Epilogue #9
“I think it’s so romantic that Ghost is taking you back to London and the same hotel you had your one-night stand in all those years ago.”
“Yeah, he’s pretty amazing,” Rayne agreed.
“What time are you and Ghost leaving tomorrow?”
“Our flight doesn’t leave until ten in the evening, but Ghost hates to be late, so I’m sure we’ll leave here around three in the afternoon.”
Mary rolled her eyes. “At least you’re going first class.”
“Right? Although Ghost is all upset that they have those pod things. I think he wanted to rejoin the mile-high club.”
Mary rolled her eyes. “I remember when you told me about you guys going at it and almost getting caught the last time you flew overseas together. You’d think he’d have learned his lesson.”
Rayne giggled. “Apparently not. But I have to say, he can’t wait until I get home tonight. He loves when you and I go out together.”
“Why, because you come home drunk and he gets to have his wicked way with you?”
Rayne laughed again. “As if you don’t get the same thing when you get home!”
“That’s true. And it’s much easier since the kids are out of the house and on their own. We don’t have to be quite so creative.”
“Preach it, sister,” Rayne said, nodding. “Last month, I barely made it through the door before Ghost was on me.”
Both women giggled.
“I love you, Mare,” Rayne said, sobering up.
“Don’t start,” Mary said, holding up a hand.
“Seriously, I do. I have no idea what I’d do without you.
When I thought I was the worst mom ever, you talked me off the ledge.
When Ghost got hurt on that one mission, you were there for me, making sure my kids didn’t starve to death.
When Greta called from college crying because she’d almost been raped at that party, you and Truck not only kept Ghost from going down there and killing the asshole, you drove the four hours with me to get to her.
Then you scared that pissant frat boy so badly by threatening to not only kick his ass in front of all his buddies, but swearing if he so much as looked at another girl cross-eyed after that, you’d know and ruin him. ”
“I was bluffing,” Mary mumbled.
“But he didn’t know that. And you showed Greta that there’s nothing you wouldn’t do for her. My life wouldn’t be the same without you, Mare.”
“Oh, shit,” Mary said, pressing her lips together, trying not to cry.
“I know why you did what you did all those years ago, but I swear to God, if you ever do something so stupid again, I’m gonna kill you myself, hear me?”
Mary nodded.
Rayne turned her head and yelled for the bartender. “We need another, Jimmy!”
With a smirk, the good-looking, young, buff bartender poured two more shots and pushed them across the bar.
Mary knew when the college kid looked at them, he saw two middle-aged women way past their prime, probably desperate and looking for a hookup.
But he’d be wrong. Oh, they might be middle-aged, but they were nowhere near their prime.
They still had years and years to cause trouble together.
And looking for a hookup? No way. Their men were at home waiting for them.
Mary knew as much about Rayne’s love life as she did her own—that’s how best friends operated, they didn’t keep secrets from each other, even when it came to things like menopause, or how well and often their men still made love to them.
She also knew for a fact that her best friend was still having as much amazing sex as she had twenty-five years ago.
“I love you, Raynie,” Mary told her best friend. “The day we met at that bar was the best day of my life. I would go through cancer all over again, twice, if it meant having you in my life.”
“Don’t say that!” Rayne protested immediately. “No more fucking cancer for you, bitch!”
Mary laughed. When Rayne got drunk, she always got sappy…and swore like a sailor.
Just then a song came on. It was an oldie, way older than most of the people in the bar at the moment, but Rayne immediately turned to Mary and screamed, “Black Eyed Peas! We have to dance!”
The song was “The Time (Dirty Bit),” and she and Rayne had danced to it time and time again over the years.
It had such an awesome beat, it was almost impossible not to get up and dance.
Not to mention, it reminded them of the movie Dirty Dancing, which, even though another old classic, was still one of their favorites.
“I’ve had the time of my life!” Rayne sang at the top of her lungs, pointing at Mary. Then she threw the shot back and pulled at her friend’s hand. “Come on! Let’s dance!”
“Go on, I’ll be right there,” Mary assured her. She downed her own shot and watched with humor as Rayne went to the dance floor and began gyrating and shaking her ass. Mary saw several young women and men rolling their eyes at the “old woman” dancing, but didn’t give a shit.
She hoped in another twenty-five years, she and Rayne were still doing shots and dancing their ass off on the dance floor.
The hell with what anyone else thought. She and Rayne had been through a lot of shit in their lives.
This was them. They weren’t going to change now, and didn’t feel one ounce of regret for being who they were.
Mary plunked the empty shot glass on the bar and hurried out to join her best friend in the world. As they danced, laughing and embracing life, and ignoring the stares from the much younger clientele, Mary couldn’t help but think about her life.
She’d had a horrible mother, and had learned at a young age not to trust anyone, especially men.
But then she’d met Rayne, and learned that there were good people out there.
Then through her best friend, she’d met Truck.
The man who’d changed her entire life. Thinking about her husband made Mary smile once again.
Her man.
He made her crazy and pissed her off all the time.
But he also went out of his way to make sure she knew how much he loved her, and to make her happy. He’d helped raise their two children to be amazing human beings, and Mary felt content in the knowledge they wouldn’t have the same issues she’d had when trying to find a life partner.
At the end of the song, Rayne pulled Mary into an intense embrace. The two women hugged each other long after a new song started. Finally, Rayne pulled away and looked Mary in the eyes. “We did good, didn’t we?”
Mary smiled. “We sure did.”
“You ready to go?”
“Fuck yeah.”
“Let’s go get us some,” Rayne said.
Mary laughed. “You’re gonna be hungover tomorrow for your flight.”
Rayne merely shrugged. “Don’t care. I’m having fun with my best friend. I’ve got one of the hottest men on the planet in my bed. And we’re happy and healthy. What else could I ask for?”
Mary simply shrugged. “Nothing.”
“Exactly.”
“Now call your man and tell him to get here to pick your ass up,” Rayne ordered.
Mary did as ordered, even as Rayne made her own call to Ghost.
They stood outside the bar, under the watchful eye of the bartender, while they waited for their husbands to pick them up.
“Mary?”
“Yeah, Rayne?”
“Thanks for not dying.”
Mary didn’t laugh. She knew Rayne was completely serious. “You’re welcome.”
The two friends linked their arms together and settled back against the side of the bar to wait for their men to arrive…and their beautiful lives to continue.
Thank you ALL for going on this Delta Force ride with me!
Be sure to pick up Rescuing Macie. This is the story of Truck’s sister and his commander. You read a bit about how they met in the epilogue here, and the excitement continues in their story! :)
Also, I KNOW you’ve all been waiting on sweet Annie Fletcher’s story! You can find out all about if she made it to be a Green Beret and if she’s still with Frankie in Rescuing Annie
You can also read about the OTHER Delta Force team you met in this book, Trigger and company, starting with Shielding Gillian! Available NOW!
Keep reading for my Author Note to find out what’s coming next!
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PLEASE keep reading for a sneak peek of Securing Caite, the first book in my new SEAL series…you’ll get to catch up with old friends and get to know new ones!