Epilogue
“That’s a great idea, Ms. Capone,” the senator from New Mexico said on the phone. “I don’t think you’ll have any problem naming the restored opera house after the deceased senator. If anything needs to be passed here in DC, then I’ll make sure it goes through quickly.”
“Thank you so much, Senator,” Amerella said. “I can’t thank you enough for your help with this. Our senator started the bill, and I felt it important to Las Vegas to complete the renewal. I’ll get the paperwork started and let you know if I hit any snags. Have a great morning, Senator.”
Amerella hung up and breathed a sigh relief. The past couple of weeks had been packed with problems that had to be solved immediately. The other townsfolk had gone home and left her, Frank, and their son to get better acquainted and become a real family. She’d never been this happy in her life. Having both of the people she loved most living in the same home with her had filled her heart with joy on a daily basis.
Even better was watching Frank with their baby. He’d turned out to be an amazing father. More than she could have ever expected him to be.
Her cousins and rest of Uncle’s family had no complaints about her taking charge of the business after Giuseppe’s and Tony’s deaths.
She told the family that her plans included shutting down illegal activities and switching to legal businesses and charity works. They groaned when she told them they would have to live more frugally. No more renting yachts for a month to party away the time. She gave them the option of finding a job, and that shut them up quickly.
She needed to talk with Detective Freeman to close any files still open. He was finally ready to retire, having taken down the Mafia boss. Even though the boss was dead, Freeman had all the evidence he needed to prove his obsession had been worth the while.
The gun in Ragusa’s hand—which he’d used to almost kill Frank and her, and did use to kill the witch—touted the Mafia boss’s guilt. Joey got his justice in the end. If not for his gun being easily picked up off the desk, things could’ve been different.
The door to the study opened and Frank struggled to get through. Seemed the balloons he held weren’t cooperating, trying their best to stay outside the door. Amerella sat back and smiled. He was such a great guy.
“Don’t peek yet,” he said, wrestling the flowers now falling from the bouquet. “This is a surprise.”
Amie laughed at his antics. She loved him. Never stopped, really. Things would be very different now. Frank set flowers, a box of chocolate tied to balloons, and a card on the desk. “Happy birthday, my love.” He pulled her out of her chair and kissed like there was no tomorrow. Damn, she wanted to go back upstairs after that.
“Are you ready to go?” Frank asked. She looked around the desk at the piles of shit needing attention, then grabbed the box of chocolate. “Let’s hit the road.” She untied the balloons and took Frank’s hand.
* * *
With time being short, they flew up and rented a car to drive into town. Mom Dubois had invited them to a luncheon to celebrate Amie’s twenty-sixth birthday. She couldn’t believe how quickly the past few weeks had zipped by. Seemed only a few days ago when she’d first arrived at the town.
The closer they got, the more nervous she became. Only looking over her shoulder and seeing their sleeping toddler calmed her down.
Frank took her hand. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?”
Amie rolled her eyes. She’d never get used to him smelling her moods. “I feel really bad about what Tony did to destroy the town just to get me. There are people who worked their entire lives to make a living, and in five seconds it’s all gone. Do you think the town will hate me? Should I duck down in the seat when we drive through?” She started scooting beneath her seat belt.
Frank laughed. “Don’t be so worried. If they hated you, my love, they wouldn’t have saved you that night. Or stayed after and made sure we were safe.”
She remembered back to that night when she was meant to be a sacrifice for a demon. Several from town rallied and flew down with Frank to meet up with Detective Freeman. When they got to the property, Amie’s scent was easily detected on the iron gate hidden off to the side. Her trail led to the tall windows, which were covered with curtains.
Frank had told them to wait there and be ready to charge the front door when he called. As it turned out, the curtains came down (because she grabbed them, taking the fabric down with her), and they saw the ritual getup. When Frank bounded through the double doors in his cougar form, the windows were shot out behind him, and all the shifters simply jumped into the ballroom from there.
She was thankful Frank had kept her from seeing the nightmare and bloodbath the room held. Certainly she would’ve had bad dreams for some time if she had seen it. But knowing others cared enough about her to do all that warmed her heart.
Frank rounded the corner coming into town. Her eyes bugged, and she gasped. “Oh my god, Frank. Stop. Let me out.” Amie rushed out of the car to stand at the new glass door for Wolf’s Hair and Makeover Salon. Oh my god. This was so great. Of course, it was past eleven thirty, so the shop was closed. She had to find Sherri and congratulate her before she left.
Amie leaned against the door and cupped her hands around her eyes. The space was twice as wide as it was before, the vacant building sharing a wall with hers now gone. She had new chairs, washbasins, and booths. The place looked fresh and fabulous.
Frank put a hand on her shoulder. He held a sleeping Francis in his arms. “You want to see what happened to Dorothy’s restaurant?”
She swallowed hard, hiding her eyes from where the restaurant was across the street. “I don’t know.” She looked into his eyes. “Do I?”
Frank shook his head. “I’m afraid it’s not pretty.”
Her heart squeezed. Dorothy loved her place and was going to redesign a part of it using ideas Amie and she had discussed. Amie turned, parted her fingers in front of her eyes, and saw it. She wanted to die. Fire-scorched cinder blocks marking the back and side walls were all that remained. Tears spilled from her eyes.
Frank held their son with one arm and pulled her close with the other, and kissed her head. “Walk with me around the corner.” They turned onto the street where Bob’s restaurant stood, safely out of the way of the RPGs used that horrible day.
The building had new glass doors and a new name: Bob’s for Breakfast, Dorothy’s for Dinner. Amie turned to Frank, almost jumping up and down. “Did they get back together? Are they sharing the space?”
“Mom said they were. And with the insurance money Dorothy received, they remodeled the place, and it’s better than it ever was, she said.”
Amie pulled on the door, but it was locked. Then she realized the place was empty. “Why are they closed? Nothing’s wrong, is it?”
Frank kissed her again. “Let’s get back in the car. Mom’s waiting.”
“But—”
Frank guided her along the sidewalk to the car. After belting Francis, making sure she was strapped in, and backing the car from the parking spot, they continued down the street.
“Now, this is another surprise, so close your eyes and don’t open them until I say, okay?”
Amie giggled with anticipation. She loved surprises, but giving them was more fun than receiving. She put her hands over her eyes to make sure she didn’t give in to temptation and peek. What did Mom have outside that she couldn’t see? Frank parked and helped her from the car, and they walked several feet in the grass, then stopped.
“You ready?” Frank asked. “Go ahead and look.”
She dropped her hands, and the whole town shouted “Happy birthday!” Instead of Mom’s place, they were in the park. A huge banner read Annual Town Picnic Lunch. Under that was a smaller banner: and Amie’s 26th Birthday.
She couldn’t hold back the tears that sprang to her eyes. This was too much.
Frank said, “This is all because of you, sweetheart. Not just your birthday, but the community coming together for the first time I’ve ever seen.”
That didn’t help the flood of drops rolling down her cheeks. Mom Dubois immediately went to the car and grabbed a waking Francis from the backseat, taking him in her arms to a group of playing children.
As Amie’s eyes skimmed the women in the crowd, she saw the five suitcases’ worth of clothing she’d brought when she’d first arrived. The clothes looked so much better on someone instead of hanging in her closet to perhaps never be worn.
A particularly tight group of women gathered around the main food table. Jeffry stood with them, laughing and talking like the group had been friends for years. He looked healthier than he had before. He wasn’t as pale and his face was filled with joy. If anyone could get someone through a dark place in life, these women could.
She’d never been this happy, except when her son was born. She searched the area, looking for him. Then she saw Alice and her kit crew moving her way. Amie laughed.
“Alice, got your ducks—I mean, kits—all in a row?” Amie took the woman’s hands.
“Gotta round up the young ones to eat.” Alice gave Amie a hug then stepped back. “I’ll talk to you all later.” Amie watched the line of what looked like twenty kids with fluffy white hair marching in time. Sheesh. How did the woman do it? One was enough for her.
Mom and Butch, hand in hand, greeted them. Amie smiled and tittered and squeezed Frank’s hand. He smiled at her, thinking her excited over his mother and Butch being a couple. His mom looked happy—not just her expression, but her whole body shined with happiness.
“Glad you’re here,” Mom said, giving her a hug. “Happy birthday, Amie. Hope your day is great.”
She smiled up at Frank. “So far, it’s been fabulous.” She turned back to Mom. “And thank you so much for the surprise party. I was really worried people would be mad at me for hiding in the town and getting it blown up.”
Mom and Butch laughed. He winked. “Being blown up was just about the best thing that could’ve happened. In more ways than one.” He wrapped an arm around Frank’s mom. She blushed. How adorable.
Mom added, “But don’t thank me for the party. I wasn’t the one who initiated it.”
“Oh. Who did?” she asked. Behind Mom, Amie saw Mrs. Hagerty walking toward them. “Oh, no. Here comes the wolf bitch.”
“Wait,” Mom said to her. “Mrs. Hagerty.” Mom gave the woman a hug, making Amie’s mouth drop open. “Thank you so much for organizing this picnic for the town and Amie’s birthday party.” Amie’s eyeballs joined her jaw on the ground. No way would this woman do something so nice after the words she’d said.
“You’re welcome, Jean. It was my pleasure, really. I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed doing this sort of thing when I was younger. I guess since losing Howard I’ve become a little crusty around the edges.”
“The edges?” Amie replied. Frank pinched her butt to shut her up. Amie squeaked, smiled, and hit his thigh. Just wait until they were alone—she’d show him what a pinch was. “I’m kidding, Mrs. Hagerty. Sometimes it takes getting out of your comfort zone to realize you’re stuck.”
The woman hung her head and covered her eyes. Amie glanced at Frank to see if he had the same reaction to what she was seeing. Mrs. Hagerty was crying? Mom hugged the older woman and patted her back.
“It’s okay, Maurine. You don’t have to say anything. We know you thought you were watching out for the town.”
“I was, but that’s beside the point. Someone could’ve died. Someone did die,” the woman said. Amie looked at Frank’s mom. Who died? She couldn’t imagine losing anyone here. “Amie, Frank. I beg your forgiveness. After seeing the story in the newspaper, I knew Amerella had to be you. I put the idea into Colin’s head about taking you to Vegas. He must have contacted them and told them you were here.”
Amie didn’t understand, but Frank stiffened and a growl came from his chest. Mrs. Hagerty shrank away from him.
“Frank, stop it. Now. You’re scaring her.”
He did, but his expression didn’t soften. “Amie,” he said softly, “Colin was the man who came to the house that morning.”
She remembered. The wolf shifter wanting to get a bounty from Uncle Giuseppe. “Oh” was all she could say. But Mom Dubois had said the woman was trying to take care of the town. Amie understood the decisions that had to be made when you loved someone. Some were good, and some not so much.
Amie stepped up and gave the woman a hug also. “You may have put the seed in Colin’s head, but it was only a seed. Colin had a choice, and he chose the one that got him killed. You did not force his hand. No forgiveness is needed since you did nothing wrong by trying to keep your town safe.”
The elder cried even harder on Amie’s shoulder. Not what she was going for there.
After a moment, the wolf shifter settled and stepped back. “I was wrong about you, young lady. You’ve been a godsend for this town. We’d all become too complacent, no longer living the life granted to us as we should every day. Thank you.” The woman walked into the crowd and disappeared.
Again, Amie was speechless. She wasn’t trying to change anyone in town while she was there, she was just making herself at home. Sorta.
“Okay,” Frank said, “I gotta do this before I puke on my shoes.”
Mom and Butch laughed. Seemed Amie missed the joke there. Frank released her hand and jumped on top of a vacant picnic table. “Can I have everyone’s attention, please?” A round of “Shhh” and “This is it” floated through the crowd.
This was what?
“I’m going to do this the official way, so bear with me. I’m François Dubois, Jean’s son, Amie’s mate, and little Francis’s daddy, as everyone probably knows by now. We’d like to thank everyone for coming out to the picnic today. It’s the first I’ve seen the community come together— No. That’s wrong. It’s the second time the community has come together. Both times for my mate.” Cheers rose. She could really kick Frank’s ass right now for embarrassing her so much.
“So,” he continued, “that’s why I’ve chosen to do this publicly. Hopefully not humiliating myself in front of you all.” He hopped down from the picnic table and kneeled on one knee before Amie. From his pocket, he pulled a gorgeous diamond ring.
Her heart stopped. Oh my god, he was going to propose to her again. The first time he did, she’d been overjoyed and in the same “situation” she was in now. How the past can repeat itself. She almost laughed. This time, though, no one was keeping them apart.
Amie realized Frank had stopped talking. She’d been so elated she hadn’t heard a word of what he’d said. By the way he looked at her and how quiet everyone had become, she figured it was time for her to answer. “Yes, Frank. I’ll marry you.”
The town whooped and cheered. Frank slid the ring on her finger, then stood and lifted her in a hug, swinging her around. She laughed with sheer happiness she hadn’t felt in a long, long time.
Francis ran over to them and demanded his daddy pick him up. “You’re getting mawwied.”
Frank nodded to his son and kissed the top of his head. “Yes. We are.”
“We’ll live together, right?” their son asked.
“Of course. We told you nothing is going to separate us. I love you both.”
Amie cleared her throat, watching both of her loves turn to look at her. “Would you love one more person, too?”
“Who is it?” he asked.
Amie knew she had to make this quick or the surprise would be taken away from her. Thank goodness, her scent hadn’t changed enough for him to know, at least that’s what Mom told her. Frank wouldn’t notice unless he really looked for it. “Take a deep breath, shifter.”
Frank took a loud inhale of air, then his eyes widened in surprise.
Mom Dubois winked at Amie and yelled in the crowd. “This is awesome. I have two grandchildren now!”
Frank hugged Amie tight and kissed her neck. “How did you know when you’re not shifter?”
She pulled back and met his curious gaze with a grin. “Francis noticed my scent change. I knew I had limited time to tell you before it wouldn’t be a surprise any longer.”
“This is the best gift you could have given me. Two kids.”
She laughed and kissed his lips. “I aim to please, but don’t get any ideas from the rabbits. I’m closing shop at three.”
He gave her a wicked grin and rubbed his jaw by her ear. “I bet I can get you to change your mind.”
Her body shivered and dirty mental images took over her brain. Yeah. She bet he could change her mind, too.