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“Lochlan,” she screams, “your stitches!”
“It’s okay. I have a really hot nurse.” I chuckle into her neck and the bright sound of her laugh fills the room before she pushes me off.
She sits up on her knees and inspects my bandages. They’re all just as white as before. She looks at me pointedly while fighting back a smile. “You got lucky. Don’t do that again.”
“Sure thing, boss.” I grin like a mad man, still feeling on top of the fucking world.
She hums her doubt while grabbing the remote from her nightstand. She cautiously tucks back into my side and turns on the TV above her bed. Without twisting my torso too much, I reach over to my side.
I sit back up and toss a bag of sour gummy worms in her lap as Kevin from The Office talks about his famous chili. She looks at me, twinkling. “Where did these come from?”
I smile out of the corner of my mouth. “Didn’t I say I’d always take care of you?”
1. Play “Only Wanna Be With You” by Samm Henshaw
Epilogue
Stella
I walk up to the deck at Ocean View with a proud smile, taking in the preparations for the New Year’s Eve party tonight. The restaurant’s usual tables have been replaced with scattered high tops draped in silk, and we've built a temporary structure to serve as a bar. The bar backsplash is made of the same iridescent tiles as the swim-up bar and it has a similar, but more elevated, beachy roof. A canopy of fine string lights is being woven overhead by a team on ladders and will look like a sparkling night sky once the sun goes down.
I started planning this party three months ago, almost immediately after taking over management of Summerland, and the night is finally here. I want this charming oceanside restaurant to feel like a glittering nightclub during the Harlem Renaissance with a tropical twist.
The entire Fox family and my siblings arrived a few days ago, except for Niamh, who is spending the week with my nieces at Nana and Papa’s. Once the evening gets started, I’m officially on vacation, and I promised myself I’d actually enjoy the party I’ve tirelessly planned. I scan the space again and don’t feel an ounce of stress. Everything is going perfectly—
“Stella!” Cash’s angry voice hollers behind me, and I spin around, cutting him with a scowl for shattering my moment.
“Indoor voices,” I reprimand, and he grits his teeth, annoyance flaring harshly on his face.
“We’re outside.” He runs a hand through his hair with a huff, then his eyes narrow on someone behind me. Looking over my shoulder, I see Juliette talking to one of the staff members.
“You really got to stop doing that.” I cross my arms.
“Doing what?” His lip curls and his eyes stay glued to her.
“Looking like you’re ready to commit murder every time you see her.” Feeling defensive for Juliette, I point out, “You’re not even the one she stabbed.”
It was easy for Lochlan to forgive her once he learned her backstory. Now, she leads classes at Libidine specifically for other survivors to heal and take back their power through kink.
Cash finally returns his gaze to me. “Where’s that son of a bitch?”
I tilt my head. “You’re going to have to be more specific.”
“My jackass brother.” His brows furrow as he looks behind me furtively.
I fight back a smile. “Even more specific.”
“Fucking Loch—goddamnit, I’m going to kill him!” His phone rings, and he rips it out of his pocket angrily, smashing his finger against the screen to end the call. “He put my personal number on an officiant-for-hire website, and now I’m getting calls nonstop because apparently, I’m the only listing ordaining weddings for free.”
I bark a laugh as, right on cue, his phone rings again. He lets loose an enraged shout and grips his phone until his knuckles whiten as if he could smash it in his fist.
“How do you know it was me?” My stomach flutters at the familiar voice, and I look behind Cash to see Lochlan approaching. I keep waiting for the butterflies to dissipate, for my heart to stop jumping every time he enters a room, but it’s yet to happen.
Especially not when he saunters up with a smirk as devastatingly handsome as it is arrogant. He catches me checking him out and tongues his molar, then he drags his hand over his new mustache. With his hooded eyes on me, he misses Cash cock his arm in a punch, and I lunge forward to wrap my hand around his wrist.
“This isn’t fucking Phantom.” I throw his hand down and hold my chin high. “You can brawl on the beach later and out of sight of any guests. Your macho-testosterone shit will not ruin my party.” I look pointedly at the two of them. Cash rolls his eyes with a begrudging nod and Lochlan gives me a lopsided, relaxed smile.1
Cash shoves a finger in his brother’s face. “You’re the only person stupid and masochistic enough to do something like that.”
