Page 252 of Things We Hide from the Light

“You big, beautiful chicken,” I teased.

I snatched the keys out of her hand and tossed her my phone.

“I’ll drive. You talk.”

“Fine, but as my fiancé, I hope you’re mentally prepared for parents with no sense of personal boundaries or privacy descending on Knockemout to meet you.”

“I can’t wait, Angel.”

EPILOGUE

Nash

It was a damn miracle that we were still standing…let alone standinghere. Tate Dilton was dead. Duncan Hugo was in custody. I hadn’t lost my job. And everyone I loved was safe and here. Some of us were a little banged up. But we were here and that was what counted.

My brother’s backyard was decked out for the occasion with a little help from Mother Nature. The sun was shining. The sky was blue. Fall leaves showered the guests in showy colors as the creek burbled over rocks and around bends, adding a familiar music to the lively guitar.

The rows of rustic benches full of excited guests faced the wooden arbor Knox and Lou had made together.

My brother was facing down the pumpkin-lined aisle, looking like he was about to puke all over his suit and tie. He had a cut on his forehead, a bruise under one eye, and several knuckles bandaged. I myself was rocking a few new bruises and a sore-as-hell shoulder.

Under the arbor ready to officiate was Justice St. John, who cleaned up nicely for the occasion, trading in his usual coveralls for a charcoal-gray suit.

Lucian, with a smirk, and Jeremiah took their places next to me. Together, we had my brother’s back.

Naomi’s mom, pretty in gold, flashed me an enthusiastic thumbs-up from the front row. Across from her, Liza J pulled a flask out of her shit-brown cardigan and took a nip. Beside her, I was surprised to see our dad. He looked…good. Healthy. Present. He was decked out in a suit and tie that he kept fiddling with. Next to him was a man I didn’t recognize.

I didn’t have time to draw any conclusions because the music changed and there she was.

Lina appeared at the end of the aisle in scarlet that draped over her like paint from the brush of an enchanted artist. She had a black eye not quite hidden by makeup, ruby-red lips, a bandage on her arm, and a halo of flowers in her hair.

I’d never seen anything more beautiful in my entire life.

My throat closed up on me as she sauntered my way. And I knew for certain I couldn’t wait for her to be walking down a different aisle to me. Our aisle.

I wanted to go to her. To touch her. To drag her up to Justice and make it official. But there’d be time for that.After.We had all the time in the world now.

Her eyes were on me, and that sly, knowing smile of hers warmed every corner of my soul.

Mine.

She tore her gaze away from me and stopped in front of Knox. “Congratulations, Knox,” she whispered. He reached out and pulled her in for a hard hug, his throat working hard to swallow.

The crowd “awwed” as my brother managed to whisper a broken, “Thanks, Leens.”

She pulled back. “They’re both so beautiful,” she added. And then she was standing in front of me.

“Looking good, hotshot,” she said. It was lily of the valley in her hair. For the first time in a long time, I felt the presence of both my parents.

I shocked the hell out of her and everyone else by hooking her around the back of her neck and pulling her in for a fast, hard kiss. The crowd twittered with sighs and laughter.

“Right back at you, Angel,” I said after breaking the kiss.

She grinned up at me with a thousand promises in her eyes before she moved on to high-five Lucian and Jeremiah. Lucian made room for her between the two of us and I felt her hand stroke my back.

Fi strutted down the aisle next in a fitted gold dress like it was a runway. She wore her thick, dark hair down in wild curls tamed by a headband of flowers. She blew Knox a kiss before peeling off toward the opposite side of the arbor. Stef and Sloane were next in the processional. Stef, in a suit, tossed Jeremiah a flirty wink before pointing two fingers at his own eyes before pointing them at Knox.

Sloane, in a rust-colored gown with a full skirt, floated toward us looking like a forest fairy. Her blond hair was swept up and back. A headband of white blossoms perched on her head. She kept her eyes straight ahead until she got to us.