The Key West Anthology (61 page)

Epilogue

Jude

“Is everything set up?” I held my phone tightly against my ear as my heart raced.

“It’s good to go. She doesn’t suspect a thing,” Jett assured me. “She’s busy with a stack of papers I gave her to work on.” He chuckled deeply. “I have her in the breakroom, buried behind a ton of shit that I’ve had done for days. She was pissed off about that.”

I smiled as I thought of the sass Callie had to have handed Jett after he tucked her in the dingy room with no windows.

“Quinn and the girls are waiting in my office with all the guys. Callie’s parents got here a few minutes ago, but they’re waiting out front for the all clear.”

“All right, give it a few minutes and go get her. Feed her some shit about the shake machine being broken or something.” I took in a deep breath. “I’ll be walking in at exactly seven. The kids are with me.”

“I got it, no worries,” he assured me, and I believed him.

I had been planning this night for weeks. When I went home on that night two months ago to find Callie had gotten the kids a dog, I knew I wanted to make things more permanent between us. I was ready even then to ask Callie to marry me.

So after a very long conversation with both of her parents, Mallory went with me to help pick out her daughter’s ring. I recruited Quinn, Harper, and Avery to get the scene planned, and tonight was the night. The kids and I were dressed in our best, and in less than ten minutes, I would be walking through the doors of Jett’s restaurant to ask Callie to marry me. In front of our family and friends, I would confess that she was the glue the held me together when everything around me was falling apart.

“I have to pee,” Matthew said from the backseat, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Can it wait just a few minutes, bud? I want you and your sister to be with me when I talk to Callie.” I had explained what tonight was about before we left the house. Both kids were excited at the idea of Callie being my wife and one day having a baby we could all love.

When the clock on the car changed to 6:59, I turned the key and pulled it from the ignition. By the time I got the kids gathered and to the back entrance of the restaurant, I knew it would be time to go inside.

My heart was racing, and I couldn’t remember ever feeling this nervous.

Holding Matthew and Zoey’s tiny hands in mine, we entered the back entrance of Jett’s. I had told them just how important it was that they both remain as quiet as possible. I didn’t want Callie to know we were there yet. This was all supposed to be a surprise.

As we rounded the corner and the dining area came in to view, I immediately located Callie, who Jett was occupying near the bar. Knowing everyone was in Jett’s office and could see us through the glass wall, I wasted no further time.

I released both children’s hands and took a few steps closer, lowering myself to one knee and holding my hand out in front of me. A few of the guests gasped as they noticed me.

Taking in a deep breath, I went for it.

“Callie.” My voice was shaky with the nervous energy flowing through me.

She spun around quickly, and the moment she saw me, her hand covered her mouth. As I watched her look over my shoulder, I knew she saw Zoey and Matthew too. And I assumed by the way her eyes scanned from the left to the right in a wide arc that everyone from Jett’s office had now joined us to witness the next step in our lives.

“Hey, beautiful,” I said, and her eyes settled back on me.

“Hi,” she whispered as she lowered her hand to her chest. “What are you doing?”

“Well, the kids and I have decided that we want to keep you forever,” I replied, and she smiled brightly as tears rolled down her cheeks. “You make everything brighter, Cal, and our lives wouldn’t be as wonderful as they are if you weren’t a part of them. We love you, baby.”

“And I love you too, all of you, so much,” she confessed as she took a step toward me.

I looked to my left and then to my right, motioning for Zoey and Matthew to step up closer. Once they were at my sides, they looked back to Callie.

“I’m here in front of all our friends and family, along with a lot of strangers, to let everyone know just how much you mean to us. How much you have made our lives better. Without your strength, I’m not sure how we would have made it through the last few months.” I took in a deep, steadying breath.

“I’ve learned that when I want something, I need to go for it. And, Callie, I want you. We want you, for always.” I lifted my hand out toward her, bringing focus to the ring I held between my fingers. “Callie Raine, will you do me the honor of becoming my forever? Will you marry us?”

***

Callie

I had never suspected a thing. I had no warning, no sign that Jude had planned this. But the feelings flowing through me were nothing short of extreme, endless love.

“Yes,” I said through the tears that had formed and were now clouding my vision. “Yes, I will marry you all.” I laughed through my tears as both Zoey and Matthew jumped up and down with excitement.

Jude took my hand, a huge smile on his lips. My hand shook uncontrollably as he lifted it and slid the most gorgeous ring I had ever seen over my finger. Once it was in place, he stood and stepped closer to me, then pulled my body against his. As he slipped his hand around the back of my neck, I looked up at him adoringly. “And just when I thought I couldn’t get any happier, you go and make me feel all kinds of emotions,” he whispered. “You give me so much hope, sweetheart, and with you by my side, I know everything Katelynn ever wanted for me and for the kids is attainable. You make it all possible, baby, without even realizing just how perfect you are. I love you, Callie.”

Before I could respond, he lowered his lips to mine and sealed our future. Hoots of excitement and clapping erupted around us, and I smiled against his lips.

For so many years, I’d chased a dream and hoped that one day Jude would realize he too deserved happiness. A sob shook through my chest.

Jude pulled back from our kiss and looked at me in concern. “What’s wrong, baby?”

I took in a deep breath and smiled up at him. “Nothing’s wrong. Everything is so right. I wished for this, for you. Thank you for making my dreams a reality.”

“And I plan on spending the rest of our lives making all your dreams come true,” he said before kissing me once again.

Quinn & Jett

Quinn

“Oh my God,” I screamed from the passenger seat. Breathing in and out deeply, I gripped the dash, leaning forward.

“You’re doing good, babe. We’re almost there,” Jett said, but that didn’t help.

“Almost isn’t good enough, Jett, please hurry,” I begged. I didn’t care if I sounded like a baby. I needed something to help with this pain.

It was three in the morning, and I had been woken up by a shooting pain across my abdomen.

When I went to bed, I’d noticed that my back ached, but lately that was common. I was thirty-seven weeks pregnant and had expanded beyond my wildest dreams. I swear I was twice my original size. Okay, maybe not, but I sure felt like I was as big as a house.

Tires screeched as the car came to an abrupt stop. I looked over at Jett and narrowed my eyes.

“Sorry,” he offered before he pushed open the door and ran around the front, motioning to an EMT that was standing just outside the emergency entrance.

My door came open, and I tried to crawl out just as another contraction hit. “Argh,” I groaned as I gripped my stomach and hunched over.

“Breathe,” Jett directed, and I wanted to yell back at him. Men had no idea how hard this shit was. Seriously, they should have to go through all this pain and let us stand at their side telling them to breathe.

As the contraction began to slow, I suddenly felt bad for being irritated with Jett. Offering him a reassuring smile, I held my hand out to him, and he helped me from the car. “Thank you,” I whispered as he guided me toward the awaiting wheelchair.

“We’re about to meet our son. I can’t believe it’s time.” The joy written all over his face warmed my soul and made tears well in my eyes. This big, strong, cocky, and hardheaded man was about to be brought to his knees by the birth of his son.

“Let’s do this,” I whispered.

He leaned over and gave me a sweet kiss. “I love you, baby.”

“And I love you.”

***

Jett

I stood outside the birthing room, just taking a breather. I had called Quinn’s father and my parents earlier, and they had all arrived. Quinn was resting now that she had been given an epidural, which in turn gave me a moment to just sit back myself. She was dilated to seven centimeters, and the only thing to do now was wait. But knowing I would meet my son soon fucking made me feel like I was on top of the world.

“Don’t touch me.”

I closed my eyes tightly because I knew that voice.

“This is your fault. You did this to me.”

Lifting my head, I watched as a wheelchair, being pushed by a smiling nurse, approached, carrying my very irritated sister. Harper looked like she would explode at any moment, in more ways than one. Quinn had thought she’d gained a lot of weight, but she had nothing on Harper. I guess the fact she was carrying not one but two babies had a lot to do with that too.

Trailing a few feet behind her was a defeated-looking Easton. He seriously looked like he had been beaten and left for dead.

Harper narrowed her eyes, and I swear I heard her growl as they pushed her past me. I offered a smile, and she flipped me off. The gasp from the nurse made me chuckle.

Easton stopped right in front of me, taking in a deep breath. “How’s Quinn?” he asked.

“Sleeping,” I replied, and his eyes crinkled in confusion. From the state Harper was in, I could see how he would find this an impossible task during childbirth.

“They gave her the epidural, and she fell asleep. She’s still got a little ways to go before she gets there,” I explained.

He nodded and looked back toward the doorway just three doors down that they had led Harper through. “She-devil,” he whispered, and I couldn’t stop myself from laughing. “Fuck, man, I’m not joking. She woke me up with a fist to the gut.” There truly was no hope for me holding it together. I could imagine Harp doing just that. “I just hope she gets some of that juice they gave Quinn. I don’t think I’m gonna get through the night otherwise.” He shook his head. “We would have called to let you know we were on our way here, but when I called your mom, she said she was on her way here already for Quinn.” He shrugged.

“Not a problem. She was gonna call you guys anyway once Quinn got closer. We just didn’t see the reasoning behind waking you if we still had time.” Harper is mean and stubborn on a normal day. But add being pregnant with twins to the mix, and her irritability and stubbornness went up times ten. Sleep was the only time Easton was free from the torture she gave him, so the last thing I wanted to do was mess up his solace.

“Easton.” We both turned our heads in the direction of Harper’s angry snarl. “Get your ass in here. You are gonna suffer right along with me.”

He looked back at me, his eyes wide with horror. I chuckled once more, and he narrowed them at me. “You’re the one that fell for her, married her, and knocked her up. This
is
all your fault.”

He finally smiled and nodded in agreement. “That’s right,” he said. “And the shit I’ve had to go through is all worth it.”

“If you say so, man,” I said as I turned and walked back into the room that held my wife and child. It was much more peaceful than where Easton was heading.

As I sat down at the side of Quinn’s bed, her eyes fluttered open. “Hey, you,” she whispered.

Rising back up, I leaned over and kissed her gently. “How you feeling?” I asked as I looked up toward the monitor that tracked her contractions.

“I can feel when I have contractions, but just because my stomach tightens. The pain is tolerable. I didn’t want to not feel anything. I just wanted to be able to enjoy this experience with you.” She shrugged. “Instead of planning your demise during the entire event.”

She smiled sweetly, and I matched hers with my own. “Well, yeah, that sounds much better than what Easton is going through right now.”

Her eyes widened. “Harper’s in labor?” I nodded, and she bit her lip to stifle her own laughter. “Someone needs to give Easton a medal, or at least offer him a night of celebration after this. He is gonna need it, and if anyone deserves it, it’ll be him. She’s gonna kill him.”

Quinn and I both shook our heads, because Easton really did have a treacherous night and day ahead of him.

Harper & Easton