Epilogue
SULLIVAN
The lights were bright on the fifth floor tonight.
The newly finished hallways gleamed and the glass walls were crystal clear.
We’d tried to turn it into the kind of place people trusted instinctively, where everyone who walked in would know on sight that it was not only a facility on the cutting edge, but also that a lot of thought had gone into every detail.
I stood at the podium stand with my hands folded on the metal top, my heart hammering so hard I was surprised the mic didn’t pick it up. When I started speaking, I was even more surprised that my voice was steady despite everything crashing around inside me.
“Thank you all for being here,” I began. “Today is the official opening of Crowne Medical’s Advanced Testing and Research Center. This facility represents innovation, precision diagnostics, and a commitment to saving lives before emergencies ever happen.”
Polite applause rippled through the crowd. Bree stood near the front with her parents, her dark hair tucked behind her ears and her blue eyes wide and happy. She smiled at me the way she always did now, like she believed in me.
Despite the fact that I saw that smile every damn day, it still nearly undid me. Especially tonight.
“This center exists because I believe medicine should catch illness before it’s too late.
Before it steals futures or people.” I paused to let the words sink in.
“A lot of you don’t know this, but my mother didn’t get that chance, and we’re hopeful that here, we’ll be able to help people like her.
Our aim is to work every day toward a brighter, healthier future.
A future where things that should be invisible become visible and where medical dreams turn into reality. ”
I inhaled a deep breath. “For a long time, I thought the answer to all that was technology alone. Better machines. Faster data. More accurate reporting.”
I looked straight at Bree then. “I was wrong.”
A murmur moved through the audience and I waited until it died down a bit.
“It turns out the most important part of any system isn’t only the technology that drives it, but the people who care enough to fight for it.
To ask the hard questions and to remind you that lives don’t always fit neatly into data or machinery. ”
I stepped away from the podium. “And the person who taught me that, who changed how I see this hospital, this work, and myself, is standing right there.”
Bree’s smile faltered into confusion. Her mother’s hand flew to her mouth, but her father just grinned. I crossed the distance between us, every step deliberate. When I reached her, I took her hands in mine, feeling them tremble.
“This was never really about the fifth floor,” I said quietly, though the mic still carried my voice. “It was about you, sweetheart.”
I dropped to one knee and the entire room sucked in a collective gasp. The grand opening of this Center tonight had been all about this moment for me, and although I was damn proud of what we had here, I couldn’t think about anything else right now.
There was only her, only my feisty, blue-eyed Flyer Phantom who’d turned my life upside down and, in doing so, had flipped my world right way up.
I held her gaze and her hands, my throat constricting and my eyes burning, but I managed to say the words anyway because I honestly couldn’t hold them back anymore.
“Bree,” I said. “You made me better when I didn’t think I needed to be.
You challenged me, loved me, and refused to let me hide behind any excuse.
You didn’t care about money or power. You only cared about what was right and I don’t want a future without you telling me when I’m wrong, or without you holding my hand when I’m right. ”
I pulled the ring out of my pocket, my hands shaking too. “Will you marry me?”
For one, seemingly endless second, she just stared at me. Then she laughed, a broken, beautiful sound, and nodded, tears spilling freely down her cheeks.
“Yes,” she said breathlessly. “Yes. Of course I will.”
The room exploded into applause, cheers, and someone whooping loud enough to echo off the glass walls. I stood up and kissed her, absolutely confident as cameras flashed and champagne appeared from the caterers.
As soon as we broke apart, Ellora tackled Bree in a hug. Holden clapped me on the back like I’d just won a championship. Mercedes was crying openly while Kody filmed everything. Kaden lifted Brooke off the floor in a spin.
Liana stood a few steps back, smiling like she’d won an argument she’d been having with me for years—and in a way, she had. She’d been telling me all along that one day a woman was going to come along and completely sweep me off my feet when I least expected it.
Mr. Bennett came up to me a moment later, grinning from ear to ear. Mrs. Bennett clung to his arm. He held out his hand, but she embraced me from the other side, enveloping me in her arms as if I belonged in their family.
“It’s about time,” Mr. Bennett said, giving my hand a firm shake. “After you asked my permission, I thought we’d be getting the news the very next day.”
Mrs. Bennett’s hug was fierce and warm. “Don’t mind him. That was perfect. It was the right choice, doing it tonight. This place is the reason you two had so many differences of opinion. Without it, you might never have clashed hard enough to fall in love.”
“Interesting way you have of looking at falling in love, darling,” Mr. Bennett said, letting go of me to slide an arm around her shoulders. He pressed a gentle kiss to her temple. “Although Bree always has been fiery. I knew she’d never fall for some boring guy without any backbone.”
“Sullivan certainly isn’t that.” Mrs. Bennett reached out and squeezed my arm, her blue eyes twinkling when they met mine. “Welcome to the family, Sully.”
She winked and I groaned, my head shaking as I realized she’d known about the flyers all along. It didn’t matter anymore, though. These people had welcomed me in from the get-go, treating me like family from the very first time we’d met.
I glanced to where Bree stood with our friends just a few feet away, her ring catching the light as she talked animatedly, laughter spilling out of her. She looked radiant. Her mom gave me a playful, gentle shove.
“We didn’t mean to steal you away from your fiancée. Go to her. We just wanted to congratulate you. Now, if I can just fight my way through those girls to get to my daughter, maybe I can do the same with her.”
Together, we joined Bree and the group she was with, and while her parents pulled her into their embrace, I accepted congratulations from our friends.
Well, her friends that had become mine, too.
Kaden, Kody, Holden, and I got along well, and honestly, I’d been surprised that she’d given me as much hell as she had considering who her friends were married to.
Either way, a few minutes later, she was finally back by my side and she slipped her hand into mine, smiling up at me with incredulous tears glistening in her eyes. “You surprised me.”
“That was the idea.”
She leaned into my side, resting her head against my shoulder. “I love you.”
I pressed a kiss to her hair. The noise of the celebration faded into the background as I grinned at her. “I know, but I loved you first.”
It would never stop surprising me that there was no more fear in saying it out loud. No more hiding or uncertainty about whether she would ever feel the same way or say it back.
Ellora pulled Bree into another hug before turning to me and narrowing her eyes like she was evaluating a risky investment.
“You hurt her,” she said bluntly.
“I did,” I admitted just as directly.
Frankly, I’d known this would be coming at some point. I supposed it wasn’t much of a surprise that it was tonight, now that Bree and I were promising each other forever.
Ellora glared at me for another beat. “But you fixed it.”
“I’m still fixing it,” I said.
“That’s the correct answer.” She surprised me by breaking into a wide grin. “You know, I had a feeling all along that this was going to happen.”
Holden clapped my shoulder again, clearly satisfied with my survival of his wife’s vetting process. “For the record, she was rooting for you. Both of them were.”
“I’m just glad you proved to be worthy of rooting for.” Mercedes shoved her way in beside them, grinning up at me. “You had me worried there for a beat.”
“I had myself worried there for a beat.”
Kody came over with two champagne flutes in his hands, handing one to his wife before smirking at me. “Welcome to the extended family, and the wedding hell. All the wedding hell, man.”
Mercedes nudged him with her hip, her eyes rolling, but I saw the laughter she was trying to swallow. “Oh, come on. It wasn’t that bad.”
She bounced slightly on her heels as she turned away from us, her eyes flicking between Bree and Ellora before she leaned closer to Bree and stage-whispered, “Okay, don’t freak out, but she’s not drinking.”
“Ellora?” Bree frowned, her eyes widening as she looked back at Ellora. “Wait. Are you—”
She groaned softly. “I was going to tell you privately, but apparently subtlety isn’t a thing anymore.”
“You’re pregnant?” Bree shrieked.
The small circle around us erupted instantly. Holden looked like he’d swallowed the sun. Mercedes burst into tears. Kody whooped loud enough to turn heads across the room. Bree tackled Ellora in another hug, both of them laughing and crying at the same time.
“This is incredible,” Bree said, pulling back but still gripping Ellora’s hands. “Oh my God, I’m so happy for you.”
“Same,” Mercedes said, swiping tears from her cheeks as she beamed at their friend. “But also, rude. You’re both responsible for my complete lack of emotional stability tonight.”
Holden caught my eye and grinned. “Sorry, man. We didn’t mean to steal your thunder. I seriously thought sparkling water in a wine glass would work, but uh, good night all around, huh?”
“The best,” I said honestly.
Eventually, Liana intercepted us, her arms already open. Bree hugged her tightly, the two of them swaying for a second like sisters. Once again, I just stood back and watched, wondering if it was possible that in a way, Bree was Liana’s soulmate too. She always had wanted a sister.
“I’m so happy for you both,” Liana said when she pulled back. Her eyes flicked to me, warm but knowing. “I told you he’d pull his head out of his ass eventually.”
“It was a team effort,” Bree said.
“I accept partial credit,” Liana replied.
She reached for Bree’s hand, inspecting the ring with professional seriousness. “Okay, logistics. I know a phenomenal florist, and three venues that won’t try to bankrupt you just because you’re marrying this idiot.”
“I feel attacked,” I said.
“You’ll survive,” she said sweetly, her expression softening as she looked between us. “You really do make each other better.”
“Don’t let him hear that too often,” Bree teased.
“Too late,” I said.
Liana squeezed my shoulder before slipping back into the crowd, already fielding questions from one of the R&D leads. The music shifted into something less energetic as servers floated past with trays of champagne and appetizers.
Conversations overlapped while we all celebrated. Bree tugged my hand gently, guiding me toward the quieter edge of the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the street five floors down. I wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer.
“I can’t believe we made it here,” she said softly.
“Neither can I.”
She laughed under her breath. “You remember when you first walked into this hospital? The way you were talking, a lot of people thought you were just going to bulldoze the place and put a parking garage on top of it.”
“I was a bit like a wrecking ball,” I admitted.
“A gorgeous, extremely handsome, super hot wrecking ball, but you’re not wrong,” she said, smiling. “I hated you.”
I laughed. “Yeah, I noticed, but at least you thought I was hot. Apparently. Any other redeeming qualities?”
“Nah.” She laughed, but then turned slightly. Something about her seemed peaceful in a way I’d never seen before. “Things are only going to get better from here, right?”
“They are.” I pressed my lips to her temple, finally letting myself fully believe it. “As long as we’re together, that’s the only way it can be.”
***