SWNOVELS Chapter Sworn Enemy: Epilogue
“Holy shit! Is that an engagement ring?” Desi asks, reaching across the dinner table to grab Justin’s hand.
He and I exchange a glance.
“Nope,” Justin answers, grinning broadly.
I put my hand on the table, showing off the matching ring on my left ring finger.
Erik looks over at us, winking. He flew us to Vegas last weekend, where we tied the knot. Six months doesn’t seem like a lot of time to most people, but as soon as I stopped hating his guts, I quickly discovered I could not live without Justin Jennings.
He moved in right after the grand opening of the therapy center, and I try very hard to never be away for more than two or three nights at a time. It’s not always possible, but one thing’s certain: I’ll always rush home to be with him.
Refocusing on the present, Justin and I laugh as the table erupts, and everyone stands, rushing over to hug and congratulate us.
I take a moment to notice all the people who are happy for our happiness. Jason and Patrick already knew, of course, and they are the first to hug us. We’re then surrounded by the entire Bash family. Of all the inappropriate things that come out of that exchange, it’s Anja’s inquiry about the wedding night that makes Justin and I blush to high heaven.
Trip and Sam’s newly adopted kids are giggling at Ander’s antics, and Sam’s happy tears find a place in my heart. Sparrow’s hugging Luke from behind, and after hearing their love story, I know they understand exactly how we feel. Meanwhile, Desi’s climbed onto Wyatt’s lap, and they are…making out in celebration?
Yeah, we’ll go with that.
Finally, Anders stands in his chair and executes a perfect two-pinky whistle. Everyone stops what they’re doing and looks up at him.
“I just want to say on this momentous occasion, I am the reason these two lovebirds are still together, and I’d like some acknowledgment of that fact.”
I chuck a balled-up napkin at his head while everyone else catcalls and whistles at him. Anders being Anders, he laps it all up.
“With my accomplishments thus acknowledged, I’d like to suggest a pop-up pool party to celebrate.”
A collective groan goes through the group, mostly because we’ve discovered that “pop-up pool party” is Anders’ solution to everything that can’t be solved by murder.
Of course, most of the people here don’t know that particular fact about him. Er…they don’t know it for sure.
We all keep swim gear here because we know that pool parties can and will happen at the drop of a hat. So after the required thirty seconds of grumbling, everyone goes to get changed.
While they do that, I reach out my hand and smile when Justin takes it. Pulling him in close, we kiss…then kiss some more because we can.
We finish getting changed just as the older Goodnight kid yells out, “Last one in the pool is a rotten egg!”
This underage taunt somehow turns a group of grown-ass adults into a stampeding army of overgrown children. Thankfully, Justin and I are quick, so we’re the first to hit the water.
To be honest, we hadn’t thought our strategy all the way through because now we’re being bombarded by everyone cannon-balling around us. Clearly, our only hope of shelter is under the pool’s waterfall feature.
Justin smiles broadly when he sees where we’re headed. Every damn time he smiles at me like that, it feels like the first time. Fireworks, warmth, home.
Pretty good turnaround for the guy who was supposed to be my sworn enemy.
Justin
Charlie and I exit the waterfall a few minutes later with larger than usual smiles. We kept it more or less appropriate since there are kids present, but I know what we’ll be doing when we get home tonight.
True to his word, Anders brings over a big jug of sangria, which gets passed around fairly liberally. The Sunday dinner crowd had initially eschewed any alcohol out of respect for my sobriety, but I insisted they carry on their traditions. Besides, my husband is sober with me, which makes everything easier.
After a while, the sun makes its graceful, colorful exit and is quickly followed by a night full of stars. Someone turns on the strings of lights that hang from the trees surrounding the pool, and Anders brings out a guitar. After some back and forth, he FaceTimes his twin, Odd, while he and Luke belt out an old George Strait classic.
Meanwhile, my brother sits on Patrick’s lap, his face half-hidden against Patrick’s neck. It makes for such a sweet picture that I grab my phone and send him the candid shot, along with the selfie Charlie and I took in the truck on the way over.
Me: <pic1> <pic2>
Me: I guess the Jennings brothers have done well for ourselves, huh?
I watch as he picks up his phone from the deck and checks his messages. A smile spreads across his lips, and he looks up at me, nodding as he taps his heart.
Patrick reads the message over his shoulder. “You both deserve it,” he states quietly, his warm voice carrying across the water.
Charlie’s warm presence surrounds me from behind. “What kind of trouble are you two getting into now?”
I show him the message and the pictures, and he kisses my shoulder. I set the phone on the deck and turn in his arms, reveling in his soft lips on mine.
I look around, overcome with the joyfulness of it all. “Looks like our friends are happy for us.”
He nods. “That’s because—”
He’s cut off by the distinct buzz of his cell phone. I wink and gesture for him to pick it up.
He hums, reading the incoming text. “Looks like there’s a domestic servant trafficking ring that’s moved in right by my old stomping grounds.”
“The Bronx?”
He nods, scratching his chin. Glancing at me, he asks, “Wanna come with me? It’ll take a few days to get the logistics right, but we can go next weekend. You can stay in Manhattan, hang out with some friends of mine, and once it’s safe, you can help me with the people.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. You’re better with them than I am.”
I flush at the compliment. “Of course. But what were you going to say about why our friends are happy for us?”
He grins, nipping at my lip. “Because everyone here understands the value of love that doesn’t come easy.”
He’s right, of course. I know for a fact that we do.