Chapter 36 – Epilogue 1 – Seth
“I still don’t get it,” Levi deadpans, dragging his eyes up and down my costume with a look caught between judgment and confusion. “What are you supposed to be… a bat?”
I huff a laugh and adjust the thin, black vest that I’m wearing. “No, man. I’m a Bat Boy.”
He just stares at me. Blank expression. Then lets out a slow, skeptical, “Uh-huh.”
And yeah. A six-foot-five man in an all-black cape, eye mask, and a skintight shirt that probably reveals more than it conceals has absolutely no business looking this ridiculous.
But when your girlfriend, the love of your actual entire life, and your daughter are obsessed with fantasy books full of winged men who brood and battle and pine for their mates, well, you go full Bat Boy for Halloween because it makes them both smile and giggle.
It doesn’t hurt that Bri said she wanted to roleplay later tonight while I’m wearing it.
No regrets.
Levi tugs his eyepatch down and adjusts the sword clipped to his belt. “I think women like when you dress a little sexy.”
I eye him. “Sexy? You’re in a Party City pirate getup. You’ve got clip-on gold hoops, man. You look like the creepy boss who’s hitting on the underage cashiers.”
He lifts his brows. “And you look like Zorro and Batman had a baby. But sure. Sexy. At least I’m searching for booty tonight.”
“Women are giving you the playbook, man, and you’re not even reading it. Pick up a damn romance novel for once and maybe you’ll get laid.”
He snorts. “Before Bri, you were practically celibate. I don’t think you can give me any advice on getting laid. Plus, Bri and I read romance novels together. Have you forgotten your girlfriend is my best friend?”
I roll my eyes. “Find your own girlfriend.”
He shakes his head. “Impossible with the schedule the Boston Tea have me on.”
I nod. I get that. When the right person comes, he’ll be ready.
We’re still laughing as we walk up to our brother Boone and Rosie’s front porch, the carved pumpkins lining the steps glowing with flickering candlelight. The second we knock, the door swings open, and Rosie appears, all flushed cheeks bouncing our adorable nephew dressed as a pumpkin in her arms.
“Hi guys,” she says, hugging us each. “Come in. Please come in before I melt or cry. Or both.”
Levi scoops the baby out of her arms instantly and takes off into the house. “Come to Uncle.”
“Cute costume.”
She rolls her eyes affectionately. “He’s already had three outfit changes. The other two were soaked with spit-up.”
“Well keep Boone away from you. He told you about his six-kid plan, right?”
Rosie’s pretty eyes widen in mock horror but there’s something in her smile that says she might not be against the idea. “Yeah, it sounded horrifying at first but I’m kind of into it.”
Levi laughs from over her shoulder, but there’s a flicker in his expression that catches me.
The way his gaze lingers on her—on the whole warm, glowy domestic thing she’s got going on.
That yearning in his eyes, quiet but deep.
It hits me in the chest. Because I know that look.
I’ve worn that look in the past. The way that you feel like you’re just a little behind on the whole family thing.
The way it can feel like you keep choosing the wrong women, the wrong circumstances to get you where you really want to be.
These last few months with Levi continuously popping up in Brookhaven, crashing at my place, helping with Sawyer, showing up more than I ever expected... I’ve been pretending to be annoyed by it. But the truth is, I’ve loved having him close by and I can tell he’s needed this.
It’s been over a decade since we all lived on the same coast, let alone the same town.
He left Canada for the big leagues at eighteen and never looked back.
And now that he keeps getting suspended from his team in Boston, we’re finally spending time together again.
It’s been healing for our relationship, and Bri’s been a big part of that.
We’ve talked about Rebecca. About Sawyer.
About all the things that we never got to say back when everything blew up.
I used to think he resented me for what happened with her—for loving her, for getting her pregnant when I wasn’t sure she was forever.
But he didn’t. He never did. He just wanted what was best for all of us.
And now he wants what’s best for Sawyer, too. That’s why I’ve encouraged his relationship with her, and he’s bonded so tightly with Bri. That’s why he shows up. Why he keeps showing up. And for me, that’s everything I need to know. He’ll always be my brother, and I’ll always love him.
After telling Bri everything about my past, about Rebecca, about Levi… it’s like something cleared between us. No more secrets. No more weight pressing between us in the dark. We spend every day together with Sawyer, and every night tangled up with each other in my bed.
She moved out of Natasha Carpenter’s place earlier this week—though Natasha wasn’t thrilled. I think I heard her mutter something like, “Everyone leaves me when they fall in love,” Which only made Bri teary-eyed.
Natasha’s sweet. A little wild. Runs the local bar Brookhaven Brews like a one-woman army and when she isn’t working, she parties harder than anyone I’ve ever met. Which is probably why letting go of Bri felt like losing her center.
I look around Boone and Rosie’s house, and it’s like Halloween exploded inside.
Pumpkin and bat string lights dangle from every available surface, fake cobwebs in the corners, snacks and cider on the counters.
The whole crew’s here—the Prescotts, Carpenters, Tremblays. Everyone in costume. Everyone smiling.
And then I see her. My Soul. She’s got a glowing halo perched on her head and this short, floaty white dress that moves like smoke every time she turns.
Her skin is golden, lit from within, radiating the joy she carries everywhere with her, and her green eyes shine with laughter as she talks animatedly to Eden Carpenter, hands flailing as she tells a story.
I don’t even think. My body moves on instinct, like gravity pulling me home. I slide up behind her, arms wrapping around her waist, and press my mouth to her ear, her bright red hair tickling my face. It’s like a piece of me reconnects every time we’re together.
“Hi, baby. You look beautiful.”
She turns slightly, grinning up at me. Her hands cover mine, fingers squeezing.
“Oh my God,” she breathes out with a laugh. “You really dressed as a Bat Boy?”
I smirk. “Guilty.”
“This might be the hottest thing I’ve ever seen.”
I laugh. “We’ll enjoy it later tonight.”
Her cheeks flush. “Did Sawyer see you before she left for her sleepover?”
“Yeah, she said I ruined the books for her. Apparently, she’s outgrown my Halloween costumes.”
She laughs harder. I spread my arms wide, letting the sheer black wings fan out behind me with a dramatic flourish.
“Check out this part.”
“Okay, wow. This is even better than I imagined in the books. Though…” She tilts her head, teasing. “I half-expected you to show up wearing the Sloth mask.”
I lean in, lowering my face to her neck and letting my voice drop. “Are you disappointed?”
“Maybe a little,” she whispers. “But you can always put it back on later tonight. In your bedroom. Maybe no prosthetic teeth this time.”
“Didn’t know you liked fucking Sloth so much.”
“It’s a core memory for me.”
“The half-melted face?”
“No. The not knowing who you were and still feeling like I was going to love you someday.”
My stupid little romantic heart that Bri’s uprooted thumps a little in my chest.
“You look beautiful tonight,” I say, cradling the side of her neck, my thumb grazing the soft skin below her ear before I kiss her deep and slow, like I’ve got all night.
When we break apart, we’re both slightly breathless—and Rhiannon is suddenly there, grinning like she just walked in on her favorite scene in a movie.
“Okay, you guys are disgusting in the best way,” she laughs. “I swear, Brookhaven’s turning into the epicenter of all my favorite people falling in love.”
I chuckle and step back slightly, keeping Bri tucked into my side.
“The food’s all in the kitchen if you want to take a break from sucking face.”
I look at Bri. “You ready to eat?”
“No, I think I’d like to suck your face more.”
Rhiannon smirks and walks off.
The second we’re alone, I turn to her, brushing her hair off her shoulder. “How are you doing? Really. With all of it—moving here permanently, your relationship with your dad, living with me, staying with the Mayhem for another year?”
Because yeah, that happened. Bri turned down the chance to work for a pro baseball team in New York City and instead re-signed with the Mayhem.
Said she didn’t expect to love the sport this much.
She’s going to give things one more year with the Mayhem before she decides long term what sport she wants to settle in.
I couldn’t be happier that she’s staying with the Mayhem, but she knows I’m going to support her no matter what.
She's been spending more time with her dad lately, and if I'm being honest, we've reached a truce of our own.
I wasn't exactly thrilled when he first started showing up for dinner.
But somewhere along the way, the guy grew on me.
He's good with Sawyer, for one. More importantly, I've realized he's not trying to earn forgiveness he hasn't earned. He knows exactly what he missed out on. Knows what it cost Bri and that he doesn’t deserve her forgiveness.
And every day, he seems determined to show up anyway. That counts for something.
It also doesn't hurt that I casually mentioned Bri's mom's medical debt one day.
The man didn't hesitate. A few days later, it was gone.
Paid in full. Anonymous, of course. I'd planned to take care of it myself eventually, but I knew it meant more coming from him.
Maybe because it wasn't really about the money.
It was about showing up. He wasn't there for the hard years.
He wasn't there when Bri needed a parent most. But he's here now.
And I believe he's going to spend the rest of his life making sure she never has to carry that kind of weight alone again.
She lets out a soft sigh. “I’m the happiest I’ve ever been.”
“Good.” I press a kiss to her lips. “Me too, baby. You make me so happy. I love that you see romance in everything. I love that you saw romance with me.”
I wrap my arms around her and pull her close, letting her heartbeat thump against mine in a steady rhythm I could get lost in. After a moment, she pulls back just enough to meet my gaze, her voice softer now.
“I think I’ve always romanticized things. Probably because everything with my career was so clinical—so… logical. I knew people were flawed, I knew heartbreak was inevitable, so I tried to create something beautiful out of the simple moments.”
She pauses and gives me a half-shy, half-dreamy smile.
“I found joy in the little things. A mug that made me smile. A themed dinner out with friends. Solo trips to places that looked like pages out of a novel. And then my job, physical therapy, let me help people find the version of themselves that was always buried beneath their pain. The softer, gentler version once they were fully healed. The one that believed in something again even if they’d been hurt before. ”
I nod listening quietly. I love when she talks like this. It’s like poetry to me.
“That’s beautiful.”
She laughs softly; like maybe she hadn’t meant to say that out loud, but relief crosses her face that she did. I’m glad she feels safe with me.
“In the past, men have told me I was too much. Too emotional. That I fantasized our relationship. That I expected too much.”
Her eyes glisten, but she’s smiling. “But you’ve never made me feel like I’m too much. You’ve shown me that if a man wants to, he will. And you always want to.”
I cup her face gently, my voice low and steady. “Baby, you’ll never be too much for me. I want forever with you and nothing less.”
Her smile widens, all light and love and everything I never thought I’d have.
“I want that too, Seth.”