My voice was hoarse for those first few days, only made worse by my emotional outbursts. Melody spent her time flitting between Jaxon and myself, doting on each of us equally. Jaxon was healing nicely, and honestly I think he enjoyed being coddled by her. Their love for each other was intoxicating, but Icouldn’t be around it for long. Maybe that makes me selfish, but everything reminded me of him and what we would never have.
On day six, James presented me with paperwork that I needed to sign. Apparently Kayden left all his accounts in my name—his entire worth, now mine. A few things he designated to others: Club LAX fell to Melody and Jaxon, and Eden fell to James and Emilia, along with Donovan and Axel. I grabbed the papers out of James’s hands and tore them up, throwing them in the air, angry that I was just expected to accept his generosity without him. On day seven, I calmed down enough to sign the newly printed papers when James came around again. I knew it wasn’t his fault and it was wrong of me to take it out on him. After all, he lost a brother. They all did.
They were spinning his death as a military training accident. I hate that only a handful of us know exactly how he died—a hero—fighting for me until the very end. He may have had his darkness, and maybe most people would deem him a monster, but he was mine, and that was what mattered.
In the week leading up to the funeral, James made me aware of a home in Wyoming that Kayden owned that was now mine. He said it was always Kayden’s dream to eventually leave this place and settle down in this house that he built with his own two hands. It felt like the perfect opportunity for me. I wanted desperately to get away from California and all the memories this place holds, somewhere untainted by memories. To be surrounded by a place, a home that Kayden built, felt like fate.
The house itself was way too big for just me, but it had six bedrooms, which I warranted would be enough when the Stonewells came to visit. Especially with Melody and Jaxon expecting—I needed enough rooms for the kids, too. I’ve spent the last week packing up my belongings and getting ready for the move.
Shaking myself from my thoughts and back to the present, we turn into the cemetery. I look out the back window as Henry drives us along the winding road, eager to get this day done and over with. Kayden’s private jet—I guess actually mine now—leaves at 6:00 P.M. Melody assured me the funeral would be over by 2:00 P.M., giving me just enough time to get to the airport and catch my flight. It’s not that I’m eager to leave them all behind, I’m not. It kills me to leave Melody especially, but I need room to grieve, to learn how to navigate a world without him.
Once the car is parked, Henry comes around to open my door. I step out of the car under the protection of the black umbrella Henry holds to protect me from the pouring rain.
Henry decided after the events in Wisconsin that he wanted to work as my driver. Kayden always drove himself around, and I’ve never been one to like driving, so I accepted his offer. I think moving to Wyoming was also a great perk for him, somewhere he could relax just as much as I could.
Melody and Jaxon join me as we walk to the grave site. While Kayden wanted a headstone where people could visit, he ultimately wanted to be cremated, so a small urn was placed in his coffin to be placed in the grave while the rest were spread out amongst myself and the Stonewells.
Sometimes, like today, I feel like I don’t belong, like I’m an intruder in their lives. Kayden and I were never married, but for legal purposes, James was able to forge a marriage certificate with the state of California. His family opened their arms to me and took me into their fold through all of this, regardless of the certificate. It makes leaving a bit harder, but they’ve assured me they’ll visit regularly.
As we stand around the gravesite, Melody and Jaxon stand to my right, lending me support with their presence. James and Emilia are across the site from us, with Kayden’s parents. Mytears are flowing as I recount our last moments as I wait for the ceremony to start. I carry his ashes in a locket around my neck that Emilia gave me, and right now, I hold that locket in a tight grip as I watch his casket arrive with an honors escort.
The ceremony itself passes quickly, Kayden specifically requested that it not be drawn out. When it comes time for the flag folding, I’m unable to see past my tears when they present the perfectly folded flag to me. It feels so final, like a chapter closing in my life, but I have no idea how to move forward from here.
The ceremony ends with the twenty-one-gun salute in his honor, and with every shot I flinch, the memories of that night replaying over and over, each bullet landing in his body, his last moments. Melody wraps her arms around me as we turn to leave. I exchange hugs with Kayden’s parents first, promising to keep in touch. And when it’s Melody’s turn to say goodbye, I cry a little harder. My best friend is pregnant and I’m going to be an aunt. A part of me feels guilty for leaving her during this special time, but I think she understands more than most my need to escape.
James and Emilia are last to say their goodbyes, and I’m taken aback when Emilia smiles broadly, hugging me tightly. She pulls away, squeezing my arms as she beams at me with a wide grin. “I think you’ll find everything you’re looking for in Wyoming. I wish you the best, Dani.”
She gives a final squeeze before James comes in for a hug, his limp from his gunshot wound getting less and less noticeable every day. “Dani. It’s a pleasure to have you in the family. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to reach out. Otherwise, we’ll see you as planned next month. Give you some time to settle in,” he says with a wink.
As everyone leaves in their own vehicles, I tell Henry to take me to the airport, my bags already packed and ready to go in thecar. Amzee will be making the trip to Wyoming with Henry in a few days.
As we pull out of the cemetery, we leave this chapter of our lives behind with the promise of something new.
The view iseverything I hoped it would be. The mountain peaks behind the house and the surrounding woods are absolutely perfect. I take a deep breath, taking in the scents and clean, fresh pine air. I wish Kayden were here to finally enjoy this house like he had always planned.
As my driver helps me carry my bags into the house, I’m taken aback by just how large the house is in person. I literally flew here without even seeing it first. I trusted Kayden’s property manager to do a thorough job and it looks as though she didn’t disappoint. James assured me the home would be completely furnished when I got here, all the way from furnishings to necessities to food. Overall, the house interior is homey and vibrant, which is exactly what I was hoping for.
Content that all my things are in the house, I tip the driver and send him on his way, locking the door. Carrying my things further into the house, I stop short when I get to the living area.
My heart races, my palms sweat, and my stomach twists with the sight before me. Every surface is covered with bouquets of daisies. My mind races trying to figure out who would do this. It had to be Melody, she’s the only other living person that knows my favorite flower. While the intention was probably meant to be sweet, it stirs painful memories of daisies left on my nightstand.
Movement from the corner of my eye causes a quick stab of adrenaline as fear courses through my veins. It can’t be. There’s no possible way this could be real right now. My nails dig into my palm as I clutch the locket around my neck, trying to wake myself from this dream. He watches my movement before bringing his gaze back to mine and smirks.
“Hey, spitfire.”
Epilogue
Kayden
Five weeks later
Coming back from the dead wasn’t as easy as it may have seemed. There were pieces that needed to fall into place perfectly to pull this off. We didn’t know who might still be after me. I knew, deep down, that I needed a way to escape if I was ever going to live the life Dani dreamed about.
Axel and Donovan agreed to take over Eden and continue our mission with the money and backing of James and Emilia. Relinquishing control was easier said than done, though. I built Eden from the ground up. It was my pride and joy—my purpose—my outlet for the darkness under my skin. Who knew it would take dying to make me realize I had a new purpose in life? A purpose that started and ended with Dani.
Keeping Dani in the dark was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. All I wanted to see when I woke up was her face, but I had to refrain. Emilia and James ensured my “death” went as expected—which at one point in that forest I actually did die. I owe my life to Donovan and Axel. Without them showing up when they did, my funeral would have been the real deal.
Franklin scrubbed all online evidence of who I am from existence, making me a ghost that people talked about but could never find information on. With that came a new name, Kayden Mitchell. I would always be a Stonewell, but having a new name would allow me to give Dani the life she dreamed of.
