Epilogue
Eight months later
“You ready for tomorrow?” Jack asked Max.
“Been fuckin’ ready for eight months.”
Jack chuckled as he kept his eye on Jenn, who was currently standing with Mia in Max’s yard petting a fucking bear. Seeing that, he was glad he’d left his boys at home in the care of his daughter.
“How the hell did you manage to tame a grizzly?”
“Strawberries,” Max replied as he kept an eye on Mia.
Both men were on Max’s deck with a beer in hand while they kicked back yet with sharp eyes on the yard below. Mia may have tamed Booboo, but he was still a wild animal and no way was he taking his eyes off his woman while she fed strawberries to their newest pet.
Jack, who was of the same mind, watched Jenn cuddle the bear's head while making cooing noises with a look of pure rapture on her face. When she looked up at him with those doe-brown eyes, glassy in appearance as if she was in heaven on earth, he shook his head.
“No,” Jack shouted. No fuckin’ way was she using those eyes on him to convince him they needed a grizzly of their own.
“Stop being bossy,” she shouted back.
“Smart-ass,” Jack mouthed back at his wife and then winked at her as her face softened.
“You ever hear back from your friend in the FBI?” Max asked around a grin, he was glad to know he wasn’t the only one who got lip from their other half.
“Yeah, seems Stetson’s father was a piece of work as well. Abused his mother, and when he wasn’t abusing her, he was taking a firm hand to Stetson,” Jack bit out on a growl.
“Created a monster,” Max mumbled, thinking back to that night eight months before.
After the initial shock had worn off, Stetson’s father had come after Max. No charges had been filed since it was an open and shut case of self-defense, but that didn’t stop the elder Stetson from making waves. There’d been an IA investigation due to the fact one of their own had been killed. However, with Stetson gone, there was no need for a cover up so lips loosened and IA was able to get a full picture and sided with Chester and the TEPD. Max had been cleared of any possible wrongdoing, so he and Mia had put it behind them and moved on with their lives.
First up had been moving what was left of the colony of bears, then Mia went home to pack up her belongings and move permanently, to her parent’s amazement, to live with Max in Trails End. And tomorrow, on the shore of the river where Max had rescued her, they would officially become man and wife.
“Heard about the poker party,” Jack chuckled, his eyes still on his wife.
“Christ, pain in my ass,” Max sighed as his head fell back and his eyes closed.
Two months earlier, Max had brought Mia into town for a night at Last Call. What he didn’t know, was his conversation with Shane on the night Stetson died had Mia thinking a pair of velvet-lined handcuffs didn’t sound half-bad, so she’d ordered a pair from his mother.
Wanting to surprise Max, on the way out of town Mia had said she needed to stop by Maxine’s to pick something up. They’d pulled into the drive, saw cars in the street, and he’d figured she was having another one of her “parties.”
“You coming in?” Mia had asked as she opened her door.
“Considerin’ what happened the last time?”
“Chicken,” Mia chuckled.
Max looked at his mother’s house, then looked at his future wife and peeled out of the truck. When he took her hand, he mumbled, “In and out quickly, but if there’s rubber cocks lying around, all bets are off.”
When they’d entered his mother’s home, there was no one in the front room where she normally hosted her parties. So, they’d headed down the hall towards the great room. That’s when Max lost it, in what shall be known as “The day his mother lost her ever-lovin’ mind.”
“I’ll raise you one edible panty and throw in some massage oil,” he heard old man Carter say as he entered the room.
Four card tables occupied the space of his mother’s great room, all full with half-dressed men and women.
Including his mother.
For this month’s party Maxine and Martha had decided to spice things up and instead of inviting only the ladies of Trails End, they’d invited the men as well. In addition, they were playing poker . . . strip poker.
“What the fuck,” Max bellowed.
Mia, however, burst out laughing, much to his displeasure, and Max felt his blood pressure spike to new heights as he stalked across the room to his mother.
“Up, now, get your fuckin’ clothes on,” he bit out.
“I will not. I’m winnin’ this hand,” Maxine grumbled ignoring him.
“Swear to God mother, I . . . are you lookin’ at my mother’s chest?” Max growled at Randy King, a retired lumberjack who’d worked for his father. The man’s eyes had shot to the side, avoiding his wrath, and then Mia ran up, grabbed Max’s arm, pulling him out of the room as he scowled over his shoulder at the old man.
“Time to go,” Mia told him as she pushed him towards the door.
“Can Mia sit a hand?” old man Carter called out, spiking his pressure to the red line.
An image of Mia sitting a hand of poker with her shirt off had Max shouting back, “Fuck no,” as he grabbed her hand and stormed out of the house, dragging a laughing Mia behind him.
He didn’t talk to his mother for a week after that, he was afraid she’d tell him how the evening progressed.
Max closed his eyes at the memory of that night, and to this day can’t look at Randy King without feeling the need to beat the shit out of the old man.
Jack chuckled at Max’s response as the sound of a vehicle had both men looking towards the drive. When Max saw Shane climb out of his SUV he mumbled, “This should be good.”
“How so?” Jack asked.
Max knew Jack was as territorial with Jenn as he was with Mia. Max also knew that Shane couldn’t help himself when it came to a pretty woman. Since Jenn shot way past pretty and into “hot as fuck” territory like Mia, Max figured this should be good.
Shane rounded the corner with a grin on his face as he headed for the deck. That is until he heard one of the girl’s laugh. His head turned at the sound of laughter and his brows shot straight up at the sight of Jenn. Mouth tugging into a cocky grin, his body followed his head as he forgot all about Max and turned towards the yard.
Max watched closely as Jack went on “my woman” alert when Shane approached his wife. Then he grinned around his bottle when Jack stood abruptly ‘cause Shane had made Jenn laugh. He chuckled deep when Jack bound across the deck as Jenn’s laughter increased. And he threw his head back and laughed when Jack disappeared down the steps. Then he heard Mia’s husky laugh directed at Shane and got his own ass out of the chair.
Last Call seemed like the appropriate place to spend my last night as a single woman. So, along with Jenn, Jess, Maxine, Martha, Lucy, Suzy, Joanne and my mother, I‘d thrown on my favorite Care Bears tee, kissed Max goodbye till I saw him at the altar and then headed down for a night of karaoke and shots.
“Mia bear, a toast,” Jess, who was still dating Brian but I knew he was popping the question soon, called out. “To you and Max, may your life together be as adventurous as your courtship has been."
“Here, here,” the table agreed as we all threw back our drinks.”
“We need to do a song,” mother jumped in, her eyes a tad glazed over from the shots.
Jess and I looked at each other and giggled. Judy Roberts, housewife extraordinaire, was drunk and furthermore had never done Karaoke in her life.
“Okay, Mom, what song would you like to do?”
“Something sexy, you know, one of those songs that make you shake your ass.”
“Jesus, we have to get her drunk more often,” Jess cackled.
“I’m not drunk,” Mom insisted.
“You’re drunk,” Jess and I said.
“I’m a little drunk,” Mom conceded.
“You’re a lot drunk,” I explained.
“Well, who cares, my daughter is finally getting married to a giant man who looks like a supermodel. I’m allowed to get drunk. I never thought she’d get married.”
“I’m with you,” Maxine hooted, “never thought my boy would settle down.”
“Do you think they will give us grandchildren soon?” my mother asked.
“If Max wants me to stop my yappin’ about it, they will.”
Jess leaned in upon hearing that and whispered, “If your first child is a girl I get first dibs. If my sister gets a hold of her first, she’ll be wearin’ cardigans by the time she’s five.”
Shuddering at the thought, I put out my hand and said, “Deal.”
No offense to my mother, I loved her dearly, but no daughter of mine was wearing Judy clothes.
“One more round then we rock this house,” Jess shouted as she filled our glasses.
Lucy, who was still my intern and still sleeping with Jake when she came to town, jumped up and grabbed the song list. We perused the pages looking for a song we could all do together when Jenn clapped her hands.
“Oh, “All the Single Ladies” by Beyoncé,” Jenn pointed.
“Perfect,” Mom squealed as she raised her glass.
Everyone watched her throw back another shot and I decided it was time to cut her off.
“No more for you, Judy,” I told her as I moved the bottle out of her reach.
“Girls just wanna have fun,” Mom sang out.
Oh, dear Lord.
“Time to sing,” Jess laughed so we all stood up and headed towards the stage. Mom threw her arms around Jess and my necks kissing us both on the cheek.
“I love my girls,” she told us as she let go then crawled up the stairs, tripping on the top step, and falling to her knees.
“Like mother like daughter,” Martha commented as she helped my mother to her feet.
Lucy handed the book back to Ralph, who was running the machine for the night, and we all got into two lines with Jess, Jenn, Mom, and me in the front row. There were only four microphones so we doubled up. Jenn and I shared one and Mom and Jess did as well, though they fought over who would hold it. When the music started, we all started bouncing one hip in unison, though Mom started bumping hips with Jess. No one knew the choreography so we all ad-libbed. Jenn and I stood back to back wiggling as we sang, but the twins must have watched the video a few times because when it got to the oh, oh, oh’s, they knew the moves. Martha didn’t have a clue so she just rocked back and forth and Maxine turned around and shook her ass at the crowd.
Near the end of the song, the door to Last Call opened and to my surprise Max walked in with Jack, Shane, Chester, Buddy, and pulling up the rear was my dad, Brian and Jake.
Max and Jack grinned when they saw us and then crossed their arms in unison as they leaned against the bar. Jenn and I had already noted how similar the two men were. Except for Max being taller, they looked like brothers. Seeing those gorgeous men, standing in the same pose, confirmed my suspicion that God had broken the mold when he created Gunnison men.
When “All the Single Ladies” ended, I had an idea so I walked over to Ralph and whispered in his ear. He pulled up the screen on the computer and typed in the song I needed. Then I moved to the center of the stage, looked Max in the eyes, and told him, “This one’s for you, baby. I couldn’t celebrate our future together without a little Joel for old time's sake.”
Max’s lip twitched when he heard “Joel” and he pushed off the bar and moved closer to the stage as the rest of the women exited. Then I nodded to Ralph and Billy Joel’s “Shameless” began.
I changed the word man to woman and sang about being shamelessly in love with him. Max’s face grew hard as the song went on and when I got to the part about never being in love like this before, he was at the edge of the stage. I was barely able to get the words out at that point, my love for him choking me, so Max jumped on the stage, picked me up, and carried me down the hall to our dark corner.
“I love you so much,” I cried as he placed me on my feet and then cornered me against the wall.
As I ran my hands up his chest to wrap them around his neck, Max leaned in and put his forehead on mine.
“We aren’t spending the night apart. That’s why I came here tonight. I want you in my bed the rest of our lives and I’m not missin’ a minute of it,” he whispered as he cupped my face with one hand and dried my tears with the other.
“Okay,” I whispered, smiling.
“Okay? No fightin’ me about bad luck or your mother throwin’ a fuckin’ fit, just okay?” he grinned.
“Sheesh, you seem to be under the impression I argue about everything.”
“Babe.”
“What?”
“Stop bein’ cute . . .”
Five years later
Raven-black hair tied into two pigtails bounced around the yard as three-year-old Peyton Hunter chased a ball. Dressed in a cartoon tee with a Care Bear on the front, Max watched as his daughter laughed with his wife. Mia, who was chasing their daughter as she giggled, did it slowly as she held her expanding waistline. Their son, who was due in three months, was finally giving her a break from her constant morning sickness.
To the west Max saw movement and watched as Booboo came meandering out of the forest. When his daughter saw the great bear, she squealed in delight and clapped her hands together. Mia picked Peyton up and waited for Booboo to make his way towards them and then, like she’d done a hundred times before, Mia placed Peyton near his face and his daughter gave the bear a hug.
Descending the stairs, Max made his way towards his girls, his heart swelling at the sight of his family. When he reached them, he took Peyton from his wife, curled Mia into his side, and they both watched as Booboo went to his bowl and began to eat.
“Babe,” Max whispered.
“Yeah, Honey?”
“You remember when I told you I’d waited all my life to find you and that the reality of you was better than the dream?”
“Max.”
Curling Mia into his front, his daughter firmly in his arm, Max’s breath caught as Peyton leaned her little head on his shoulder as she ran her tiny hand down his face. Breathing in her fresh scent, his eyes closed as he kissed her raven-colored hair and then thanked God for his precious gift. Clearing a knot that had formed in his throat, Max looked down at Mia, placed a hand to her stomach, and then told her, “I was wrong, this, right here right now, paradise.”