Closing Time (33 page)

“It’s been nine hours,” Andrew said with a sigh. “Why haven’t they spoken to us yet?”

“I’m sure they are busy doing paperwork,” Sean said. “Nothing to worry about.”

Honestly, I was nervous. We hadn’t gotten an update in a while.

Dr. Youseff finally appeared out of the doors, heading right for Andrew.

Andrew jumped up then approached him, keeping calm and professional. He kept his silence and waited for the doctor to speak.

“She’s in recovery now. We’ll need to monitor her for a few days, but the surgery went well. We don’t expect any side effects, and the entire tumor was removed.”

Andrew took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment. Then he opened them. “That’s wonderful.”

Dr. Youseff nodded. “There were no complications. Everything went smoothly.”

He took another deep breath. “Thank you so much.”

“You’re very welcome.”

Andrew shook his hand and held it for a moment. “Thank you.”

He nodded then walked back into the doors.

Sean walked to his father then hugged him tightly. “She’s okay.”

Andrew patted his back. “She is.”

Mike came behind his father and rubbed his back. “I’m so relieved.”

Andrew pulled away from Sean then hugged Mike. “I am too, kid.” He kissed Mike on the brow. “I’m so blessed to have my family.”

Sean clapped his shoulder. “Everything worked out like you said it would.”

“I’m glad I wasn’t wrong,” Andrew said. “Thank you so much for being here, boys. It means the world to me.”

“You got our backs, and we always got yours,” Mike said.

The rest of us joined them then gave Andrew a hug. He hugged each one of us fiercely then stepped back. “God, I don’t even know what to say…” He ran his fingers through his hair. “I was scared. I admit it.”

“It’s okay to be scared, Dad,” Sean said gently.

“Yeah,” Mike added. “I was scared too.”

“We all were,” I added. “But everything worked out. It’s time to be happy.”

“It is,” Andrew said. “It is.”

Andrew was allowed to see Diane before us, but we were forbidden due to contamination issues. She still had open wounds and they didn’t want to risk an infection. We had to wait a few days before we were allowed inside.

“My boys,” Diane said when she saw Mike and Sean enter.

“Hey, Mom.” Sean hugged her. “You look great.”

She rolled her eyes. “They shaved my head.”

“But now you can get a Mohawk,” Mike said. “That’d be awesome.”

Diane laughed. “Oh, you two are so weird, but I love you so much.”

“We love you too, Mom.” Sean sat at the edge of the bed.

“I want my grandchildren,” she demanded.

“Coming right up,” I said. I handed her Skye and she immediately smiled at the sight of her.

“I was so scared I’d never see this pretty face again,” she said with a sigh.

Andrew placed his hand on her shoulder, comforting her.

Cassandra brought Trinity and placed her in the other arm.

“They are going to be such beautiful girls someday,” Diane said fondly. “I can’t wait to buy them dresses and shoes.”

“Long dresses,” Sean said.

“Like, really long,” Mike said. “I’m talking nunnery status.”

Andrew rolled his eyes and chuckled.

Ryan came to her then rubbed her shoulder. “I heard you were quite the fighter.”

She continued to look at her grandchildren. “I guess I had too much to live for.”

Cortland brought her a cup of coffee. “Are you allowed to have any?”

She took a deep breath and sniffed the aroma. “I would love some, but no, I’m not allowed.”

“Can I bring you something else?” Cortland asked.

“Yes, a hug.”
She handed the girls back to me and Cassandra then hugged Cortland. Then she hugged everyone else, the joy evident on her face. “It’s good to be alive.”

We stuffed into the room and kept her company. She was a completely different person after the surgery. While she’d always been lively, it seemed like a burden had been taken from her shoulders. Her eyes shined with a new light and her youth returned to her features. It was a wonderful thing to see.

When the nurse informed us visiting hours were over, we were all sad to go. Only Andrew remained behind.

“I sleep where my w
ife sleeps.”

“I’m sorry, sir. The ICU doesn’t allow that.”

“Then call security,” he said simply. “Because I’m not leaving.”

“Dad is an alpha,” Mike whispered to Sean.

The nurse sighed. “Fine. Don’t cause any trouble.”

“I won’t,” Andrew said with a smile.

We all hugged her goodbye.

“How long are you staying?” I asked.

“Just a few more days and then we’ll fly home,” Diane said. “You guys don’t need to stay. The boys should get back to work, and I know everyone else has busy schedules to attend to.” She grabbed Andrew’s hand. “Besides, I have my husband if I need anything.”

He kissed her hand. “You do.”

“Okay,” Sean said. “We’ll see you at home.”

“When are you leaving?” Andrew asked.

“Probably tomorrow,” Sean answered. “We just have to make one more stop.”

“Where?” he asked.

Sean smirked at me. “Somewhere special.”

23

Scarlet

We arrived at Mega-Shake, but I stopped before we went inside. We moved from Seattle a year ago, but nothing had changed. The building was still painted with the faded red color, and the florescent lights looked ancient and cheap. It was a diner in all aspects, but it was also a place to call home.

I’d come here to do my homework when I was too scared to go home. Whenever I was hungry, this was my first choice. Ryan and I had so many fond memories of this place before I left for college, and even better ones after I returned. It wasn’t just a restaurant to me. It was where the second half of my life had begun. I ate with Cortland here so many times, starting a friendship that would last a lifetime. It was the place
where Sean and I finally got together, right outside the door. It was filled with more memories than a museum.

“Ready?” Sean asked.

“Dude, I’ve been craving a Mega-Shake for so long,” Cortland said.

“A mega what?” Hazel asked, confused.

“They are the best milkshakes in the world,” Ryan said.

Flynn rolled his eyes. “They can’t be the best. The fact you say they are automatically makes them not the best.”

“We’ll see,” Ryan said arrogantly.

“You wanna bet?” Flynn challenged.

“A hundred bucks.” Ryan stuck out his hand.

Flynn shook it. “You’re on.”

Janice moved next to Ryan. “They are pretty damn good. I gained a few pounds living here but it was totally worth it.”

“Totally,” I said.

We walked inside then looked at the menu. I held Skye in the car seat while Sean took out his wallet.

“The usual, baby?” he asked.

“You know me so well,” I said with a smile.

“I’ll get a strawberry milkshake since you don’t share,” he jabbed.

“But she’ll eat it off the floor,” Ryan snapped. “Makes no fucking sense.”

“No cussing,” Cassandra hissed.

“Oh whatever,” Ryan said irritably. “They are going to do it eventually.”

“Just be mindful about it,” Cassandra insisted.

Hazel looked at the menu next to me. “What’s good here?”

“Burgers and fries,” I said. “Actually, that’s all they have.”

“Well, that made it easy,” Hazels said with a laugh.

Sean ordered our food then carried our trays to
a table. We pushed a few table together so we could all fit. The diner was empty except for us, so at least we were bringing the place business.

When Sean put the food in front of me, my mouth immediately watered.

“God, this looks so fucking good,” I said.

“So Scar can cuss but I can’t?” Ryan asked incredulously.

“It was a special occasion,” Sean said.

Everyone grabbed their food and joined us at the table.

Ryan looked at Flynn. “Now try it.”

“I haven’t even eaten yet,” Flynn said.

“Just do it.” Ryan stared him down.

Flynn sighed then sucked on the straw of his chocolate milkshake. He took a long drink before he put the cup down, savoring the taste.

We all patiently waited for his declaration, sitting at the edge of our seats.

He pulled his wallet out then handed Ryan the cash. “You win.”

Ryan snatched it away. “That’s what I thought.”

Hazel grabbed his milkshake then sipped it. “It is good.”

“They aren’t even married and she shares with him,” Sean said, looking at me.

I rolled my eyes then grabbed his strawberry shake and took a drink. Then I put it back. “There. You happy?”

“But doesn’t that gross you out?” Cortland mocked. “Because it’s been pasteurized or some crap like that.”

“Did one of you build a time machine I don’t know about?” I asked. “Because I feel like I’m living a year in the past.”

“No, you just haven’t changed much.” Mike shoved the fries into his mouth.

We all laughed while we shared our meal. When Mike put two fries in his nose to make Trinity laugh, Skye giggled with merriment at the sight. He looked completely ridiculous but we couldn’t stop laughing.

“You look so hot right now,” Cassandra said sarcastically.

“Don’t I look like a walrus?” Mike asked.

“No, you look like an idiot,” Ryan said.

“You’re an idiot,” Mike argued.

“What a good comeback,” Ryan said sarcastically.

I sighed, watching my family bicker and argue like they did every day. I used to come to this place because it was my sav
ior, a place to go to hide from the difficult times. But now it was a safe haven, a place filled with love and joy. I could live every day of my life like this, full of happiness and joy.

When I looked across the table, Sean was staring at me. Judging the seriousness on his face, I knew he could read my thoughts. He and I had a hard time getting to where we are now. It came with work and sacrifice, but now we were a team, partners. He was my best friend and greatest ally. All the pain and heartbreak was worth reaching this moment. Every single second was worth it.

Skye squirmed in my arms then her arm knocked my fries onto the floor. Everyone stopped while they stared at me, wondering what I would do. Sean had an amused expression on his face, his eyes saying everything he was thinking. Ryan stared at me hard, waiting for me to make my move. A smile stretched on my face and I did what everyone was waiting for. I reached down and scooped up the fries then returned them to the plate.

Then I ate every single one of them.

The First Installment of the Forever and Ever Series

Featuring All the Kids of Gang

All I Want is You

Release Day: TBA

I’m giving out a limited number of copies of
All I Want is You
in exchange for honest reviews. If you would like to reserve your copy, please send me an email at
[email protected]

On the release day, I’ll send it over.

Farwell

This series ended up being a lot longer than I anticipated, and honestly, it could continue indefinitely. These characters are real to me, they cast their own shadows, and they are immortal. Even after the last page was written, their story still carried on. Now all the loose ends are tied up, and all our characters have
their happily ever after.  But that doesn’t necessarily mean I won’t continue their story in the future. Whoever said the excitement and fun of life ended after marriage and kids was wrong. It begins again.

But I will be writing the spin off series, Forever and Ever, featuring everyone’s kids. If you want to know who’s kids will be included, you’ll just have to read it. I’m very excited to write it, and the original cast of Forever and Always will have significant spotlight, so do not fear, you will see the gang a lot. I guess their story isn’t really over…

To that end, I will be giving out free copies of the first Forever and Ever book in exchange for an honest review on whatever retailer you normally read on. But I will be handing out limited copies, so if you want to reserve yours, email me at
[email protected]
and write me an email asking for a copy. I’ll put your name on a list, and when the book is released (probably October) I’ll send it over.

I want to take this time to thank each and every one of you for being as involved with these characters as I am. These characters aren’t just real to me, but they are real to you, and that’s the most amazing feeling in the world. It’s unbelievable that this story has touched so many people. For that, I thank you.

The initial book was a therapeutic experiment for me. If I had to identify with any character specifically, Scarlet is the person I see myself in the most. Like her, I didn’t have a family growing up, and like her, I had to make my own family to combat the years of darkness I experienced. Scarlet is the heroine I root for, because like her, I found my happily ever after eventually. Despite the obstacles and heartbreak, the reward was worth every second of suffering. I guard my privacy obsessively, and don’t share my past very often, but I feel like we have a special bond at this point, and I wanted to share something rare and true with you.

Even though the series is now over, their stories will continue on, so don’t have fear. You will meet the gang again.

Their story is only just beginning.

Your friend,

E. L. Todd