Joey looks torn between happy and heartbroken, and Teagan is quietly crying again, as is Ava, but it’s Zander’s expression that surprises me.
He shifts quickly from shock to livid. He appears deadly, perhaps the scariest I have ever seen him, as he stomps toward Sasha, waving his hand in her face.
“You fucking survive this. You get better and get your son home safe and fucking sound. You are never to even think about doing something dangerous again. I love you and won’t ever lose my sister or my nephew. You hear me?” he snaps, sounding for all the world like he is furious, but we all know he is speaking from a place full of love.
“I wasn’t even doing anything dangerous. I was standing!” she weakly argues.
“Then fucking sit for the rest of your life. I don’t know! Just don’t ever end up in here like this again,” he demands, and Declan nods in agreement.
“If I wasn’t so tired, I would have more to say about the fact that I’m allowed to stand if I freaking want to. For now, you win. I’ll stay in this bed, and you guys can wait on me hand and foot,” she jokes, not that the guys appear to take it as such.
“It’s for the best,” Declan says with conviction.
“You have got to be kidding me!” she snaps, clearly not too tried for an argument. “I guess you can start throwing away my clothes now, since soon I’ll be as big as our bed.”
“I’ll love you no matter what, Sash,” he tells her gently.
“Well, if I get as big as that, I won’t love me. You guys are being ridiculous. I’m not some weakling. I can handle standing, and I think I can even manage walking.”
Teagan, Ava, and I smile, while the guys seem to be thinking this over.
“Right now, you are going to rest and get better,” Declan concedes.
“Yes, and then tomorrow, I am going to hold our little boy and make sure he realizes that he gave his mommy a scare and isn’t allowed to do that again. He gets one in a lifetime, and he’s already used his up,” she announces, her voice wobbling at the end.
Tears well back up in my eyes, but I blink them away, brushing off the few traitorous ones that escaped.
“You tell my nephew that he has to deal with me if he’s going to cause any more trouble,” Zander says, leaning over to give Sasha a gentle kiss on her forehead. Staying there, he whispers something to her that is too quiet for us to hear, words that bring tears to her eyes and a smile to her lips.
“What are you all doing in here? Mrs. Lockwood is not supposed to have visitors!” a nurse snaps angrily, manhandling us out of the room.
None of us get the chance to give Sasha more than a smile and a wave goodbye, but we all feel lighter on our feet and in our hearts.
“Well?” Scarlett asks, rushing over to me the moment she spots us.
“She’s going to be okay. They both are,” I tell her, feeling surer of that than just a few minutes ago.
“That was so sweet, naming him after you and Joey,” Ava whispers loud enough for us to hear as she rests her hand on Zander’s chest, gazing wetly up at him.
“It is,” Teagan agrees, gripping Joey’s hand tightly.
Both men still look affected by the news, both touched.
I’m not sure Sasha could have chosen two better people in the world to name her boy after.
We remain standing for a few moments in the waiting area, catching our breaths and taking stock of what happened. We’re all on edge, and while I can’t speak for everyone, I know I’m exhausted. Being terrified for hours and hours, not knowing what is happening, has shredded all my nerves. Now that we know things aren’t as bad as they could be, I feel like I’m coming down hard.
“We should get back to the kids,” Ava tells Zander, who is still staring at the door we came through, like he’s in a trance.
“We’ve lost too many people,” he suddenly says, bringing all our attention back to him. “I won’t go through this again. From now on, we keep shit simple. No dangerous cases. No shoot-outs, no bombs, no fires, and no more stealing cars. We are just normal people. I won’t go through this again. And if any of you,” he snaps, pointing his finger at Teagan, Ava, me, and Scarlett, “decide to get pregnant, it’s instant bedrest.”
Ava rolls her eyes. “Zander—”
“No arguments. You will be chained to a bed if needs be, with a nurse on hand at all times.”
“That’s not reasonable or necess—”
“I don’t care!” he barks at Ava, who doesn’t seem affected by his tone.
When he storms away from us, not even giving us a goodbye, she turns and rolls her eyes at us. “He’ll come around. Emotions are just high right now,” she says, giving everyone a quick hug before telling us that they will see us back here tomorrow. Then she catches up to Zander, their exit giving us permission to head out, too.
“Need a ride?” Scarlett asks me.
“You mean, a ride in my own car?” I reply with my own eye roll.
“While I’m driving it, I think it should be considered my car.”
“Not if I drive it home.”
“You’re tired, Cyn. I’m not letting you drive in this state.”
I want to retort, but my shaking hands already prove I would be a liar. Therefore, I agree, realizing that I haven’t actually ever ridden with Scarlett. It has always been me, someone else, or we have caught public transportation.
We don’t speak much on the ride home, just a short bite of complaint when Scarlett puts on disco music.
She gets into moods with her music, and right now, she is interested in listening to “Funkytown” and “Knock On Wood,” apparently. It grates on my nerves at first, but I admit that, by the time we get to my place, I’m so wrapped up in either trying to block out the awful music or realizing how much of a guilty pleasure some of the songs are that I feel lighter getting out of my car.
Scarlett has managed to take my mind off of today, and even if I still feel those emotions simmering below the surface, I appreciate the reprieve.
“Come on,” Scarlett encourages, looping her arm through mine. “I want you to get in the shower then change into something comfortable while I make us a light dinner. Then we’ll snuggle up and talk, or if you want to sleep, we’ll do that.”
I look over to her, seeing not only concern in her expression but also love. “Thank you.”
“For what? Making your ears bleed with my awesome music?”
“For being here when I need you. For looking after me.”
She smiles, squeezing my arm until I’m brushed up against her. “I’ll always be here when you need me, and I plan on looking out for you for a long time, so get used to it.”
I smile in return, feeling settled and happy for the first time today.
“I feel guilty that this all came about because of what happened yesterday, which only happened because of my idiot brother. But if I didn’t get you involved, then maybe—”
“Sasha was standing. That’s all it took. Being outside the office didn’t do anything. Sure, maybe she was worried or a little stressed, but that could happen over anything. No one blames you, and no one believes any of this is your fault,” I assure her, my exhaustion giving way so I can give her my all in this, not wanting Scarlett to feel even one ounce of regret or guilt.
“But your office—”
“Is also not your fault. If anything, it’s more mine since I was in the stupid crane that destroyed it. But given we’ve had three offices destroyed, and that one already had bad mojo after Nix’s drama, I think we can safely say no one is even going to bat an eye at needing a new office.”
I watch her take in my words, and only when I see her accept them do I let it go.
I’m sure it isn’t that easy and that guilt or worry about blame will creep back up inside her, but I will be there to beat it back down until there isn’t a shadow of a doubt that none of this is her fault.
“I love you,” she tells me, hugging me to her before she pushes me toward the bathroom. “Now g
o shower while I get something going in here.” She nods toward the kitchen.
After a too brief kiss, I trudge my way toward the bathroom, having likely gone through every emotion possible today.
After a hot shower and some tasty tomato soup, we both crawl into bed where Scarlett wraps her arms around me, holding me to her all night like she is shielding me from the world.
I realize how lucky I am.
Epilogue
Three Months Later…
“What are we doing here?” I ask Gemma as she parks close to Karma’s Place, Nix’s newly opened restaurant.
The big reopening ended up being delayed due to some unfortunate plumbing issues, but a couple of weeks ago, they had their grand reopening night, which was a huge success. Scarlett informed me it was due to the fact that she helped the restaurant look incredible; Nix worked hard with all his suppliers to get the best of the best when it came to their product; the staff was a well-oiled machine, even though many are new; and because Conner gave them the best publicity he could offer. They quickly gained a huge social media following, which equated to real numbers coming out to see the restaurant. Given the glowing reviews, it went amazing.
However, I have barely seen Scarlett since they opened. I have been commiserating with Harvey since Nix has been working harder than even Scarlett. He might live in the apartment upstairs, but he sounds like he might as well set up a cot in his office. He mentioned having to already carry Nix up to their apartment twice after he fell asleep at his desk.
Luckily, I haven’t had to deal with that with Scarlett, but I have been falling asleep before she gets home, and I usually have to leave before she wakes up. She has been working so hard I haven’t had the heart to wake her.
The one good thing about everything is that the restaurant is closed on Monday nights, which means I have a guaranteed night in with Scarlett tonight. However, as we pull up to the restaurant, I notice the lights are on.
What’s going on?
“Jenn—” Gemma cuts herself off, shaking her head. “Lockwood gets to take her kid home from the hospital tomorrow morning, so she wanted to celebrate tonight with a couple of drinks. Nix offered his restaurant.”
“How do you know about this, but I don’t?” I ask, a little disappointed to have my night with Scarlett delayed but happy to be seeing Sasha and Declan and hearing the fantastic news.
They have spent almost every second at the hospital with their son, whom they affectionately have nicknamed Z.J., He has been improving every day, though there were a few scary moments when he caught pneumonia. But Sasha was right; he’s a fighter and has lived up to his namesakes.
When Gemma’s phone buzzes, she is quick to ignore the call. Still, barely even glancing at the screen before she swipes to end it, I do see the first letters of a name.
Jac.
Jack? Or Jacqui-something?
Male or female?
I normally wouldn’t care or pry, but Gemma is a vault. She never reveals much of anything about herself, so her easily ignoring a call suggests she’s been doing it enough for it to come second nature to her. It makes me think there is something to this.
“Who cares why I know and you don’t? You coming or what?”
“Who called?” I ask instead, pushing aside that Gemma is more up on social plans than I am.
“He’s no one.”
“He? Okay, now we’re getting somewhere. And why is this man not important?” I push.
“Cynthia, seriously, drop it!” she snaps.
Gemma can be completely terrifying when she’s angry. Once, I saw her glare at a man, who then looked like he peed himself. For once, though, her anger doesn’t even faze me.
“Cynthia? You just called me Cynthia!” I gasp, wonder and pride swelling in my gut.
She rolls her eyes, but I notice the small blush creep up her cheeks. “It’s your name, isn’t it?”
“Well, yes, it’s been my name since birth. That hasn’t stopped you from only calling me Park.”
“We’re friends.” She shrugs, like this fact is no big deal.
“We are?” I ask. When she narrows her eyes on me, I think I see a flash of hurt hidden behind her eyes, so I quickly backtrack. “We are friends. Of course we are.”
“I call my friends by their first name.”
“You know, we’ve been working together coming up to a year now, and you’re only just calling me by my first name.”
“We only recently became friends. Before that, we were work colleagues.”
“Ouch!” I jest. It’s not like Gemma didn’t make that painfully obvious. “So, what changed then?”
She sighs heavily like my questions are putting her out. “You helped me with Lennox.”
I nod, aware of how scared Gemma was that night. I saw a side to her I’m sure she never lets anyone see.
“Anytime,” I promise, hoping my help won’t be needed in that way again for both Gemma and Lennox’s sake. “How is she doing?”
Gemma frowns, running her fingers nervously through her hair. “She’s still not great, but she’s been back to her psychologist’s office a handful of times, so I guess that’s good.”
I nod as we walk into the strangely quiet restaurant and glance around at the balloons and streamers set up around the place. They really went all out for their opening.
“Surprise!”
I jump back, knocking into Gemma as I watch everyone jump up from behind the bar.
“What …? Huh?”
“It’s your birthday party, not Armageddon. Move in.” Gemma pushes me forward just as Scarlett makes her way around the bar and straight to me.
“Birthday party?” I ask, feeling confused when Scarlett wraps her arms around me and gives me a much too brief kiss on the lips.
“We were going to throw it on your actual birthday a few weeks ago, but I knew you would want Sasha here, and she didn’t feel comfortable leaving Z.J.. Tonight was the best we could do.”
“You threw me a birthday party?” I mutter dumbly, glancing around as if I might see something that proves I’m dreaming.
“Yep! Now, someone get this birthday girl a drink!” she calls out.
Within seconds, Ava is handing me a glass of wine before she leans in and kisses me on the cheek. “Sorry we missed the actual day, but happy birthday.”
“Guys, I’m twenty-nine. This isn’t a special birthday,” I complain.
“Every birthday is special, and it’s important to celebrate every single one,” Sasha says, pulling me away from Scarlett so she can give me a huge bear hug. Thankfully, someone grabs my glass of wine so I don’t spill it everywhere, and then I hug Sasha back.
“Thank you for coming out tonight,” I tell her, my voice muffled as I speak into her shoulder.
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Now, drink up, because Ava has some news that will cause Nix to start speaking about penises.”
My mouth drops open, and I quickly glance over at Ava to find she has a wine glass of her own, but it definitely looks more like water.
“Seriously?” I gasp, not sure if I shouldn’t just be drinking as much water as I can now instead of alcohol to prepare myself.
“Yep. And Zander is freaking out after what happened with me. He’s insisting Ava has to go on bedrest immediately. I’m pretty sure, if she wasn’t already knocked up when Z.J. came along, he would have insisted they not have more kids.”
I laugh at just picturing how she must have told him the news and how he likely reacted. So much for it just being a heat of the moment threat when he first mentioned it at the hospital.
“Good luck getting bedrest with two other kids creating chaos in their home,” I mutter, watching Zander’s tense body and narrowed eyes as he watches Ava closely, as though expecting her to collapse at any moment.
“Yeah, he definitely didn’t think that one through. Poor guy.”
I smile at her, so grateful to have her here tonight. I can’t believe I was so close to losin
g her.
“How is Z.J.?”
“He’s great. Still tiny, but the doctors are happy with the weight he’s been able to put on. He can keep himself warm outside of the incubator and has passed every test they’ve given him, so he’s ready to attempt the outside world.”
“I’m so happy for you guys.”
Sasha leans in to me, her lips close to my ear, as if what she is about to tell me is top secret. “I’m terrified, Cynthia. I’ve had nurses and doctors helping me every step of the way. What if I screw up? What if I don’t know how to—”
“Sash,” I say sternly, leaning back so I can look directly into her eyes. “You have us now. Any questions, any concerns, anything you need, you have us.” I wave my hand around us, keeping my eyes on her. “Z.J. has uncles and aunts who will do anything for him, and parents who want to give him the world. That boy will want for nothing.”
“But I’ve already failed my first test,” she whispers hoarsely, wetness gathering in her eyes. “He nearly died. He should have been safe in my body. He should have—”
“You haven’t failed at a single thing. You carried him, and your body nourished him. He is alive because of you, and he will continue to live a happy and bright life because he has the best family in the world. I know I’m not a parent, but I have two great ones and best friends who have shown me a thing or two. One of those is that no one is perfect and holding yourself up to something that unattainable is ridiculous. So don’t. You do the best you can and love that kid with your whole heart. The rest will sort itself out.”
She purses her lips, giving me an expression I have seen Zander dole out plenty of times. I wonder if they realize how alike they can be.
“When did you get so wise?”
“I’ve always been this wise. I just didn’t want to show you all up too much.”
She wraps her arm around me, pulling me in for a side hug. “I’m not sure about much at the moment, but you’re right. Z.J. does have the best aunts and uncles I could have hoped for.”
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