Page 81 of Emeric

EPILOGUE

EMERIC

Four Months Later

Today was the day, the culmination of hard work, meticulous detail, and compromise. We were moving into our new place.

The home wasn’t new. It was more than a hundred years old. The bones were good, so we stripped out what we didn’t like, kept what we did, and made it ours. On the edge of East Dremest, not too far from Jordan’s building, with enough land for one greenhouse and a patio out back, was our home. The city was still mine and Oleander’s home, but it was far enough out of the busiest part for Sylvan to find peace and quiet.

For a bit, I didn’t think I’d find anything. Even with the help of the realtor Colleen connected me with, it was difficult. She showed us beautiful homes, but none of them felt right until this one. Once I stepped inside, I just knew it was ours. Oleander and Sylvan had the same reaction when they toured it. Colleen knew the realtor would get us where we needed to be.

This was a home we could live in for the rest of our lives.

Five bedrooms, four and a half bathrooms, spanning three stories, and a three-car garage. The home was not small. Jordan didn’t waste time installing a security system that went directly to the security desk in his building. That was one of the first things to be done. He wasn’t taking any chances. There still was the matter of his finding a safe house, but he didn’t seem in too much of a hurry. I thought making sure Sylvan was comfortable was more important to him, which was on par with Jordan.

“I can’t believe we’re moving in,” Sylvan said, awe in his voice as we entered the house. We had trucks outside containing our belongings. This moment, this first walk through the door on moving day, that was for us alone.

Oleander stepped between us and put his arms around our waists. “It was a lot of hard work.”

I turned to cock an eyebrow at him.

He chuckled. “Okay, it was a lot of hard work for you two, my parents, and the people we paid a lot of money to so we could get it done faster. I still can’t believe my parents came out here almost daily to help keep things in order when you two had to work. You’re all amazing.”

“You’re selling yourself short,” Sylvan told him. “You were here too. You helped whenever you weren’t with Vail or Jordan.”

The last two months had been hectic for Jordan. Someone rolled into the city with a shit ton of money, trying to take over, and had the manpower to back it up. It was all-hands-on-deck to make sure they didn’t do what they attempted to. Jordan was no fool though. He called in people whom he’d done favors for, very violent people, who helped him kill those who wouldn’t leave. In the end, the head boss was dead, as were most of his men. The rest scattered like the wind when they saw Jordan wasn’t backing down.

Jordan and his men were exhausted now. Oleander had a lot of guilt for not helping as much as he would have liked to with the house. It didn’t matter to Sylvan and me. What did was him coming home every night to us in his apartment. We had enough people who came in to do what the house needed, while Sylvan and I pitched in when we could. Oleander had to keep himself and those he guarded safe. And he did. The sigh of relief I let out when it was over was huge.

I signed up for this life with them, and I wouldn’t change it for the world.

“What’s on the table?” I asked.

Just feet away from the front door, down the entryway, was a small table against the wall. Sylvan found it at a yard sale and stripped it down to the bare wood so he could restore it. The table was his first project. He fell in love with the process. After he did that one, we went to more yard sales and flea markets. The home was now lovingly filled with his work. It helped him stay busy when Oleander was out risking his life. There were nights when neither Sylvan nor I slept from worry. I poured myself into work while Sylvan went to a dedicated space in Jordan’s building with proper ventilation to work on furniture. We coped in our own ways.

“I didn’t put that there,” Sylvan said.

It was Oleander who walked to it before we could. He was still on high alert after everything. There was no reason to be. No one left was foolish enough to fuck with Jordan or his people. Oleander never took chances with us though.

He plucked a small card off the table, read it, then let out a chuckle. “Oleander, it’s not a fucking explosive device. It’s a welcome home basket. Eat the desserts Vail made and stop worrying. Jordan.”

Sylvan laughed. “He knows you too well.”

“That he does.”

We walked to the table and found a long oval basket filled with a variety of baked goods. How we didn’t smell that when we came in was anyone’s guess.

“There’s another card,” I said and lifted it. It was bigger than the one from Jordan. “Words can’t express the thanks I have for what you three do for not only Jordan but for all of us. Ollie, you’re a part of my family. It’s like you’ve always been with me. You’re more than my guard. You’re a brother to me. Sylvan, spending time cooking with you has been a wonderful experience. I’ve learned as much from you as you have from me. You’re truly talented. Emeric, I don’t thank you enough for keeping one of the loves of my life out of jail. You’re more than Jordan’s attorney. You’re his friend, as well as all of ours. Thank you all for everything. You’ll find dinner in the fridge with a note regarding how long to heat it. Enjoy. Vail.”

“We don’t deserve him,” Oleander said.

“No, we don’t,” I agreed. “What’s funny is I never wanted to be part of this family. I told my sister I refused to work for Jordan. As you know, I eventually did and haven’t looked back. I don’t regret my choices, no matter how many dark turns, courtrooms, and everything else it’s brought me through. The best part has been meeting both of you and discovering how happy I can truly be.”

“Well, that was sappy,” a new voice said.

I sighed, knowing exactly who it was. Oleander and Sylvan turned, both wearing matching smiles. I eventually followed suit to see my sister standing in the doorway.

“It was so kind of you to grace us with your presence at this exact moment,” I told her.