Epilogue
Three months later . . .
“You’re doing it again.” Lena looked over her shoulder.
Rafe stood in the kitchen doorway with an amused expression on his ruggedly handsome face.
“Doing what?”
She grinned. “Checking on me for like the fifth time in an hour.”
“It hasn’t been five times.”
“You’re right.” She pretended to think. “It’s been six.”
Rafe’s laugh did that thing to her insides it always did.
“Should I apologize for caring?”
Lena snorted. “If you really cared, you’d offer to help.”
“I did help.”
“You ate the cheese I was planning to use for the salad.”
He sidled up beside her. “I was quality control.”
She threw her head back and laughed. “You’re impossible.”
He slipped his arms around her waist, pulling her against him before she could turn back to the stove. Lena leaned back into his chest.
“This smells amazing,” he rumbled low.
“Hopefully it tastes as good as it smells.” She smiled. “There’s enough here for a small army.”
“That’s good, since the entire team is coming over with their wives.”
As of two months ago, the final member of Tac-Ops and Avery’s sister were official. As planned, with Lena, Rafe, and the others standing as witnesses, Coulter and Alex exchanged vows they’d written themselves at the courthouse.
Lena felt Rafe’s lips press against the side of her neck. She smiled. “You know, I could get used to this.”
“Cooking?”
“All of it. The food and conversation. I don’t know.” She gave a tiny shrug. “I just love it when everyone’s here, together.”
“And when it’s just us?”
Her smile grew.
Lena spun in his arms to face him. She linked her hands behind his neck and rose to her tiptoes before going in for a quick kiss. “Well, now. That’s a whole other story.”
Something flashed across his eyes.
“One with a happy ending, I hope.”
Her heart swelled. “I can’t imagine being happier than this.”
Three months ago, she never would have believed this could be her life. But it was, and she couldn’t be happier.
After everything with Henry Stanton was over—and he was behind bars, awaiting his trial—she’d decided to retire from the CIA. There had been meetings, debriefings, paperwork, and more questions than she cared to answer.
She’d dealt with Roger’s betrayal and subsequent death as best she could, and before long, she’d closed that chapter of her life. After that, Lena had come here, to Rafe’s.
It’s not just his anymore.
She’d moved in with him several weeks back, and the transition had been close to seamless. There was a definite adjustment period at first, but it didn’t take long for them to settle into a comfortable rhythm.
Rafe still consulted with Digger and the members of Tac-Ops when they needed to lean on his experience and expertise, but he was no longer an active participant in any of their field operations. Like her, he’d discovered it was time to put that part of themselves to rest.
Since that time, neither had looked back with remorse or regret. Lena loved waking up beside Rafe every morning. Having breakfast together and taking walks through the garden. It was amazing how many of life’s simple things she’d been missing.
Not anymore. Not with Rafe. Whenever she was with him, Lena was fully present. They’d both wasted enough of their personal lives fighting for the greater good. Now it was their turn.
This was their moment.
Rafe looked down at her, his lips parting slightly, as if he was about to speak.
“What?”
He swallowed before giving his head a quick shake. “Nothing.”
“You were going to say something.” She frowned. “What is it?”
A car horn sounded from outside.
Rafe sighed. “That would be Alice and Slade.”
He started to turn, but she refused to let him.
“Hang on.” She pulled on his arm and drew him back. “What were you going to say?”
Leaning in, Rafe put his lips to her forehead. “Later.”
“Hello?” The front door was opened, and Alice’s voice floated through the house. “Are we early?”
Lena hollered back, “We’re in the kitchen.”
A few minutes later, the house was full. Falcon and Avery arrived next, and Lena couldn’t help but smile when she saw the way Falcon hovered around his very pregnant wife.
“Stop,” Avery ordered her caring husband.
Falcon frowned. “I’m not doing anything.”
“You’re staring at me.”
“I’m just making sure you’re okay.”
Avery rolled her pretty eyes. “I’m pregnant, Garrett. Not dying.”
The team’s lead sniper didn’t look convinced.
Alex and Coulter arrived soon after. Lena immediately noticed expectant woman was starting to show.
“Look at you.” Lena gave her friend a careful hug.
“I know.” Alex glanced down at herself. “I feel as big as a house.”
Avery snorted. “You think so now, sis? Just wait.”
When Coulter snorted, Alex shot her new husband a playful glare.
“Nobody asked you.”
Laughter filled the air, and before long, the kitchen and dining room were crowded with people. Conversations overlapped, drinks were poured, and someone—probably Apollo—had already started arguing with Bones about something that mattered far more to them than anyone else.
Lena stood beside Rafe, soaking it all in. She’d spent most of her life alone. Not lonely, exactly. There was a distinct difference. But this was also different. This was family.
Rafe reached for her hand.
She looked up at him. There was that expression again. The one he’d flashed earlier, right as Alice and Digger walked in.
He looked serious. Almost nervous.
Her fingers squeezed his as she asked, “What?”
“I was just thinking.”
“Uh oh.” Lena chuckled. “We both know that can be dangerous.”
Rafe’s delectable mouth twitched, but then Avery suddenly gasped. Everyone stopped talking and turned her way.
“What?” Falcon’s attention immediately went to his wife.
Avery looked down. “My water just broke.”
For one full second, nobody moved. And then—the room exploded into a frenzy of shouted words. Lena didn’t even bother trying to keep track of who said what
“Hospital.”
“Where’s the bag?”
“It’s in the car.”
“Avery, sit down.”
“She can’t sit down. We need to get her to the hospital.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re in labor.”
“Garret, breathe.”
“I am breathing.”
Lena grabbed her purse and keys.
Rafe looked to his daughter and her husband. “Alice, Dig, you’re with us.”
Within minutes, everyone was piling into cars. Lena glanced back at the house as she climbed into Rafe’s SUV.
Dinner was untouched, but the oven and stove were off, and the pies were still cooling. She’d spent most of the day preparing for the meal they hadn’t shared, and by the time they got back, most of the food would be ruined.
Still, she couldn’t stop smiling.
This was what she’d been missing. Lena hadn’t really even known it until now. The chaos. The noise. The unexpected. The love.
This is my family.
And maybe for the first time in her life, Lena knew she was exactly where she needed to be.
Rafe sat in the private family waiting room at the hospital, listening to the low murmur of voices around him. The adrenaline from the drive was long gone. Exhaustion, relief, and the strange anticipation he shared with everyone there were left in its wake.
Alice sat beside Digger, her crossed leg bouncing with visible nerves.
Evie and Bones were talking quietly across from them, while Apollo and Nicki sat close together near the room’s rear window.
On a small bench seat nearby, Coulter had one arm draped around Alex’s shoulders, and the poor woman looked as anxious as a cat on a hot tin roof.
Lena sat beside Rafe. Every few minutes, she’d reach over and squeeze his hand. He’d gotten used to her doing that, but knew he’d never get tired of the sweet gesture.
The door opened, and Falcon stepped into the room. Every conversation stopped. Rafe and the others stood as Alex jumped to her feet.
“Well?”
Falcon grinned. “He’s finally here. Mom and baby are both doing great.”
The room erupted in cheers of joy.
Falcon’s eyes turned glossy with the love and pride only a father could understand. “Eight pounds, three ounces. Avery’s exhausted, but she was truly amazing.”
Alex was beaming. “Did you two decide on a name?”
“James Alexander Morgan,” the new father announced before sliding his loving stare her way. “James is after my dad.”
“Uh . . . hello?” Coulter cut in. “He’s my dad, too.”
Falcon’s eyes rolled with a grin as the two brothers flipped each other the bird. “Fine,” Falcon conceded. “James is after our father. Whatever. But Alexander”—he smiled down at Alex—“is after you.”
Her eyes filled with tears as she threw herself into her brother-in-law’s arms. “Oh, Garrett. I’m truly honored. And I’m so happy for you both. Can I see Avery and the baby?”
“Of course.” He hugged her back. When they pulled apart, he looked to Rafe and the others in the room. “They’ll only allow so many back at a time, so you’ll have to take turns.”
Rafe went to him with an outstretched hand. “Go. We’ll all be here when you two get back. And congratulations, son. I couldn’t be happier for you and Avery.”
“Thanks, Boss.” Falcon pulled him in for a quick hug.
He watched as Falcon and Alex disappeared out the door.
Almost immediately, the conversations around him resumed. Rafe smiled as they all talked over one another, his attention drifting over to Lena. She was watching the door with a soft smile on her lips.
“A new baby.” She sighed wistfully. “That’s so amazing.”
He went to her. “Yes, it is.”
She turned toward him. “Their whole life is going to change, but in the very best of ways.”
Do it, now.
Rafe linked his fingers with hers and led her into the hall. He’d been trying to do this all day.
In the kitchen. The dining room. But then, Avery’s water broke. If he didn’t do it now, who knows what else would happen?
He stopped walking, glancing around to ensure they had the moment to themselves.
“What is it?” Lena looked up at him with a frown.
Rafe reached into his pocket. Her dark brows pulled together.
“Rafe?” she prodded again.
He held out the small velvet box, and Lena’s beautiful eyes grew wide. For a moment, she didn’t say anything at all.
“I’ve been trying to give you this all day,” he confessed.
A tiny laugh escaped her. “You have?”
Rafe nodded. She shook her head, her lips spread into a wide, toothy smile. He opened the box, and her eyes filled with tears.
He reached down and took her left hand in his. “I wanted to do this back at the house.” He glanced around. “A hospital corridor doesn’t exactly scream romantic.”
“I don’t need anything fancy, Rafe.” Lena’s eyes glistened. “I just need you.”
God, I love this woman.
He lifted the ring from the box.
“I love you, Angelina Price.” Rafe’s heart pounded. “And I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
“I want that, too.” She nodded.
“Marry me.”
“Yes.”
He slipped the ring onto her finger before leaning forward for a kiss. Seconds passed and then—
“Seriously?”
Alice.
They broke apart to find his daughter and Digger standing a few feet away.
One of her eyebrows raised. “We leave you alone two minutes . . .”
Lena laughed. Alice’s gaze dropped to her hand. Her eyes went wide when she saw the ring.
“Wait.” She shot forward. “Is that what I think it is?”
Lena held up her hand for them to see.
Alice squealed an echoing, “Oh, my God!”
The other women came rushing into the hallway. Someone shouted out—
“What happened?”
Within seconds, the hallway was filled with laughter. Hugs and congratulations immediately followed.
Alice hugged Lena again, and then she turned to her father. “It’s about damn time.”
Rafe laughed. “I agree.”
He looked toward Lena, who was laughing with the girls. Her new ring caught the light every time she moved her hand.
Three months ago, he’d thought he might lose her. For a man who’d spent most of his life preparing for loss, that fear had been almost impossible to bear.
He’d already lost Amanda, and for decades, he’d believed that was the price they’d paid for the dangerous life he and his late wife had chosen. But when he nearly lost Lena, too, Rafe finally understood.
It wasn’t about the next mission anymore or whatever threat waited around the corner. It was time to focus on the things that made him happy.
Lena. His daughter. The team.
My family.
Rafe smiled, knowing with every fiber of his being that this was it. This was what they’d spent their lives fighting to save.
Family.
Friendship.
A love that knew no bounds.
He’d been blessed beyond measure, and as he stood back and enjoyed the moment, Rafe knew . . .
It doesn’t get any better than this.
The End.