Epilogue
MELISSA
Never in my dreams could I have imagined this would be my life.
Everywhere I look, there’s a familiar face. Not here to judge, but to celebrate along with me.
In the center of the room, Rafe is playing dolls with Amanda while Eden watches with obvious affection. Every so often, she pulls out her phone to take a picture of them, and I can’t help wondering which one will end up on their Christmas card this coming year.
By the buffet table, Indy is carrying two plates full of food, one for himself, and another for Bea. Bea is right alongside him, more than capable of carrying her plate by herself. But, ever the protector, he’s always happier doing things for her.
Over on the couch facing the fireplace, Erik hovers protectively over Tatum, offering her snacks and every so often placing his hand atop her swollen belly. They’re five months along now, and beyond excited to add another baby to the Blade and Arrow family.
Dante and his wife, Sarah, are seated on the other couch adjacent to them, chatting quietly to each other. As I’m watching them, Dante looks up and catches Tyler’s eye. Then he lifts his chin and gives Tyler an approving smile.
As two of Tyler’s Green Beret teammates and closest friends, I know having Dante and Erik here means a lot. Especially since they’ve seen some of the worst Tyler’s been through.
“Erik and Dante stood by me through some dark times,” Tyler told me last night, once we’d gotten back to our cabin after a welcome dinner for all the visitors.
“Times when I didn’t want them around to see the shell of a man I’d become.
But now? I want them to see who I am. What I’ve found.
I want them to know just how happy I am. ”
And he is happy. He doesn’t have to tell me, though he still does all the time.
I can tell he is by the light that comes to his eyes whenever he looks at me or little Jeff.
I can tell Tyler’s happy by the rolling laughs I hear through the kitchen window while he’s out in the yard, playing with Oscar.
And I know he’s happy, because every night, as we’re falling asleep, he hugs me close and whispers into my hair how much he loves me.
To another couple, it might become tiresome; always saying how happy we are.
But other couples haven’t been through what Tyler and I have.
Not to diminish the struggles they’ve undoubtedly been through, but like my counselor told me during my now-monthly virtual appointments, “You’ve been through some truly terrible things, Melissa.
Things a lot of people couldn’t come back from.
But you have. Tyler has. Be proud of that.
Celebrate it. And if you want to shout from the rooftops how happy you are, do it. ”
I’m not sure I’m ready to climb to the roof of the Shadow Team HQ to announce anything. Not only because I’m not crazy about heights, but I’d probably give Tyler a minor heart attack in the process.
Glancing over at Tyler, standing beside me with his arm wrapped around my waist, I can’t help smiling at how protective he is. Since the party started a couple of hours ago, he hasn’t left my side, even though we’re about as safe as anyone could be.
You wouldn’t know by looking around the shared living room space how well protected it truly is.
In the aftermath of the ambush, all the Blade and Arrow branches increased their already-impressive security measures by triple-fold.
Now we have two scale-proof perimeter fences, radars that detect drones and overhead projectiles, reinforced walls in all the buildings, and, thanks to Tyler, Leo, and Matt’s hard work, a program that will instantly identify anyone who approaches the properties by using AI facial recognition.
I know Tyler was worried, back when he first asked me to move in, that I wouldn’t feel safe here. That even though Will Franks and the men he sent after us are in prison, I’d always be afraid of an enemy of Blade and Arrow coming after me again. But I’m not scared.
First, because I trust Tyler and his friends to protect me.
And then there’s just this bone-deep certainty that Vince and Kaia are looking out for us.
That’s something a person who has never lost a partner might not understand.
Just because I love Tyler, it doesn’t mean I don’t still think of Vince from time to time.
I’ll remember his laugh or his smile, or the affectionate way he’d call me his Melly.
I remember the good times, and I’ve slowly let go of the bad. Just as I know Tyler does with Kaia.
It’s okay that we still love them. It doesn’t mean I love Tyler any less. It’s like what I discovered when Jeff was born—so achingly perfect, with the same hazel eyes as his dad. There’s always more room for love in our hearts, if we leave ourselves open to finding it.
And oh, have I.
Casting my gaze around the room, I find myself a bit in awe of what I’ve found here.
Tyler and Jeff, the two people I love most in the world.
Four men—Rafe, Indy, Webb, and Ace—I’ve come to think of as brothers.
And Eden, Noelle, Bea, and Yara, who’ve become my sisters in all the ways that count.
In the corner, sprawled across an oversized dog bed, the best dog in the world—aka Oscar—gnaws contentedly on an enormous dog bone gifted to him just for the occasion. And on a matching bed, Webb and Noelle’s Great Dane, Sasquatch, is fast asleep with his bone beneath his chin.
This giant building that seemed so intimidating when I first arrived doesn’t feel that way anymore. Now it just feels like home.
Over by the fireplace, I spot my parents and Tyler’s both admiring the collage of photos hung above the mantel. Thanks to Hanna, professional photographer and wife of Finn of the New York B and A team, there’s a collection of gorgeous photos of everyone in the Shadow Team family on display.
In one, Rafe holds little Amanda on his shoulders while Eden gazes at the two of them with love in her eyes.
In another, Bea is laughing as she wields a frosting-covered spatula at Indy.
Then there’s Webb and Noelle posed with Mount Hood rising majestically in the background, commemorating the place where they got engaged.
Ace and Yara’s photo is of the two of them at an awards ceremony, where Yara received yet another grant for her incredible prosthetics.
And finally, me and Tyler. It was the week after we’d brought Jeff home, and Hanna flew out specifically to do a photo shoot for us. I’m on the couch in our cabin, holding a milk-drunk Jeff in my arms, and Tyler is by my side, the biggest and proudest smile stretched across his face.
The collection of photos is an homage to the family we’ve built here. And to the extended family Blade and Arrow brought together.
And speaking of extended family, Erik and Dante aren’t the only B and A members who made the trip to Oregon to join us today.
Levi is seated by the fireplace with Ace and Yara; the three of them laughing over something Levi’s showing them on his phone.
Nora and Jackson are playing with their little girl, Hope, in her Pack-n-Play set up by the window.
Cole is showing his daughter, Clara, the trails out back, and Maya is upstairs in one of the client apartments, feeding their son, James.
Everyone wanted to come to Jeff’s welcome party, as we’re calling it, but work never stops calling when you’re a part of Blade and Arrow. There are always people in need of protection—like me, Eden, Bea, Noelle, and even kick-butt Yara—so some of the team members stayed back to help them.
That’s okay, though. I know they’d be here if they could. And the overflowing table of gifts in the corner is proof they’re all thinking of us.
“Do you want to sit down?” Tyler asks, drawing my wandering thoughts back to him. As I turn to look up at him, he adds, “You’ve been on your feet since the party started. You must be getting tired by now.”
My legs are admittedly a little sore, but that’s less from standing during the party and more from the new jogging routine I’ve taken up in hopes of getting my body back to its pre-pregnancy shape.
Tyler insists I look perfect just as I am, but when I talked to Eden about my body feeling different, she understood.
“I don’t expect to look exactly the same as I did before having Amanda,” she said.
“But I want to feel good about myself. And if that means working out a few times a week, I’m happy to do it. ”
Then she added in a conspiratorial tone, “Plus, I run on the treadmill while Rafe does all his crazy workouts with his shirt off and all those muscles…”
I get it. I like watching Tyler work out, too.
“I guess I wouldn’t mind sitting for a few minutes,” I tell Tyler. Casting my gaze around the room, I search for a spot to sit down. But it looks like every available seat is taken. “Or standing is fine.”
Tyler follows my gaze. Then he gets this determined look in his eyes and says, “Wait here. I’ll be right back.
” Ducking his head, he kisses me on the lips and lightly ruffles Jeff’s wispy hair.
“And I’m holding the little flibbertigibbet after that.
You need to have your hands free to eat something. ”
As I watch Tyler jog from the room, I gaze down at my son, fast asleep in my arms. Thanks to all Tyler’s research, Jeff’s already on a pretty regular sleep schedule, which is rare considering he’s only two months old.
At the sight of his innocent face, my chest squeezes.
I kiss his forehead, closing my eyes as I breathe in his sweet, baby scent.
“He’s adorable,” Rory says as she approaches. She makes a little aww face at him before smiling at me. “He’s a perfect blend of you and Tyler.”
“He is,” I agree. Jeff’s curls are already making an appearance. And his eyes and nose are the spitting image of Tyler’s.