Epilogue
Raven
Six Months Later
I join Remy’s family as they gather at his father’s home in Brookville.
In the warmth of the summer, we’re able to barbeque outside by the pool.
Lizzie, as usual, is serving and cleaning, two acts that seem to make her happy despite her unspoken status as Alex’s girlfriend.
No one uses that word because it seems awkward, and as Remy tells me, anything else reminds him that his father has a love life…
not something he ever wants to think about.
A loud shriek breaks into my thoughts and I look toward the pool, where my nephew has jumped into the shallow end of the pool, floaties on his arms, his dad beside him.
Ever since Remy and I came out as an official couple, Alex declared me as one of them, and they’ve been including my brother and Owen in their impromptu gatherings.
Caleb keeps one eye on his son as he talks to Dex, who stands beside him in the shallow end of the pool.
Caleb is such an amazing dad and he deserves a good woman. Stevie has expressed interest but it’s up to him to choose for himself. As much as I adore my friend, and though I’ve caught my brother eyeing Stevie a few times, I’m not going to matchmake, though I’d love to see them as a couple.
As for the rest of the family, I’ve been part of them for long enough now that I’m able to read the dynamic between them.
Thanks to Lizzie’s care and dictatorial concern, Alex has recovered from his heart attack.
During the one month recuperation time, she managed to keep him away from the office, per doctors’ orders, allowing him to do some work from home and build his strength back up slowly.
The problem is once Alex was given the okay to return full time, he went back to his normal pace.
Nothing anyone says can get through to him and the family is worried about their father.
Jared works alongside Alex, and Aiden helped during Alex’s leave but once he went back to the office, Aiden took off to cover a story in the Middle East. Which means we have someone else to be concerned about, as the region is currently unstable.
Once Aiden left, I noticed Brooklyn took his absence the hardest, something I find interesting. I wonder if there’s a love story for them somewhere down the road. Or how Fallon would feel about her brother and best friend’s relationship, something I don’t think Fallon is aware of.
Remy’s sister is a puzzle I have yet to solve. A fun, loving woman with artistic talent and business sense but she keeps her love life and past relationships to herself. Though she and I are close, I never push for more than Fallon is willing to tell.
Then there’s Dex, former quarterback, soon to sign a broadcasting contract.
He’s been courted by multiple networks and is close to nailing down a deal.
I wonder if he’ll ever settle down. Though he clearly loves women, I have yet to see him with any female more than once or twice.
Remy told me he has the feeling his brother is holding back a story about one special woman.
Considering how close those two are, I admit to being curious.
These people are my family. More than my adoptive one ever was, with the obvious exception of Caleb, of course. My past pain has brought me to this amazing point and I’m forever grateful.
A pair of familiar arms wraps around my waist and Remy rests his chin on my shoulder. He wears a pair of swim trunks and his warm chest presses against my back. “What are you doing here all alone?” he asks.
I smile, though he can’t see. “Just watching, thinking, and feeling thankful.”
He turns me to face him. “Thankful for what?”
“You, your family, and everything I have.”
Those golden eyes warm my heart. “They’re your family now, too.”
“I know.” Wasn’t I thinking the same thing?
“How about we make it official?” Remy asks.
I wrinkle my nose in confusion, only to see him slip a hand into the pocket of his swim trunks and pull out a velvet box.
My lips part as shock settles inside me. “What’s that?” I ask, though I know.
He lowers himself to one knee and snaps open the box. “We’ve been through rough times and now six months of the best times. I would have asked you before but I wanted you to have time to live your life on your terms.”
He doesn’t mention Lance but I know he’s talking about my newfound freedom. By now, the family has caught on to what’s happening and come closer.
Ignoring them, Remy continues. “I don’t want to wait any longer to make you mine and I thought having those closest to us here when I asked you made sense. Raven, will you marry me?”
I nod, tears filling my eyes and dripping down my face.
“Give me the words,” he says, laughing.
“Yes! Yes, I’ll marry you.”
Grinning, he slips the rose gold set, pink heart-shaped ring surrounded by a pave diamond halo onto my finger.
It’s stunning and perfectly me. I hold my hand out to admire his choice. “I love it,” I say in a husky voice.
“I picked an opal because it’s your birthstone. It’s not a diamond because I wanted something unique… like you.”
My breath catches as he pulls me into his arms, sealing the proposal and my agreement with a kiss… that is followed by applause from our family.
“You’re mine, Raven. Forever.”
Thanks for reading!