Snake and Michelle were also going to call the Windy City their permanent home, with Snake helping to build the hugely sought-after BKI bikes and Michelle keeping her job as a pharmaceutical rep while they raised their two adorable and rambunctious boys up in Lincoln Park.
Rock and Vanessa were in talks with the FBI, which always needed good interrogators (Rock) and good language specialists (Vanessa). And Vanessa, for the first time in history, had said yes when Rock got down on one knee and gave his daily spiel. They were planning a summer wedding. Rock insisted it be a blowout. “A fais do-do for the ages!” he’d announced only yesterday.
Wild Bill had landed a job with the Chicago Public Library, of all places. Although Ace wasn’t all that surprised, considering ever since he’d known Wild Bill, the man had had his nose buried in a book. Eve had finally finished her doctoral thesis and was now the vice president of animal health at the world-renowned Shedd Aquarium. When the two of them weren’t canoodling in a corner somewhere, they were out on their sailboat. Ace had a sneaking suspicion they liked getting it on with the help of the “motion of the ocean.” Or, more precisely, the “motion of Lake Michigan.”
Mac and Delilah had decided to split their time between Chicago and Texas. Their plan was to winter in Texas on Mac’s family ranch and summer in Chicago so Delilah could keep an eye on her bar. BKI’s favorite watering hole wasn’t going to be the same without Delilah working the taps, but Ace supposed he’d have to get used to all the changes. He just wished everything wasn’t happening so fast.
Steady had applied to Yale Medical School and received his acceptance letter three days ago. He intended to finish his medical degree and become a practicing physician. Abby, his botanist wife, was looking into a job at the Marsh Botanical Garden on the Yale campus to be close to him. Considering she was the ex-president’s daughter, Ace didn’t suspect she’d have any trouble snagging whichever position she wanted.
Dan and Penni were also content to make their home in Chicago. Dan planned to continue working at the shop, and Penni was going to be a stay-at-home mom to their adorable baby girl, Cora May. After Penni’s harrowing job with the Secret Service, Ace was a little shocked at how quickly she’d settled into domestic life. According to Dan, Penni had taken up cooking and served successful—which Dan said meant marginally edible—dishes at least fifty percent of the time. Ace couldn’t bear to think what she served the other fifty percent of the time.
Ozzie planned to stay in Chicago to help Becky come up with new designs to keep BKI on the cutting edge of custom bike building. The FBI was trying to convince him to do some consulting work for them—hacking jobs and such—but Ozzie seemed iffy about it. Ace suspected Ozzie’s hesitation had more to do with not wanting to keep any secrets from his first-rate investigative reporter fiancée, Samantha, than any qualms about working for the feds.
Zoelner had accepted a position within the CIA. Considering that’s where he’d started his career, Ace figured it was a bit like going home for him. Chelsea, his wife, was still working for the Company, so it had all worked out. Ace was happy they were happy, but he’d miss them. Even though they’d promised to fly back once a month for a visit, it wasn’t going to be the same as seeing them day in and day out.
Christian and Emily were also going to be staying in Chicago. Emily planned to stay on as BKI’s office manager. She might not have the title, but she was definitely the boss of Black Knights Inc. Christian was still trying to figure out what he wanted to do, which pretty much made him and Ace spirit animals since Ace had no freakin’ clue how he planned to spend the rest of his life and—
“You know what conversational remorse is?”
Angel’s question drew Ace from his thoughts. He blinked at the hubbub in the hospital hall, tuning in to the beeps and whistles of the machines and the soft, comforting voices of nurses and doctors as they interacted with patients.
“Sure,” he said. “It’s when you think of all the things you should have said.”
“I hate it.” Angel’s brow furrowed. “Keeps me awake at night.”
Ace took another sip of his tea. “I take it we’re talking about Sonya here.” Angel nodded. “You know, if you’re convinced there’s still something there to pursue, if you have things you need to say to her, then screw how busy she is. Screw the time and space she needs. Go and see her.”
Angel glanced down the hallway, past the nurse’s station. Ace couldn’t be sure, but he thought he saw Angel’s Adam’s apple bob as if Angel’s throat ached.
For so long, Angel had been the expressionless, seemingly emotionless enigma in their ranks. Seeing him struggling with heartache hit Ace particularly hard. He understood the agony of being in love with someone who had rejected him. He understood how bleak a future without that love seemed and how it could weigh a man down, heart and soul.
“I’m sorry, Angel. Don’t listen to anything I say. I mean, seriously? I’m the last person to give you relationship advice.”
Angel glanced his way. “Have you told him you love him?”
Ace laughed, but there was no humor in it. “What good would that do? He says he loves me but not enough to stop hiding. And since I refuse to go back into the closet, I don’t see how telling him how I feel will help either of us. Besides, I don’t—”
“Hello, boys!” Sylvia Parker called out as she sailed down the hallway toward them. She had a red Tupperware dish in one hand and a Starbucks cup in the other. The quintessential mom type, her hair was cut in a bob, she wore the flowing blouse and not-too-tight jeans that hid what she wrongly assumed was a little extra weight, and her sneakers looked like they provided good arch support. She was pretty in a comfortable-in-her-own-skin way, and Ace hated that soon it’d be time to say goodbye to her.
“Since Rusty’s appetite is back, I spent the whole morning in the kitchen cooking up his favorites.” She lifted the Tupperware dish as proof. “Between you, me, and the wall, I hate the electric stove in that extended-stay hotel. You can’t tell how high your heat is without a flame.”
She stood in front of them now, her powdery-smelling perfume mixing with whatever was in the dish, something that had a lot of garlic and onions and butter. She gave them both a kiss on the cheek before straightening away. Then she frowned. “For crying in the sink, what are you two doing standing out here?”
“Rusty’s getting a sponge bath,” Ace explained.
“Oh.” Without missing a beat, she grabbed the handle on the door and pushed inside.
“Mom! What the cob?” Rusty bellowed. “I’m gettin’ bathed here. What if my dick had been out?”
“I helped you wash that thing for five years,” Sylvia told him. “I don’t think I’ll faint at the sight of it now.”
“Oh, for the love of—”
That’s all Ace heard before Sylvia shut the door behind her.
He couldn’t help but laugh. Of course, the next second he frowned again. He wished he could hate Rusty for choosing the closet over what they could have together. But the truth was…he got it. Rusty and his parents had such a good relationship. Easy. Having experienced the flip side of that coin, he couldn’t say with one hundred percent certainty that he wouldn’t do exactly the same thing if he were in Rusty’s shoes.
“There it is again.” Angel pointed at his face. “Melancholy.”
