Epilogue 2 - One year later

Lacy

I’m filled with love as I sit next to Carter at our table for two. We look out at all of our friends who’ve come to Blackwell for our wedding.

Chandler’s best man speech has almost everyone in tears, even the old men, as he regales with the tale of he and Carter becoming late in life brothers. He also can’t believe I’m willing to put up with Carter for the rest of my life.

That gets a laugh.

Carter takes the floor and dances with his mother for the first dance, then comes and sits back next to me.

“All you, baby. Crush it, and I’ll see you out there in a minute.”

My father gets up and walks to greet me on the dance floor in a suit, looking better than he ever has.

It’s like he’s reverse-aged since he was in the hospital.

“May I have this dance?” he asks with a soft smile.

I just start dancing as the song Butterfly Kisses starts, not wanting him to see that I’m crying.

In the past year and a half, he’s gone from on his deathbed back to the vibrant man and father he used to be. He returned to his woodworking shop and is starting up a little custom furniture business and making pieces for friends, family, and community members.

“I’m so proud of you, honey,” he says as the song wraps up.

Carter comes out, and we dance to the song we chose, Casate conmigo.

As the song comes toward the end, he kisses me again.

“How does it feel kissing your wife?” I ask.

“So hot,” he grins.

“Oh? Is it different from before?”

“Oh yes. Much different.” He brings his mouth around to my ear. “But these kisses are nothing in comparison with what’s going down tonight,” he growls in my ear.

The song stops, and the DJ chops into the first dance number as we wave our friends onto the dance floor.

The dance floor is quickly filled up by Carter’s teammates and my friends from dance.

After dancing for so long we work up a sweat, Carter pulls me away, and we say hello to his Blackwell friends. I sort of know most of them from high school, but it’s been a while since I’ve seen them.

Cole Hanks, Liam and Sebastian Blackwell, Mason, and their respective wives Rose, Haley, Brett, and Clarissa.

“Thank you so much for filling up the dance floor, you guys,” I smile as I hug them.

Liam shrugs. “Is that even a question?” Punching Carter in the shoulder, he shakes his head.

“Would never have thought you two would have ended up together...again. Especially when a girl like you must have so many options, Lacy.”

“Be nice, Liam,” Haley says.

“Aww, I’m just joking around. Carter gets it.”

Carter chuckles, and it’s interesting to see the dynamic he has with his high school friends, who never stopped giving him shit in spite of the fact that he’s a professional basketball player and all-star at that.

On the other side of the floor, I see Coach Fable and Carter’s therapist Dr. Van Peppers chatting.

I know—who invites their therapist to a wedding—but if anyone deserves to be invited it’s her, for dealing with Carter’s litany of issues. And by the looks of how hard Coach Fable is flirting with her, he’s happy the trade with Carter never went through.

I spot Gates, Jake, Andrea, Amy, and Chandler talking across the room with a young couple who I don’t know, which is strange since Carter and I personally invited everyone who came to the party. Carter stays chatting with his high school friends, and I work my way over to them, glass of red wine in hand--my prop for the night.

“Hello, hello.” Amy smiles and hugs me. “Congratulations again.” I thank her, and look at the two I don’t know.

“Hello, I’m Lacy.”

Everyone laughs. “I know,” says the man. His skin is sun-kissed, and his hair dark. Tattoos poke out of the neck of his shirt. “Corbin Young,” he says, sticking a hand out.

“Eva Napleton,” says the intensely gorgeous blonde next to him. “Well, now it’s Young, too, I suppose. We just got married.”

I glance over at Jake, then back at Eva.

“Oh. We sent the invitations to the ‘Youngs.’ It’s been so hectic planning the wedding this past year, I didn’t even put two and two together.” I laugh, but then quiet myself as Carter approaches. “Wait...if you’re a Napleton, that means…”

“She’s my sister,” Carter booms from behind me. “Well, half-sister. Sorry baby, I thought I told you.”

I shrug. “You all are hard to keep track of.”

When the words are out, they sound a little more frivolous than I’d intended, and an awkward silence falls over the group.

Gates speaks up, clearing his throat.

“Lacy, Carter, may I talk with you one moment.”

We nod, and the others fall away.

They all know that they’re related to Carter.

But only Carter, Gates and I know what happened that fateful night a year and a half ago.

“I hate talking shop on this special day,” he starts. “But let me know when you have a brief moment.”

“It’s why we flew you out here. Don’t worry about it.”

“Oh you mean I’m not just your friend?” he jokes.

“What’s going on?”

“I haven’t felt comfortable saying this until today. Activity has totally ceased inside Jeff’s business operation. We’ve been keeping an eye on it for a long time.”

“Where is Jeff?”

Gates looks around. “Even if I knew, I couldn’t tell you. With the sort of criminal behavior he was engaged in—and the fact that he was running for Senate—the order for his indictment came from on high.”

Carter’s arm wraps tight around my waist.

“So what are you saying? That the president…?”

“I didn’t say that. You said that. And I can neither confirm nor deny the president’s intervention. But Lacy, you’re in the clear.” His voice has that tough, serious south-side edge to it until the next words that come out.

“So have a great honeymoon,” He cheerily exclaims, right as Joseph and Lance come up from behind us. Gates pats both of us on the back and heads off to the dance floor.

God bless South Side detectives.

“You two. Where have you been? The dance floor misses the bride and groom,” Lance spits out.

“We’ll be back there in a minute, don’t worry,” Carter says. “Just taking a quick breather.”

Joseph smiles. “Gotta be honest. I can’t believe this wedding happened. I always thought Carter would just be the guy that got massively punked by Lacy and Lance’s sex noises.”

“Joe,” Carter grins, wiggling his eyebrows. “I told you we shall never speak of that moment again.”

Joseph winks. “It’s therapeutic to laugh about the past.”

“Not as therapeutic as this, come on.”

Carter grabs my hand, I grab Lance’s, and Lance takes Joseph’s.

We head out to the dance floor as Don’t Stop Believing comes on.

I turn around and wrap my arms around Carter’s neck. Even though the beat is fast, we rock slowly together.

“You know, this strangely describes with some accuracy how we met,” he says.

“You’re a small town girl who took a midnight train going anywhere. Then you stayed with me for the summer…”

I spin around to face Carter, and hold onto the back of his neck.

“Yeah well...there’s just a few problems.” I lean a little closer to him and whisper just loud enough so he can hear, but no one else can.

“And you know, it misses the parts about us having hate-sex, falling madly in love, moving away, getting back together, and me shooting your father.”

“You’re right,” he grins. “We’re too much for a song.”

I shrug. “Yeah, but we’d make a good book.”

He doesn’t say anything, just smiles and kisses me.

THE END