Six Months Later

“Didn’t you ever watch the Karate Kid?” I shouted up to Ray as he stood on a ladder in front of our house.

“Of course I did.”

“Then wax on wax off, you keep painting like that and it’s going to look like a Jackson Pollack painting.” I chuckled when he grumbled something about being a slave driver.

My attention was pulled from Ray’s delectable ass at the sound of the mailman. I walked to the mailbox and took the envelopes from him, shuffling through until I saw what I was waiting for.

“Ray!” I shouted, causing the bucket of paint to fall from the ladder and onto the lawn. “Sorry, but look.” I waved the envelope.

“Is that?”

“Yes.”

He rushed down the ladder and ran over to me. “Open it.”

“I can’t.” Thrusting it at him, he rolled his eyes and tore it open. I watched his face as he read it.

“Well,” he sighed, and the rejection flooded over me. “It looks like come the fall you’ll be attending New West College.” He smiled brightly, and I smacked him on the chest.

“You jerk! You had me thinking I didn’t get in. But I did.” I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed the breath out of him.

“You’re going to be amazing, Andy.”

“So are you Mr. Police liaison man thing.”

Ray laughed and shook his head. “Thank god that’s not my title. I’m helping out on a movie set. An expert in police procedure and crime.”

“Mmhmm, and you’re writing a book… hence the man-thingy thing.”

“I’m not letting you use words anymore.” He slapped my ass. “Let’s go shower and get dressed. This is cause for celebration. Bradford asked just this morning if you heard, yet, so let’s see if he’s free and we can all go out to dinner.”

“That would be perfect.”

I ran inside with Ray close on my heels. I never laughed so much as I did these last six months. Ray woke up a dormant person in my heart. I was going to school to be a teacher. I wanted to help children. No more hours on the floor waiting on other people. I was so glad when Elise announced she was going to open her own trinket shop near her sister. Even though she never admitted it, I knew the murders here had tainted her from ever living in New West again.

Ray was a man who didn’t know what he wanted to be until a feisty red head was relentless about him telling his story and using his knowledge. Ray always complained how TV shows got it wrong, as did the movies, so now that feisty red head was his agent. He was writing a book, helping on sets, and smiling a lot more.

Green of course begged him to stay on the force per the mayor’s order, but Ray gave him the finger and told him to fuck off. He couldn’t do it anymore, the people who were supposed to have his back above all others burned him and all trust was gone.

I officially moved in with Ray shortly after he was released from the hospital, and I only had one condition. Make this house a home.

I knew I wanted kids someday, and I knew Ray would be an outstanding father. I thought when I mentioned it to him one night that he’d run away screaming, but he just said he had never thought about that until now.

Our lives were good. More importantly they were safe. I stopped looking over my shoulder. Ray kept his gun in his safe more often than not, and we had friends.

Bradford visited more than I ever thought he would, and I suspected he was lonely. I tried setting him up once with this guy I knew, but it was the worst mistake ever, and Bradford made me promise to never do that again. A matchmaker I was not.

All my life I felt like I didn’t belong and now I realized it was just that I hadn’t found my place yet. I hated the circumstances that brought me into Ray’s life, but they were what they were. I wished every day Francis was alive, not a day went by I didn’t miss him or want to show him something. I got solace in the fact justice was done, and his death brought Ray in and many more lives were saved. We were alive, living the best life we could, and loving every second of it.

THE END