EPILOGUE
Violet
New Year’s Eve
“Abs of steel, did you eat the cookies?” I glare at him from the kitchen of my side of the duplex.
Next month we’ll be packing it up so I can move into his side, but right now, I’m thinking about banishing him.
“Those weren’t for me?” He gives me an innocent look.
“Not the whole container, what am I supposed to take to Holden and Leighton’s?”
“There’s a package of Oreo’s up in the cabinet. I mean nobody’s gonna give two shit’s, Vi. They were amazing, by the way.”
Unbelievable. “Okay, but when we get there empty handed you can tell everyone you ate all of them.”
He struts over, opening his arms up to me, crushing me to him for a hug. “I’ll tell them it was all me, nothing to do with you. I’ll brag about how good they were, and then laugh inside because they won’t be able to eat them.”
“You’re awful.” I laugh, slapping him on that fuckin’ ridged stomach of his. Which I still can’t figure out how he maintains.
“Only awful for you.” He dips his head, kissing my neck for longer than necessary. He licks a path to this one point I’ve found to be erogenous and then he nips slightly.
“Mmmm,” I respond in kind. “We can’t stay here can we?”
“Nope, we gotta go to the bonfire,” he moans right along with me. “After the bonfire though, we can do whatever you want.”
“Then that’s definitely what I’m looking forward to.”
“Who knows.” He shrugs as we put on jackets and grab a blanket, since it’s a cold night. “Maybe we’ll have a little celebrating to do.”
I’m confused, but Anthony is secretive like that sometimes. “Whatever you say.”
But as he helps me into his truck, my mind is racing, wondering what the hell he’s thinking.
* * *
Laughs and drinks are flowing in turn, except for the ones who’ve been tapped to be designated drivers, as the group of us crowd around the bonfire at Holden and Leighton’s. She wears Ransom on her chest, keeping him away from the smoke as much as she can, but we can all tell by the way he kicks his feet and makes noise, he loves being around the group.
“What are we doing?” Trevor asks as he sits in the circle, Blaze in his lap. He takes a drink of his beer. “Someone said something while we were eating about saying what we were thankful for this year and what we want for next year.”
“I’m down for that.” Anthony has a seat and pulls me into his lap as well. God, I love when he does that. I get to be surrounded by two-hundred pounds of man who smells like the outdoors and a musk that’s all his. “You start Havoc, since it’s your house.”
We all turn to the leader of the team. “This has been the best year of my life, I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t. I’m thankful for every bit of it. What I want for next year? To figure out where that moonshine is coming from within the school. That’s the number one thing we get to work on, on Monday morning.”
Leighton gazes up lovingly at her husband. “I’m thankful for the man sitting next to me, the baby strapped to my chest, the friends who surround us with nothing but peace and love. What I’m looking forward to is being this one’s Mom and finishing my degree. I don’t want to leave Ernie’s because I love it, but it’s time.”
I feel a stutter in my heart as she says those words. She’ll leave, and hopefully I will too, but there’s a fear I’ll stay, because there won’t be anything better for me out there.
“I hope Dad uses the dating app and profile I put on his phone.” Caleb chuckles as he looks over at his dad. “This summer I’ll be leaving, I have to start football practice and I don’t want him to be alone. It’s time he had some love in his life that didn’t come from his right hand.”
“Oh my God.” I snort as I look at Mason’s face. Those two have a relationship I’ve never seen a parent and child have.
“Good talk, son.” He takes a drink of the sweet tea he has in a tumbler. “I’ll have you know, I’ve been getting messages for over a week. I’ve been looking at them, but I can’t make any promises. I’m just glad you came back to me, and when you leave, I’ll deal with it. I’m more excited about where life is taking you, and how proud I am of you.”
They embrace, and I feel tears stinging my eyes. This whole group loves each other so much.
“I think I speak for both of us” – Renegade puts his arm around his wife – “in saying that we’re hoping to get a little more sleep in the next year. No more getting up through the night, no more teething, potty training is almost done. We’re looking to thoroughly enjoy the next year.”
Whitney nods. “And of course, my wish is for Alabama to win the championship; we were fuckin’ robbed this year.”
Laughter sprouts up again because everyone knows how much Whitney loves her college football.
Trevor has a sweet smile on his face as he gazes at Blaze. He pushes her red hair back from her shoulder, resting his head on it. “I can’t believe we’ve kept this a secret from all of you, but we’re gonna roll into the New Year with a huge change.”
All of us are looking around at one another, wondering what he’s talking about. They flash their left hands to us, and in that moment, we all see the wedding bands on them.
“You got married?” I jump up to get a better look.
“Yeah.” Blaze grins, “A few days ago. We just got a wild hair and decided to go for it.”
I hug her as the rest of the group shouts congratulations and gives out hugs. “Y’all are crazy.” I shake my head laughing.
When I turn to walk back to Anthony, I stop, because he’s on one knee in front of me, holding out a ring box. “Am I crazy too?”
Ace
My heart is pounding within my chest, the muscle beating against the bone, as I try to remember the speech I’ve prepared.
“I had a million things I wanted to say to you.” I lick my lips, adjusting my body from where I’m kneeling on the ground. “But right now, I’m damned if I can remember any of them. All I know is that I love coming home to you, waking up to you, watching you make your dreams come true. Hell, Violet, I love you – everything about you. I want to spend the rest of my life loving you. I want you to know what a real marriage is, what a real man can make you feel like. Do me the honor of letting me share my life with you. Marry me?”
She drops to her knees in front of me, tears streaming down her face, and she whispers the most perfect word I’ve ever heard.
“Yes.”
And in that moment, she makes me the happiest man in the world.
THE END
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