Mother went home to get some sleep, Monroe left to take a shower, so I lay in bed with Coen at my bedside.
“It’s almost ten. You should go home.”
“It’s alright.” He sat in a stiff chair against the wall and stared at the TV in the corner, which was on but muted.
“I’m just going to sleep.”
“You should sleep.”
“Coen, come on. I’ve got my nurse if I need anything.”
“Drop it, alright?” he snapped. “I’m not going anywhere. Get over it.” He pulled his gaze away from the TV and looked at me.
Since he was getting agitated, I let him be. “What do you know about the shooter?”
“How about we talk about that later?”
“Coen, it’s not like you’re going to give me a heart attack. I want to know who that asshole was.”
He sighed with dread. “The police interrogated him. Turns out, Simone hired him to kill me.”
It was so ridiculous that I couldn’t believe it, but since it was Simone, I really could. That woman had been nothing but a nightmare since the moment I fucked her when I was fifteen. She’d been following me around like the plague ever since.
“The shooter thought you were me. That was why he shot you.”
“I deduced that on my own. So, what about her?”
“The police found her hiding out somewhere in the Hamptons. She was staying with some rich boy toy. Now she’s in jail without bail. The trial will be swift and easy. She’ll probably get life without parole.”
“Good.” That was exactly what she deserved.
“I’m sorry, Slate. I should have listened to you…”
“Don’t blame yourself, man. Simone is the psychopath here. She manipulates people like a profession. She’s a leech that sucks people’s blood and poisons them at the same time. Her beauty masks her ugliness.”
“I still should have listened to you. And karma served me right.”
“You didn’t deserve this, Coen. No one deserves this.”
He stared at his hands in his lap. “So, you’re an engaged man now, huh?”
Asking Monroe to marry me was completely spontaneous. But when she walked into the room and lit up every single corner, I knew how much I wanted her. And in that moment, I knew I wanted her forever. All the fears I had were gone. That connection we had was special; it was real. I didn’t want to live with her for a year before I finally committed. I just wanted to do it, regardless of how short our relationship had been. I wanted to be happy every day for the rest of my life—starting now. “I am.”
He smiled. “I’m happy for you. And that was romantic as hell.”
“Thanks…I didn’t plan it at all.”
“That’s why it was romantic. And then when Mother gave you her ring…pretty epic.”
Yes, my mother basically gave her approval of Monroe when she did that.
“I’m sorry it took getting shot to get you to commit, but at least it happened.”
Getting shot certainly wasn’t fun. “I’m glad all of this is over. I’m glad Simone is gone. I’m glad I’ve finally gotten over my fears. I’m glad you and I have a relationship again. It seemed like everything worked out in the end…”
“Yeah,” my brother said with a nod. “But you know what the beautiful thing is? It’s only the beginning.”
Epilogue
Slate
The sunlight pierced the window in the bedroom and hit me right in the face. It was a spring day, the first sign of warmth after the long winter we’d had. The skin of my face started to feel warm, but I was too stubborn to open my eyes and get the day started.
“Can we do it now?” Charles’s voice sounded from the outside of the bedroom door.
“Yeah,” McKenzie said. “Daddy will like my toast.”
“Daddy isn’t awake yet,” Monroe whispered.
“He’s been sleeping all day,” Charles argued. “Is Daddy a bear? Bears hibernate.”
I couldn’t stop the corner of my mouth from rising. My eyes stayed closed because I was so comfortable, but it was nice to hear my family talking right outside the door. Their hushed conversation filled me with more happiness than I’d ever known in my entire life. I thought my wedding day was the happiest day of my life, the turning point from when I changed from a bitter and angry man into a happy one. But making a family was what really made all the difference.
I finally opened my eyes and sat up in bed. I grabbed my phone and set it down loudly then kicked the covers around so they would know I was awake.
Charles heard it first. “Mommy, I can hear him.”
“The bear is awake,” McKenzie whispered.
“Alright, let’s go.” Monroe opened the door and peeked inside first. “Morning.”
“Morning.” I sat up in bed, my eyes still heavy from the great night of sleep I’d had. My wife wore her plaid pajama bottoms and one of my t-shirts. With no makeup and just a smile on her face, she was a fantasy walking through the door.