Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 107306 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 537(@200wpm)___ 429(@250wpm)___ 358(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107306 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 537(@200wpm)___ 429(@250wpm)___ 358(@300wpm)
Eventually, one by one, everyone begins to leave—Rian, then Conan. Fia takes Kat to her room, then goes to bed herself. Finan and Flynn are the last to leave. The two of them spend a lot of time together. I’m sure they’re off to find another party or place to have fun tonight.
When we’re the only ones left, T says, “We’ll go home tomorrow,” then turns to Shai. “My mom will take good care of Kat.”
I appreciate him saying that, making sure Shai knows it’ll be okay.
“Thank you,” Shai says. “For everything. Your mom for helping her, all of you for going with me to save her. I know you didn’t have to do that.”
“Yes, we did,” Tiernan answers. He looks at me. “You did well with Shai being away from you,” he praises me in a way his father would have never done with any of his men. Tiernan and Rian will run this family better than Sloan ever could.
“Thank you,” I reply. “We can do this—him and me. I want him to be a bigger part of us.”
Tiernan looks at Shai again. “Is that what you want?”
“Yes. You’re my family.”
Tiernan nods. “I’ll talk to Rian.” He rubs a hand over his face. “I need to smoke a bowl. You guys are fucking killing me.”
“I’m always down for that,” I say.
We roll a joint instead, smoking and laughing. Dean and Tiernan go to bed first, followed by Ash. Shai, Cil, Ollie, and I go up together, parting ways in the hallway.
The second our door is closed, Shai presses me against it, squeezing his body close to mine. “How did this happen?” he asks, rubbing his cheek against mine.
“I won’t always be easy to deal with. I can be too much, will still get lost in that place where it’s hard to reach me.”
“And I’ll always be by your side when you’re in it, always there to pull you out when you need it. I’m not going anywhere, Cherry. You’re mine.”
I grin. “So sweet.”
“So yours.” Shai presses his lips to mine, the promise of forever on his tongue.
EPILOGUE
Shai
Ten years later
My eyes flutter open to see Rory staring at me. Ten years later, and I still love how consumed he is by me, love that even when we’re apart, sometimes I’ll feel him there and know he’s following me, watching me, loving me.
“You’re a weirdo,” I tease him.
“Your weirdo,” he replies. “I’m bored.”
“It’s ten o’clock in the morning.” We had a late night—me, Rory, Cil, Dean, and Tiernan having family business to take care of. No one died on our side, which I always consider a win. Rory and I still get off on the violence, but we’re as safe as we can be about it, have learned to stay in control and make better decisions. When Rory teeters on the edge, I’m always there to bring him home again, to me, because I am his home.
“I’m hungry,” he counters.
“For cock or food?” I tease, making him grin.
“Always for both. Food first, cock later. We have plans today, remember?”
Yes, we fucking do. “I’ve been looking forward to it.”
“Obviously. Let’s go eat.” He climbs naked out of our bed and walks toward the bathroom. Our house is obscenely large, just like everything with them, but this one is ours and I love it. It’s in a wooded area outside Boston, with Cillian and Ollie on the same property. Dean and Tiernan live close by, but since they’re not quite as co-dependent as the rest of us and like their space, they kept a couple of miles between us.
Ollie, though young, is a highly sought-after defense attorney, who we happen to have on retainer. He and Cillian got married four years ago, and while things aren’t always perfect—it can’t be easy, the lawyer and the mobster—they love each other more than ever and have weathered any obstacle life’s thrown in their path.
Dean and Tiernan also got married, but unlike the huge event that was Cil and Ollie’s wedding, they disappeared together and came back with rings on their fingers and Dean’s last name changed. He was always meant to be an O’Shea, the two of them destined to be in each other’s lives since they were young—the boy who drew and his favorite muse.
Rory and I aren’t sure if marriage is for us, but that doesn’t change our devotion to each other.
Without bothering to get dressed, we go downstairs for breakfast.
“Cereal?” Rory asks.
“Real food. Sit. I’ll cook for you.” I put on an apron—we both have a habit of doing a lot of things naked, and I’d rather not burn my dick off.
“I get to watch you. My favorite thing.” Rory takes a seat at the bar while I make ham-and-cheese omelets.
“What’s our week look like?” I ask.
“Tomorrow night we’re down at the docks. We have that shipment of guns coming in. Next weekend, T needs us to fly down to Mexico and handle some business there. Cil will be gone. He and Ollie leave for one of their theme-park adventures.”