erratically, moaning my name louder. She’s almost there, and I’ll follow over with her.
I know what she needs.
I raise my thumb to her lips. “Suck,” I command.
She does as requested, popping my thumb out of her mouth when it’s nice and wet. I trail my fingers down her body until I’m where I need to be. I press my moistened digit against her clit and apply just the right amount of pressure in small circles.
Like that, she’s gone.
“Jonathan!” she yells, her walls convulsing around my cock, milking my own orgasm from my body like the Goddess she is.
“Elle.”
She collapses on top of me, both of us breathing hard, and I run my hands up and down her back, loving the feel of her skin beneath me.
“Marry me one day,” I say, catching both of us by surprise.
“One day?” she asks, propping her head up on her hand.
“One day. Not anytime soon. But I want this life with you. I don’t need another five years to know, hell I don’t need another five minutes. You’re endgame for me, Elle. But I felt like I needed to warn you. It’s coming. And if you’re going to say no, tell me now and we’ll keep living in blissful love as we are.”
“Oh, you asshole,” she laughs. A full body laugh that does things to what was my deflated cock. “You ask, I’ll say yes. Promise.”
I sit up enough to wrap my arms around her back and kiss her with all the love I’ve found in my heart because of her. And one day, I’ll make that wedding happen. But right now? I’m going to fuck my girl in my chair again.
Elle
Ranger finally let me finish the sketch on his chest and he did immediately follow through with having Barbie make it permanent. It was a leaf. It matches the one he added to my back as soon as his was complete. The shape of a sugar maple leaf, ours is attached to the tree that adorns my back. I added Tiny and Lottie’s leaf while he was working on me. One day, I hope to have a full, blossoming tree but for now, our branch is getting some love, and that’s all I want. Love.