Epilogue

 

 

 

Greg

 

Six years later.

 

“Aww, man! This sucks!”

“Alex. I won't tell you again, she's four years old.”

“She's a pain in my ass!”

I raise my eyebrow at my ten-year-old son.  “Watch your mouth.”

“I'm sorry.” He mumbles.

I clasp his shoulder and relax my stance. “I know it's annoying when your sister goes in your room and plays with your guitar, but she's just a little girl who loves her big brother.”

He nods his head and folds his arms around himself.

We've been busy, Dani and I these past five years. I bought us a huge six bedroomed house on Craven's Hill, a mile outside of town. My whole family were beyond shocked to find out Dean is actually mine. They were just as shocked to learn of Dani's past and of Alex. But my whole family welcomed them with open arms.

It took a few short days for the DA to tell us that he wouldn't be prosecuting Dani. There was enough evidence to prove she acted in self-defense. We had a huge celebration. God, the whole town turned out to celebrate with us. My beautiful girl really was free. Free to live her life the way she should always have lived it.

Any connections to Joel Scott we arrested and sentenced to a very long life in prison. A few girls, very few, were found alive. Dani and I read their stories as everyone else in the country did. Dani sobbed her heart out, even though there were no in-depth details of what those seven women suffered. But it broke her heart because the youngest was just sixteen years old.

I held Dani close to me for over an hour before she took herself to the boy's room and held them close to her. They didn't understand why their mother was upset, but they kissed her cheeks and told her how much they loved her.

The whole thing just made Dani more determined to open her center to help abuse victims of sex trafficking. We held a huge gala and raised millions to help with funding for Dani's center. My mother went above and beyond to make the night perfect for Dani.

My mother and father invited all their rich friends. Kory and I invited as many lawyers as we could, my dad and Freddy invited a ton of cops, and so the list went on. Everybody invited somebody. It was an amazing night, and Dani's center has been open for four years now, and she's helped many women in many ways, and I am so proud of her.

Dani and I were married a month after the boys came home. They only needed that long to settle in. Dean stood by my side, my best man, as Alex walked his mother down the aisle. I'd never seen anything so cute in my whole life. Both boys in little tuxedo's, big smiles on their faces. They felt like men that day. Well, we did give them pretty big jobs to do. And they did them so well.

I couldn't take my eyes off Dani. She'd never looked more beautiful than she did that day. She wore an ivory mermaid, sweetheart, sleeveless dress that was tailored to her perfect curves. Her dark hair was fashioned at the nape of her neck in intricate ringlets pulled tight to her head with diamond pins entwined. Her makeup made her look like a film star. Her gorgeous eyes were sparkling like the brightest stars.

Our eyes locked through the whole ceremony. I just couldn't tear my eyes away from her. My Latina beauty. My wife.

We didn't have a honeymoon. Neither of us wanted to leave the boys, even though my mother said she'd happily take care of them for us. Truth is, we didn't feel ready to leave them. They needed us and we were there for them one hundred percent. Until they badgered us to take them away for the weekend to Disney World. Which we did and they had a great time. So did we.

We were married two months before she came to me and told me she was pregnant. She was terrified, I was over the damn moon. She looked at me with such a shocked expression. Did she really think I wouldn't want our child, or that I'd hurt her?

No. I swung her around, then set her on her feet and kissed the shit out of her before I took her to bed and made love to her for hours on end.

Baby Lilly Harper was born seven months later, and she was as beautiful as her mother. But Lilly can't seem to stop herself from touching what doesn't belong to her. Anything that belongs to Alex or Dean and she'll pilfer it. Little madam.

I'm forever having to have words with her about staying out of her brother's rooms. Dean grumbles about it, but he's generally a quiet kid, not much bothers him. Alex, on the other hand, gets angry and starts yelling. He's going through a grunge faze, didn't even know that was still a faze, but he can't threaten to beat his little sister, that I won't have.

“Yeah, but one of these days, she's gonna break something. I worked hard for that guitar, Dad.”

He did. Very hard. Helping me with the garden, helping his mother around the house, all to save money for his guitar.

“I know you did. I'll make sure she stays out, I promise.”

He nods as I ruffle his hair.

“Everything okay?” I smile and take my eighteen-month-old daughter from her mother's arms. My beautiful little Elena. “Alex, are you okay?”

“Lilly's been in his room touching things again,” I tell my wife with a kiss to her lips.

She kisses me back, smiling against my mouth. She pulls away from me and I kiss our daughter's head. She's a quiet little girl, talks only when she wants food or she's sleepy. She takes after Dean. Nothing like Lilly, she's loud and proud. A lot like Alex.

“I'll go talk to her. I love you.”

“I love you, too, baby.”

“Dad! She's in my room again!” Dean yells.

Lilly!

“See what spawn you created?” Dani's mouth drops with a smile in shock at what Alex just said. “I pity you.” Alex walks past us and out of the kitchen.

“I'll go.”

“Wait.” I grab her arm, stopping her from leaving the room. I pull her to me, kissing her lips softly. “She'll grow out of this, right?”

Dani's head falls back as she laughs so loudly and sarcastically that I'm just staring at her in shock. I'm taking it that Lilly is always going to be a little tormentor. She gets that from Kory, you know? He was the same when he was a kid.

“You're not going to be a monster are you, Elena?” My baby girl shakes her little head as she chews on her cookie. God, I love her so much. She's like a mini version of me. Poor kid.

“Maybe the next one will be. It seems to go in order of age. Alex. Monster. Dean. Sweetheart. Lilly. Monster. Elena. Sweetheart. This one?” She places her on her stomach, and I think I'm in shock.

“Are you pregnant?” She holds two fingers up, smile on her beautiful face, my eyes are so wide I think they might pop out of my head! “Twins?”

She nods her head. “But, I'm telling you right now, these are the last babies you'll be getting, Greg Harper.”

I grab her waist and yank her to me, kissing with more passion than I should with my baby girl in my arms, and it's her laughter that has me pulling away from my wife. “God, I love you so much, Danika.”

“I love you, too, husband of mine.”

“Mom! Dad! If you don't come deal with your spawn, I'll throw her out of the window!”

“I'll go.” I laugh and hand my daughter to her mother. “I'm coming boys. Try not to kill your sister until I'm there.”

“Daddy, don't you let them throw me out the window!”

“Too late!” Dean yells with laughter in his voice.

This is my family right here. My beautiful wife, two son's, two daughter's, and two more on the way. Did I ever expect to be the father of six? Hell no, I did not. But I wouldn't change my life now for anything in this world.

 

 

The End.

 

 

Thank you so much for embracing the people of Oak Springs. It's been a pleasure to write each and every character in this series, I love them all. But Greg and Dani were by far my favorite couple to write about. If you loved them as much as I did, please leave an honest review.

I look forward to bringing to life more character's you'll love in future stories. Although Greg and Dani's story was the last in the Oak Springs series, this isn't the end of the road. Daxton Kavanagh will be getting his very own story in the not too distant future. Join our mailing list

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Thank you again for all your support. Much love, Lucy xx