Epilogue
T wo months later, Branch and Hannah attended a very different kind of wedding—Ransom and Brynn’s. He helped Silver and Joker carry out the last of the desserts and arranged them around the cake under the white tent erected in Ransom and Brynn’s backyard. Between the tiny lights swooped above the wooden dance floor, the linen-clad round tables topped with floral arrangements, and the gold chairs that seemed far too delicate to hold any of the men’s weight, the space was transformed into an ideal venue for the intimate wedding.
“I’ve got to hand it to Sam,” Joker said, smiling at the dance floor. “I wouldn’t be moving like that if I had a watermelon-sized human inside me.”
“Don’t think I’d be getting down with crutches, either.” He shook his head, but he couldn’t stop the grin from spreading over his face as Hannah hopped around the floor with Collin.
Brynn and Ransom were in the middle, swaying slowly as though there wasn’t a fast-paced pop song playing. Addison was dancing with Jacob and his girlfriend, Cora, whirling their wheelchairs to the beat of the music. Axe and his woman, who also happened to be Cora’s grandmother, were moving with a level of skill he would never have expected from the old Marine. Vivienne had dragged Iron out to the dance floor, and he was failing at keeping a straight face.
Hannah’s sister carried an air of freedom he hadn’t seen before. She was flourishing in her newfound independence. He hadn’t seen her wear makeup or anything but jeans and T-shirts since her arrival to Virginia Beach, a far cry from the pageantry of her previous life. They hadn’t realized how sheltered Vivi had been until she decided to stay in Virginia Beach. The first time they took her to the local burger joint they frequented, the excitement over her meal would’ve been comical if it weren’t for the knowledge that Hannah’s sister had every moment of her life planned down to the very food she was allowed to consume. Iron had developed a soft spot for Vivi, and was trying to help her locate Thalia, the maid who had created a distraction so she could slip the note to him that aided in her escape. Despite the age gap between Iron and Vivi, he secretly hoped Hannah’s sister turned the broken SEAL’s life upside down. Even the canines had come to the event. Oscar and Sam and Joker’s dog, Angel, happily wiggled around looking for treats or scratches behind the ears.
“Do you ever wonder how we got so lucky?” Branch’s chest expanded, heart full of love for their tight-knit group.
“Every damn day.” Joker left them standing there and crossed the room to Sam. He caressed her rounded stomach and pulled her into his arms.
He turned to Silver and immediately forgot the question on the tip of his tongue. His friend was staring down at his cell phone with a lopsided grin. The team had been seeing that look on his face more and more often. Silver punched in a message and tucked the device back in his pocket.
A moment later, Addy paused on the dance floor and pulled her phone out of the pocket in her dress. She checked the screen, and a smile lit her face. Interesting.
Before he could question his teammate, Hannah was hopping off the dance floor in his direction. “You guys are missing all of the fun.”
“Half the fun is watching all of you have fun.” He wrapped one arm around her and she leaned in to his side.
“Anyone need a drink refill?” Silver asked.
“I think I’m tapping out.” Hannah gestured toward the nearly empty slushy machine that had housed Brynn’s frozen sangria.
“I’ll take another beer.” He leaned in and kissed the top of Hannah’s head. “Now, this is a wedding.”
“Agreed. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate. No long, stuffy ceremony or formal black-tie reception. No murderous maid-of-honor.” She must’ve caught his frown. “Sorry. Too soon?”
“I don’t think there will ever be a time I can joke about finding you on the ground covered in dirt and blood, baby. My only comfort is that your older sister is behind bars and there was justice for Russell with his uncle’s arrest. Still, you’re far braver than me to be able to find ways to laugh about being attacked by your own sibling.”
“Bravest together, remember?”
“Can’t forget it now that the sign is hanging above our mantel.”
“With all the housewarming presents we’ve been getting each other lately, I think we’re single-handedly paying that shop’s monthly rent.”
She was right. It wasn’t too long ago that they’d had a sign custom-made for Brynn and Ransom’s with the words always keep fighting scrolled across the distressed wood. Painted along the bottom of the sign was a field of poppies like the ones in the vases on the tables. A tribute to Brynn’s grandmother. Another hand-crafted wooden sign hung over Joker and Sam’s mantel with the inscription, you are my reason. When Collin and Hannah had moved into his house, their friends hadn’t let them be left out. The long oak plank that ran over their fireplace read, bravest together.
“Speaking of rent,” Hannah said, snuggling closer. “Mr. Bloom found a location downtown for the pizza shop.”
Mr. Bloom was Jacob, Collin, and Cora’s teacher. When Collin mentioned opening a place to serve pizza with his friends, their teacher had jumped on the idea. Iron had once planned to expand his business and bought the small strip mall across the street. He was offering up the space rent-free for the project. Other school districts had gift shops and candy stores to give vocational opportunities to students in the special education program, and now theirs would, too. “They’re really doing it. He’s one amazing kid.”
Soon, he was going to put a ring on Hannah’s finger. The one that had been in his dresser for over a week now. After that, he was eager to broach the topic of legally adopting Collin. They could both take his name or keep theirs. Didn’t matter as long as they were together. He couldn’t wait to claim the two most important people in his life as his own.
Bravest together.
The End