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EPILOGUE: CONNOR

The dinner party is loud, messy, and exactly the kind of disaster I’ve come to expect from this crew.

Ford’s eating off Harper’s plate.

Cole and Chloe are arguing over whether pineapple belongs on pizza.

Jake’s wearing an apron that says, ‘I Like My Meat Rare and My Hockey Players Rough.’ Tara gave it to him as a joke.

Allie’s curled into my side on the couch, warm, soft, and mine.

And then the front door opens.

Daltyn walks in, and beside him is Peyton.

I raise a brow, watching him.

The room goes suspiciously quiet.

Peyton’s eyes scan the chaos. She’s wearing jeans and an oversized hoodie that I’m 99% sure belongs to Daltyn.

Gram gasps so hard I think she might choke on her chardonnay. “You’re official!”

Daltyn’s brows lift. “What! No?—”

“Yes, we are,” Peyton says sweetly, clapping her hands before sipping the drink Harper hands her. “Didn’t he tell you?”

Daltyn turns to her like she just kicked him in the soul. “What? When?”

Peyton grins. “Sorry. I suck at keeping secrets.”

I nudge Allie and wiggle my brows.

She bites her lip, trying not to cackle.

Gram clasps her hands like she just watched a royal engagement. “FINALLY! You two were radiating so much sexual tension, I had to use my hormone patches.”

Ford mutters, “You’re not on hormone patches.”

“I am now. You think this natural glow just happens?”

Gram claps again. “Speaking of men who make my estrogen dance. I have a boyfriend.”

Everyone freezes.

Chloe nearly spills her wine.

“Captain Jimmy?” Allie asks.

Gram waves a dismissive hand. “That was a fling. Good hips. Great stamina. But no follow-through.”

I stop breathing.

“His name’s Eddie,” Gram continues, beaming. “He’s an Elvis impersonator. We reconnected in Boston. Remember I told you I gave Elvis a blow job in Vegas?”

Ford groans. “Jesus Christ. Not again.”

“Wait, what?” Chloe and Cole say in unison.

Jake is howling, leaning against the wall.

Tara pumps her fist in the air. “Go, Gram.”

Gram bows before she adds proudly, “I bumped into him at Trader Joe’s. He was in the frozen foods section. One thing led to another, and we ended up in my apartment, bumping uglies.”

Tara chokes on her drink.

Jake is crying.

Ford is whispering prayers into his whiskey.

Allie leans into me, breathless with laughter.

Glee fills me as I watch Ford’s reaction.

Karma is a bitch, motherfucker.

As the laughter dies down, Tara points to the hallway. “Hey, is that your wedding contract framed on the wall?”

Allie’s eyes widen. “Connor!”

I grin. “Told you I was gonna frame it.”

The marriage contract I made Allie sign in Vegas hangs front and center on the wall.

I had it professionally matted.

Hung it like art.

She groans, covering her face. “You’re unhinged.”

I kiss her cheek. “And you’re legally married to me. Can’t escape me now.”

Just then, Peyton bolts toward the back door, cheeks flushed, with Daltyn hot on her heels.

Allie and I exchange a look before following, stepping onto the porch just as the shouting starts.

Daltyn and Peyton are arguing. It’s the kind of argument where every word is either foreplay or a felony.

“We’re not dating,” Daltyn snaps. “We never talked about?—”

“I live with you,” Peyton shoots back. “You hover over me like an anxious bodyguard. You threaten baristas who smile at me. If it walks like a boyfriend and glares like a boyfriend?—”

“That doesn’t mean I’m your?—”

She jabs a finger in his chest, shutting him up. She opens her mouth, furious eyes glaring up at him.

Daltyn snaps before she can get a word out.

He grabs her waist, hauls her to him, and kisses her like it’s the only way to shut her up.

Allie sighs beside me.

“Fake dating, my ass,” I mutter.

She snuggles closer to me. “Maybe we’ll have another wedding soon.” She pauses, then glances through the window, her eyes landing on Gram. “Or two.”

I pull her into my arms, holding her close. “Maybe.”

Secretly, I’m delighted at the idea of Gram getting married.

Ford will freak the fuck out.

He deserves it.

My voice lowers. “All I know is I married my menace in Vegas.” I kiss her temple. “Best decision I ever made.”

She grins at me. “The Vegas road trip turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to me.”

She kisses me before glancing at Daltyn and Peyton. “Who knows? Maybe it was the best thing for them, too. They just don’t know it yet.”

I glance over at them.

As this crew has proven, what happens in Vegas definitely doesn’t stay in Vegas.