Epilogue #2
“Alright, everyone knows what they need to do. Check in regularly and for fuck sake, call in back up if you need it,” Blake orders as we all get up and start filing out.
“Yes, Dad,” Kellen jokes, ducking when Blake throws something at his head.
I feel my back pocket vibrate, so I pull out my cell and smile when I see it’s Sorrow. “Hey, baby, everything okay?”
“Yeah. We’re good. I’m heading out to pick up some more supplies and take them over to the church, just in case. It’s never a good idea to have just one evacuation point, because if it floods, we’re fucked.”
“Good point. Stay where you are, and I’ll come with you.”
“It’s okay. I’ve got the van, which is why I offered to go, as I have plenty of space. You’re busy and—”
“When are you gonna learn, I’m never too busy for you. Now sit your cute ass down and wait for me. I’m on my way.”
I hang up before she can argue, knowing she won’t leave without me.
“That Sorrow? Everything okay at the center?” Blake frowns as he and Marcus come to a stop.
“They’re good.” I fill them in on what Sorrow said about grabbing supplies for the church.
“Smart.” Marcus nods.
“Yeah, we really should have thought about it ourselves.” Blake sighs, running his fingers through his hair. The man has been working like a machine lately, and it’s beginning to show.
“Go home, Blake. Get some fucking rest before the shit hits the fan.”
He looks about to argue, but Marcus crosses his arms over his chest and glares at him.
“I’ll lock up and go with Banner. Between him, me, and Sorrow, we’ll get shit sorted.
And if there are any issues, I’ll call. Serious, get some sleep.
You’re no good to any of us when you’re dead on your feet.
Pick up your wife and go spend a little downtime with your family. And for fuck sake, take a nap.”
“Fine. Fuck it.”
The fact that he’s giving in at all shows how tired he is. By the time we get rid of him and argue over whose truck to take (FYI, Marcus wins), thirty minutes have passed.
When we pull up next to Sorrow’s van, Marcus looks at me. “She gonna be pissed we made her wait?”
“This is Sorrow we’re talking about. She’s more likely to apologize for making us come, even though it was my idea.”
“You need to break her of that habit.”
“I’m working on it,” I tell him as I jump out. “We’ll meet you at the store.”
“You got it.”
Sorrow climbs out of the driver’s seat when she spots me and jumps into my arms. I catch her with my hands under her ass and lay one on her. She tastes like bubblegum and home, a combination that’s become my new addiction.
“Not that I’m complaining, but what was that for?”
“I just missed you, that’s all.”
I drag my nose down the slope of hers before pecking her lips once more. “I missed you too. Come on, let’s get to the store so I can take you home and show you just how much.”
“Deal.”
I carry her around to the passenger seat and strap her in before I jump in the driver’s seat and drive us over to the store.
The parking lot is packed, which doesn’t surprise me.
People will be stocking up on last-minute supplies and perishables.
It takes a couple of rides around to find a space big enough to accommodate the van.
Once I do, we both jump out and head in.
I grab a cart and head down the first aisle, coming to an abrupt stop when I see Marcus lying on the ground with a woman sprawled all over him.
Sorrow plows into my back, snapping me out of my stupor. “Jesus, warn a girl next time, Banner. I nearly broke my nose on your stupidly toned shoulder,” she grumbles, making me snort. Her hand slides over my back, sneakily feeling me up as she moves around me and pauses at the scene in front of us.
“Interesting.”
We watch as Marcus tries to get up at the same time as the woman moves, resulting in him headbutting her.
“Ouch.”
“Shit,” Marcus curses before spotting me. “A little help here.”
I walk over to help. Sorrow hurries to keep up with me as the mystery woman tries to get up once more. This time, her knee connects with Marcus’s balls, making the man snarl at her to stay still.
“You again. Jesus fuck, woman, you’re a walking calamity.”
“I said I was sorry, but I wasn’t expecting to be taken out by a giant in the dairy aisle,” she tells him, making me grin.
I reach down and offer her a hand. When she sees it, she looks up and flushes. She’s familiar, but I have no clue where I know her from until Sorrow speaks.
“Oh my God, Aurora! Are you okay?”
“Wait, you know her?” Marcus grunts.
“If you ever went to the library, you’d know her too.” Sorrow shakes her head at him before offering Aurora her hand. Between the two of us, we manage to get her to her feet without any more damage to Marcus’s crown jewels.
I hold my hand out for Marcus and yank him up. He glares down at Aurora, wincing as he adjusts himself. I look away so he doesn’t notice my grin.
“You’re a damn menace, woman. I’m starting to think you’re doing this shit on purpose.”
“You walked into me this time,” Aurora huffs out, her hands moving to her hips as she stomps her foot.
She’s shorter than Sorrow and dressed as you’d imagine a librarian would, right down to the cardigan and glasses hanging from a string around her neck.
Her auburn hair is pulled up into a tight bun, and she’s not wearing a stitch of makeup.
She’s certainly not an imposing figure, though she looks like she’d love nothing more than to kick Marcus right now.
“Maybe you need a keeper, or I don’t know, to actually wear your fucking glasses,” He snaps as her whole face flushes red.
She mumbles a thank you to me and whispers goodbye to Sorrow before sidestepping Marcus and hurrying away.
“You’re a dick,” Sorrow tells him.
He frowns at her. “What did I do?”
“You embarrassed her. She’s sweet, a little clumsy, sure, in an adorable kind of way.”
“Adorable, right?”
When she’s about to say something else, he holds up his hand to stop her. “You see the best in everyone, Sorrow, and I love you for it. But the best place that woman can be is far away from me.”
I see the woman in question peek her head out from behind the shelves, her face pale at his words.
“Marcus.”
“I’ve never met a woman who made my balls shrivel up so quickly before.”
“Marcus.”
“Can’t believe I got taken out by the dowdy cat lady.”
“For fuck sake, Marcus!” I snap. But the damage is done. She spots me and hurries away, but not before I see the tears sliding down her cheeks.
“What?” he growls. When he sees my face, his eyes widen and he turns around. When he sees her practically running away, he starts cursing. “You dick. You could have warned me.”
“You want me to throat punch you?”
He grips his hair, looking frustrated. “How much did she hear?”
“All of it.”
“Fuck.”
Sorrow looks at me. “I know where a mausoleum is we could borrow. Maybe we could throw Marcus in there for a few hours so he can think about his actions.”
I scowl at her.
“Right, still too soon.” She turns back to Marcus and folds her arms. “Fix it. I’m not messing around, Marcus. She is a sweetheart.”
“I didn’t mean for her to hear all that. I don’t even mean it. I was just venting. But she’s always around, always hurting herself.”
“She had a crush on you. I don’t think that’s going to be an issue anymore. I don’t think you’ll ever find her in the same room as you again.”
Marcus blinks, swallows, and then, before I know it, he whirls on his feet and heads off after her.
“What the fuck just happened?”
“I think Marcus just realized that a diet of supermodels can become a little tedious. Sometimes you need something a little sweeter.”
“Why do I feel like this is going to blow up in Marcus’s face?”
She grins. “Because you’re a smarty pants and Marcus is an idiot. But I have a good feeling everything will work out in the end.”
I pull her into my arms as she looks up at me. “How can you be so sure?”
“Because I recognize that look on his face. It’s the same one you used to wear when you wanted me and hated yourself for it.”
“I hope she makes him work for it.”
“I guess we’ll just have to watch and see. Now let’s get this stuff so we can head home. I’m in the mood for hot and dirty wall sex.”
I grin. “What the lady wants, the lady gets.”
So that’s what we do. We grab supplies and drop them off at the church before heading home.
And the wall sex? Fucking phenomenal.