by Iris Morland
He thrust once, twice, and then shouted as he came, too. His cock twitched inside her, and she moaned as he filled her with his seed.
The sun was peeking through the blinds when they pushed the covers down to go to sleep. Snuggling beside Seth, Rose yawned.
“I love you,” she whispered, tracing his jaw.
He opened one eye to look at her. “Go to sleep.” He kissed her on the nose. “And I love you, too, hummingbird. I’ll never let you go again.”
And Rose knew that he spoke the truth.
Epilogue
“Okay, I’m ready.” Rose glanced one more time in the mirror, checked her makeup for the thousandth time, and took a deep breath.
She walked into the living room, feeling rather absurdly exposed. Seth’s eyes widened.
“Well?” she said, trying not to fidget. “Is it stupid? I’ll take it off—”
“No, no. I love it.” His grin was swift as he pulled her close and into his lap. “The wings are amazing.”
“Really? Do I look like a hummingbird? I thought I might look more like a blue jay—”
“No way. It’s perfect. Best Halloween costume ever.”
She looked at his costume and rolled her eyes. “You’re not even in a costume!”
“Yes, I am.” He showed her a sign he’d made that read Nudist on Strike. “I’m on strike, babe.”
“Oh well, does that mean you’re on strike for me? Because that’s a damn shame.”
He nuzzled her neck. “No way. You can get me naked anytime.”
She laughed, and he kissed her, although she eventually pushed him away because she was not going to let him ruin her makeup. She’d gone all out: with blue-green eye makeup and false eyelashes, she’d barely recognized herself when she’d finished. To top it off, she’d glued sequins to the corners of her eyes, although she had a feeling they would be bugging her all evening.
Her costume itself was simple: a shimmery teal slip dress that she’d found at a consignment shop downtown that had screamed hummingbird. She’d bought a pair of fairy wings and added sequins and paint to match her makeup and dress.
Seth glanced down at her feet. “Nice shoes.”
“Aren’t they amazing?” She’d found some sparkly black stilettos that she knew would kill her feet within an hour, but she didn’t care.
The price you pay for beauty—and great Halloween costumes.
When they arrived at Harrison and Sara’s house for their Halloween party, they were quickly converged upon by their friends and family.
After the Johnny incident, Rose and Seth’s relationship had progressed quickly, and by the end of the summer, Rose had moved in with Seth. She’d teased it was because he had better furniture, but in reality, she hadn’t wanted them to be separated—even by a wall. Callie had loved the plush couch in the living room, and despite Rose’s best efforts, the end of the couch on the right side had become Callie’s spot from then on.
“Oh, I love your costume!” Sara said as she hugged first Rose, then Seth. She raised an eyebrow at Seth. “Did you forget it’s Halloween?” Sara was dressed as a purple grape, her rounded belly only adding to her costume. They were having a boy, news which James had met with almost more excitement than his parents.
Seth grinned and held up his sign. “I’m on strike.”
“Men,” Sara groused. She took Rose’s arm as they headed into the house. “You need to get your man in line,” she teased.
Rose looked over her shoulder. “Don’t worry. He does pretty much anything I want him to do.”
“Good. You can’t trust any of these Thornton men to know anything.” Sara laughed when Harrison rolled his eyes at her as they approached. “You know it’s true.”
“Hmm, I’m not answering that.” Harrison gave Rose a quick hug, although the wings almost hit him in the face. “You keeping my brother in line?”
“Of course.”
Seth had contacted his CO two days before his deadline and told him he wasn’t going to take his offer. Sergeant Loyd had been put out, but after Seth had explained his reasoning, Sergeant Loyd had sighed and told Seth that he was an idiot but that he understood.
“You’re going to turn into some soccer dad with five kids, aren’t you?” Sergeant Loyd had said, albeit good-naturedly.
Seth had laughed. “You never know.”
Soon thereafter, Alan had asked Seth to work full-time, and had even mentioned Seth’s taking over the business once Alan had retired. With no children and only his wife, Alan had planned on closing when he retired, but Seth would be the perfect man to take it over.
Honored and surprised, Seth had accepted. He and Rose had celebrated with their own party—mostly in their bed—that night.
It was strange, Rose thought as she chatted with everyone, how things had fallen into place. Her life had been a series of disasters up until now, but it was like Seth had become the anchor she’d needed. Now she had a home, a man she loved, and a future that was bright and exciting. She was going to return to school in January at the local community college to finish her English degree.
After that? The sky was the limit.
Johnny would go on trial within the next few months, although he’d remained in jail because it was, ironically enough, safer for him there than it was in the outside world. His so-called buddies had turned on him when he’d ratted them out, and now they were out for his blood.
Rose was glad that Johnny now got to experience the terror he’d instilled in so many people. It was a small price to pay for what he’d done to her, to Heath, and to countless others.
Both she and Seth had begun to see therapists to talk about their PTSD and nightmares. Although they both still suffered from nightmares, they were happening with less frequency. Having someone to talk to had been liberating, Rose had found. It was one thing for your family and friends to agree that something was terrible; it was another to find that validation in a third party.
“Rose! Your costume is amazing!” Jubilee, wearing a flapper dress and headband, bounced up to Rose. “Did you make the wings?”
“Kind of. I decorated them.” Rose had never seen Jubilee wear a dress this short or this kind of makeup—smoky and sensual with a bright red lipstick—and she had to approve. She’d even cut her hair recently into a short, stylish bob, which went with her costume perfectly. Jubilee looked gorgeous.
“How have you been? I feel like it’s been ages.” Jubilee smiled shyly. “How’s my brother?”
“Wonderful. But don’t get me started on that subject or you might hear something you don’t want to.”
Jubilee snorted. “Have you seen my siblings? They have no shame. I went to the bathroom earlier, only to find Caleb kissing Megan and feeling her up in a dark corner.” She rolled her eyes. “You guys are a bunch of teenagers.”
Rose laughed, mostly because Jubilee was the youngest of them all yet seemed like the oldest in a lot of ways. Jubilee murmured something about getting them both drinks right when Heath strolled up. His costume was a loose sport coat, a sweater, and spectacles.
“Heath, you’re not supposed to dress up as yourself,” Rose joked.
“I’m Professor Lupin! You know, from Harry Potter?” He pulled out his makeshift wand and acted like he was casting a spell.
“And why do I feel like you remembered that this was a costume party only an hour ago?”
“Not true. It was two hours ago.”
They laughed, although Rose couldn’t help but notice the strain around her brother’s eyes. Ever since the Johnny incident, Heath had been distant, and Rose knew he still blamed himself for what Johnny had done to her. She’d tried to assure him that she didn’t blame him, but he’d refused to discuss it.
“You look great,” he said quietly. “I’m happy for you.”
It was silly, but she felt tears prick her eyes. She touched Heath’s arm. “Are you happy? Because I think after everything, we both deserve to be happy.”
“Happy enough.�
� His smile was forced. Rose was about to pry into that remark when Jubilee returned bearing drinks.
“Here you go—oh, Heath. Hi. What’s your costume supposed to be?”
“Professor Lupin.”
Jubilee smiled. “Are you going to turn into a werewolf tonight? It’s a full moon, you know.”
“Is it? Then you should watch out if I turn wild.”
Rose widened her eyes and drank her punch. The sexual tension was rampant between these two, as it had been for months now. Except as far as Rose knew, Heath hadn’t asked Jubilee out, and Jubilee was too shy to ask a guy out.
As if realizing what he’d said, Heath muttered something about getting a drink and walked away without another word.
“Hey, there you are. Apparently they’re doing a toast or an announcement or something,” said Seth. He kissed Rose’s cheek. “Hey, Jubi. You look nice.”
“Thanks. Looks like you forgot your costume.”
“Nah. I got it covered.” He showed Jubilee his sign, which resulted in Jubilee rolling her eyes.
Trent and Lizzie arrived then with Bea dressed as a lobster in a giant cooking pot, which meant that Bea became the most popular person there. Even Seth demanded that he get a picture with his niece. Bea yawned and fell asleep in her pot soon thereafter, and Trent carried her around the party for the rest of the evening.
“Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, may we have your attention please?” Caleb yelled into the crowd as he stood on an ottoman. “Excellent. Glad everyone could make it tonight.”
“Dude, it’s not even your party!” Harrison called.
“Unimportant. Megan, can you come up here?”
Megan climbed up beside Caleb, looking pink-cheeked, and Rose had a feeling she knew exactly what they were going to announce.
“Don’t worry, Megan said I had permission to do this.” Caleb smiled so wide that it was infectious. “Megan and I are happy to announce that we’re expecting.”
That resulted in a collective shout and applause from the crowd. Seth said into Rose’s ear, “My siblings are going to be prolific.”
Megan yelled over the noise, “We’re due in late May.”
“Oh, I’m so excited!” Sara pulled Megan down and the two sisters hugged. “Cousins so close together in age!”
“I know. Perfect timing, right?”
James, dressed as a dragon, told his aunt, “You should have a boy like my mom!”
Megan ruffled his hair. “We’ll try our best.”
Rose hugged Megan and congratulated her before hugging Caleb.
“So, when are you and Seth getting hitched?” he asked.
She shrugged. “We’re not in any hurry.”
“Uh-huh. That’s what we all say, and then it’s marriage, babies, white picket fence…” Caleb’s eyes lit up as Megan caught his eye, and Rose knew very well how happy he was with all of those things in his life.
Later into the evening, Rose wandered outside to gaze at the full moon. Seth found her and curled an arm around her waist.
“So many babies, so little time,” she said, smiling. “Do you think Megan and Caleb’s baby will be a boy or a girl?”
“Huh, well, if those are the only two options…”
She elbowed him.
“A boy. Because Caleb would lose his mind trying to keep the boys away from his daughter.”
Rose leaned her head against Seth’s shoulder. “I always wanted four kids. I’m not sure why. Maybe because it was only me and Heath, so a big family like yours was appealing.”
“Four? Well, then, we better get started soon.” He turned her in his arms and kissed her. He smiled down at her, but his gaze was serious. “I want to build a life with you, Rose. Marriage, babies, all of it. I love you.”
“Same. I can’t wait to give you a daughter and have you freak out trying to keep the boys away from her.”
Seth laughed. “Deal.”
They laughed and talked for a while longer, talking about the future, when they saw Jubilee come around the corner. It was dark enough that she didn’t see them, but she was standing near a house light that illuminated her figure.
“We need to do something about Heath and Jubilee,” said Rose. “They’re driving me crazy.”
“Hummingbird, don’t interfere. They’ll figure it out.”
She sighed. “Men are so stupid. You know when Jubilee got her hair cut, Heath saw her that night and didn’t say a word to her about it?”
“So?”
Rose glared at him. “Men.”
After Jubilee had turned around, her expression sad, Rose closed her eyes for a moment, only to gasp, “The hair!”
Seth blinked at her. “What?”
“The hair! I was so sure it was hers. But if Johnny didn’t have Jubilee in the first place, where did he get it?”
“Wait, what?” Seth looked even more confused.
Rose had told Seth all about Johnny lying to her about having Jubilee when she’d met him at the cabin, but in all the commotion, she hadn’t told him about the lock of hair. She’d since forgotten all about it in the craziness of moving and creating their new lives together.
“It looked just like hers, because it was the same color as yours.” She touched his dark hair, much shorter than that long strand. “So where did Johnny get it in the first place?”
Seth frowned. “We don’t know it was Jubilee’s.”
“I’m sure it was.” Rose’s eyes widened when the puzzle pieces started to click. “Heath!”
“Now I’m worried you have a fever.”
She pinched him, and he yelped a little. “No, Johnny broke into Heath’s place. What if he stole it from Heath?”
“Why would your brother have a lock of my sister’s hair?”
They both stared at each other: Rose with an eyebrow raised, Seth slowly putting it all together.
Then, Seth just said, “Oh.”
“This proves he cares about her. Maybe something has already happened between them. And he acts like I’m crazy anytime I mention it!”
“Probably because you’re his sister. And he’s into my sister.” Seth groaned. “My brain hurts. I need a drink now.”
Rose didn’t mention the lock of hair again, but she knew it had been Jubilee’s.
The real question was: why had Heath had it in the first place? She knew her brother wouldn’t have sneaked into Jubilee’s place or something creepy like that to acquire it. So, had Jubilee given it to him?
“I know you’re going to turn this into some mystery,” Seth said with a wry smile, “and I know I can’t stop you.”
“I’m glad you know me so well.”
“And I love you anyway.”
She gave him a smacking kiss, which resulted in him pinching her ass. “I love you, too,” she gasped.
“My princess,” he said, and they returned to the house, laughing together.
Jubilee Thornton gazed into the mirror and said to herself, “Stop being such a scaredy-cat.” She thrust a finger at her reflection, which she barely recognized. With the short hair, the makeup, and the Halloween costume, she’d felt like a new woman. A sexy, confident woman.
A woman who could get any man she wanted—except that one she did, in fact, want.
Well, she couldn’t blame the man in question, because whenever she was around Heath DiMarco, she turned shy and awkward. She said stupid things. Sometimes she managed to flirt, but he never flirted back.
Until tonight. At least, she’d thought he’d flirted with her.
“Stop. Being. A. Scaredy. Cat.” She tapped the mirror one last time for good measure.
Jubilee had been scared her whole life. She’d been scared of dying, she’d been scared of doing things alone. She’d been scared of living.
She was tired of being scared, and the only way to overcome her fears was to face them.
She was going to ask Heath DiMarco out. On a date.
Her heart fluttered, and she took a deep breath.
Jubilee opened the door to find Abby on the other side, smiling from a little too much alcohol. “Hey, Jubi. How are you? God, I have to pee.”
“So you said.”
Abby laughed, and Jubilee shut the bathroom door before everyone saw how much Abby had had to drink that night.
Really, if anyone should be drinking, it should be Jubilee.
It was near midnight when she returned to the living room, where most everyone had been hanging out. Megan sat in Caleb’s lap, his hand over her belly, both looking like they’d conquered the world. Rose and Seth had disappeared—unsurprisingly—Sara and Harrison were in a corner whispering, and James had fallen asleep on the couch, Bea at the end of the couch, surrounded by rolled-up blankets so she didn’t roll off the couch. Mark was looking at his phone, clearly having had enough socializing for the night.
Trent’s brother, Ash, and his sister, Thea, were talking with some of Harrison’s coworkers, including Jackie, a nurse at Harrison’s practice, and Linda, a fellow teacher at Sara’s school. There were some people Jubilee didn’t know well, others she didn’t recognize.
Despite all of the people, Jubilee felt alone. It had been strange, watching all of her siblings find significant others one by one, until only Jubilee was left.
And who would love her? She’d done nothing extraordinary with her life. She didn’t have a fiery nature like Megan, or a sweetness like Sara. She wasn’t brave like Rose. She was just…herself.
Poor Jubilee, she’s never done anything, has she?
She’d heard those words many times, sometimes from her own family members. It hurt—because it was true. She hadn’t gone to college, she hadn’t traveled; she’d only gotten her own place and a job at Megan’s bakery two years ago.
I can’t change the past, but I can change the future.
With that in mind, she went in search of the man she’d had a crush on since she’d met him seven years ago. She’d never had the courage to do anything about it, because she was shy and self-conscious, and Heath was her brothers’ friend. He’d always treated her like a little sister.