Rafe
Six Months Later
“This took way too fucking long!” Doug Denning scribbles his name on the closing
document and throws the pen onto the table. “God, I’m so glad this is over.” He
loosens his tie and leans back with a happy sigh. “It’s over.”
“Glad you’re happy.” I extend a hand. He takes it and shakes. “Enjoy your
retirement. I think you can afford it now.”
He snorts and climbs to his feet as Theodora and his lawyers speak quietly,
wrapping up the meeting. “Brother, I got four kids, an ex-wife, a current wife, and
more creditors than you can imagine. All this money is already earmarked for other
people.”
“Then why do you seem so happy?”
“All those other people are gonna shut the fuck up for once.” He grins and waves
as he walks out of the room.
The remainder of the meeting is procedural. More documents, more signatures.
Most of the real closing costs were settled weeks ago. Theodora congratulates me
when it’s all done and we’re alone in the conference room of my shiny new pharma
distribution company.
“How’s it feel to be a drug peddler? Oh wait.” She smirks at me. “Seriously,
congrats, Rafe.”
“Thank you.” I wander to the windows overlooking the city. “You know what it took
to get here.”
“I sure do.” She joins me. “But you deserve it. You and your brothers.”
“I wonder about that word, deserve. I suspect I deserve much worse than this. But
I’ve always taken what I wanted and now here I am.”
“Good enough for me.”
“I had a feeling you wouldn’t mind.”
“The massive check I’m getting sure as hell helps ease any moral issues I may
have with our partnership.”
I arch my brows at her. “Moral issues? Since when did you have any sense of
morality?”
“Great point.”
I think about how busy the next few weeks will be on the drive back home.
Denning is a mess, but we’re going to fix it. Silas has plans, Devlin and Kellan have
grit and determination, and I have an iron will. Cassian is Cassian and will remain in
the woods until needed.
I stroke my knuckles and walk up my stoop. I open the front door—
“CONGRATULATIONS!”
I drop to a knee, one hand going to my jacket on impulse, reaching for a weapon.
Until I realize it’s June holding Hattie. My brothers, minus Cassian, are behind her,
all three cracking up at my reaction.
“Ah, I wasn’t expecting this.” I straighten and clear my throat. “Erm, thank you.”
“Daddy Rafey, were you tying your shoes down here?” Hattie reaches for me. I
take her from June.
“That’s right, baby.”
June rolls her eyes at me and kisses my cheek.
“Congrats, bro.” Kellan pounds my shoulder. Devlin punches my other arm.
“Can’t wait to tear that place to pieces,” my youngest brother says happily. “God,
it’s going to be fun to fire all those assholes.”
I glare at him. “Watch your language in front of my daughter.”
“It’s okay, Daddy Rafey, I hear you say bad words all the time.” She wriggles from
my grip and runs off.
Devlin cackles in my face and I scowl at him.
June takes my arm and steers me away. There’s champagne and food already
pr epared.
“I’m just happy that it’s over. You’re happy too, right?” she asks. “You’ve been a
ball of stress this last week.”
“I’ve never bought a company before, but I’m glad it’s over.”
“Think you’ll do it again?”
I shrug and tug her to my side. “Never say never. Anything’s possible.”
“That’s true.” She sounds softer now. Kellan and Devlin are arguing in the other
room. Silas is with them trying in vain to play referee. Hattie’s likely upstairs in her
room on her tablet. That girl gets too much screen time. I’ll talk to Priya about it
tomorrow.
“What’s the matter? You seem all serious.”
She chews her lip. “It’s nothing, really.”
“June, my love, my life, if you don’t start talking immediately—“
“I wanted to tell you later but I’m so freaking bad at ke eping secrets.”
I tighten my grip on her. “Did something bad happen? Did someone approach you?
Is Marnie okay?”
“Marnie’s fine. Beth’s fine too and I’m totally good.” She laughs awkwardly and
buries her face in my chest. “Please don’t be mad.”
“I am going to be mad if you don’t spill it.”
“Shit. Okay.” She takes a breath and looks up at me. “I’m pregnant.”
The world stills. I don’t hear my brothers anymore. I can barely breathe.
Pregnant. Again.
Oh my god.
I felt like my life couldn’t get better. June makes me feel whole. Hattie teaches me
how to really love and how to expand myself. My brothers are the foundation of my
existence. Despite the horror it took to get here, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.
Exc ept...
This...
“Holy fuck, YES!” I lift her into the air, laughing and roaring with delight. “I’m so
god damn happy!”
“Rafe!” June laughs, bouncing in my arms. “Settle down!”
I swing her around the kitchen, kissing her over and over. “I’m so happy right now.
More babies!”
“Did I hear something about babies?” Silas frowns at us. Kellan and Devlin are
behind him. “Don’t tell me?”
“It’s true.” June flushes. “I was going to ke ep it a secret until we were past the first
trimester, but, you know—“
“Wow! That’s incredible!” Silas hugs June and Devlin shakes my hand, beaming,
while Kellan pours drinks. June gets a seltzer and we toast to good fortune, good
futures, and growing families.
“I really am happy for you two,” Devlin says, leaning up against the kitchen
counter an hour later. Silas already left and Kellan’s getting ready to go. “But man,
another kid? You won’t catch me fucking dead having babies.”
I smile, not insulted at all, and gaze into the other room where June’s getting
Hattie set up for dinner. “You’d be surprised. What have I always taught you? Ke ep
an open mind.”
“Watch your back. Pay your debts. Kill your enemies.” Devlin recites the list like
it’s tattooed into his mind. “But didn’t we say we wouldn’t do this again? The bigger
we build our families...” He trails off, grim.
I know what he means. After the fire, we took our oath, and promised to watch out
for each other, but never to get attached to anyone ever again. People are nothing
but ash. Why love them? Only power remains.
But June and Hattie showed me a different way. A better way, maybe. I hope my
brothers can see it too one day.
I join my pregnant wife and our little girl once my brothers are gone. I sit across
from Hattie and talk about hippos (unicorns are so last year) and laugh at her wild
stories. June leans her head on my shoulder, and I wonder, even if this is all built on a
foundation of blood, bone, and fire—would I want anything else?
Definitely not.
Epilogue
June
Six Months Later
“I’m serious, if he doesn’t emerge in like ten seconds I am going to flip the fuck
out!” The bride paces back and forth in the hall outside her groom’s suite, looking
panicked.
“We’ll handle it, I promise.” I shoot Beth a pleading stare. “He’ll be fine.”
Beth pounds on the groom’s door for the fifth time and I try calling his phone.
The cell connects. “Yeah? Hey? Can you stop hitting me in the head?”
“Brad, are you okay?” Relief floods me.
“DID YOU GET THAT USELESS FUCK ON THE PHONE?! LET ME TALK TO HIM!”
The bride tries to grab my cell away but I dance from her grasp. Which isn’t easy,
considering I’m so freaking pregnant. I’m practically waddling these days. Forget
normal walking.
“What’s going on?” He groans. Then: “OH FUCK, WHAT TIME IS IT?”
“Listen, this is June, your wedding planner. You are late. The ceremony is in
twenty minutes. Your future wife is losing her mind. I know, I know, you feel like
death right now. You had your bachelor party last night, even though I told you that
was a stupid idea. I get it. You want to die. But Brad, your life will be over, and I
suspect mine will be too, if you can’t pull it together. Can you do that for me?”
“BRAD, I AM GOING TO CUT OFF YOUR DICK!” the bride screams as Beth tries to
calm her down.
“Shit,” he whispers. “I’m so fucked.”
“Get out of bed. Shower. Dress. You can do it.”
“You think so?”
Fuck no. He’s screwed. “Yes, you got this.”
“Cool. Yeah. I got—“
I can hear him puking through the door.
The bride breaks down into a puddle of tears and Beth does what she can to
console the poor woman.
My back hurts. My feet ache. My shoulders are so tense I’m afraid they might
break.
And I love it.
Eventually, the groom gets himself together and makes it down the aisle. He pukes
again before dinner, but a few drinks straighten him out. The bride seems happy
enough. Overall, it’s a lovely wedding.
“Why do we do this?” Beth complains at one in the morning as we’re helping to get
everything cleaned up. She shoves another present into a too-small car. “Seriously,
June. You don’t even need the money.”
“Nope, I really don’t.”
“So why? Why are we torturing ourselves?”
“We love it.” I nudge her with my hip. “And I love you.”
“Bitches!” Marnie strides over and heaves her body against the box, finally
shoving it into the car. She sighs and leans against the mess to catch her breath. “Did
I tell you two how much I hate weddings yet?”
Beth and Marnie get back to finishing up. I help, but I’m even slower than Marnie,
who still isn’t back to her old self. She’ll never walk normally again. I carry that guilt
in me, even if she says she doesn’t blame me for what happened. I make sure she’s
taken care of, despite the number of times she has begged me to stop watching over
her like a psychopathic guardian angel.
I make it home by two in the morning.
“This is unacc eptable.” Rafe is waiting up for me. He’s sitting in the living room
with a heavy frown. “You’re too pregnant to be pulling twelve-hour days, June.”
“I’m fine.” I collapse beside him with a groan. “Mostly fine.”
“Love, you will not push yourself too hard.” He places a hand on my belly and
kisses my hair. “You’re too precious and so is our future child.”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever you say.” I grunt and shift closer to him. “Hey, listen, the
baby’s moving.”
He presses his ear to my belly and lets out a satisfied sigh. I stroke his hair and
hold him. We sit in quiet on the couch.
Hattie’s fast asle ep upstairs.
Contentment washes over me.
I can’t remember the last time I felt like this. Everything’s where it should be. The
baby, my friends, Hattie, my husband. Even his family is growing on me. Cassian’s
still hard to know, but Silas is outgoing and funny. Even crazy Devlin and tough
Kellan make me laugh.
When I first fell into Rafe’s life, I thought my world was over. I figured I’d be a
mob wife, chained to a kitchen, k ept captive. Instead, Rafe’s done nothing but
support me and try to make me happy. There are some
requirements—dinners, meetings, events, that sort of thing—but nothing too
onerous.
But this is it. Hattie’s doing better with Priya’s help. Rafe and his brothers are
building the new business and expanding their empire. Nothing’s easy, nothing’s
perfect, but it’s all good.
It’s all right because I’m with him.
We’re partners.
Mostly, anyway.
He still rules certain... other areas of our life.
“Oh god, yes, that’s the stuff,” I moan. “Rafe, god, I love you.”
“You’re only saying that because I’m pleasuring you.”
“Hell yes, I am.”
He slips off my socks and continues to rub my feet.
Heaven. Straight-up heaven.
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