Epilogue
EPILOGUE
ONE MONTH LATER
I t was a cool mid-August evening. Matt smiled. He’d been doing that a lot over the last month. Scarlet and Daisy had officially moved in and having them there—knowing they all called the same place home—had exceeded his expectations. Which was saying something, since his expectations had been pretty damn high.
A week after the kidnapping shitstorm, he and Scarlet had gone out on their first official date. He’d wanted to wait, wanted to give Scarlet more time to heal, but she’d insisted, saying they had waited long enough. They’d stayed close to home and dined at Monty’s Tavern while Daisy had hung out with the entire De la Rosa crew. It had been a wonderful and relaxing evening, and hands down the best first date of his life. The weekend after, they’d taken the ferry to Whidbey, gone on a small hike, and explored the little town of Coupeville. The perfect family date.
His heart squeezed. That’s right. Family date. Because that’s what they were.
Enjoying the festive atmosphere around him, Matt marveled at the transformation of Cade and Poppy’s backyard. Twinkling lights and paper lanterns were strung from the trees. Tables and chairs filled one side of the massive yard, and a dance floor sprawled across the other.
Cade and Poppy had just said their vows in a picturesque sunset wedding ceremony, and Matt was so damn happy for his friends. They’d wanted to keep the celebration small, but considering they were friends with nearly everyone on Hudson Island, their backyard was packed.
Poppy had stunned in her white gown as she’d walked the short aisle on her sons’ arms. When they’d reached Cade at the front, the twins had split up, one standing up with Poppy and the other with Cade. There hadn’t been a damn dry eye to be found.
The same could be said about this exact moment. Poppy and her twins had opted for a mother-son dance in lieu of a father-daughter dance since she didn’t have a relationship with her parents. Carter and Dylan were swaying and swinging their mom between them, and the trio’s smiles and laughter were bringing happy tears to everyone watching.
Matt scanned the crowd and spotted Quinn, with his nine-month-old daughter, Annie, in his arms and his wife, Alex, beside him. Standing with them were Joe and his wife, Roxie. While Alex and Roxie were in some sort of animated discussion with Roxie pointing to her obvious baby bump, Quinn and Joe were sneaking Annie some bits of cake frosting. By the way the little girl’s arms pumped up and down, it was safe to say she was a fan. He caught his friends’ gazes and shook his head, grinning. Joe brought a finger to his lips and tilted his head to the women. Matt laughed and gave them a chin lift of acknowledgement.
“How’s it going, big brother?” Jake asked as he approached, then nudged an elbow into his ribs.
Matt nudged his brother back. “Good.”
“Really?”
And just like that, nerves took flight in Matt’s stomach. Shooting a sideways glance at his brother, he lowered his voice and asked, “You think it’s still a good idea?”
Jake chuckled. “You said she’d love it.”
“Right.” She would. God knew he’d seen Scarlet aww-ing countless times over similar videos online. Still, worry twisted his gut. Shit . “Right.”
Cade approached and slapped him on the shoulder. “Are you doing the overanalyzing shit again?”
“Bro, come on, you look like you’re gonna puke.” Jake turned to Cade with laughing eyes. “And yeah, he totally is.”
Bastards. Both of them.
Cade slung his arm over Matt’s shoulders and chuckled. “What was it that you said to me? Oh yes. Take a fucking breath and stop overthinking it.”
Matt's gaze ping-ponged between his two best friends, and he let out an unsteady breath. “Holy shit, I said that?”
Cade threw his head back and laughed. “Who’d have thought, right? You also said I was making it too complicated. Which I was.”
“Yeah, but it’s too late for you on that one, bro,” Jake said with a shit-eating grin. He nodded at the dance floor. “You’re almost up.”
Matt gulped. Hands patted him on the back, but he didn’t feel them. He was too focused on the woman standing off to the side, having an animated conversation with one of Poppy’s friends.
Scarlet looked like a damn dream. Her long dark hair was down in loose waves that highlighted its pinks, blues, and purples. She wore a simple navy-blue dress that hit her mid-thigh. Two thin straps held it up, and it hugged her gorgeous body to perfection. A body he was happily memorizing inch by delectable inch. Truth be told, he wanted to sneak her away right now. But no, he could do that later. There’d be plenty of time for that after.
Scarlet’s face lit up as she laughed at something the other woman had said. And just like that, Matt’s nerves settled. Because that’s what this woman did. She settled him like no one else. She’d become his home, his purpose, the reason he wanted to be a better man. There was no one he’d rather spend the rest of his life with than her—and Daisy. His little girl.
Dressed in a sparkly pink-and-navy-blue dress, Daisy hopped from foot to foot with a giant smile on her Otter Pop–stained face. The twins were in charge of handing out popsicles to the kids tonight, and it was safe to say that all the children were currently on a sugar high.
“All right, ladies,” TJ said into the microphone. He was not only one of Cade’s closest friends and a coach at De La Rosa Gym, but also the emcee for the wedding. “Can we get all the single ladies to the dance floor, please? Poppy is going to toss her bouquet!”
Matt kept his gaze on Scarlet as she was pulled onto the dance floor by one of Poppy’s co-workers. For a second, she searched the crowd. When their eyes met, she flashed him a sheepish smile, shrugged, and blew him a kiss.
His heart expanded. God, he loved her.
“Okay, ladies. Get ready,” TJ said. “On the count of three, Poppy. One, two, three!”
A blur of pink and blue sparkles shot across the dance floor toward Poppy, and Matt moved closer. With each step he took, the feeling of rightness strengthened in his gut, his heart, his soul.
Laughter erupted in the crowd as Poppy turned with her bouquet still in hand. Daisy was bouncing in front of the bride, waving her arms. Poppy bent down and whispered something to the little girl. Matt smiled when Daisy clapped her hands and took the bouquet. Spinning, she darted to her mom.
“These are for you, Mama!”
“Oh no, baby. Oh, sweetie,” Scarlet stammered. Her face flushed pink as she took the flowers from her daughter. Glancing at Poppy, who’d followed behind Daisy, she held the bouquet out, saying, “I’m so sorry, Pop. Here.”
An excited murmur raced through the crowd.
Matt smiled. And waited.
Poppy’s eyes shimmered as Cade wrapped an arm around his bride’s shoulders. She shook her head. “Nope. They’re for you, Scar.”
Though Matt couldn’t see Scarlet’s expression, he felt her confusion. Still, he waited.
“Mama, look!” Daisy pointed his way. “Matty has a gift for you!”
It was as if everything was suddenly in slow motion. He stood a few feet behind Scarlet. And as she turned, he dropped to one knee.
The surprise that colored her face was breathtaking. The tears that gleamed in her eyes stole his heart. And the awe and wonder in her expression filled his soul.
“Matty!” Daisy exclaimed, slamming her little body into his.
With a laugh, he tore his gaze from Scarlet and kissed Daisy’s forehead. “Want to help me?”
She nodded emphatically, so he sat her atop his knee and handed her the ring box. “Hold this for me, Otter Pop. But don’t open it until I say, okay?”
“Okay!”
Matt looked back up at Scarlet. She stood with her hands clasped tightly together and pressed to her lips.
He held out his hand. Without hesitation, she linked her shaking fingers with his. A jolt of electricity surged through him.
Everything felt right, and for a moment, he simply held her gaze. “Sweetheart, you left me speechless for nearly a year, but I promise to tell you every day, for the rest of our lives, how much I love you.”
She was nodding before he’d finished speaking, and his heart soared. Grinning like a loon, he whispered to Daisy, “Now, sweet girl.” As Daisy opened the ring box, he asked, “Will you marry me?”
Scarlet beamed, absolutely radiant as tears spilled down her cheeks. “Yes!”
Cheers erupted from the crowd. Matt rose, Daisy on his hip, and wrapped Scarlet in his arms. Leaning down, he captured her mouth with his.
“Mama, look!”
Turning to Daisy, Scarlet laughed. Then she gasped as she caught sight of the ring. “Matt...”
“Hang on, Otter Pop,” he murmured, setting Daisy down. Taking the ring from the box, he placed the simple two-carat solitaire on her finger. “I hope you like it.”
She stared at him with wide eyes. “Are you kidding? It’s gorgeous.”
He pressed a kiss to her lips. “ You’re gorgeous.”
Scarlet chuckled, and he shot her a wink before dropping to one knee again.
“Otter Pop,” he said, waving the little girl closer. “Did you see what else is in the box?”
Shaking her head, she nuzzled into him.
“What’s that?” he asked, angling the box so it faced her.
She went still for a moment, then began bouncing. “A unicorn with rainbows!”
“That’s right, sweet girl.” Removing the necklace from the box, he held it up to her. “Your mom can’t be the only one getting a gift, right?”
“Mama! Matty gots me a necklace with a unicorn and rainbows!”
“Wow!” Scarlet said, lowering herself to their level.
After clasping the thin chain around Daisy’s neck, he kissed her forehead. “Love you, sweet girl.”
“Love you, Matty!” she exclaimed, running off.
Holding Scarlet’s hands in his, Matt stood, bringing her up with him. He drew her into his embrace and kissed her once more. How could he not?
“I love you, Scarlet Miller,” he murmured against her lips.
She pulled away and grinned at him. “I love you, too, Mateo Alvarez.”
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Read where it all began with Sheriff Quinn O’Conner in Shattered Vows (book 1 of The Hudson Island series ).
Curious about Jake & Carmen? Read their story in Returning (book 3 of The Spotted Dog series) .
Up next? Join me in 2025 for the Hudson Security series, which starts with Gavin…