Who would have thought a purple haired, tattooed woman would be in love with a grumpy man, who simply melts me away.
I’m not scared of the monsters, it’s them that should be afraid of us.
Epilogue: A month later
Keola
Amonthworthofrest and healing is what she and Finn needed. They needed the chance to get back to a life of normalcy.
Or in this case a new normal.
Charlotte still has waking nightmares of the past, and all I can do is wrap her in my arms and chase them away. She clings onto my arms, finding her sense of safety.
Layla and the twins helped take care of the education department until Charlotte was ready to return and even allowed time for Cedric to come back. Cedric was able to take a pause on school with a little help from the club.
For a couple of weeks, it was crowded, Cedric started to recover at the house because she wanted to keep an eye on him until he was ready to move on and move to a new place. If she had it her way, I would be building a new wing to the house.
But I have another idea. Something up my sleeve that can help her find her peace.
Finn returned to counseling to work out his mind, slowly he’s finding his way back. Her friend Brayden helps out a lot more, being a blessing to help with Finn. He offered to help with transportation as Charlotte and I were sharing a truck, well until Memphis, Mr. Jeremiah, and I could rebuild a classic Bronco as a birthday gift for her in October.
Her aunt on the other hand, when she called her aunt, Lilly rushed over the next day. She fought every day she was here between fussing over me and giving me the evil eye for putting them in this position and hugging me tight for never giving up.
“I knew you’d never give up on her, even how stubborn and strong-willed she is. You’ve given her wings back.” Lilly told me in passing as we had given Charlotte space to rest for a bit.
I promise to remind her that she’s loved by me and so many others. Every morning I’d wake her with a kiss on the cheek, as my fingers trace the lines of her tattoos. My mark is in full sight every morning, reminding me that my dream came true.
My angel.
My woman.
All mine.
With a bonus kid who’s given me an extra reason to smile.
Her light brown hair starts to peek through her roots, and I know she groans about wanting to get it down, but Irequestedthat she wait. I even offered her for Topaz to do it in the house. She just smiled and said, “We’ll see, 5-0.”
I know I can’t keep her in her own home forever, between going back to work and adjusting to life after, but I could try.
After like the third week back in her home, I never went back to mine. She just looked at me one day and said, “Well, are you gonna move in or what at this point?”
I asked her if she’s sure and she showed me how sure she was.
Now, I’m back at home, still getting used to saying that it’s my home. But I have a surprise for her. Call it an early Valentine’s day present and a celebration that the Falcons truly moved their businesses outside of the area. But they’re not gone.
Well, not according to a certain redhead lawyer. But that’s a problem for another day, not today.
I wait anxiously for them to come from the foundation. My legs are bouncing nervously. They settle when I hear the front door start to unlock and a blur of a growing boy passes me.
“Sorry. Hi. I gotta use the bathroom, someone was in a hurry to leave, causing me to not go before we left,” he says before disappearing into the hall bathroom.
She comes in, her lips between her lips holding back a laugh.
“Why were you in a hurry?” I ask, getting up to gather her in my arms. I kiss her like she’s my breath, like I need her to live, fill my body with life.
“Because I wanted to get home,” she says.
My hands travel down to her plump ass, giving it a squeeze. “Try again,” I tell her.
