I lost touch with Emmett years ago, and I know Sean rarely hears from him anymore. It’s hard to keep in contact with everyone when we are all spread out and everyone leads busy lives. All I know is Emmett is happy living in Texas with his wife and two kids and he has a successful electrical engineering career.
We watch the game, rooting for our friend, while we dig into our Thai food and enjoy a few beers. When the doorbell chimes a short while later, I get up, taking the box with the cake into the kitchen. Theo helps me light the candles, and we all sing happy birthday to Saint. “Make a wish, Saintly,” I say, holding the cake out in front of him.
“I already have, queenie.” He holds my gaze as he blows out the candles in one go.
No one needs to ask him what he wished for because we already know.
Epilogue
Harlow
Six months later
MY HANDS SHAKE as I park the car at the curb, killing the engine before taking a moment to compose myself. My heart is beating frantically behind my rib cage, and hope bubbles underneath the surface of my skin. I pray I haven’t made a mistake coming here, because I never want to hurt Saint, but I have a good feeling about it, and I don’t want to do this without him.
Forcing my nerves aside, I climb out of my SUV, locking it with the key fob as I walk toward the entrance to the garage.
“What’s wrong?” Saint asks the second he sees me. “Did Bishop get into trouble at school again?”
I shake my head as I stride toward the reception desk. “Not that I’m aware of, and I’m sure Galen would’ve called me if there was an issue.”
Bishop started elementary school last year, and it’s been eventful, to say the least. He has a higher than normal level of intelligence for his age, and he isn’t fitting in easily. He has one best friend, Hayes, but he regularly gets into arguments with a couple of the other boys in his class, and it has caused some friction. We’ve been called in a few times to meet with his teacher and the principal, and we’re not convinced the private school we enrolled him in is the right fit.
Bishop takes it all in stride, and it doesn’t seem to upset him, but we can’t help worrying. We have considered moving him, but he doesn’t want to go to a new school because he is best buds with Hayes and he doesn’t want to be separated from him. Also, Luna will be joining him in August, and he wants to go to the same school as his sister so he can look out for her. His words, not mine.
“Is it Rora?” Saint asks, stepping out from behind the desk to greet me. He kisses me softly before bundling me up in his arms.
“Nope. She’s home with Galen this week. Remember?” Rora started preschool in September, and there have been some issues there too although she seems to have settled down recently. They are on a break this week, and Galen is enjoying having her and Luna around more than usual.
“Okay. I’m obviously way off track,” he murmurs into my hair.
“Can’t a wife just drop by her husband’s garage without there being a reason?” I ask even though there is a reason I’m here, but I really should drop by more often. We could do lunch after my shift at the center some days.
“Of course, you can. I’m just surprised to see you, but it’s not unwelcome. I haven’t eaten yet,” he adds, winding his fingers through my lavender hair. “Let me take you out for lunch.”
“That sounds wonderful. But we need to do something first.”
He arches a brow, and I swallow over the anxious lump in my throat as I thrust the small paper bag into his hand. He opens it, sucking in a gasp as he removes the pregnancy test.
“There is a reason,” he whispers, sounding like he’s in a daze. When he lifts his head, there are tears in his eyes. “Do you really think you—”
“I’m two weeks late, Saint,” I admit, cutting across him. I didn’t want to say anything earlier, because we don’t do this anymore. Since we had our heart to heart, we have relaxed on all fronts. Where Saint used to force me to pee on a stick every month, now he just waits for me to mention my period. The fact it’s been this long and he didn’t even ask about it shows how far we have come. I’m not naive to think he doesn’t remember, but he doesn’t force the issue. Things are great between us again, but there is always this little niggle at the back of everything, and we all feel it.
“I’m scared,” he says, his voice sounding choked. “And excited,” he adds, his eyes lighting up.
“Me too, but this feels different.” That’s as close as I will come to saying it.
A look of steely determination washes over his face as he shoves the bag into my purse and takes my hand. “Let’s do this.” He leads me into the garage, and the guys wave and call out as we pass.
My chest heaves when I enter Saint’s private bathroom at the side of his office. Saint locks the door while I wipe my clammy hands down the front of my yoga pants, reminding myself to breathe.
“My queen.” Saint clasps my face in his hands. “Don’t be nervous. Whatever it says, we will deal with it together.” He rests his forehead against mine. “If it’s meant to be, it will happen.”
I press a hard kiss to his lips. “I fucking love you, Saint Westbrook.”
“Love you too, babe,” he says as I get down to business.
We hold one another after I’m done while we wait for the stick to show the result. It’s the longest three minutes of my life.
“Lo,” Saint whispers, glancing over my shoulder.
Keeping a hold of his hand, I ease out of his arms and pluck the digital stick up, reading the words through blurry eyes.
“You’re pregnant,” he rasps, taking the stick from me with trembling hands. He stares at it while happy tears roll down my face. “You’re having my baby.” Tears stream shamelessly down his cheeks as he sets the test down, gently placing his hands on my stomach. “We did it. My baby is growing in there.”
I fling my arms around him, half laughing and half crying, and he lifts me up, carefully swinging me around, dotting kisses all over my face. Setting my feet down on the ground, he pins me with a wide smile, pressing a loving kiss to my mouth. “I love you, Harlow. I love you so fucking much. You’ve just made all my dreams come true.”
Saint
Seven months later
“Congratulations,” the midwife says. “You have a son.” She hands our baby to me, and I cradle him to my chest, barely able to see him through the tears flowing down my face. My chest heaves with indecipherable emotion as I look at my flesh and blood for the first time. He has a fine layer of downy dark hair on his head, and his features are all scrunched up, his eyes closed, lashes fluttering, as he adjusts to life outside the womb.
He’s tiny. Barely weighing anything in my arms, and my protective instincts kick in, like they did with our other kids. I would kill for this child. I would annihilate anyone who sought to hurt him. I press a kiss to his temple, uncaring he’s still covered in bits of blood and fluids. The nurse gave him a cursory quick cleaning before wrapping him in a soft towel and handing him to me because she could tell I couldn’t wait a minute more before cradling my son in my arms.
The surge of emotion flooding my system is unlike anything I’ve felt before. “Welcome to the world, little man,” I whisper. “I’ve waited a long time to meet you.”
It’s not actually been that long even though it took over a year for Lo to get pregnant. That’s not long compared to how long other couples have to wait. But I’m an impatient prick, and those fourteen months felt like fourteen years.
We’ve made the most of our time since Lo got pregnant, remodeling the nursery to accommodate the twins, and fitting it out with everything they need. We even picked their names after the scan confirmed we were expecting a boy and a girl. We knew the chances of Lo giving birth early were high, so we wanted to be well prepared. Twins are usually born around thirty-five weeks, and with Lo having given birth to three kids previously, it was a pretty foregone conclusion we’d be welcoming the newest additions to our family at this tim
e.
Holding my son, Soren, in my arms, is the best fucking feeling in the world. All I need now is my daughter Willow to be born, and for my wife to be okay, and everything will be perfect.
This isn’t the first time I’ve been in the delivery room with Harlow. Galen and I were with her when Bishop was born, and Theo and I were with Lo when Luna was born. Caz and Theo supported her at Rora’s birth. It’s ironic, or kismet, that all of us ended up being there when our biological kids were born. We asked the others if one of them wanted to be with us today, but they declined, stating they wanted to be with the other kids, to help keep them entertained in case the labor was long.
I’m not sure if that’s the truth. Maybe they were letting us have this moment together because it’s the first time Lo has given birth knowing who the biological father is. Or maybe they are pandering to the possessive side of my personality. I’m not even sure if the medical team would’ve permitted anyone else in, as there is a higher risk when delivering more than one baby. Whatever the reason, I’m glad it’s just Lo and me. Fuck it if that makes me selfish. It makes it more special, especially after everything we’ve been through to get to this point.
Lo grunts, gripping the side of the bed, and I crouch down, bringing our son close to her, figuring she needs the incentive to deliver his sibling. I have never been more in awe of my wife than I am today. She’s so strong. So beautiful. A warrior. A queen. The love of my fucking life. The mother of my children. The owner of my heart and soul.
Lo is a fucking trooper, and I don’t know how she has the strength to keep going, but she doesn’t complain much. She is just getting on with it. I will never feel worthy of this woman.
“Say hi to Mommy,” I tell Soren, and a loud wail rips from his lips. I slide my finger in his hand, silently fist pumping the air when his tiny fingers curl around mine. Fresh tears prick my eyes, and I’m barely holding it together.
Lo breathes in and out, gritting her teeth as she looks at our baby boy. “Is he okay?” she asks in between pants.
“He’s perfect,” I say just as the nurse arrives to take him away to be bathed. “He’s got a fine set of lungs anyway.” Wringing the cloth in the bowl of water by the bed, I dab at Lo’s brow, wiping beads of sweat away and brushing sticky strands of hair off her face.
“Just another few seconds and then one big push, sweetie,” the midwife says from between her legs.
I slide my arm around Lo’s back and hold her hand, inhaling and exhaling with her as she prepares to bear down.
“Now, Harlow,” the midwife commands, and Lo grits her teeth, panting and groaning as she delivers our daughter.
Piercing cries ring out as our little Willow comes kicking and screaming into the world.
Lo slumps against me, and I press a fierce kiss to her temple while the nurse cleans our little girl and the midwife attends to my wife. “I love you,” I tell her. “I love you so much. You have made me the happiest man alive today.” I don’t hide my tears as I kiss and hold her.
“I love you too,” she says, crying happy tears and smiling as the nurse hands our daughter over. “Wow. She’s going to be blonde.” She smooths a finger gently over the blonde hair stuck to our daughter’s head.
“I wonder if she’ll have curls like Luna,” I muse, sniffing as powerful emotion sneaks up on me again.
The nurse returns our son, all clean and smelling like lavender baby bath, wrapped in a long-sleeved onesie under the soft blue blanket we brought with us. We coo over him while we wait for our daughter to be bathed and returned, and then I go out to get the others.
Our family bursts into the room, and the noise levels elevate a few decibels as Rora squeals in excitement. Caz has to wrangle her into his arms to stop her from lunging at her new brother and sister. Luna snuggles with Lo, smiling as she holds her new sister in both their arms, while I cradle my son in my arms, showing him off to Bishop.
“See that,” I tell our eldest son, speaking loudly so the whole room hears. “That’s evidence of super, super, super sperm.” I knocked our woman up with two kids. Two babies, motherfuckers. None of those assholes managed that.
“Saintly!” Lo shrieks.
I smirk, slanting a smug look in Galen, Caz, and Theo’s direction. “Admit it, motherfuckers,” I add, uncaring about cussing. There is no way to protect our kids from cussing in our household. “I’m the fucking bomb.” I puff out my chest, my heart swelling with joy.
“We’re never going to hear the end of this,” Galen mutters, but he’s grinning. He slaps me on the shoulder. “I’m happy for you, man.”
“He looks just like Lo,” Caz says, leaning in to coo at our new son. “Thank fuck.”
“Our new daughter is the spitting image of her daddy,” Lo adds, gazing adoringly at the tiny little princess in her arms. “So, suck it up, Caz,” she teases.
“Yeah, Poppa Bear,” Rora says, jutting out her lower lip. “Suck it up!”
Laughter surrounds us, and as I cast my gaze over my family, I offer up thanks to whoever graced us with these two new miracles, promising I will never let them or any of our kids down.
_______________
THE END
_______________
Want to binge read another dark romance trilogy? Check out my Rydeville Elite Box Set, available exclusively from Amazon. Or download Cruel Intentions, book one in this completed romance. All the books in the series are free to read in Kindle Unlimited.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
And so I’ve come to the end of another series, and I’m inhabiting that happy, proud, bittersweet space I’m always in when it’s time to say goodbye to characters I have come to love as if they are real. What a mad crazy ride it has been, and I know Harlow, Saint, Galen, Caz, and Theo will remain in my thoughts for a long, long time.
I hope you have enjoyed reading my Sainthood series as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it!
I always say it takes a mini army to birth a book, and it’s so true! In no particular order, thanks to Kelly Hartigan, Danielle Sanchez and her team at Wildfire Marketing Solutions, Robin Harper, Michelle Lancaster, CP Smith, Lola Verroen, Sarah Puckett, Sarah Ferguson, my proof ladies, my BETA and ARC readers, and all the bloggers, bookstagrammers, and readers who do so much to help spread the word about my books.
To Jennifer Gibson, critique partner extraordinaire and the woman who literally keeps me sane, I don’t have words to express how much it means to me to have you in my life. I can’t wait for the day I get to hug you in person. Thanks for loving these characters and this world as much as me and for helping to keep me on the right track.
A big shout out to Siobhan’s Elite, my street team on Facebook. You ladies rock BIG-TIME. I’m so grateful to have you all in my corner. Thank you for your wonderful support and for being one of the nicest group of ladies I’ve had the pleasure to meet online. Massive thanks to Christina Santos, your fearless leader and a woman I’m proud to have by my side as I navigate the constantly changing indie romance community. I couldn’t do it without you, Christina, and I’m so grateful for everything you do to help promote me and my books. Most of all, I’m grateful for your loyal friendship.
I’d also like to thank all the admins and members of Siobhan’s Squad and The Sainthood Spoiler Group. It’s my happy place on FB, and I love interacting with so many encouraging, enthusiastic readers. You have no idea how much your thoughtful comments and posts cheer me up on difficult days. Your love for this series has bowled me over, so thank you from the bottom of my heart.
To all my author friends, thank you so much for your support and encouragement, and it’s wonderful to be surrounded by so many like-minded people who enjoy building their fellow authors up instead of tearing them down. A special mention to my besties, Susan Alexander, Shantel Tessier, Dee Kelly, Lianne Cotton
, and Coralee June. Love you ladies. Big hugs.
MASSIVE THANKS TO YOU, dear reader! Without readers like you, I wouldn’t have the career of my dreams. I NEVER forget that. I look forward to entertaining you for many more years to come.
I couldn’t do this without the love and support of my family, most notably my husband Trevor and my sons, Cian and Callum. You are my world, and it’s all for you.
AN AMAZON TOP 25 BESTSELLER
In the power struggle between two elite groups, one feisty girl will bring them to their knees…
Life is a cruel game where only the most ruthless survive. It’s a truth my mother rebelled against, and she paid for it with her life. Now, I play their game. Publicly accepting the destiny that lies in wait for me when I turn eighteen.
But, behind closed doors, I plot my escape.
Trent, Charlie, and my twin, Drew, rule the hallways of Rydeville High with arrogance and an iron fist. I execute my role perfectly, hating every second, but they never let me forget my place in this world.
Everyone obeys the rules. They have for generations. Because our families have always been in control.
Until Cam, Sawyer, and Jackson show up. Throwing their new money around. Challenging the status quo. Setting hearts racing with their gorgeous faces, hot bodies, and bad boy attitudes.
Battle lines are drawn. Sides are taken. And I’m trapped in the middle, because I made a mistake one fateful night when I gave my V-card to a stranger in a blatant F you to my fiancé.
I thought it was the one thing I owned. A precious memory to carry me through each dark day.
I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Because the stranger was Camden Marshall, leader of the new elite and my perpetual tormenter. He hates me with a passion unrivaled, and he won’t be the only one. Fire will rain down if the truth is revealed, threatening alliances, and the power struggle will turn vicious.
The Sainthood : A Dark High School Romance (The Complete Series) Page 99