Page 59 of Honey Undone (The Hornets Nest #5)
EPILOGUE
JENSEN
“ L et’s go get wasted,” I huffed and kissed Adeline standing on the porch.
“Carry this,” Cael said, slamming a crate of CDs into my arms as I turned. One last walk to Delta. I shifted it in my arms as Adeline caught up to Zoey, who was carrying a bottle of rum and stole a hearty shot.
Van fell into line with me as Cael argued with Arlo about song mixes ahead of us and Dean whispered a conversation to Josh behind. Silas had Drew on his back leading the swarm of Hornets down the hill to an already raging Delta.
The party erupted in cheers and congratulations as we made our way up the stairs and inside. Everyone fanned off, getting drinks and taking the chaos in strides but once it calmed down we all found ourselves in the backyard where we belonged.
“Is that for me?” I laughed wildly at the crooked paper sign that hung from the upstairs deck.
Dean had sloppily painted over Hornets Win!
To make it say Goodbye Jenny and it was the sweetest thing he’d ever done for me.
“It looks like you painted in the dark! I love it,” I said, turning to him as he threw his arm over my shoulder.
“Anything for you Jenny,” He rubbed his hand into my hair and crashed his lips against the side of my head in a messy show of affection.
I made my way down, finding a place in the grass and Adeline balanced on my lap as she took another shot, handing the bottle to her left for Dean.
“Party’s here!” Kaia and Rhea appeared from the side of the house, Rhea was hauling a keg in her arms and Kaia was wearing Cael’s crop top. I turned to look at him and he shook his head with a sigh .
“Who invited the strays?” Van asked jokingly, standing up to help Rhea. Kaia wandered over to where we all sat and sank down on her heels in a squat in front of Cael.
“What’s up, pussycat?” Cael smirked, leaning forward as she settled in the grass.
“I heard you got hurt,” she said, and Cael’s smile faltered. “Here.” Her hand curled around to the back of the crop and she pulled it up and over her head of messy dark hair. Holding it out for him in nothing but a thin patterned sports bra she waited for him to take it.
“You need it more than I do.” She said, shaking it for him to take.
Cael stared down at the relic, that crop had seen war. Tears, screaming, fights, car accidents, bathroom floors and back alleys.
“You won it fair and square.” Cael shook his head, his blue eyes flickering back up to Kaia.
“You earned it back.” A smile formed on her face and Cael reached out to wrap his big hand around the fabric. Kaia held on for a second longer, violent mischief written across her face, “but don’t think this means I won’t come for it again.”
“Bring it on.” A Cheshire grin grew on his face and he quickly stripped from the t-shirt he was in to wear the crop.
Fuckboy splattered across the chest, he glowed a little brighter with it back resting against his heart.
Adeline looked down at me and smiled with a little cute pout over their interaction as Kaia stood, taking a solo cup from Van as he returned.
“What the hell is dad doing here?” Cael went still as Coach came around the corner with a four pack in his hand.
“I forgot that smoke show and you were related.” Kaia chewed on the rim of her cup. “Is it weird that I want to fuck your dad?”
“Get in line,” Adeline giggled and I dug my fingers into her side.
“Is that beer?” Arlo asked.
“Hey boys,” he stopped and set the beer on the unused beer pong table. “Have you seen Silas around, I wanted to speak to him.”
“Oh, this is going to be good,” Arlo laughed, a sick smile forming on his face .
“Ryan?” Silas came down the stairs, handing a second drink to Drew who was staring between them like she might have to stop a fight.
At least Cael was just as confused as the rest of us.
“You wanted to talk today, here? About what?” Silas scowled, the wind fluffing up his dark hair.
“Maybe somewhere not everyone is staring at us?” Coach said.
“Sorry Ryan,” Ella piped up. “If you wanna have a conversation at Delta you do it over the table.” She pointed to the beer pong table, seamlessly in cahoots with Arlo as always.
“I’m forty-nine years old. I'm not playing beer pong, Miele.” Coach scoffed.
“You play or sit there grumpy,” Silas said, liking Ella’s idea as he moved around the yard. He pointed to the beers Coach brought. “Those for us?”
“Yeah,” he sighed. He piped his head back and muttered something before looking back at Silas, there was a first for everything. “Set it up,” he groaned.
“How about we go get some food.” Zoey looked over at Drew who gave a nervous smile but joined her inside.
“To the death!” Dean yelled and everyone around them cheered as Silas popped the caps off the beers and filled the cups equally for the two of them.
Coach stripped from his sweater, chucking it at Arlo with a dirty look on his face as he rolled up his sleeves and positioned himself at his end of the table.
Silas didn’t even give him a chance to breathe before he pocketed a ball in the back row of cups. “What do you want to talk to me about?” He asked him as Coach downed the first cup with a disgusted look on his face.
“Are you sure you don’t want to do this in private?” He asked him and Silas narrowed his eyes on him.
“Throw the ball, Ryan,” Silas demanded.
Coach threw it and sank it with ease. “It’s about your mom.”
“Oh, I know.” Silas tossed back his cup and chucked it into the grass, “You two think you’re so fucking sneaky,” he laughed. “You aren’t.”
“Wait…” Van looked over at Cael who was staring at his father in shock, while Arlo couldn’t stop smiling
“Don’t be like that, Silas,” Coach tried to reason as he collected the ball and cup, downing it .
“Be like what?” Silas was getting a little sloppy with every toss. But still they went shot for shot, never missing a beat until there was only one cup left. Coach tried to keep control of the situation, but Silas couldn’t have cared less.
“You’re acting like a little kid,” Coach said.
He stared at him, a pissed-off smile forming on his face. “Are you fucking my mom, Ryan?”
Coach stilled, his hand wrapped around the ball. “Don’t talk about her in that context,” he warned, and everyone that heard in the vicinity went dead quiet.
“What the fuck?” Dean mouthed, leaning forward.
“Wait, Mrs. Shore and Coach?” Van’s eyes grew wide, “There’s no way.”
“This is a nightmare,” Cael gagged.
“This is the best day of my life,” Arlo started laughing and Ella just shook her head at him with a smile on her face.
“You’re screwing my mom behind my back!” Silas scoffed.
Something flipped in Coach, he went from nervous to annoyed and the familiar look of controlled rage settled over his features but a nasty smirk curled to the left side. “Do you wanna keep calling me Ryan, or we can try out Dad?” He teased, sinking the last ball into Silas’s cup.
All hell broke loose, and for a second I thought Silas might actually hit Coach but Arlo got between them and Silas was laughing like a madman.
“Yeah well, I fucked your sister.” He snapped and Cael threw his head back with a long huff of air.
“I thought that was a fever dream,” he groaned.
“You did what ?” Coach snapped and Arlo suddenly had to work harder to keep them separate.
Silas flipped him off and Coach just shook his head.
“If you break her heart, I will make sure you never step foot on a field ever again,” Silas growled but for some reason the entire conversation still felt normal, like they weren’t actually mad. Just… caught off guard.
Honestly, I could see it, Mrs. Shore was a fucking babe.
Everyone was involved, laughing and hollering about the entire interaction, but eventually Coach managed to bring Silas closer and apologize for not bringing it up sooner. It was still tense but the air was cleared of any secrets, and it allowed everyone to return to their celebrating.
“Do you want your present?” Adeline whispered to me in the chaos.
“A present?” I looked down at her and nodded. “Is it you naked? Because wow I could go for that right now.”
“You’re insatiable,” she giggled, slipping her hand into mine and dragging me up out of my chair.
We took the path back to the Nest, where it was so quiet in comparison to Delta.
All I wanted to do was get my hands all over her but I needed to be patient because she was too excited about her gift for my wandering hands.
She dragged me over to her car and popped the trunk, “close your eyes.”
I listened, coming to a stop in the gravel. Everything smelled better after our win, it tasted better, looked better, and right now the smell of fresh-cut grass and an impending storm filled my nose.
“Okay,” she said, sounding excited. I opened my eyes, and she was holding a large picture frame.
“There’s no way,” I said, stepping forward, my eyes flickered between her and the present. It was the original jersey, still in pieces but laid out to display it perfectly against a navy blue background. “You framed it?”
“This is a special piece of history,” she giggled, “One day I wanna be able to tell our kids the story of how you destroyed that while it was still on my body.”
I shook my head no as she said it and it only made her laugh harder.
“Okay, maybe not the kids, but definitely anyone else that will listen.” Adeline beamed with pride. “We can put it up in the living room.”
“Deal,” I stared down at it in disbelief and realized that her pride over the shredded jersey only made me love her more. “We’re going to have to test the durability of your rugby jersey.”
“A matching set?” She gasped, “That’s the most romantic thing you’ve ever said to me.”
“I fucking love you.” I reached over the frame and cupped her face, bringing her lips to meet mine.