Page 90 of Unfulfilled Promises
“I can’t believe it’s over,” I said and felt his exhale behind me.
“It’s over. They can’t hurt any of us anymore.”
I spun in his arms and wrapped mine around his neck. Pushing up on my feet, I kissed him softly before resting my head against his chest. This was quickly becoming my favorite spot, but the need to sleep was growing.
Seth, sensing my exhaustion, suggested, “Let’s get some rest and see what tomorrow brings us.”
He and I stripped down to our underwear, and I assumed my position pressed against his side with my face over his heart, my leg draped over his, and his arms holding me securely. Seth kissed me on the top of my head and whispered, “I love you, baby. Now and forever.”
Placing a kiss over his heart, I said, “I love you too. For eternity, my love.”
If you would have told me a little over four years ago that today would be the last day I ever feared the real monsters that crawled out of the dark and dragged me into a nightmare, I would tell you that you’re crazy. But lying here, held in the arms of the man I loved, I knew the darkness was gone, the silence was broken, and the nightmare couldn’t hurt any of us, ever again.
Sometimes in life, telling your story will cause more pain, but for me, revealing the secrets that bound me in the dark for too long had set me free. I never thought I’d find love, family beyond James and Rhys, or a life that I’d be eager to start.
Now, I looked forward to every new tomorrow, every fresh start, and every ounce of love.
And if you asked me now if I would do it all again in order to save others from pain, I would say yes a thousand times. Because every bit of pain led me to Seth, and in his arms, I knew I’d found forever.
And wasn’t that what anyone wanted out of life?
Epilogue
Seth
4thof July
We were set up on blankets around Pierce Lake, eagerly awaiting the fireworks to start. The day had been filled with food, family, laughter, and frivolities. It was nice to not be on guard all the time, and the last few months with Regan had been more than I could have ever asked for.
She and I decided that living with Rhys and Hannah or Booker and Caldwell wasn’t going to work for either of us. We both wanted a fresh start, so last week, we bought a house in Pierce Bluff. It wasn’t huge, even though Regan could afford it, but it was big enough for us, Edgar the fuzzy asshole, and our newest addition, Charles. He was a beautiful red Doberman that Stella bought Regan, and next week, he was going into training as a protection dog.
There weren’t any threats against any of us, except for the normal people we’d pissed off, but I wasn’t taking any chances with Regan’s safety. Charles would be Regan’s companion when I couldn’t be by her side, and she would always be carrying a weapon—a silver bracelet designed by Jacob that would cut a man’s throat if necessary.
Regan would never be the victim of anyone’s demented desires ever again.
“Wagan, I sit wif you,” DJ said as he walked from his parents’ blanket to ours.
“Did Mommy and Daddy say you could?” she asked, and he nodded.
Devlin lifted a thumb into the air, and Regan smiled at the adorable little guy. She patted her lap and said, “Have a seat.”
He plopped onto her lap and leaned against her as she sat between my legs and leaned against me. I kissed her head as she listened to him ramble about something he found fascinating. She loved him, but we’d recently discussed children and I discovered Regan had no desire to be a mother. She loved all the kids in the family, but her feelings were valid.
She explained that since her childhood was so difficult and chaotic, she had never developed the maternal instincts other women had. Regan didn’t long to have kids of her own, and when I really thought about it, neither did I. The thought of a mini-me running around didn’t make me excited or cause any kind of longing, so she and I agreed we wouldn’t pursue that avenue.
If it changed in the future, so be it, but I didn’t need a child to feel complete and neither did she. We had enough love to fulfill all our dreams, and for us, that was enough.
We still hadn’t told the family, as I believed she was worried about their reaction, but I promised her I would shut down any interrogation or browbeating attempts to change our minds. It was a decision we’d made and it wasn’t for public consumption.
Regan and I were going to travel, filling our adventure book with memories of all the exciting and bucket list items we experienced. We were going to sleep late, dance until dawn, eat all the delicious foods we wanted, and make love every chance we could.
And to answer your question, yes, she and I had been intimate with each other. Multiple times, actually. But what she and I had in the bedroom wasn’t for your prying eyes. Regan’s been exposed enough that I didn’t want either of us to discuss it, but you could use your imagination and picture our limbsintertwined as we climaxed together, reaching euphoria and crashing back to Earth.
For this story, that’s all you’re going to get. Maybe one day, she would want to share the details of our passion, but that would be a story for another day. Or not. There’s no telling around here.
It’d been quiet for months, and its given everyone a chance to relax and enjoy the lives they’d always dreamed of. And I got to include myself and Regan in that, which was more than I ever thought possible.
The first time I saw her, she was handling her 9mm handgun like a professional, and I was instantly smitten by her beauty and badass shooting skills. The more I saw, the more I wanted to know her, until finally, I couldn’t stay away any longer.
