My smile was so wide it hurt. “I did, didn’t I?”
“You didn’t give them too much hell for making you take a vacation, did you?”
I thought of the two weeks I’d just spent being spoiled rotten on a private beach. Whatever hell I’d given them had been forgotten by the second round of sex under the warm sun.
“Oh, gross. You’re thinking about sex, aren’t you?”
I giggled. “Yep.”
“I used to have sex.” She looked at the bundle of love in my arms. “Maybe I will again someday.”
“I’ve seen the way Anthony looks at you. You’ll be having sex again soon.” I laughed at her expression. “Probably the day your doctor clears you for it.”
There was a knock at the door, and Megan stuck her head in. “There you two are. Cute baby.”
I nudged Rose and smiled. “Definitely a cute baby.”
“It’s time for dinner.” Megan hadn’t changed a bit. “You look all bloated and heavy. Do you need help getting down the stairs? Or maybe just to skip dinner?”
I wrapped my arm around Rose and smiled even wider. “Hey, Megan?”
“What?”
“Fuck off.”
Epilogue 2
***Ian***
Itwasobviousthatsomething had happened between Megan and Violet when Megan came into the dining room, fuming, with Violet grinning behind her. Our woman looked like the cat who ate the canary when she sat down between me and Adam.
I leaned into her space and watched goosebumps form along her neck as I spoke low, just for her to hear. “You released the monster, huh?”
She giggled and pressed into me. “Sometimes life calls for sugar and spice. Other times, it calls for a swift ‘fuck off.’”
I laughed out loud and pressed a kiss to the side of her head. Her curls were silky under my mouth, curling in every direction. I got lost in the feeling and smell of her for a moment, until she rested her hand on my thigh and squeezed.
Jayden raised his eyebrows at me from across the table. Sitting between Anthony and Roy, he’d drawn the short straw when it came to seats.
“There was a monster sighting.”
He grinned. “Thank god.”
Adam looked over at me. “If we get it all out here, maybe we can have just sugar and spice when we get home.”
Violet slapped his thigh playfully and stuck her tongue out at him. “I always have extra for you.”
At the head of the table, Pat stood up and cleared his throat, drawing everyone’s attention. He had a crumpled napkin in his hand, and I could see genuine emotion in his eyes as he looked down the table at Violet. “A year ago, I gave a speech. It was childish and wrong. At the risk of embarrassing you, Violet Faith, I’m going to redo it tonight.”
I gulped down a hefty swallow of water and chanced a glance at Jayden. We’d discovered something about ourselves the night we got hammered together and cried like babies. Adam, too. We had a weak spot. A big one. For three men who never cried, there was something about loving Violet that got to us. It wasn’t unusual for one of us to get a tear in his eye over her. It wasn’t something we were advertising, though. I carried a gun, for god’s sake. I didn’t want people looking at me like I was a crybaby.
Jayden already had his jaw clenched, and looked prepared to fight it out against his own body. I couldn’t chance looking at Adam, and if I wanted a chance at keeping my shit together, I definitely couldn’t look at Violet. I knew it was fine for men to cry. I supported it. Fuck toxic masculinity and all that. I just wanted to cry in my own space, dammit.
“Debbie and I were blessed with two beautiful daughters. From the day they were born, they filled our lives with love and happiness. Watching them become their own people has been one of the most amazing journeys. We watched Rosie grow from a shy and reserved kid into a smart and talented doctor. We watched you blossom even more when you met Anthony. Even when your mother and I thought we knew the path you should take in life, you went out, found him, and dragged him back to this crazy place. You found yourself with him, and we’re so proud of you. We love both of you. We love that you’ve made us grandparents.
“And Violet… Your mother and I were outdone by you from the beginning. You were always braver and stronger than all of us. Even when we gave you every reason to crumble and turn into the shell of a person we thought you should be, you told us to fuck off.”
“Patrick!” Debbie covered her mouth as a small giggle escaped. She swatted her husband’s hand and looked up at him, her expression full of love.