by Bryce Oakley
Meg felt as though she might burst. Tears welled up in her eyes.
All the feelings Meg had towards Collins came rushing to the surface.
Collins had done something that went against every fiber of her being in order to send Meg a message.
She wanted to try to work it out.
Meg surprised herself by realizing that so did she.
And maybe that was enough for now.
She stepped into Collins’ arms, wrapping her arms around her neck.
Collins held her close and ran her fingers through Meg’s hair. She whispered, “I missed you so much.”
Meg nodded, squeezing Collins tightly. “I think we’d better get out of here so you can take off that ridiculous shirt.”
Epilogue
Meg
One Year Later
“You have to loosen up, man,” Meg laughed, splashing her legs in the water on either side of her board. She took a deep breath, relaxing as the gentle waves past the breakers bobbed her in place.
Collins was leaning forward, clutching her board beneath her. She looked like a wet cat — uncomfortable, silly, and yet somehow still trying to clutch to the last dredges of dignity.
“I’m not great with balance, babe,” Collins said as she tried to adjust the surfboard beneath her.
“That’s because you’re so tense,” Meg said exasperatedly. “Do some deep breathing or something.”
It had taken Meg an entire year to convince Collins to get on the board.
“Billie gave me a book to read on it, but it’s not exactly translating to real life right now,” Collins gripped her board so tight that her knuckles turned white.
Meg paddled closer to Collins and linked their feet together so the waves wouldn’t separate them. Meg leaned in close to Collins and gave her a quick kiss. She looked deep into her eyes.
“I love you, and I won’t let anything happen to you,” Meg said.
Collins nodded. “I love you, and I know. I trust you.”
“Then what’s the problem?” Meg asked.
“I trust Mother Nature slightly less,” Collins said with a grin.
“You’ve just got to let me be the boss right now and do what I say,” Meg said and winked at Collins before glancing over her shoulder. “Now, come on.” She called over her shoulder, paddling faster to catch the approaching wave.
They spent most of the morning in the water until Meg took pity on her and allowed their retreat back to the beach house.
As they toweled off on the enclosed deck, Collins grabbed a couple of sparkling waters out of the outdoor kitchen’s mini fridge, then reached to open the door enough for Ollivander to walk out and assess the situation.
“Come here, Ollie,” Meg said, reaching her hand out to try to convince the cat to come to her. She had been on a mission to become his favorite person — she had bought treats, toys, and all manner of cat-related furniture to win his affection.
In the last year, she had spent more time at Collins’ place than her own. Just a few months before, Collins had asked her to move in. They were still in the process of figuring out if they wanted to sell or rent out her place, and all of the final details, but Meg already felt right at home.
“He doesn’t like that name,” Collins laughed.
“Listen, you’re the regular mom, so I can be the cool mom,” Meg teased.
Collins laughed, sitting in a chair to pull Meg onto her lap. In their bikinis, Collins’ skin immediately warmed her own.
Meg leaned her head against Collins’ shoulder and stared out at the gorgeous view. The sun was high in the sky, illuminating the water with sparkles. The smell was incredible — the salty air floated throughout the house at all hours, and they fell asleep on most nights with the windows open, listening to the waves. It was heaven. And made even better because Collins was by her side.
The Netflix special had become so popular that the band was almost too famous to go anywhere without being noticed by fans — even at coffee the day before, Meg had been noticed, a fact that she never thought would happen.
The live version of “Just Another Howl At The Moon” had even spent quite a few weeks on the charts — she had even been interviewed the previous week for Modern Drummer about her setup and process for what they referred to as “her epic drum solo.”
Collins was even nominated for a Grammy for Producer of the Year and The Shrikes Live at Red Rocks had been nominated for Best Music Film.
Kaleidoscope had won Best Alternative Music Album and Album of the Year the year before, but had narrowly missed out on Record of the Year to Beyoncé. It was a loss they all willingly accepted.
Collins patted Meg’s lap and Ollivander jumped up with his purr motor at full speed ahead, rubbing his striped orange face and fluffy shoulders against both of their hands and faces at the same time.
“Someday, I’m going to win,” Meg said, scratching Ollivander’s chin.
“Does everything have to be a competition with you?” Collins teased, kissing Meg’s neck.
“Not everything,” Meg said, turning to capture Collins’ mouth in a kiss. Her lips tasted like saltwater.
Ollivander, to his credit, hopped away to give them a moment of privacy.
Meg felt the back string of her bikini top come untied, and when she opened her eyes, Collins was grinning.
“We should get out of these wet clothes, don’t you think?” Collins said, nipping at the soft skin under Meg’s ear.
Meg laughed, standing and holding her bikini top in place with one hand, taking Collins’ in the other. “You lead the way.”
Thank you!
Thank you so much for reading the love stories of The Shrikes! I have loved writing these books and I hope you have loved the journey, too.
The best way to support me as an indie writer is to leave a review! You can review The Kaleidoscope Album box set on Amazon here and Goodreads here.
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Acknowledgments
My sister has been an amazingly supportive cheerleader for the past year as I’ve written these books.
Many, many thanks to my wife for just generally being the best ever and supporting me during the long, long hours of writing and editing and coffee bingeing.
Thank you to the readers who have reached out to tell me they enjoyed this series and can’t wait for more books. They’re on the way, I promise!
Maxx, please write your damn book.
About the Author
Bryce grew up in the mountains of Colorado with a taste for adventure and a head full of clouds. She never grew out of either.
She lives in Denver with her partner, two adorable rescue dogs, and a very opinionated cat.
Also by Bryce Oakley
The Kaleidoscope Album:
Undone
Bewilder
Midnight
Bloom
Holiday Romance:
Most Wonderful