Page 53 of Cinnamon Cider Whiskey
EPILOGUE
SIX WEEKS LATER…
Austin lay sprawled out on the sofa with the television remote in his hand. He’d flipped through the channels three times and still couldn’t find something to hold his attention for more than five minutes. His cell buzzed on the coffee table. He reached for it and groaned. The doctor told him it would be another good three months before he was one hundred percent. The bullet had been lodged in the bone, making the injury more complicated. It required a delicate surgery to remove it and he had to stay in the hospital for two full weeks after.
He wasn’t sure what was worse.
The hospital stay or being bedridden at home.
“Hey, Tom.” He set his phone on his chest. “How was the service?”
“It was nice. I’m sorry you couldn’t be here,” Tom said.
“Besides being unable to put weight on this leg, I’m not sure the family would have wanted me there.”
“Everyone asked about you,” Tom said.
“I’m just glad we could give them—and you—closure.” Austin might not have loved Charity, but he never wished her dead. He could only offer her family the ability to find her body and helpthem lay her to rest. He’d been grateful to the FBI and the local sheriff’s department for all their hard work locating where Pete had buried her body.
“How are things with you?” Tom asked.
“I’m healing,” he said.
“And Cinnamon?”
A smile spread across Austin’s lips. “She’s happy to be back with her family. She’s all enrolled in college. While she still has nightmares and a shit ton of guilt over things that aren’t her fault, she’s doing well.”
“What about the two of you?”
“For the most part, we’re good.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Tom asked. Since Pete’s death, a day hadn’t gone by where Austin hadn’t spoken to Tom. They had become close friends, which to some seemed odd. However, Austin enjoyed the camaraderie. The more he got to know Tom, the more he realized how much they had in common outside of Charity.
“She has a lot of emotional healing she needs to do and I’m doing my best to give her the space. Sometimes that causes a disagreement.”
“That makes no sense.”
Austin chuckled. “She thinks I often pull away. But I’m not. I’ve gone to a couple of her therapy sessions and don’t do well.” He adjusted his pillows and sat up taller. It was hard for him to discuss this shit with her cousins. It didn’t matter that JD was one of his closest friends. Or JW and JB had been in his life since he was a kid. Or he and Irish had been friends forever. They were Cinnamon’s cousins and he didn’t want to burden them with their problems, which weren’t big ones, but still things they needed to work through. “I worry we’re rushing things, especially since I need help and she’s living here with me. She needed to stand on her own two feet while we discussed how tohandle the situation with Pete. However, since I was wounded and he died in the shootout, she’s done a bit of a one-eighty.”
“She got scared she could have lost you.”
“That’s what her therapist said, but I’m not going anywhere. I want her to feel like she’s in control of her own destiny. To understand she doesn’t need me to be whomever she wants. I’m just here to support her.”
“You’re a good man,” Tom said. “I started seeing someone a couple of months ago and I was thinking—when you’re feeling up to it—maybe the four of us could get together.”
“I’d love that and I’m sure Cinnamon would like it too. But why wait? You should come out to the ranch. I’m going crazy sitting on my ass. I’d love the company.”
“Talk it over with Cinnamon and we’ll set up a date and time,” Tom said. “I still have some of Charity’s family here, so I best be going. I just wanted to check in on you.”
“Thanks, I appreciate it.” Austin ended the call. He tossed his phone to the coffee table, found his crutches, and groaned as he hobbled to the kitchen for a snack. He was supposed to stay off his leg for another two weeks. But he was going nuts doing absolutely nothing but watching television, reading books, and waiting for Cinnamon to return from work.
However, today she embarked on a new chapter in her life.
College.
He was so excited for her and couldn’t wait to hear about her first day. She’d always wanted to be a teacher and now she’d get that chance.
The front door swung open.
