Page 94 of Visions of You

We were silent as we stared out at the timeless sea, each occasionally taking a sip of beer.

The door opened once more, and Evan stepped out. He cracked a smile, his teeth glimmering behind his beard. “Oh, I guess I can’t come out here, huh? Is this the dad zone?”

“Shut up and get over here,” I said, gesturing to my other side with my head.

Grinning, Evan grabbed a beer from the cooler before leaning down on the railing too. “I was just talking to April. She knows a lot about DCS and has a way of letting me know she feels bad about what happened without making a big deal of it.”

I smiled, nodding. April understood exactly how to talk to Evan, and I loved her all the more for it. I turned my head to look at him. “So, should we take bets that you’re the next one to get involved?”

“Hell no! Stella’s here too. Bet on her.”

Evan’s injury had turned him from a confident, athletic phenom into a bashful, near recluse. He didn’t deserve that, and I hoped it would change.

Maybe he just hasn’t met the right woman yet.

I straightened as I realized the two men I needed to talk to were standing right here.

And we had privacy.

“I need some help with a project. Can you two help me? I don’t know exactly when, but it won’t take long.”

They both nodded.

“Sure,” Evan said. “Something to do with your headboards?”

“No, but I’ve got several of those made now. This is something else. I need help carrying a generator and several strings of lights. And I need your know-how-to-do-everything acumen to put everything together, Evan.”

He snorted and took a pull. “If you’re complimenting me, it must be important.”

I told them what I had in mind. My brother just stared at me for a long moment. Then he groaned, scrunching his eyes shut. When he opened them, his face fell into a deep scowl. “Great, Gabe. You do realize Nona is going to make my life hell, don’t you?”

Wyatt just laughed and clapped me on the shoulder.

I broke into a full, shit-eating grin, patting Evan on the back. “Not my problem, little brother.”

The kitchen door opened, and the rest of the entourage filed out.

“There you guys are!” Dad said, helping himself to abeer. Maia held Skye, and I left the rail to wrap an arm around her. Hailey and April stood on my other side. I pulled my daughter in front of me and drew April tightly against my side.

“We were just three guys watching the ocean,” I said. “And it was getting a little lonely. But now that you’ve all arrived, we’ve got everything we need. Right here.”

As I stared at the Big House in the distance, I swallowed the qualm that Hunter wasn’t here with us. I wanted desperately for him and Evan to reconcile, but after a decade of hatred—mostly on Evan’s side—I was doubtful that would ever happen.

Maia grinned up at me. “Look at you. Getting all sappy. Must be the beer.”

Smiling, I met her eyes. “Congratulations, little sister.”

She leaned her head against my shoulder until Skye started fussing. She rearranged the baby in her arms. Skye blinked as she stuffed her tiny fist in her mouth.

Removing my arm from Maia, I placed it on Hailey’s shoulder and kissed April’s head. Remembering what I’d said earlier. That every day was a miracle and always to be appreciated.

Even after I thought I no longer believed in love, someone came along to show me what a miracle truly was.

Epilogue

April

TWO WEEKS LATER

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