Epilogue
Three Years Later
— FOREVER BY NOAH KAHAN
I feel someone jolt me awake, and before I think it’s my own body waking up from a nightmare, I realize it’s Vince.
“Angel, wake up.”
“What time is it?” I ask as I rub my eyes. The sun isn't even shining yet, so it must be early in the morning.
“Like three a.m., but get up. Liv has gone into labor, and Tristan just called me.”
That gets me right up.
“She’s early! She’s not supposed to be this early!” I shout as I clamor out of bed.
“I know, but she and the baby will be fine,” Vince says as he passes by Nellie and Poppy in their beds, still sleeping soundly. Vince and I got another dog—a boxer named Poppy—about two years ago. She and Nellie are the best of friends, and it’s been nice having two sets of pawprints in the house.
They’re the best dogs ever and have their own corner in our room. It’s all decked out with dog beds, toys, and anything else they could need. There’s even a small water bowl in case they don't want to get up and go downstairs at night.
I burst out of bed, throw on some sweats, a bra, and a hoodie before Vince grabs the car keys from where they sit in our room, and we head out the door.
“Are you driving, or do you want me to call Emerson?” I ask.
“Don’t wake him up. We’ll be fine,” Vince says as he opens the car door for me.
Emerson, Chris, and Duncan have stayed on as part of our security team. There’s obviously no need for my entire house to be guarded all the time, since Ralph is still in prison. I haven't had any other situations like that one, so Vince handed the reins over to Emerson.
Vince no longer makes the final decisions regarding my safety. Technically, I do. Emerson is my head guard, and Vince is just my boyfriend.
But he still likes to butt in during conversations about my safety, which I don’t mind, because he still does this shit for a living. He and Nico still run their company together, but Vince is more hands-off than he used to be. He doesn't take cases anymore. He has finally put down roots, and the two of us have been enjoying our lives together.
He still works, helping Nico train the new men, but when it comes to me, Emerson has taken over. I couldn't be happier. I’ve trusted Emerson since I met him that first day outside my house, and I know Vince is super close to him, too.
It all works perfectly, our little unit.
“Are you ready to become an aunt?” Vince asks as he drives the car out of the gate and onto the road.
“I am, I think!” I say nervously, because what if I immediately hold the kid and it starts crying? What if it can tell that I’m kind of afraid of it?
Well, I probably shouldn’t call it an ‘it’.
“Are they at the hospital already, or did Tristan waste time texting us while Liv was having contractions? ”
Vince only chuckles, knowing that’s something Tristan would do. “I think they’re at the hospital already. His first text came in around one, but I didn't hear it. He left me like a hundred voicemails talking about how if I’m not there to protect their kid, and if you missed your sister’s birth, he would kill me.”
“That sounds about right.”
Tristan never lets anyone forget that Vince is a bodyguard. Well, he was a bodyguard. Anytime we go out in public, he always asks Vince to sweep the area. It has become a running bit.
My brother is the goofiest motherfucker on the planet, and he’s going to make a wonderful father.
Twenty minutes later, we’re rushing into the delivery unit to find Teags sitting in the waiting room by herself.
“Teags? Where is everyone?”
My best friend lifts her head from her phone. “It’s just me. My mom is in the room with them. No baby yet.”
Vince presses a kiss to my head. “Go, Bree. I know you’ll want to see Liv. I’ll keep Teags company.”
“Yay me,” my best friend says. “Is Nico with you guys, at least? I really wanted to ask him a few things.”
I raise my eyebrow at Vince, and he only shrugs. Those two are weirdly friendly with one another, and I don’t think I’d want to be a fly on the wall for any of their conversations. They seem…peculiar, to say the least.
I push through the doors and head into Liv’s room, only to hear her breathing heavily.
“Livvy?”
All their heads perk up and swing to mine as I enter the room.
“Bree! Thank goodness you’re here. I didn't know if you guys were going to make it,” Tristan says as he pulls me in for a hug.
“How are you both feeling?”
“Wonderful!” Tristan cheers .
“Terrible,” Liv says at the same time. “You better worship the ground I walk on after this, West.”
“Don’t worry, Liv. You’ll probably get sick of me telling you that you’re the most amazing, beautiful, and magnificent mother of our children. I’m in awe of you, pretty girl.” Tristan leans down and presses a kiss to Liv’s head.
“I know Tabitha will be with you guys the whole time, but I’ll be in the waiting room with Teags and Vince. Can you two give us a second?” I ask as I walk over to the side of my sister’s bed.
“We’ll be in the hall. Come on, Mom,” Tristan says as he shuts the door softly behind him.
“Bree, make this quick because I’m going to have another contraction soon,” Liv says as she huffs.
“I wanted one last moment with just us. Just the two Hart sisters, like we’ve always been.”
“I hate to break it to you, but it hasn't been just us for a while now, sis.”
I stifle the emotions about to pour out of me. “I know, but this is different. We always thought we were alone our whole lives, and now, we’re not. Now, there’s going to be a small piece of you out in the world. I just want one last moment with you before you become a mom. I want to say thank you.”
“For what?”
“For always taking care of me. For raising me to be the woman I am today. Thank you for everything, Liv. And if you ever doubt your ability to be a parent, just look at me and how I turned out. I’d say you did pretty damn good.”
“Bree…” she trails off, emotions overcoming her. “You’re who you are because of so many things, not just me.”
“Yeah, but you made sure I was never alone. You were like my very own built-in best friend, and I’m so fucking grateful I get to call you my sister. I’m so thankful that, despite everything, we still had one another. You may be so many things to so many people, but you’ll forever be my sister.” I grab her hand, her grip loose but firm in mine. “I love you so fucking much.”
“I love you too, Bree. So damn much.”
“Okay, now, bring me a niece or nephew, okay?” I say as I kiss her forehead.
She nods at me, and as I leave the room, I have to wipe a few tears away. Tabitha spots the tears, resting a calming hand on my arm before she heads back in, but Tristan doesn't. He just stands there and looks at me.
“God, how did we get here?” he asks as he runs a hand through his hair.
“Your guess is as good as mine.”
He smiles at me. “It feels like only yesterday I ran into her with that coffee.”
“Are you nervous?”
“A little. I wish my own dad was here to give me some fucking pointers on how to do this whole thing, and Tobias, too. If he was here, he would’ve read all the fucking books about what to do so he would have all the answers for me.”
“I bet they’re really fucking proud of you, Tristan. For everything, not just today,” I say as I pull him in for a hug. “You’ll be a wonderful father. You have a good team, you and Liv.”
“Yeah, we do,” Tristan smiles before we hear Liv scream in pain. “Shit, I have to go!”
He races back into the room, and I know we’re in for a long night as I head back to the waiting room with Vince and Teags.
Eight Hours Later
Vince fell asleep on my shoulder two hours ago, but as Tristan bursts through the doors, the biggest smile on his face, we jump up to meet his excitement.
“So?” Teags asks, nervously tugging at the ends of her hair.
“Yeah, dude, say something!” Harry says. The three of them—Dom, Ethan, and Harry—joined us around breakfast time. It’s been a lot of nonstop glory days stories, alongside lots of nervous pacing and leg shaking.
Tristan stands in the middle of the waiting room, looking like he just saw sunlight for the first time. “It’s a boy!” All of us cheer, and hugs are given all around.
“And a girl!”
What did he just say?
“What the fuck?” Dom says. “Two?”
“Surprise!” Tristan says with a huge smirk on his face. “God, that was so hard to keep a secret. I almost blurted it out a million times.”
“Are you kidding me?” I attack Tristan in a hug.
“Leave it to you guys to only have to do this once,” Teags says, smiling at her brother like I’ve never seen her. “Congrats, Tris. I’m going to go call Theo!”
Tristan takes turns hugging his friends, Vince giving him a pat on the back while Tristan whispers something into his ear. God, I love how close they are. It makes Liv and I ridiculously happy that they’re such good friends.
We’ve truly created the life we both wanted, our own little family that loves us as much as we do them.
“Do you guys want to see them? ”
I hang back with Vince while Tristan’s friends head in first, no doubt getting the lecture from Tristan about washing their hands. Those guys have been friends since college, and this isn't the last time they’ll all be in a waiting room. Harry’s wife is pregnant—around six months—so they’ll be back soon.
From the good days in college to the good days as an adult.
How beautiful a sentiment like that is. I never went to college to be able to have people around me like that, but Tristan’s friends always make me feel welcome no matter what. And sometimes, they too feel like older brothers to me, and it makes me laugh anytime the three of them are protective of me.
Vince steps up behind me, his hand rubbing up and down my back as I look up at him.
“Hi, baby.”
“Hi, angel,” he says as he kisses me. “How are you feeling?”
“Elated. Scared. Excited. Proud. Yeah, that about sums it up.”
“You’ll be fine holding the baby, Bree. You’re not going to drop it,” he says as he escorts me to the room.
“Well, now that's all I’m going to think about!”
He only laughs as we head into the room, the joy and company spreading around the room, filling it with light.
“Can you guys give us a second?” Tristan says to his friends, and they all disperse into the hallway.
“Was it something I said?” I joke, my emotions getting the better of me as I see my sister holding one of her babies. “Oh my goodness, Liv.”
I notice the other baby in the bassinet the hospital provided, and Vince goes over to him and Tristan, the two of them hugging again.
“Come here, sis. I want you to meet someone.” Liv says, her smile bursting from her face. She holds her daughter in her arms, and tears fall from my eyes even before I’ve properly met the new addition to our family. “This is Tahlia Bree West. ”
Sobs burst from my chest. “Bree?” I ask, making sure I heard her correctly.
“Well, we wanted to continue with the T tradition for Tabitha and his dad,” Liv says as she hands me her daughter. “But I wanted her namesake to be someone strong, fierce, resilient, and beautiful, like you.”
“Hi, Tahlia,” I say as I look at Tristan and Vince, my eyes so blurry that I can barely see them. God, she’s so fucking tiny. I’ve never seen a more beautiful baby. “What’s the boy’s name?”
Tristan takes a deep breath before he speaks. “Tobias Daniel West. The second, technically, but that just sounds like a mouthful.” He takes another shaky breath. “After my brother.”
“Two beautiful names for two beautiful babies,” I say as I hand the baby back to my sister. “Thank you for the greatest gift anyone has ever given me.”
“I couldn't think of a better middle name to give my daughter, Bree. I mean that.”
And for the rest of the day, people filter in and out of the room as the new parents adjust. Lucky for them, they have a village of people ready and waiting to help.
I used to think that life was a series of choices.
But now, I think life is a series of moments we’re lucky enough to have. All our life leads to these big moments, and no matter what, humans will always find their way to where they’re supposed to be in the end.
I used to think that my story was going to end, that I’d be alone forever.
But now, I have a whole family surrounding me, and our story is far from over. Actually, I think it’s only the beginning.
We’ll be by each other forever, through thick and thin, through the good days and bad. Because, despite not being related by blood, we will always choose one another.
Of that, I’m sure.