This is the moment we’ve been waiting for. The moment we learn what our new last names will be. It was risky, letting Jim secretly fill out the forms so it would be a surprise, but he promised it wouldn’t be Madigan or Butts or Slade. Our hands are shaking as we slide the rings onto each other’s fingers, both of us eager to learn our fate.
“Aven, you may kiss your bride.” Jim looks like he’s about to explode with anticipation for whatever he has in store. “Go on! Pucker up! I can’t announce you until you do!”
Aven pulls me into him, and everyone erupts in another round of cheers as we seal the deal over my father’s corpse. It’s poetic, really.
“Everyone, I’m pleased to announce...the Carters!” Jim claps his hands, but he’s the only one. Everyone else just stops and stares.
The happiness drains from Aven’s face. “Jim, you cannae just give us the name we want. That’s their heritage, and I won’t steal it.” He motions to Ezra, Bennett, and Frankie.
“Fuck it,” Bennett says. “You’re as much a brother to us as anyone else. I don’t care if you take the last name. I want you to.”
“I second that,” Ezra offers. “Family is about more than DNA, Aven. You’re both family to us now.”
Frankie raises her finger. “I’ve only just recently learned that I’m related to these idiots, but I welcome one more. Please accept, Aven.”
Jim finally butts in with a fit of laughter. He shakes his head and holds out his hands, and we patiently wait for him to quiet enough to explain the punchline. “No, no, no. You don’tunderstand. Aven, your last name is Carter and always has been. The man you believed to be your father was impotent. That’s why he knew you weren’t his.”
“It’s true,” King says. “Your mother had a momentary night of weakness that resulted in your conception. I’m sorry we kept it from you, but the simulation predicted that this was the best way to get you to stick around. If we’d told you everything from the moment we knew the truth, you’d have run off.”
I smile up at Aven and brush my thumb over his cheek. “And here I thought our relationship was fate.”
“Well, now that everything’s out in the open, we’d best clear out so that these two can enjoy the park alone,” Jim says. “There’ll be time for a family reunion later.”
Understanding Aven’s need for solitude, they start heading for the door.
“No,” Aven says, and everyone stops to look at him. “We don’t need to be alone. I’ve spent too much time in isolation. If I’m part of this fucked-up family, then I want to start acting like it. I want everyone to enjoy the park tonight. With us.”
My cheeks ache from how wide I’m smiling when he looks down at me. My heart is full to bursting.
“Well, then I suggest everyone get outside,” Jim says. “I have one more surprise in store.”
We hurry out of the building and into the cool evening air. Starlight twinkles above, and only a few hazy clouds mar the night sky. Jim says something into his radio, and the park lights shut off. We’re doused in darkness. The moment is eerily familiar, and that creepy déjà vu feeling isn’t helping set me at ease.
Seconds later, the sky explodes with color and light. Fireworks pop and hiss overhead as everyone oohs and ahhs. Everyone but me. My heart rate is currently climbing towardtachycardia as I feel my mother’s ghostly hand slipping away from me again.
But then a real hand slips into mine. One that is warm and alive. A hand that won’t let go. It squeezes mine with a pressure that says,You are safe, lass.
I finally smile up at the fireworks. Aye, I am.
Epilogue
Three Months Later
Aven
Ilick my lips and stare at the line snaking around the corner outside of the bookshop. Quinn doesn’t seem a bit nervous, and she’s the one they came to see. Meanwhile, I’m a fucking wreck.
We pooled our money and bought a small cabin in Vermont—close enough to the others that we can hang out regularly, but far enough away that we can still have our privacy. We’ve been living off the remainder while Quinn worked to get her dream off the ground, and judging by that line, she’s well on her way to the sky.
She wrote the first book in just two weeks. The lass has plenty more where that came from, too. She’s had them knocking around in that bonnie brain of hers for years. For the past six weeks, she’s been busy okaying covers and formatting and working her ass off to follow her editor’s corrections. The release was a week ago, and it was an overnight success.
Granted, Eve might have helped a little, what with her visibility on social media. She and the other girls have become averitable street team, recommending the book everywhere they can. But the book is good, and now word of mouth does all the advertising for her. No one can take that away from Quinn Carter.
“I think I’m ready,” Quinn says. “You can let in the VIP winner first.”
I nod and stroll to the front of the bookstore. The owner unlocks the door and lets the first visitor inside.
“No funny business,” I tell the woman. “Keep your hands to yourself and you’ll make it out of here with both of them attached to your body.”
