Page 23 of Dean (Unexpected #9)

EPILOGUE

AVERY

Three Years Later…

“Amanda! Come on. You’re taking forever!” I sigh loudly into the phone as I pull the marinating steaks from the fridge.

“I have to look presentable! Leave a girl alone!” Amanda says back and then asks, “Pink lipstick or purple?”

“What color top?”

“Black.”

“Then go goth. Purple it is.”

She squeals and the line goes dead. I can’t help the smile that forms on my face.

A year ago, my sister told my parents to fuck off, left Northern California, and moved into the garage apartment that Ben used to occupy. Ben’s now living with Cash and Ford, and of course, he was happy to know his place was going to be used by someone special to me.

And plus, Dean insisted. He told me he’d been planning it with Amanda for years now. He even paid for the moving truck to help her get her things down here .

I fucking love that man.

I’m so glad he asked me to marry him shortly after I moved in. I would have had to drag him to the alter if he hadn’t gotten down on one knee one evening and asked me. The wedding was a small affair with just close friends, but it was perfect.

And now he’s all mine.

My husband.

Strong hands wrap around me from behind and lips brush against my neck. I know who it is without even looking. I can just sense him. Perfection.

“Hey,” I moan, leaning into him as his lips trail up to my cheek. I turn slightly and he captures my mouth with his own.

“You smell fucking good,” Dean says lowly.

“So do you,” I reply and then step away. “But I have the meat in my hands and I need to get it on the grill.”

“Meat you say?” he jokes, and I roll my eyes.

“Literally.”

He stares down at the container I’m holding and takes it from me.

“Alright. But tonight, Avery. You and me. Alone. Your meat. My meat.”

“Oh my god. Never say that again.”

He chuckles and then leans forward, kissing me roughly before moving toward the sliding glass door.

My eyes trail down to his ass as lust courses through me. These feelings I have for him haven’t lessened in the slightest, and his feelings for me only seem to have grown—if that’s even possible.

To say I’m happy is an understatement.

I’m fucking thrilled.

This has been my dream come true. I can’t believe this is my life—living with the man I love, my sister close to me, and everyone around me happy. I hang back from following Dean outside and glance around the house. Everything here is so much more alive, so much more colorful than it was. My art decorates the colorful walls, plants scatter the tables and floors, and pictures of our family sit on bookshelves. Don’t worry, Elaine is there as well. She will never be forgotten.

I love the way Dean is looking at her on their wedding day. I found the photograph in a box in his closet and insisted it be hung up.

He cried a little when he saw it.

I want him to remember her, to think of her often.

I think this is why I’m here—to love him the way she would have.

I pluck a wilting flower off one of my plants as I walk past it and toss it into the garbage can. This place feels so much like home, one I never thought I’d have.

And don’t get me started on the backyard. The trees are growing perfectly, lush plants in pots sitting on the porch. This entire space is an ongoing project. Just last weekend, I found some geraniums on sale at the garden center and planted them in the planter boxes Ford and Cash helped Dean build.

It looks fabulous. I can’t wait to add more.

I never thought I’d ever be this content.

“Hey, you okay?” Dean asks, beckoning me over when he realizes I’m just standing in one place.

“I’m fine. Just admiring the new plants.”

He winks at me, and I melt. But I manage to compose myself because my sister is making her way toward me and I don’t want to traumatize her with a boner.

“Hey! Look what I brought,” Amanda shouts, holding up a bottle of wine.

I arch an eyebrow at her.

“You’re not twenty-one.”

“Let a girl live. I’ve been living in a jail for my entire life. I want a glass of alcohol.”

“It’s basically juice,” Ben says, taking a plastic cup from my sister and letting her pour him some. “Moscato doesn’t count.”

I let out a laugh and pull Amanda into a side hug. Her hair is bright pink, a ring in her nose. She went a little wild when she finally moved out from under our parents’ domineering thumb, but she’s a good kid. She’s starting her sophomore year of college in a few months, and I couldn’t be more proud.

“Love the lipstick. ”

“It goes well with the hair and the outfit, I think.”

“Yeah, I think so too.”

She hands me a cup of wine, and I take a sip.

“Don’t let him drink too much. He’s a lightweight,” Dean calls out, and I roll my eyes.

“I’m fine!”

“You always say that and it’s never true,” Dean replies, and I take a long gulp just to prove a point.

“So, how’s the new puppy?” I ask Ben, Cash, and Ford, taking a seat next to them.

“Exhausting. It’s like having a kid around,” Cash grumbles.

“But he adores you. And he’s so cute,” Ben says.

“He’s a menace,” Cash replies, and Ben touches his hand gently.

“You love him.” Ben turns toward me. “He loves him. Last night I caught him making baby noises at him.”

“I did not,” Cash grumbles, and Ford snorts.

“Dude, you so did.”

Cash frowns, and I bite back a smile. I mean, the Labrador puppy is super cute. I’d be talking in baby voices as well.

“Is he with Ford’s mom right now?” I ask, and they nod.

“We didn’t want him getting into any of your new plants,” Ben says and then takes another sip of his wine. “He’d gobble them up like they were salad.”

“Well, thank you, but Frank is welcome anytime.”

“When he’s better trained,” Cash replies, and I nod, watching as Amanda leans over, whispering something into Ben’s ear.

“Oh yes. I wanna see. Be right back, guys,” Ben says, standing up and grabbing her hand as they walk off.

“What are they getting up to?” Cash asks, and I shrug.

“No clue, but I love that they’re friends,” I say.

“Same,” Ford replies as Cash nods. Thankfully, Ben and Amanda hit it off right away. They probably spend more time together than Amanda spends with me. Not that I mind. My time is occupied at the shop and with my man. I’m glad Amanda is making friends and settling in.

I glance over at Dean and feel myself melt when I see him watching me intently. His tongue peeks out and he wets his lips as his eyes rove over me.

Fuck. I’m going to ride that man so hard tonight—just bounce on his dick.

I swallow, my throat a little sore from the blow job I gave him this morning, but fuck, the way he trembled and moaned while I took him was worth it. Letting him use me is a favorite pastime.

I drag a finger over my bottom lip, and his eyes darken.

Fuck, he’s so damn hot. Like, he only gets sexier with time.

Like a fine wine.

I throw the rest of mine back and let out a small burp.

“You look like you could use a refill,” someone says to my right, and I look over to see Kit standing there. His red hair is in disarray and he’s grinning.

“Hey!” I say with a smile. “Where have you been? You haven’t been answering my messages.”

“Yeah, sorry about that. Been working. Had to travel, but I got your invite and wanted to stop by. Brought a friend, if that’s okay.” He leans toward me and then says quietly, “I was on my way here and found him in my backseat hiding under a blanket.”

I let out a laugh, remembering with fondness how he helped me years ago.

We never did hear from Nick again.

I like to pretend he’s in jail somewhere and not six feet under.

I peek behind Kit and see Bane standing there, turning around in circles, his eyes taking everything in, his skin already reddening in the sunlight.

“This is a very nice backyard. Love the red flowers…” His voice trails off when he sees me.

“Hi, Avery.”

“Hello, Bane. It’s been a while since I’ve seen you,” I say and reach out, squeezing his hand.

He grins at me, not letting go of me right away. “It has been. You are still as gorgeous as ever. Love the new hairdo.”

I flick a pigtail over my shoulder and strike a pose.

“Thank you. Yours is nice too. ”

Bane runs a hand through his hair before he holds a gift bag out to me.

“A present for you and your man. It was a little last minute, but I think it will look nice here.”

I take the package and pull out a wind chime…made of bones.

I swallow down a small cough and manage a polite thank you . He insists none of the bones he delivered to the shop were real, but fuck, they sure looked and felt like they were. Not that I know what bones feel like, but they didn’t seem like plastic.

And these don’t seem like they are either.

“It’s gorgeous. I’ll hang it up right now,” I say and move toward the porch, Kit following beside me. I try to ignore the clattering of the bones as they knock together.

“So, tell me everything about this new job,” I say as I search for a place to put this incriminating wind chime. “Where did you go? Who are you working for now?”

Kit shifts on his feet and stuffs his hands in the pockets of his jeans. “Oh, just someone I met on Craigslist.”

I arch an eyebrow at him, and he sighs. “I know! I know , but it’s a good-paying job, and I get to go all around the country doing shit. And it’s fun. Mostly. I had to get the hang of it for a minute there, but I think I’m good at it. And Bane is helping me…with my career.”

I hang up the wind chime on a nail that is protruding from the side of one of the pillars and then turn toward Kit.

“I’m really happy for you. Just, don’t end up in jail, okay?”

Kit makes a face. “I won’t. There are certain protections in place.”

“Do I even want to know?”

“Probably not.”

I let out a muffled laugh as I pull him into a hug. “Alright, well, let me get some sunscreen for Bane. He’s very pale and I think he’s going to burn.”

Kit turns to look, squinting his eyes. “Yeah, I think so too. I don’t think he sees many rays. He’s usually underground.”

“Is he really?”

Kit shrugs. “Yeah. He’s cool though. Has a lot of good advice and seems pretty loyal. ”

“He’s something,” I say and then link my arm with his and pull him forward. “Come on. Let’s get the sunscreen and go eat. I think it’s almost ready.”

As we move into the house, I hear Bane chatting with Dean at the grill and feel a smile pull at my lips.

Damn, this is going to be a good day.