EPILOGUE
Five Years Later
I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes as I dug my feet deeper into the sand. With the rhythmic sounds of the waves rolling in, and the light, ocean breeze, I felt myself starting to drift off to sleep, but I knew my little siesta wouldn’t last long. I could hear their voices off in the distance, and just as I started to doze off, a loud squeal pulled me back. Then I heard Harper’s voice say, “Show Daddy what you found.”
I opened my eyes and found her standing in front of me with BR propped on her hip. A proud smile was planted on his face as he extended his chubby little hand in my direction. I reached for the sand dollar and smiled. “Well, look at that!”
His little eyebrows furrowed under his cap. “It’s mine.”
“I know, buddy. Here you go.” He snatched it out of my hand.
“It’s the first one of the summer,” Harper boasted as she looked down at our son and smiled. When he was born, we decided to name him, Brody Reid Lanheart, after her brother. We intended to call him Reid, but over the past year I started calling him BR, and the nickname stuck. He just turned two, and while I loved the kid to pieces, he gave new meaning to the phrase “terrible twos.” BR was into everything. I was thankful we’d bought a house on the beach, so there was plenty to keep him entertained. Harper reached into her shorts’ pocket and pulled out several shells. “We also found these.”
Glancing down at her hand, I said, “You did good, Mom.”
I was still looking at Harper’s treasures, when I heard, “Daddy! Daddy! Guess what we got!”
I looked over and saw Kaylee, our four-year-old, running towards me with Glenda and Tom, Harper’s folks, following close behind. Her face was rosy pink from being out in the sun for most of the afternoon, which only made her eyes seem that much wider, as she rushed over to me with her little pail of water. “It’s a starfish!”
I peered down into the bucket and spotted a small, orange starfish. I was pretty sure the thing was on its last leg, but I didn’t want to spoil her fun. “That’s really cool, sweetheart.”
“Grandpa found it for me. I’m going to put it in my fish tank.”
Harper acted fast by saying, “Starfish live in salt water, Kaylee. It can’t live in your fish tank. You’ll have to put it back in the ocean or it will die.”
“But, Mom ,” she whined.
“It’s just a baby, sweetie. I’m sure the poor little guy wants to be with its momma.”
“Oh.”
With that, Kaylee took her bucket and rushed over to the water’s edge, setting the starfish free. I looked up and smiled at Harper. “Damn, you’re good.”
“I know. It’s a gift.” She giggled.
Once Kaylee returned, Glenda reached for her hand and asked, “Are you ready to go back inside?”
“Can I have a snack?”
Glenda looked over to Harper. “That’s up to your mother.”
“Something small, Kaylee. We’ll be having dinner soon.”
When they started inside, Harper reached for her bag, but I told her, “I’ll get it. You take him on inside.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yep. Once I get everything picked up, I’ll put the burgers on.”
“You’re awesome.” She smiled as she bent down and kissed me. “Thank you.”
I got up and started loading up all the chairs, toys, umbrellas, sunscreen, and towels into the utility wagon. I glanced back at our home, and even after living there for almost five years, I still had moments where I couldn’t believe it was mine. While it wasn’t right on the water, it was close enough for us to walk, and the views were incredible. With the money I’d saved up from my days of working with Nitro, I was able to buy exactly what we wanted and more. Once we were settled, I found a job with a legit security detail, in a real office with actual windows, and a full team of tech geeks. I actually liked it, a lot, and felt like I was doing a good job. Harper’s books were continuing to do well, each one selling better than the last, and she never failed to amaze me with the stories she had locked away in her head. We were doing good—really good. It was the life I’d always wanted for us, even before I knew I did, but there were still times I felt like I didn’t deserve this kind of happiness. I was having one of those moments, when Harper’s father came up beside me.
As he looked ahead, watching his daughter and wife walk his grandchildren back to the house, he said, “I’m really proud of you, son. I’ve always known you would, but you’ve done really well for yourself. Harper and those kids are lucky to have you.”
My chest tightened, and if I was a crying kind of man, I might’ve shed a tear or two. My father and I had come a long way over the years, but he’d never once told me that he was proud of what I’ve accomplished. While Tom wasn’t my father by blood, he was in the ways that counted, and hearing those words from him meant more to me than he would ever know. I turned to him and said, “I’m the one who’s lucky. I know I don’t deserve all this.”
“And why’s that?”
“I guess there are times when I think there’s somebody up there who messed up that day … that something happened, and they took the wrong guy. I suppose at some point they’ll figure it out, and that’s when they’ll come looking for me. Cause a guy like me doesn’t end up like this.”
“Max, it’s time to let it go. Brody would want you to let it go. Hell, he would’ve wanted you to let it go a long time ago . He’d want you to have this life, and he’d want his sister to have it with you. We all do. You have to know that.”
“I do.”
“Then, enough said.” He grabbed a handful of chairs and started walking towards the house. “It’s time for you to grill me a burger.”
Once we’d all eaten and cleaned the kitchen, Glenda and Tom went their room, while Harper and I put the kids to bed. By the time they were asleep, I was completely wiped. I walked into the bedroom and found our Great Dane, Otis, sprawled across our bed.
As I reached for his collar and started to tug him off the bed, I groaned, “Oh, hell no, buddy. Not tonight.”
As soon as he begrudgingly jumped off, I collapsed on top of the covers with my arms and legs spread wide. I was lying there with my eyes closed when Harper crawled on top of me, straddling me with her knees at my hips. Yeah, I was tired, but I wasn’t that tired. Now that she had my attention, I cracked one eye open. “You got something on your mind, good-looking?”
“Mayyy-bee .”
“You gonna tell me what it is?”
She placed the palms of her hands on my chest. “Do you promise me that you aren’t going to freak out?”
With both eyes opened I gave her a warning look. “Harper.”
“It’s just … we haven’t really talked about having more kids, so I’m not sure how you’re going to feel about it. Especially with Reid being such a handful these days. I know it’s just a phase, but—”
“Harper … are you pregnant?”
She shrugged her shoulders and sighed. “Yeah.”
“You are?” I asked excitedly.
When she nodded I reached for her waist, and swapping positions, I eased her onto her back. I looked down at my wife, the mother of my beautiful children, and all I could do was smile. “Does this mean you’re happy?”
“Yes. I couldn’t be happier.” I kissed her, then said, “You and our kids mean everything to me. You all are my light. My soul. My saving grace … You are my redemption .”
Tears filled her eyes as she placed the palms of her hands on my face. “I love you, Max.”
“I love you too. All of you.”
The End
More from the Redemption Series Coming Soon
Be sure to keep reading! An excerpt of Damaged Goods: The Redemption Series Book 1 follows the Acknowledgements: