Chapter 50
Chapter Fifty
Josie
Irepair my makeup in the house after bawling my eyes out at the sweetest wedding ever.
Not only did Kindra and Ezra tie the knot, but Cat and Bennett did as well.
Now the four of them are planning to head off into the sunset for a murderous double honeymoon on Jim’s dime—his wedding gifts to the happy couples.
I still can’t believe that Aven and Bennett knew everything. Everyone did, it seems. We were all keeping secrets that didn’t need to be kept. It’s a wonder things worked out at all.
“Hurry up, little crab,” Grim calls down the hall. “They are preparing to leave now!”
When I exit the bathroom, King is waiting for me. He shoves a party popper into my hand and leads me through the house.
“Cat wanted everyone to have these. We’re meant to pop them as they’re coming down the walk and heading to their RVs,” he says.
I roll my eyes. “I know how things work at weddings, Captain Cocksure.”
“Just had to be sure. You can’t swim. There’s no telling what else you can’t do.”
I smack his arm. Ass. Swimming lessons are on the agenda now.
We pass Jim, who’s in the kitchen on a cell phone. He’s pacing and sounds very fed up. “No, I’ll come pick up the sloth myself. My name is Jim Madigan. J-I-M—”
I pluck the phone from his hand. “He has my blessing to pick her up and take her to his facility. I’ll handle the paperwork. He’s good people, and she’ll be safe with him.”
I pass the phone back to Jim, and he gives me a smile as we continue toward the door.
“It was very kind of you to let him have that sloth,” King whispers.
“I don’t know that it was kindness. More like not wanting to hear Jim ask again.”
King smirks and opens the door for me. Sunlight rushes toward us, yesterday’s storm forgotten. The rain didn’t carry him away this time. Neither did secrets nor impossibilities. I don’t think anything could come between us now.
We line up outside. Having finished his phone call, Jim joins us.
The gang’s all here—except for Chef Maurice.
His bus left the premises as soon as the wedding ended.
Grim and Rose are nowhere to be seen either, but King says it’s normal for them to slip in and out of a situation unannounced.
No one knows where they go between retreats, but they always pop up again.
The happy couples rush down the porch, and we raise the poppers above our heads. Kindra and Ezra are all smiles, and Bennett carries Cat in his arms like a prize. When we all release the mechanism in our poppers as they pass by, glittery powder fills the air.
“We did it, Ma!” Bennett yells toward the sky, and I think he’s merely talking to the heavens until that powder starts to come down.
I’d recognize it anywhere. After all, I spent several hours washing her out of my snatch.
Eve gags and starts swiping off her designer blouse. Ice Pick sticks out his tongue as if he’s catching snow. King just shakes his head. We stand as a group until the couples have loaded into their RVs and started on their next big adventure.
“All right, we’re off too,” Jim says as the two vehicles lumber up the driveway. “Gary, Kenny, and I have a sloth to take into our possession.”
Eve nods and looks at Ice Pick. “Yeah, we’re headed to retrace the road trip. We have a couple of kills to revisit.”
“What about you lot?” King asks Aven. “Headed anywhere fun?”
Aven looks at Quinn. “We wanted to invite you two on a fishing trip in Scotland.”
“We won’t be fishing the entire time,” Quinn says. “There’s some murder on the agenda too. Jim found a smuggling ring out there, and he wants us to pay them a visit.”
“Sounds like my sort of vacation,” King says.
Aven smiles. “Then it’s settled. I’ll get the details together and send them over.”
Everyone heads off to gather their things and load into their campers, leaving only Frankie and Maverick standing with us.
“See you in the office Monday?” Frankie asks.
King shakes his head. “No, that’s not my office anymore. As of eleven p.m. last night, it’s yours. I moved up my retirement. I’ll work as your consultant now.”
Frankie shakes her head. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Then say nothing,” he says with a shrug. “There’ll be time for talking later. I’m not going anywhere. I won’t miss another second of your lives.”
“Thanks . . .”
“You can still call me King. I haven’t been Grantham Carter in a long time, though that’s still my name on paper.”
“No,” Frankie says. “I was trying to decide between Dad and Daddy.”
King looks at me. “Let’s go with Dad.”
“In Bennett’s stead, I’ll say it.” Maverick grimaces. “Gross.”
The two of them head into the house, and then there were two.
All the kids got their happy endings. They reconciled with their dad, and they’re off to begin their lives with their partners.
King and I got our happy ending too. We plan to take it easy now. Retirement is already looking good on him, and he’s only just gotten started.
As for everyone else—Grim and Rose, Eve, Jim, and Ice Pick—who knows what’s in store for them? I’m sure we’ll find out, though, no matter where they end up or what they’re doing. Families like these are shit at keeping secrets.
King wraps his arm around me. “It’s been quite the adventure, hasn’t it?”
I lean my head against his shoulder. “I’m sad that it’s over. But I’m glad that it happened.”
He pulls me in and kisses me. “Me as well, my beauty. Me as well.”