Episode 48
Epilogue
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âSo, youâre dating?â
Bradlee reached his hand up, and wiped the cold sweat that had formed on his forehead. With his hands now tightly clasped together, he constantly fiddled with his knuckles, weaving his fingers together.
âYeah, weâre dating.â I tried to sound confident, but I could hear my voice shaking. Feeling my pulse pounding in my temples, I grabbed Bradleeâs hand, and looked at my brotherâJohn, straight in the eye.
His eyes was intense as they peered back at Bradlee and meâhis usual warmth gone. His lips was pulled up into a thin line while his frozen irises sent a electrical chill down the back of my spine.
âDoes Mom and Dad know?â
My cheeks heated up. Just thinking about the moment they caught Bradlee and I making out last week made me cringe. They couldnât have picked a better time to barge into the hospital like that. Needless to say my parents were completely shellshocked. But, luckily they quickly got over it after they spent some time getting to know Bradlee as a person rather than a suspect.
âThey know.â
He lifted his brows. âAnd?â
âAnd, theyâre fine with it.â
He frowned, looking at Bradlee. He let his eyes roam freely, taking in his leather jacket, chains, and dark jeans. âIâm guessing the motorcycle is yours?â
Bradlee nodded, squeezing my hand. I sqÂŁÂŁzed back.
âRight.â John dipped his head. âAnd your name is?â
âBradlee, um Sir?â
The corners of his eyes crinkledâhis face suddenly morphed into a vision of unrestrained mirth. âNo need to call me, Sir. Iâm not that old, you know.â He chuckled, his chest rumbling. âJust call me John.â
I heard Bradlee inhale slowly, his lips stretching into a full blown smile. âNice to finally meet you, John.â
John gazed at me for a split second until his eyes made its way back to Bradlee. âI see that my lovely sister has mentioned me before.â
Bradlee cracked a smile. âA couple of times.â
âWas that why you were sweating bullets?â When Bradlee confirmed his suspicions, John let out another laugh. âSeriously, Lily. What did you tell the poor dude?â
âOh, come on! You know as well as I do, that youâre crazy protective. I mean, did you see yourself when you walked in?â
John shrugged, lifting his elbow. âI was only playing along. Itâs not my fault you thought I was going to go apeshit on him.â
âI have all the reasons why I should.â I let go of Bradleeâs hand, and stepped closer to John. âRemember how you reacted when you found out Isabella was dating Thomas?â
âThat was only because I knew the things he was capable of. I was only protecting her from a broken heart.â
âOkay . . . what about Dennis?â
His eyes immediately narrowed down at his name. âThat b—–dâs five years older than you, and he was making out with you when he knew you were only ten! Who wouldnât go berserk on him?â
I rolled my eyes at him. âWe were practicing for a role, John. Seriously that was almost eight years ago. Let it go.â
âFine.â He crossed his arms together. âAt least you never actually dated that b—–d.â
I cracked a smile, shifting my eyes towards the ground. âRight.â If only he knew . . .
âBut I thoughtââ My pulse quickened knowing exactly what Bradlee was going to say.
I was about to switch the topic, but the rest of Bradleeâs sentence got drowned out when a voice shouted, âDaddy!â
I breathed out a sigh of relief seeing the miracle that saved my life from the wrath of John.
Viktoria ran inside the houseâbut instead of going straight, she wobbled to and fro before she got to John. She waved her arms up for the pick-up she knew was coming.
John grinned down at herâa smile that couldâve lit up the whole town was planted on his face. âHowâs my little pumpkin doing?â he cooed, pinching her round cheeks.
She giggled, stretching her tiny hands out to touch Johnâs nose. âGood!â She bounced in his arms, causing her light blonde hair to cover her eyes.
John reached up and tucked the pieces of hair behind her ears. âIâm glad my little pumpkin is doing well,â he said, softly kissing the top of her forehead. âIs Mommy coming?â
âMommy is in car.â
âActually, Mommy is here.â
Viktoriaâs eyes lit up hearing her motherâs voice. Moving her arms out towards Amanda, John gave into his daughterâs demands and handed Viktoria off to Amanda. Viktoria wrapped her arms around Amandaâs neck, resting her head on her shoulder. John leaned in and gave Amanda a quick kiss on the lips, and pulled her close to him.
Amanda smiled when we made eye contact.
âLily, itâs so nice to see you again,â she exclaimed with a bright smile.
âSame.â I smiled widely at her. âIt feels like I havenât seen you in ages.â
âDitto,â she agreed. âAnd you even changed your hair color,â she pointed out. âBrunette looks great on you.â
I felt the blood rushing to my cheeks at her compliment, especially since she was beyond beautiful herself. âThanks.â
John pouted. âHow come you werenât that excited when I showed up?â
âBecause the first thing you said was, and I quote, âSo, youâre datingâ.â
Amanda let out a laugh. âSo, youâre the boyfriend Iâd been hearing about?â she asked, turning her attention to Bradlee.
âWhat do you mean âIâd been hearing about?’â John questioned, glancing down at Amanda. âDid you know beforehand?â
âIzzy told me.â She shrugged her shoulders, lifting Viktoria up in her arms. âSo, youâre Bradlee, right?â
âYup,â Bradlee said with a nod. âItâs nice to meet you. Lily has told me all about you.â
The corners of her mouth lifted up into a smile. âGood things, I hope.â
âThe best.â He gave her a lopsided grin. âShe told me you saved her sister from her bullies in middleââ
ââwait a minute,â John cut in. âBell knew too?â he asked, referring to my older sister, Isabella. âAm I the only one who didnât know?â
I pulled at my lips. âUm . . . maybe Thomas doesnât know?â
âKnowing your sister, I doubt she kept that secret from her husband,â Amanda said. âYou know that girl could never keep anything from him.â
âSo, pretty much Iâm the only one who didnât know.â
Amanda patted Johnâs back. âItâs okay, honey. At least you know now.â
âButââ
ââhungry,â Viktoria grumbled out, her brown eyes wide. Her hands tightened their hold on Amandaâs neck. âFood, Mommy.â
âOn hold, Sweetie.â Amanda turned to me. âIs your parents in the kitchen now, Lily?â
âYeah, theyâre actually trying to cook tonightâs dinner?â
âHopefully they donât burn the house down,â John joked. âHopefully they have something edible to eat for Viktoria.â
âIf anything she can eat some baby carrots. Or maybe some crackers? I donât think Mom can mess that up.â
âCrackers!â Viktoria threw her hands up at the word. âI want crackers.â
âAlright, crackers it is.â Amanda grinned down at her daughter. âCome on John, letâs go say hi to your parents. Knowing them, theyâre probably going to need some help with the cooking since Mr. Baker isnât here.â
âOh.â John wiggled his eyebrows together. âMaybe when weâre alone, you can wear that sexy apronââ
ââJohn! Not in front of Viktoria,â Amanda screamed, covering their childâs ears. Bradlee and I couldnât help but laugh when Amanda kicked John in the leg, almost knocking him down.
âWell . . . that was unexpected,â Bradlee said when they disappeared from our sight. âI thought for sure your brother wouldâve interrogated me.â
âSame. Maybe being a father finally made him softer?â
âWhatever it is, Iâm just glad he didnât disapproved of me.â His dimples crinkled, pulling me against him. âIs your other sibling coming down with her husband soon?â
âUm . . .â I scratched the top of my head. âI think so. They live a bit further away, so Iâm not exactly sure when theyâll get here. Butââ
âTheyâll be here soon,â Megan announced suddenly. I whipped my head around to see her coming down the stairs with her phone in her hands. âI just texted my brother, and he said theyâll be here in about ten minutes.â
âGreat.â I cracked a smile. âHow exactly are you doing anyways?â Ever since she found out about Annemarie and Asher, she hasnât exactly been herself lately. Basically she was denying the possibility that Asher and Annemarie were a part of the murders. I knew it was hard on her-seeing that they were her close friends, so I didnât push it.
âBetter than yesterday.â She shrugged, shoving her phone back inside her pocket. âAnnemarie called earlier.â
âReally?â
âYeah. She pleaded guilty in her arraignment.â
âWhat about Asher?â I probed. Since Demitri and Skylar had to report back to base, they couldnât exactly keep me up to date anymore. So, the only information I got from the case was the things they reported on TVâmost of which I already knew.
âHeâs still recovering at the hospital, but Iâm pretty sure heâs getting life in jail. He canât exactly get out of this one with all the evidence they have on him.â
âI know.â I grimaced, knowing all the evidence theyâd were gathered up by me. âIâm sorry.â
âNo, donât be,â she responded quickly. âYou were only doing your job.â
âThanks.â I smiled, glad she was finally starting to accept everything. âHas he contacted you at all?â
Megan shook her head. âHe hasnât contacted me, and he refuses to talk to anyone, even his doctors.â
âHeâs probably using his right to stay silent,â Bradlee said, leaning close to me. âThat, or his lawyer is telling him to.â
âMaybe.â Megan nodded. âBut, maybe I can somehow convince Ian to talk to him.â
âIan?â My brow lifted up. âYou know Ian despises Asher now that he knows heâs behind his sister kidnapping, right? Plus, Asher isnât exactly gay.â
âI know, but what if Asher really did liked Ian? I mean, he couldnât have been that good of an actor, right?â
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âActually he is,â Bradlee said. âWhen I was locked up, all Asher did was complain about Ian and how if he wasnât a part of his plans, he wouldâve gotten rid of him a long time ago.â
Megan closed her eyes, and pinched the bridge of her nose. âI canât believe I didnât notice anything. I shouldâve. I mean, we were best friends. I shouldâve been moreââ
ââseriously Megan, donât beat yourself up about this.â I touched her shoulder, patting it gently. âNone of us saw it, and itâs not like you couldâve prevented this yourself.â
âI know, but I just wish I couldâve helped him somehow. Maybe if Iââ
ââno. He told me himself this started when he was ten.â I placed my other hand on her shoulder, locking eyes with her. âMeg, listen to me. Heâs not stable, and I donât think he ever was. There was nothing you, or anyone for that matter couldâve done to change him.â
âI know.â My hands dropped as she stepped away from me. âI just wish he didnât dragged Annemarie into this.â She sighed, pushing a loose strand of hair out of her face. âHer dadâs doing everything he can to get her the shortest sentence possible.â
âDonât worry. Weâll testified for her too. We wonât let her riot in jail,â Bradlee said.
Megan raised her eyes off the floor and met Bradleeâs. Her mouth twitched, about to smile. âThanks everyone. Sheâll really appreciate thatââ Megan quickly closed her mouth when she heard the jingle of keys. We turned our heads in time to see my sister and Meganâs brother coming in the front doorâThomas holding hands with his daughter, Clover. When Clover saw us, the dimples in her cheeks appeared.
âLily!â Isabella shouted, rushing towards me. Her hands wrapped around me, engulfing me in a tight hug. âItâs so great to see you.â
I hugged her back, missing her soft embrace. âWelcome back, sis.â
She chuckled, letting go of me. âItâs good to be back,â she said, looking into the direction of Bradlee. âAnd you must be Bradlee, Lilyâs boyfriend?â
âI am.â He softly smiled at her, grasping her hand. âItâs great to meet another one of Lilyâs siblings.â He then faced Thomas, who was hugging Megan at the momentâexchanging their âI miss yousâ and âhellosâ. âAnd of course, her husband.â
âCrap.â Isabellaâs eyes rounded. âDoes that mean you already met, John?â He lowered his head in response. âD–n, you mustâve really impressed him.â She gave him a thumbs up. âWay to go.â
His cheeks turned scarlet. âThanks.â
âYouâre lucky, dude. John was a nightmare to deal with when we were back in high school,â Thomas chimed in, their daughter now in his hands. Her eyes were closed, as she rested her head on her dadâs chest. I couldnât help but smile when Thomas rubbed her back, rocking her. She was definitely a daddyâs girl.
âThatâs because you were a jerk.â Isabella shoved Thomasâ shoulder lightly.
Thomas laughed. âGuilty.â
âBut you were a cute jerk,â she said, kissing Thomasâ cheek.
Thomas flicked his finger over Isabellaâs nose. âAnd yet, youâre still cuter.â
âNo, youâreââ
ââeven though I love watching you guys being affectionate with each other, please stop,â Megan begged. âItâs sickening.â She made a gagging noise.
Thomas patted Megan on the shoulder. âDonât worry sis, youâll find a boyfriend soon.â
She swatted his hand away. âUgh.â She groaned, pushing her hair back. âThatâs not what I meant!â she said stomping off towards the kitchen.
âOh come on!â Thomas ran after her. âWhen you get yourself a boyfriend, youâll knowââ
ââshut up!â I heard her scream, and then a soft mumble, before their voices completely disappeared.
âI think I should go and make sure they donât harm each other.â Isabella laughed, knowing how ridiculous that sounded, even to her.
I nodded. âJust a headâs up, Momâs trying to cook.â
Isabella bit her lips. âThanks for the warning, Sis. Maybe if I tell her Iâm pregnant, sheâll spare us and order some real food to celebrate with.â
My eyes widened at the news. âSo, you are pregnant!?â
She held a finger to her lips, leaning her body towards me. âIâm telling the rest of the family tonight, until then, I didnât say anything, got it?â she asked, looking at the two of us.
âMumâs the word.â
She gave us a wink, and then left, calling Clover and Thomasâ names.
âMaybe we should go too?â I said, turning around and grabbing onto Bradleeâs hand. âYou can give my parents some pointers on cooking. Iâm sure theyâll love that.â
âSure, but first I have something for you . . .â he let the end of his sentence drift off, as he dug in his pockets for something. Unclenching his hands, he produced two small seeds.
I looked at them, titling my head. âWhat are those?â
âTheyâre lilies.â
âLilies?â
He scratched the back of his head, blushing furiously. âWell, I wanted to get you lilies, but theyâre not exactly in season right now. After doing some research, I heard the best time to plant them is around winter, so theyâll bloom in the spring, and I thought we could . . . um, plant them togetherâif you want that is. You donât have to though. I can get a different flower, I just know that theyâre your favoriteââ
I took his hands in mine. âBradlee. Seriously, thank you.â
âSo, does that mean it wasnât a shitty gift for Christmas afterall? I really wanted to get you something special, but I didnât want to be clichĂ© and get you jewelry or something, and then I suddenly thought about thisââ
ââno, Bradlee. I love it.â I leaned up, and planted a small kiss on his lips. âBut, I gotta ask why two?â
âTheyâre Calla lillies. When they bloom, theyâll be pink and red. The pink represents gentleness, love, and innocenceâall the feelings I get from you. And the red represents desire, courage, and strengthâall the things youâve given me.â
A smile was permanently etched on my lips after he was done talking. And when I smiled, Bradlee smiled. The happiness in the air was infectious. It started as a tingle in my fingersâthe spot where he held my handsâmuch like the warm bubbly feeling I get whenever he was around, down to my toes. The feeling was a blissful evocation, making my heart soarâcausing my love for him to grow ten folds.
âHave I told you I love you yet?â
He chuckled, pulling my body flushed against his. âYes, but I love hearing you say that.â
I grinned. âI love you.â
He leaned in, his forehead touching mine. âI loveââ The loud music made us to jump apart, causing us to shift our heads around for any potential listeners. But, when I didnât see one, I realized the music was coming from my pocket.
Scrunching my brows down, I checked my phone to see Dennisâ name flashing on the screen.
âWho is it?â Bradlee asked, peeking over my shoulder.
âItâs Dennis.â
âDennis? Isnât he upstairs?â
âThatâs what I thought . . .â Hitting the call button, I put it on speaker. âHello? You know you can just come downstairs, right? John isnât going to hurt you.â
âIâm not in the house,â Dennis said. I held the phone tighter in my hand as I heard the slight waver in his tone. âAn emergency came up this morning at Elite University, and I wonât be back for a few days. Pass this message onto your parentsâbye.â
ââDennis? I yelled his name. âHello? Are you there?â
Bradlee glanced at the phone in my hand and then at me. âWhat was that about?â
âIâm not sure . . . something about his college? Do you think we should call backââ
ââyouâre what?!â Momâs voice rang out in a shriek, making me jump. Catching my balance, I glanced towards the direction of the sound. âGet the camera, get the camera! I get to be a grandmother again.â
I chuckled. Somehow I knew my sister couldnât keep that secret until dinner. âLooks like Isabella decided to spill the beans.â
âLooks like it.â Bradlee put his hand out, palm up. âCare to jump the party?â
I smiled, putting my hand on top of his. âLetâs.â I took a step forward with Bradlee, and then paused mid-step. âOh, wait. Shouldnât we call Dennis back?â
He shook his head. âIâm sure if he needs help, heâll call you back.â When I still wasnât convinced, he added, âPlus, didnât you say Elite University was in California? Iâm sure heâll be boarding a plane soon, so even if you call him, he wonât be able to answer.â
âOh, yeah . . . I forgot about that. I guess I can call him back after dinner.â
âIâll even remind you,â he offered, wrapping his arm around me.
âSeriously, where have you been all my life?â
âRight under your nose.â I hardly had a moment to react before he pressed his lips against mine-our breaths intertwined; his smelling like fresh oranges. You would think after everything weâve been through, I wouldâve gotten use to his kisses by now. But every kissâevery touch was just as addicting as the last. It was moments like these that reminds me that this was just the beginningâa beginning full of many new promises to come.
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The End
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