“Thank you.” Gage takes a breath. “And Rory, I apologize to you—for taking advantage of you while I was out of my head with grief over the state of my life. I knew better. I’m not making any excuses for myself.”
Rory shrugs. “I’m not thinking about it anymore.” She nods my way. “I want a real relationship with you, Skyla. With all of you. And I’m determined to take care of Sage for you while you’re occupied on Earth. I promise I won’t ruin her.” She makes a face. “Do I have your permission?”
“You bet.” I pull her in once again and bury my face in her golden curls.
“Hey, Messenger?” a voice calls out from a distance. “If you won’t come to the party, the party is coming to you.”
We turn to see Ellis Harrison and Giselle heading over, and behind them are Ezrina, Nev, Brody, Brookelynn, Chloe, Nat—and on either side of her Kate and Pierce, Emerson Kragger, Michelle, Lexy, Em, Bree, Drake, Ethan, Liam, Wes, Laken, and beautiful, beautiful Coop.
And we have a party. One hell of a party.
28
Gage
Moving day.
Logan, Skyla, and I worked our asses off all afternoon and well into the evening boxing up that old room at the Landon house that held so many memories for us all. We left the furniture and the bedding in the butterfly room where it was. But we took the clothes, the boys’ things, and moved them all over to Whitehorse, their true home where they belong. I cleared out my place, too. The house that Skyla and I bought with so much hope and anticipation of what the future would hold. Chloe even swung by to box up the few bits and pieces she left behind.
Skyla walks into the center of the living room with tears glistening in her eyes.
“So much has happened here.” She gives a little spin before looking to Liam. “And it looks as if a lot is going to happen here for you, too.”
Logan slaps a hand on Liam’s shoulder. “That’s right. You’re going to be a dad—twice over.”
Liam shrugs. “Hey, what can I say? I’ve got a lot of life to make up for.”
Chloe enters the room and sets a small box onto the coffee table.
“And boy, do you know how to live it and how to give it,” she says the words with a wink.
I try not to scowl at her. If anything, Chloe never wavered with her devotion to Celestra, and I did. For that alone, I guess I could admire her.
“So Liam”—my chest expands as I look at Logan’s older twin—“who’s it going to be? Michelle or Lex? I think you’ve vacillated enough. You’ve got kids on the way. Dude, you’ve got to step up and choose.”
“I did choose.” Liam widens his stance as he tips his head back. “And I chose neither Michelle nor Lexy.” He gives a little shrug as he holds his arms open, and to our horror Chloe floats into them.
“He chose me,” she says, slipping an arm around his waist. “And I chose him, too.” She dots a kiss to his cheek as Skyla gags and chokes on the words trying to crawl out of her throat.
“Liam,” Skyla pants. “She killed your brother.”
“Whoa.” Liam holds a hand out. “And he’s still with us. I’d like to think it was all a part of the plan. A necessary evil.” He winks her way as he says that last word, and rightly so.
“Logan?” Skyla stiffens as she demands a response from him.
Logan winces at the two of them. “Really, Liam?”
Liam nods, affirming his insanity. “Really.”
“Fine,” Logan says, tossing up his hands. “Some people need a little tough love, and I think you are one of them, brother. Good luck to you. And, Chloe? You do realize his superpower is impregnating women.”
“It’s not happening,” she assures us. “And we’re both fine with it. Liam will have his rugrats, and I have mine.” She looks to Skyla. “Wes and I have discussed it, and I’ll be taking part in their lives now and again. I’ve decided that there’s room in my heart for Tobie and Mally.”
“Good. I know you have it in you to be a decent mother.” Skyla tips her head to the side. “God help you all.”
We share a warm laugh on Chloe’s behalf before Skyla and Logan take off for Whitehorse.
I’ll be joining them in a bit, but I head across the street to Wesley’s first.
He meets me at the door in his sweats, looking drugged as if he still can’t catch up on his sleep.
“Brother.” He pulls me into a manly embrace. “Dude, if you get tired of watching Logan sleep with your wife, you’re welcome to move into my basement.”
“Thanks, I might just take you up on it. Are you okay, man?”
His lips purse as his expression grows sober. “Yeah, I’m good. Laken and I are good. She gave her landlord the heads-up. She and the kids are moving in with me next month.”
“That’s great to hear. I’d rather she be with you than in that house all alone with those memories. This will be a good thing. Are you going to make an honest woman out of her?”
A smile curves on his lips. “We’re tying the knot as soon as we can pick a date. You up for playing the part of best man?”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” I slap him on the back. “Don’t forget about the game this Saturday at West. Dudley got the field for us.”
“I wouldn’t miss it. And don’t think I’m not going to kick your ass while we’re out there.”
“I’ll believe it when I see it,” I say as I take off.
By the time I get to Whitehorse, the rain has started in, sizzling over my windshield, quick and steady.
I pull the last of my things from the cab of my truck and make a run for the porch.
It’s true. I’m moving in.
And now that every last Nephilim has fully sided with Skyla, we decided to give Ezrina and Nev full run of the Transfer. They’ve decided to use the place as their weekend house, or realm as it were. As for Paragon, they’re building a house down the road with the money they’ve saved up from the Gas Lab. They want to ensure Alice has as normal a life as possible, and in a strange way, I do believe it’s possible. But until then, they’re still in the basement.
I’ll be taking a room upstairs on the other side of the house as far away as possible from Skyla and Logan’s bedroom. Weird, I know. But the boys will be next door to me. And the fact I get to live with my kids is a gift I couldn’t say no to.
It was Skyla and Logan who came up with the idea. They left it open-ended. I can stay for as long as I want. I’m not sure how long I’ll be here, but for now, after all of the emotional trauma we’ve all been through, it didn’t seem like a bad idea.
I give a knock to the door and hear the thunder of little feet drumming in this direction.
The door bursts open, and it’s Skyla on the other side with Nathan and Barron screaming wildly at the sight of me.
“Daddy’s home!” Skyla trills as the boys attack me.
Logan comes this way with Jaxson on his hip. “Welcome home, Gage.”
I step inside to my new reality—our new reality, as I pick up the boys and jostle them until they scream and laugh.
“I’m home.”
29
Logan
“Go right!” I shout as I nod to Ellis.
It’s a perfect Saturday night and by some miracle of God—and perhaps Dudley, we’ve put together a scrimmage with our old rivals from East. We’re back on the field, right here at West Paragon High, in our old uniforms, looking a little meaner, a little heavier, a little slower, but just as fierce and determined.
Behind us, painted onto the wall of the boys’ gym, Cerberus watches over our every move with his snarling three heads. The lights up above flood the field as the ground fog licks at our heels threatening to fill the vicinity at any moment, and it feels glorious.
But the best part? Those girls who once cheered for us all those years ago are still on the sidelines doing their thing, screaming for us with just as much zest and enthusiasm as they’ve ever mustered. Skyla had her uniform adjusted and honestly she looks far more stunnin
g than she ever did. And the stands—they’re filled with family, with friends, with pretty much every single person who has ever graced one of Ellis Harrison’s parties. Even Principal Rice bothered to show in order to witness the spectacle.
Of course, we’ve let Brody, Wes, Liam, Rev, and Gabe onto the team to fill the spots of those that moved away.
We play long and hard, no mercy, all rage and determination until hours drift by.
The West Paragon Dawgs do our thing, bringing home the big V at twenty-eight to twenty-one.
Gage runs over and pulls me in with a whoop.
“We did it,” he thunders as the rest of the team gathers, and we slap each other five.
The girls swoop over, and Chloe leads the charge as she heads to Liam.
Chloe lands a heated kiss over his lips. “You boys are lucky this man wasn’t around back in the day or Logan and Gage wouldn’t have been such a big deal.”
Ellis laughs the loudest and the longest as Giselle falls into his arms.
“Party at my house,” Ellis shouts. “Liam is bringing the booze.” He shoots him with his fingers. “That should make you feel like a pretty big deal.”
Lexy pulls out her camera and begins to chronicle the scene.
“Over here!” Skyla calls to her as she pulls Gage and me to the side. “Quick—one of you, take off your helmet. And Lexy make sure you get Cerberus in the background!”
Gage is quick to oblige as he lands his helmet to the ground.
Skyla hops onto it and we recreate that pose from all those years ago, with Skyla standing between Gage and me—and it feels as if we’ve come full circle.
We have.
Lizbeth and Tad take the kids home, much to Tad’s horror while we head over to Ellis Harrison’s house for a little while.
Everyone shows, everyone enjoys the hell out of themselves, too.
Some things hold eternal, and this feels like one of them.
I’m damn glad about it, too.
Late that night, in the dark, while holding Skyla in my arms, long after we’ve exhausted ourselves with one another, after the moon has already routed its way out of our bedroom, I pull her in close.
She touches her lips to mine before whispering, “All those years ago in the butterfly room when we gave that battle cry to take down the Counts—who would have thought we would have taken down so much more, achieved more than our wildest dreams could have anticipated.”
I nod. “What the enemy meant to harm us with, the Lord made work for our good, the good of all mankind and ultimately His glory.
“You did it,” I whisper.
“We did it.”
“No”—I shake my head—“that victory was brought through you. I was simply your faithful assistant.”
“I thank you for your devotion but you were far more than an assistant. You were my rock, my lion.” She takes a playful bite out of my ear. “Let me hear you roar one more time.”
“Who am I to deny the queen?”
30
Wesley
September 1st
Rockaway.
It’s my brother’s special place. He’s the one that recommended it to me—to us, us being Laken and me. And after giving it some thought, we agreed.
Laken and Cooper were married at Whitehorse. Laken and I were married in the Transfer. We thought we needed a fresh start, something that said new beginnings, one that will stretch from here to eternity.
Back when I lost Laken—the first time around at Ephemeral, it was revealed to me by the Justice Alliance that Laken and I would one day be together again. I’ll admit, deep down I wondered if that prediction had already come true when she lost her memory and came back to me for that brief yet glorious season. But it hadn’t.
However, today it happens. And it happens for good, for the very last time. Laken and I are solid, our shared grief for Coop bonded us like never before. I’d give anything for Cooper to be here to this day as Laken’s husband. But he can’t. This is where fate has led us, led me, right to the soot-colored shores of Rockaway Beach.
A heavy sigh expels from me as I watch the waves crash over the shore in a magnificent show of strength.
The onyx sand shimmers as the sun struggles to break through up above.
I’ve pulled out all stops today. No wish of Laken’s was too big. Everything she dreamed up is coming true for her today. And that’s exactly why a full-blown altar has been erected over the sand. An arch comprised of blush pink roses towers in a show of pastel beauty. Hundreds, if not thousands, of roses create a dreamscape for this dream day, and it feels right. I’ve donned a dark suit. Same with Gage, same with little Wes, and Eli. Tobie, Charlie, and Mally all have matching pink dresses with bows in their hair that sparkle.
Tobie and Charlie will be the flower girls this afternoon. Laken’s mother and Dr. Booth volunteered to watch the kids for us for the next few days. With the exception of Eli, of course. Kres is taking him home. She’s moved into the bungalow behind the main house. She doesn’t seem to mind the arrangement and neither does Laken. And I’m glad I get to have Eli in my life each day. I need him, too. I never want him to feel like second best. I never want him to know the torment Demetri caused me. As much as I didn’t want to admit it even to myself, it infuriated me, hurt me, to have lived in Gage Oliver’s shadow that way. But I’m over it now. Grown up and grown out of that mess in my head.
Speaking of the demon in question…
“Wesley.” Demetri widens his smile as he heads my way. “So gracious of you to extend the invite. The olive branch is well received.”
I nod. “I thought it was best.” The best way to heal. He’s still on the island, still in our lives. “You don’t have any more power over me, Demetri. In fact, you don’t have any more power over anything. Do you?”
He frowns as I say it. “Not yet.”
“Not ever.” I fiddle with the knot in my tie a moment. “Make yourself useful. Is my tie straight?”
Demetri gives it a yank and tug before slapping me over the lapels. He pins those dark twin bottomless pits he sees the world through on me and looks me right in the eye.
“You are my son, Wesley.” He nods. “You will always be my son.”
He turns and migrates toward the chairs set out in the sand, and I take a moment to let that sink in. For whatever it was worth, there it is.
The wind picks up and I take my place at the altar as the remaining seats fill in with friends and family.
Gage steps up and pulls me close. “This is it, man. You ready?”
“I was born for this.”
“I know, Wes.” He offers a sober nod. “I know.”
The music starts up, a trio of violins. Tobie and Charlie run down the aisle throwing rose petals at the crowd around them as if they were trying to put out a fire and the sound of our collective laughter rises to the sky.
And then the music shifts. My heart drums hard. My adrenaline spikes to unsafe levels. The world around me grows strangely dim as all eyes face toward the back, and I look to the left where she’s set to emerge. A small part of me fears she won’t come, but then I see her.
Laken Stewart Flanders strides forward on Dr. Booths’ arm, stunning as a vision in a flowing white gown that looks as if it was made of water, and air, and perhaps ripped right out of Candace Messenger’s celestial closet.
A moan works its way up my throat as I take her in.
“Easy,” Gage whispers my way.
But I don’t pay any attention to my brother. I don’t pay any attention to anyone under the sun but that angel striding my way with her flowing hair, a crown of roses on her head, and that smile, that ear to ear grin that is just for me.
Laken comes forward and I marvel at her.
“Flawless.” It’s all I can say, the only word I can muster. It’s the truth—one hundred percent gospel. I steal a kiss from her lips before we ever turn toward Dudley. Laken and I share a kiss for the ages and the crowd goes wild. We pour all of the
pain from the past and all of hope of the future into that soul-churning exchange.
Soon enough, Dudley does his thing and Laken and I exchange rings, vows, and kisses once again.
It’s done. Now and forever, Laken is my precious, precious wife.
We eat, drink, and dance right here at Rockaway. And at one point in the night, I see my brother and Skyla dancing close, intimate, whispering to one another, sharing secret smiles. My heart breaks for him—not as much as it breaks for Coop. Gage is still a lucky bastard. As far as the grand scheme of things goes, our time on Earth will quickly fall away and eternity will be at hand. Coop will be back in the game, and so will Gage.
I pick up Tobie, Charlie, and Eli—and Laken holds little Wes and Mally, and we dance with our brood, all of us laughing as we move to the music. I would have never imagined something like this, not sure I could have. But here we are, with so much still ahead of us. So much joy, so much love.
So much love we’re drowning in it. I hope Cooper can see us. I hope with everything in me that he approves.
I look up to the sky just in time to see a shooting star blaze through the sky, and Laken follows my gaze as we slow down for a moment.
“Daddy!” Charlie shouts as she points to the tail of that magnificent trail of light.
Laken and I hook our gaze and I nod her way.
That was Coop’s way of saying all is well, that he more than approves.
Laken’s mouth falls open and I see her teetering on that dark abyss once again so I do what I do best. I comfort her.
Laken and I share a kiss under a starry Paragon sky with our brood wiggling between us, the baby in her belly kicking to life.
All is well again.
And one day, in the great by and by, things will be even better than this.
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Roar of the Lion : Celestra Forever After 7 Page 56