Epilogue 2

RAINEY

“Time to hit the road, guys!” Marco honks the horn over and over, hurrying Riley and me out of the penthouse, our duffel bags swinging from our hands.

We’re all heading to the beach today for a little family time. Our parents have been swamped with work lately, so they’ve carved out this weekend for us to hang out together.

Riley and I are sporting matching black lace swimsuits, but we’ve thrown on T-shirts and shorts over them. We’re not ready to bare it all until we hit the sand.

I hop into the back seat of the van, sliding in next to Ansel. His clean, fresh scent is the first thing that hits me, and I can’t help but notice how good he looks.

He’s dressed in a simple white T-shirt and black sports shorts, a white cap hiding his dark hair. He could wear a paper bag and still look amazing.

He grins at me, taking my bag from my hands. “Let me get that for you.”

“Thanks.” I smile back, slipping my hair tie between my lips. I gather my hair up and secure it in a ponytail.

Robert twists around from the front seat. “Everyone here?”

“Yep, Alaric’s driving his parents, Samantha, and Anthony,” Riley fills him in, while Alex snuggles into her, playing with the silver necklace around her neck.

“Crank up the tunes, please!” Aiden calls out, and my dad chuckles, reaching out to turn up the volume.

“R.A.N.” by Miguel fills the van as Marco starts to pull out of the driveway.

The drive to the beach is a blur of laughter and chatter, everyone singing along to the radio.

Ansel keeps his arm around me the whole way, stealing kisses every now and then.

Before we know it, we’re there. As Marco parks, the salty, seaweed-scented air greets us.

It’s the perfect day for a beach trip. The sky is a brilliant blue, and a cool breeze takes the edge off the midday sun.

We pile out of the van, and I stretch my arms above my head. Ansel sneaks up behind me, wrapping his arms around me and pressing a kiss to my neck.

I giggle, and the sound of a car engine draws our attention to Alaric’s car pulling into the lot.

“They made good time.” My dad grins, slinging a towel over his shoulder as the boys start to strip off their shirts.

I can’t help but notice the matching tattoos on the twins’ chests—a snake coiled around the number five—as they fold their clothes neatly.

“You guys are like a cult.” Riley shakes her head. “What’s with the matching tattoos?”

“It’s a tradition,” I explain. “Their uncles had the same tattoos.”

“Damn, I was hoping to beat you guys here,” Alaric says, stepping out of the driver’s seat, shirtless and adjusting his sports shorts.

“It’s not a race,” Sam laughs, climbing out of the car. She waves at Riley and me, and we wave back. She looks amazing in her burgundy swimsuit.

She’s not wearing shorts over her two-piece, which speaks volumes about her confidence. And her long hair is now a stylish pixie cut.

Melissa sets Anthony down, and he runs straight to Ansel, who scoops him up and tickles his sides.

The little guy giggles and squirms, wrapping his arms tight around his uncle’s neck.

Riley and I take off our T-shirts, but leave our shorts on. We’re not quite as confident as Sam. Maybe when we fill out a bit more.

She walks over to us, grinning, and throws her arms around our necks. “So, can you girls swim?”

Riley shakes her head. “Not even to save my life.”

Sam laughs, grabbing our hands and pulling us toward the water. “Then let me teach youuuu!”

The sand is warm under our feet as we run toward the waves.

We splash around like kids, and Sam tries to teach us some swimming basics. Riley almost drowns herself in the process.

We laugh it off, and then the rest of the group joins us on the beach. We climb out of the water and lie back in the sun, staring up at the sky.

The day couldn’t be more perfect. It’s like the weather knew we needed a great day and delivered.

Our peaceful moment is shattered when a pair of feet race past us, kicking up sand and dust.

I cough, propping myself up on my elbows, while Sam glares at a laughing Aiden.

“Seriously, Aiden?!” She frowns, and he just laughs, shaking his hips in a goofy dance before diving into the sea.

Riley laughs and shakes her head, lying back down on the sand. “That boy’s not right.”

Marco and the rest of the boys walk past us—without kicking up dust—to join Aiden in the water. Alaric’s got a beach ball in his hand. While they swim and play, we sit up to watch them.

I glance back at the adults, who are sitting on the benches, deep in conversation.

Anthony is on Melissa’s lap, while my dad and Austin are gesturing wildly as they talk.

“Which one of those boys do you think is the sneakiest?” Sam asks.

I turn back to the water, while Riley squints, thinking.

“I’d say Alaric, but Ansel’s worse,” she giggles.

“Yeah, Ansel’s definitely the sneakiest. You never know what he’s going to do,” Sam agrees, and I smile, knowing how true that is.

“But Alex is a pro at lying. Can you believe he actually cried real tears when they were pretending Ansel was dead?” Riley whispers, and Sam laughs.

“Those boys are all pros at lying. Ansel’s pretty honest, but he’s a devil in disguise.”

I chuckle. “You couldn’t have said it better.”

“Hey! It’s you!” a voice calls out. I lift my gaze, squinting against the sun’s glare to see who it is.

Recognition washes over me when I spot the boy from the hardware store, the clerk who helped us access the footage of Riley’s kidnapping.

He’s standing with another guy, who’s looking at Sam with admiration. She pretends not to notice, her gaze shifting between the clerk and me.

“Funny running into you here.” The clerk grins. “Small world, huh?”

“Hey, you!” Alaric starts moving toward us, the rest of the guys trailing behind him. “All these girls are taken, so keep moving.”

The young clerk glances their way while his friend rubs his neck awkwardly. Alex recognizes him almost instantly.

“Hey, it’s the scamming cashier guy.” He nudges Ansel, who catches on immediately. “Oh yeah… The hardware store hustler.”

I stifle a laugh as the clerk chuckles. “I’m not a hustler. My name’s Kian, by the way.”

“You guys know him,” Alaric says, and Alex nods, tossing the ball from one hand to the other.

“Oh, well, that’s okay then.” Alaric plops down next to Sam, kissing her cheek and draping his arm around her.

“They’re the guys I was telling you about.” Kian pats his friend on the chest. “The ones who remind me of John Wick.”

Ansel and Alex exchange amused glances as Kian turns back to them.

“You know, the cops showed up after you guys roughed up those two men for the girl they kidnapped. I saw the whole thing on the store camera.

“Wow, whoever that girl is, she’s lucky to have such protective friends.”

Riley’s eyebrows furrow as she looks up at Alex.

“Anyway, it’s good to see you guys here.” Kian dramatically clutches his chest. “My heroes. Keep up the good work, guys.”

He pumps a fist in the air with a grin before walking away with his odd friend.

Riley looks at Alex with teary eyes, and his face turns pink under her intense gaze.

“Wh-what?”

“You guys beat up the kidnappers for me?”

Those puppy-dog eyes. Riley and her irresistible puppy-dog eyes.

I smile at the nervous look on Alex’s face as he sheepishly rubs the back of his neck. “Well…”

She springs up and jumps into his arms, and he stumbles backward as everyone grins at the adorable sight.

“Thank you.” She kisses his cheek, and he smirks over her shoulder just before she pulls away, leaving him adorably flushed.

“Thank you too, An,” she says, and Ansel salutes her with a smile.

“No need to thank me. We’ll always have your back, Ry. Rainey was there too.”

He nods in my direction, and Riley turns to look at me with grateful eyes. I just nod back with a smile, understanding what she wants to say.

“So, does this mean you’ve completely forgiven me for faking Ansel’s death?” Alex asks, and Riley laughs, poking his chest.

“I forgave you a long time ago, Alex.”

He smiles, pulling her into his arms and planting a kiss on her lips.

“Everyone is coupled up,” Arden shrugs. “I’m not jealous. Not jealous at all.”

Alaric gives him a flat look. “Sounds like you are.” Sam smacks his bicep, and everyone chuckles.

“Yes! The girls are here!” Aiden announces. “Haha! No reason for us to be jealous now.”

He flips Alaric off before hurrying off, Arden grinning wildly as he follows.

We watch them with confusion, and wide smiles spread across our faces when we see the girls from Riley’s surprise party, Shanelle and her friend, walking toward the twins.

They’re both dressed in swimwear, and I’m guessing the boys invited them.

While Aiden and Arden lead them over to us, Alaric lies on his back, and Sam settles down next to him, their fingers intertwined.

Ansel plops down next to me, playfully bumping my shoulder. I giggle as he leans in to kiss me for the hundredth time today.

Each time we kiss, the butterflies in my stomach flutter, and I’m still amazed that one person can have this sweet effect on me.

I know these feelings I have for him will never fade.

He pulls away and takes my hand in his, lifting it to press a kiss against my knuckle. “I love you,” he whispers, and I smile.

“I love you too.”

I rest my head against his shoulder as we gaze out at the waves, his heartbeat calming my mind and filling me with peace.

The crazy thing about love is that it sneaks up on you when you least expect it, seeping into your heart and changing everything you thought you knew.

Some have loved and lost, some have loved without being loved in return, but I’ve loved and felt what it’s like to be deeply loved by another.

I didn’t have the best life, and my past experiences can attest to that: a mother who neglected me for her lover, men who used their strength to take advantage of my weakness.

But right now I’m happy. Happy that I didn’t give up when the world tried to break me. Because if I had, I would have never experienced the tranquility of true love.

Life is unpredictable. And just when I thought my life would never improve, things started to change for the better. All because of Ansel King.

He entered my life and showed me that it’s worth living, that there’s more than the painful moments of my past, and that happiness can be found in the pages of my story.

My life was dark, hopeless, and meaningless, but then he looked at me, and everything started to make perfect sense.

^The End^