EPILOGUE
Enzo - 6 hours
The email was waiting in his inbox when he finally got to his apartment later, without Espen because she was going out to a late dinner with her cousin.
Really, even if it told him the position required a quart of blood and his first born, he was pretty sure he was going to take the job. Because, quite frankly, both Atien and Xander were right.
He and Espen absolutely shouldn't work together. For one, yes, it was a bad idea to put partners on possibly dangerous jobs. For two, it meant they would be together almost all day and night. And, well, that just wasn't a great idea for relationships. Even the best couples needed some time apart.
On top of that, Xander made good points. While Espen could and would be making her own money, was a woman used to financing herself, what if they ended up married? What if she got pregnant after? Sure, she could do desk jobs for most of the pregnancy - and he knew her stubborn ass would - but then she would need time off to nurse and whatnot. While his salary at Xander's wasn't chump change by any means, it paled in comparison to what Atien offered him. And it wasn't just money. It was health, vision, dental, life insurance, 401k, the works.
If he was going to get serious and start his life over, why not start somewhere as high as he could get?
He had wasted enough time.
"You can get rid of the serious brow," Espen said when she walked in, tossing her keys and jacket on the dining table, giving him an amused look that said she knew it was eating him up that she didn't put them where they belonged, but that he also wouldn't mention it either. "I know you are taking it," she added, moving across the room to him, placing her hands on his hips.
"And?"
"And what?"
"What do you think about that?"
Her brows furrowed slightly. "Um... do what feels right? I mean, this is your decision."
"But we're a thing now," he insisted.
The eye roll he got from that was dramatic, even for her. "Oh, please. So what? We can be together and make separate choices for our lives, Enzo. I mean, I don't plan on consulting you every time I want to go out to eat with Biyen, or throw my clean laundry all over your apartment."
He chuckled as her hands moved around his lower back. "You don't think it's a conflict of interest working for your father?"
"Listen, so long as you don't beat me, cheat on me, or like ruin my credit or something... he's not going to butt in. What you or I do on personal time isn't the concern of his as a boss. Besides, I think you are underestimating how big his company is. You won't be seeing him often. It's all going to be fine."
It's all going to be fine.
He had a feeling she was very right about that as his hands sank into her ass, and his lips claimed hers.
Espen - 3 months
"You're breathing on me," she hissed, cracking her neck.
"You know you love my stale cigarette breath. That wouldn't be so stale if you let me smoke," Kane bitched. As he did about every half an hour for the three hours they had been stuffed inside of the backseat of a car that must have been a cruel joke on Xander's part when he told them it was the new work vehicle.
"It's about a thousand degrees in here, and that sliver in the window is not enough space for your cancer air to escape. Chew more of that gum crap."
"I think I am at gum capacity. And I have two of these fucking patches on. I'm dying here."
"I'm probably adding a week onto your life tonight. You should be thanking me."
"This asshole better be dropping off this package tonight," he said, flicking his lighter with one hand as he pushed back his longish blond hair with the other, the strands slightly wet with sweat because Espen hadn't been lying about the heat in the small space.
They had been paired up together for three weeks on the case when Xander found out that it wasn't just some shady dude making the owner of a building uncomfortable by lurking around, but a member of an up-and-coming local cartel dropping off drugs for the dealers to stock up with.
It was the first case he had forced her to be on with someone else and, quite frankly, even she knew it was necessary. Creepy dudes she could handle. Drug cartels, yeah, not so much.
"Christ!" Kane hissed when there was a sudden and unexpected knock at the window at his side.
Even in the dark, she could see part of an arm. And even though that arm was covered in an expensive suit, the sleeve had slipped up a bit, and she saw ink. Very familiar ink.
"It's Enzo," she told Kane, shaking her head. "Roll it down."
"You sure it isn't our cartel buddy with your man's severed limb, trying to trick you into opening the window so that he can beat you to death with your lover's arm?" Kane asked, eyes dancing.
"No wonder no woman lasts in your bed longer than a night. Your sense of humor is downright twisted," she said, leaning past him to hit the button for the window, nearly moaning at the lovely fresh air that came streaming in before Enzo leaned down, resting an arm on the sill.
Now, she liked Enzo when she met him, all casual, fresh off the streets. But even she had to admit that he cleaned up nice. She had maybe, just maybe, dragged him into the bedroom by one of his schmancy ties a time or two. Or twenty.
"Windows steamed up like you're fucking only works if you guys move the car around a little bit," he said, smirking.
"I am a gentle lover, man," Kane said, deadpan, making Enzo snort. "Sorry I am stealing your woman like this. What can I say, I'm a sucker for a fucking cigarette nazi."
"What are you doing here?" Espen said, trying to look out through the mostly-foggy windows. "We're on a job."
"Yeah, the cartel case," he agreed, out of nowhere producing a manilla folder. "That's why I'm here."
"You can't shoulder in on my case, Enzo!" she hissed, offended and a little embarrassed with Kane present.
"You know I mind my own business about your work," he reminded her, and that was true. Sure, they talked about their cases, and even offered each other advice, but that was where it ended. Always. "But Atien got wind of this. No, not from me," he went on patiently when her mouth opened to yell at him. "And he wasn't happy, so he got on this, which meant I had to get on it too. So don't shoot the fucking messenger, honey. I'm not taking over, just giving you some addresses. I'm assuming you got all the photos you need. Now you have a name and address. You can hand it over to Asher, get bad guys locked up, and still make your commission. Oh, and not be stuck in the car with a cigarette addict who has got to be driving you up a wall by now. It's a win-win."
Damnit.
He was right.
She was kinda over the case.
The cartel aspect that she initially thought was kind of exciting, was just proving nerve wracking. She was happy to have it over. Even if she didn't get to do all the work herself.
Besides, she hadn't been home at a decent hour in over a week. She was missing out on some seriously yummy sex with her man. That simply would not stand.
"Alright. Thanks," she said, taking the folder.
"So, I can expect you home before four AM for a change?" he asked, his mind on the same track as hers.
"Give me an hour," her said, her desire already building.
"Ugh, gross. Get a room," Kane declared dramatically with a smirk, reaching for the door, and slamming it into Enzo slightly with his desperation to get outside so he could light up finally.
"An hour?" Enzo clarified.
"Be naked," she agreed, and he nodded, then moved to step away. "No, wait!" she called making him bend down and look in again.
"What?" he asked, smiling because she was.
"Leave the tie on."
Even his laugh as he walked away was turning her on.
Enzo - 1.5 years
"Oh my God," Kenzi said, voice completely devoid of patience. "Why is this so hard? Pick a freaking ring. Literally any ring at this point. Please. I am literally begging you right now. Close your eyes and point."
"He brought us for help," Reese reminded her sister, but even she was looking a bit worn out, her hand running over the spine of the book she brought even though he told her there wouldn't be reading time. To Reese, there was always reading time. Like on the car ride over. And when they stopped for coffee. Then picked up Elsie and Gina.
"In her defense," Gina said, smirking, "we have been here for two hours."
"Don't listen to them," Elsie said, touching his arm. "This is a big decision. And Espen never wears jewelry, so we have no idea what she likes."
"Simple," Kenzi said, throwing up her hands because she had been saying the same thing for an hour and a half. "She likes simple. Find simple. Buy it. And then take us out to lunch where we can drink this memory away."
"If your lady likes more of an understated design," the jeweler piped in, likely sensing things getting a bit out of hand with his clients, and not wanting to miss a sale from a man in a two-thousand dollar suit. "I have these three that might work perfectly."
He came back with a tray, producing a row of rings that were, indeed, much more simple than all the ones with flowers and encrusted bands and shit that he knew Espen would pretend to like, but secretly resent having to wear. They were all on plain platinum bands with a lone diamond in each. One was round, one square, and one pear. All of said diamonds were enormous, sure, but he didn't care about the price, just Espen's willingness to actually wear it.
"Espen is tiny," Elsie supplied. "I believe I read somewhere that small fingers work better with pear-shaped stones."
And, funny enough, that had been the one his eye had been drawn to as well.
"That's the one," he declared, pointing at it, feeling the weight of his decision, and liking it a fuckuva lot more than he could have imagined less than two years before.
So much had changed.
In such an amazing, unexpected way.
Working for Atien gave him an exciting job with amazing benefits that allowed him to live the life he had with Third Street, never having to worry about money, but without any of the repercussions from illegal activity. He gained the respect and even admiration of his peers, something he hadn't realized he wanted so badly.
And, well, he got Espen.
When compared to her, literally everything else became background noise. The moment he realized that was the moment he decided to get the girls together and pick out a ring, a decision he regretted almost instantly. Not the ring buying. The girls.
"See? Simple. You guys all heard me say simple an hour and a half ago, right?"
"I think everyone in Navesink Bank heard you, honey," Gina declared, putting her arm around Kenzi's waist, and smiling. "I'm really happy for you Enzo. You deserve all this and more. Annie would be so proud of you."
Annie would be so proud of you.
He almost broke the fuck down in the middle of the jewelry store.
He never realized just how badly he needed to hear those words until he heard them.
And when he reached up to wipe at the one stray, seemingly unmanly tear that managed to slip out, and Gina, Kenzi, Reese, and Elsie all closed in on him to give them a hug he knew his mother would if she was there, he could finally see that it was over. It was done. His life was clean again.
That night, after surprising Epsen with the ring in the very spot they spoke their first words to each other - right outside Xander's office door - and taking her home and making love to her until they were both boneless, pleasure-exhausted, useless flesh, he pulled Espen onto his chest.
And for the first time in more years than he could even remember, he went to bed with a sink full of dirty dishes.
Without a second thought.
Espen - 4 years
"Help!" she hissed as the door opened to Kenzi's house, revealing a woman who had two daughters and still somehow managed to look like she stepped out of a fashion magazine, only further making Espen feel like a failure in her yoga pants and stained t-shirt with hair she wasn't sure she had washed in, well, three days.
"What's up?" Kenzi asked with a smile as Espen moved in, her daughter trailing behind her, really just a ball of energy and various sticky substances that Espen could not place since she hadn't given her anything even remotely sticky since she got up that morning.
Espen threw up her hands. "I can't do it. I suck at it!" she declared, knowing she was being dramatic, but also realizing that she was talking to Kenzi who understood dramatic perfectly well.
"You suck at what?"
"Being a mom! I suck at it. I mean, I suck at it hard."
"Okay, okay," Kenzi said, holding up a hand. "Hold up. Tig?" she called into the house, and it was barely a minute before the giant man came ambling in. "Can you take little Annie outside to play with the girls? Espen needs some grown-up time," she added, taking Espen's hand, and pulling her upstairs, where she pushed her into a chair, then went immediately to the coffee machine to pour her a cup. "Alright. Now you can go on," she said after Espen had taken a healthy sip.
"Kenz, I just... I can't do it!"
"Do... what exactly? You've been mom'ing for two years already."
"My house. Oh my God. I don't think I have seen the actual floor in three weeks. Three weeks. And the dishes are sky high because she needs to eat three-course meals every freaking two and a half hours from sunup to sundown. And she has gum stuck in her hair. Gum. She's never even had gum, but there it is in her hair, and I don't know what to do, so I just tied it up because... I can't just cut it out. She barely has any hair to begin with! Oh, and what the hell am I supposed to use to bake cupcakes if gluten, sugar, and eggs aren't allowed? What twisted, crunchy, alternative universe am I living in that kids can't have a normal fucking cupcake anymore? Oh, and I stink. I actually smell, Kenzi. Like sweat. And old milk. And last night's dinner that I think might be stuck in my hair. I just... I wasn't meant to do this. This just wasn't a smart idea!"
Kenzi's smile was teasing, but not unkind as she took a deep breath. "Okay. First. Fuck the house. Kids make a mess. So what? If it bothers you, hire a cleaning lady. And, no, that isn't an extravagance if it is helping you keep your sanity.
Two, run an ice cube over the gum and it will come out.
Three, fuck the crunchy moms. Make the cupcakes how you want to eat them and have a fucking trigger warning on them if they want to be so goddamn anal. One cupcake isn't going to make a sugar addict out of their kids. Jesus.
And four, there is the hallway. You take a five-hour long shower if you need to. I have clothes.
And five, finally, you are not a bad mother. You were meant for this. And you did have a smart idea when you decided to have Annie. From birth to age three, you pretty much just revert to a primitive survival state. That's normal! Especially because you're up in the city. I mean, I have my mom, Reese, Elsie, Alex, Amy, and my aunts if I need help. And they come over all the time, believe me. Don't be too proud to ask for help. I know you have some girls up there too."
She wasn't wrong. In the years she had been working for Xander, she had made friends with not only Ellie and Faith, but a friend of theirs named Corey. She had just been too proud to ask for help.
"I don't want to both..."
"Stop," Kenzi cut her off. "Annie is the cutest goddamn thing in the world. She is a pleasure to watch, not a bother. Reach out. Ellie and Faith and Corey all know what it is like. You guys can all do like a day a week where you take all the kids, so the other moms have the day off."
"That's actually a brilliant idea," Espen said, feeling the weight start to lift from her shoulders. A day? She could get a whole day to herself? And all she had to do to have that was watch a couple more kids occasionally? Her house was already a sty and full of toys and food. If she could just get a day to go to the gym, take a walk, or you know... take care of basic hygiene... oh yeah, that would be worth it.
"I know. I'm more than just a pretty face," Kenzi agreed. "Go shower. We got Annie."
So she did.
And she didn't just scrub the necessary areas. No, she deep cleaned. Hell, she even shaved! She didn't remember the last time she shaved. Her legs had moved way past prickly cactus stage and had gone silky. That was how you knew it had been too damn long. After she cleaned up, she slipped into clothes Kenzi had laid out, a dress she normally would never wear, but felt good to slip into regardless.
When she walked out, Enzo was somehow there, giving her a once over that made her skin heat.
"What... how did you get here?"
"I got a call from Kenz. She said my woman needed a night out and a solid sheet surfing session at a hotel. So here I am." He gave her a sweet smile, head tucked to the side. "Having a bad day, huh?" he asked, holding an arm out for her to walk into. Which she did. Happily. "I like that you came down here for help, honey," he said in her ear as he pulled her close. "Kenz said she is happy to take Annie any time you need a break. You ready to head out?"
Oh, she so was.
And for a few hours, she wasn't a mommy anymore, not a bad cook, a poor housekeeper, and a forgetter of basic hygiene needs.
She was just a woman.
On a date.
In a restaurant.
That didn't have paper tablecloths that you could draw on.
With her man.
The man who had been beside her day and night for years, who was her rock, her sounding board, her best friend in the world.
Then after a meal, they did get a room. A luxury one. Where she could sink into a jacuzzi bath. Which was, ah, good for when Enzo came in and positioned her just right and made an orgasm rip violently through her system.
"What's the matter?" Enzo asked late that night after they had taken the adult fun of the bath into the bed until they were both sweaty, sore, and exhausted. She moved to lay on his chest, hearing his heartbeat, feeling his hands sifting through her hair like he so often did as he started to drift off to sleep.
She pressed up, looking down at him with an odd smile. "I miss Annie," she declared, making him smile up at her.
"Annie is fast asleep at Kenzi's," he offered. "Right now, it's just you and me."
She smiled down at him. "I like you and me," she admitted.
"Yeah? Well, I love you and me," he said with a smile as he reached out to touch her cheek.
God, yes.
She loved him and her too.
More than she thought she could.
More than she even knew was possible.
And even if maybe she had days when she was worn out and a bit crazy - or even, er, psychotic - she loved being a mom too, something she could never have known about herself.
"You know, we might as well stay over," he said, running a hand down her back. "Tomorrow is Sunday dinner."
"Oh, lord," Espen groaned, shaking her head.
Four years.
Two-hundred-and-eight Sunday dinners.
They never lost the chaos she experienced at the first one.
"Oh, come on," he said, smile wicked. "You love the drama."
She did.
She totally did.
She loved it even more now that she was a part of it, that she belonged there, that Atien and Biyen were invited as well. That they were all just one big, loud, crazy, beautiful family that maybe cussed too much.
"I do," she agreed, leaning down to kiss him. "But not nearly as much as I love you."
XX