Guess the Issued Partner Program committee really did know what they were doing.
Epilogue
Tony
I’m standing inside the public restroom, checking my outfit, checking my moves, and trying not to psych myself out. Who in the hell would have ever thought I would be doing Zumba for a fundraiser? After my visit with my father, I realized that pushing away the painful parts of my life also meant pushing away the memories of my mom. And since my visit, I’ve begun to reconnect with my family, and it’s as if I can hear Mamá’s laugh again. See her dimples in Vanessa’s face when we virtual chat. All the time spent pushing my father away because I didn’t want to face losing my mom ended up with me losing him too. I never want things to go back to that.
I make one final adjustment to my attire and exit the restroom.
The Zumba class is a small part of the bigger fundraiser and is being held on a swath of golden sand overlooking the ocean. Luckily, this November day turned out to be pleasantly brisk. The breeze fluttering through the guests’ hair holds the promise of winter, and the sand cocooning my bare feet is chilly rather than summer hot. Perfect for not sweating my ass off. Apá is waiting for me at the head of the class and he has a microphone in his hand. Speakers are set up on each side of the block of people who are currently half stretching, half mingling.
“Who is ready to shake their boo-tay?” My father cups his ear and leans toward the crowd as they yell back in response.
My cheeks are already heating and sweat lines my brow. I jump up and down, shaking my hands, hoping to chase away the nervous energy. Then the music starts, and I cannot believe he chose “Despacito” as the first song. The nerve of this man. I shake my head and laugh. There’s not much I can do at this point but roll with it. We start moving and he guides everyone in with easy-to-do, warm-up moves.
“Okay, everybody, let’s go side to side, and side to side,” he shouts enthusiastically. There’s a whole new side to my dad I’m learning about as he bounces from left to right. His stage presence commands such attention that even I jump alongside him without thinking twice.
I look out into the group and spot Bennett and Inara dancing near each other. Damn, my wife is adorable. Her mother is nearby and, if I’m not mistaken, she’s taking a few glances at Bennett as my dad switches to the “around-the-world” movement. Inara does a double take at her mother, then rolls her eyes. I wink at her when she turns to face me.
Inara mirrors the moves, but from the waist down, which is different than most people around her, and I’m already captivated by her swirling. I look away from her, not wanting to get too distracted right now in my athletic shorts, and fall back into the crowd.
I am surprised by how many people are here. Jim, Taya, Craiger and Mason, Bear, Marge, Graves, and little Leslie all came out to support me. Even Hayden is in the crowd. She must’ve flown home from college for the weekend. When I finally opened up to the guys about how difficult things had been after losing my mom, they were more than understanding. And when they found out about the fundraiser, they all immediately signed up.
Mason catches my gaze and starts jumping up and down, waving at me. He’s not exactly doing the moves anyway, and his smile is infectious. I wave back and then give him a thumbs-up.
Next, I sidle over to Jim, hoping Apá doesn’t notice my half-ass participation. Jim is only barely moving, though. Before he can utter a word, I shoot the biggest, toothy grin at him. “Jim, boy, gotta start swirling those hips. Gimme some pelvic action!”
His face turns crimson, and I’m not sure if he’s going to hide or kill me, but he’s such an easy target, I really can’t help myself most days. He picks up his pace and glances at Taya, who is clutching her stomach, unable to control her laughter or maintain her dance moves.
My father really has got this crowd moving. “Now grapevine, everybody. To the left. And to the right.” They’ll be starving by the time we get back to Shaken & Stirred to join the others who couldn’t do Zumba for the main part of the fundraiser.
I look over and Bear seems to be doing some version of terrible line dancing, kicking up sand with his giant feet as he goes. Marge is actually pretty good, and she keeps stopping her husband then moving his hips with her hands. But he just pulls her in for a twirl and a kiss. This isn’t exactly the ideal, most true-to-style Zumba class, but it is a fundraiser that everyone wanted to be a part of and, hell, they’re having fun.
I move once again and spot Graves in the very back. Damn, he’s pretty good too. He should probably be helping lead this class instead of me. And the way Hayden’s ogling him isn’t lost on me either. At least her father is too busy paying attention to her mother to notice.
I go back to stand next to my father as the songs continue to blend, one into the next, and I’m sweating, despite my plan to keep cool. My father is, too, and unfortunately, he’s wearing Spanx-style shorts. Inara has made her way to the front toward us, and she winks at me with each shuffle and merengue march.
Warmth radiates from my chest to my limbs. To think I almost ruined our relationship by not dealing with my baggage because now, I can’t imagine any part of my life working without her.
When the class finally ends, my dad gets back on the mic. “Just a reminder, everyone, to head over to Shaken & Stirred for food and festivities. We also have a raffle going on and all proceeds will be donated. You can win a year’s worth of Zumba lessons at a local venue, an iPod for all your workout needs, and a gift card to the restaurant.”
Everyone cheers and shouts before rushing to grab their things. It’s a short distance to the restaurant, so many of the people walk over. Apá, Inara, and I head over to our car after we pack up. We step inside and my chest expands, as I’m overwhelmed by how many people are here. I’m not sure how I could ever repay everyone’s support or show my appreciation to my wife who helped make it all happen. She even went the extra mile and rented one of those mobile stages, which is parked facing the restaurant, right along the sand.
Taya bounds up onto the stage, grabs a mic, and asks for everyone’s attention. “Hey, everyone, you are all basically like family to me, and I could not imagine telling you all any other way. Jim and I are having a baby.” She unleashes a spray of confetti from a popper she brought up with her.
Everyone cheers and my wife rushes to the stage and gives her best friend a bear hug, being careful not to squeeze too hard. Jim is so pale, I’m concerned he might pass out. The public announcement for a guy who is overly private leaves him wide-eyed and still. If any of us had done that, there’d be hell to pay and a couple of black eyes. But his wife can get away with just about anything.
I find myself beaming as I head over to my teammate and give him a strong hug and pat on the back. “Congrats, man. You’ll make a great father.”
He looks around for a moment and doesn’t respond as he takes in everyone’s excitement. Then he takes in a deep breath. “I think so.”
“I know so.” We shake hands and I head to the side of the stage and grab a water bottle.
Inara wanders over to me, leans in after wrapping her arms around my waist, and whispers in my ear, “Nice moves, by the way. Maybe you could give me a private lesson later.” She bites my earlobe as I chug my water, trying to keep dirty thoughts from entering my mind. But my wife just giggles, then reaches down and takes my hand into hers. “Do you think we should tell them?”
After meeting with the grief counselor and talking with my commanding officer multiple times, my application to Officer Candidate School was finally approved. I was ecstatic when I found out. The only downside to this endeavor is that we will have to move temporarily.
I kiss my wife on the cheek and squeeze her hand, ready to step into a new adventure with her. “We probably should.”
Inara trots back up the two steps leading to the makeshift stage and takes the mic from Taya. “One more announcement, please? We are so happy you all could be here for the fundraiser. I know how much this means t
o Tony’s family, and Tony and I also want to thank you for your support. Plus, we also wanted to let you know that Tony has been accepted into Officer Candidate School!”
She shouts the last part and some feedback causes a screech in the amp. Everyone claps as I make my way to her side. Inara and Taya turn and embrace one another, holding on for a while. They are bound to remain close friends, since the two have been through so much together. We might be moving away for a while, but that will not break the bonds we’ve formed with these people we call family.
And the move will strengthen the bond between Inara and me. We are in this for the long haul. Together. And nothing will ever come between us again.
The End
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If you enjoyed Matched, you’ll love the next book in….
The Navy Seals of Little Creek series
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Book 2: Matched
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About the Author
Paris Wynters is an adult romance author repped by Tricia Skinner at Fuse Literary. She lives on Long Island (in New York) with her family, which includes two psychotic working dogs. Paris is a graduate of Loyola University Chicago.
Paris and her son are nationally certified Search and Rescue personnel (she is a canine handler). She is a huge supporter of the military/veteran community. When not writing, Paris enjoys playing XBOX (she is a huge HALO fanatic and enjoys FORTNITE), watching hockey (Go Islanders), and trying new things like flying planes and taking trapeze classes.
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Matched (Navy Seals of Little Creek Book 2) Page 23