EPILOGUE

 

“Please sign right here, Ms. Miller.”

With a smile, my pen scratches over the receipt before the woman behind the counter hands me my brand new passport. My thumb runs over the smooth emblem of the United States of America. I can’t wait to use it.

“Oh, hi, Kelsey. How are you?”

I spin around with a small frown, but my face relaxes when I recognize the older lady who is standing right next to the card display by the counter. “Hello, Dr. Stromberg.” I force a smile on my lips—my motto for the month is to be more approachable.

Her eyes fall on the passport. “Going somewhere?”

This time, the smile is sincere. “Yeah. My mom gave me one of those plane ticket to go around the world as a present for finishing my GED, so I’ll be traveling this next year. I’m leaving for London in a few days. It’s so exciting.” Traveling has been one of my lifelong dreams, though the trip is mostly designed for me to figure out what I want to do with the rest of my life.

“I bet.” Dr. Stromberg’s eyes search my face. “Are you going alone?”

I grimace—that is the only setback in the plan. “Yeah, unfortunately.” Marcel and Finn’s cheers of “You can do this” ring in my ears. Without them, I would have discarded the whole crazy idea from the start. They even agreed to help my mom out with Maisie by taking her on daily walks. After that, I had run out of ammunition.

“Well, that’s admirable.” A fond sparkle glows in her eyes. “You know, Kelsey, you’re one of my success stories. There was a time I thought you’d let the past destroy you, but you proved us all wrong. I’m really proud of you.”

My gaze drops as my cheeks begin to sting. I suck at handling compliments. “Thanks, Dr. Stromberg.”

“Are you still in therapy?”

I shake my head. After Luke’s arrest, I had severed all ties with my old life, which included dumping her and finding a new therapist. It was actually Cameron’s social worker who recommended a woman not much older than me who specializes in sexual assault trauma. Since she is also a former victim, I was able to connect to her much more easily and have thrived under her guidance. Just last week I got my official stamp that I’m now capable of dealing with life’s hurdles on my own.

“And how is your mom?” Dr. Stromberg continues to pry.

A mess but hanging in there—something I don’t share with strangers. “She is doing alright.”

Dr. Stromberg nods. “That’s good. I followed the trial of your brother and your stepdad closely. It’s really tragic what happened to your family.”

I stifle a sigh, sick of everyone’s sudden concern. “Well, justice was served in the end.”

At least on the surface. Roy got a couple of years after accepting a plea bargain and will be out on good behavior by the end of the summer. If he had testified against his son, he could have even gotten away with probation, but he stayed loyal to Luke till the end. Disgraced in all respects, he lost his law license, and my mom is divorcing him. It will be awkward to see him walk around Stonehenge again, and I secretly hope he’ll move away.

Luke is a whole different story. The judge threw the book at him after he insisted on a trial, and with Hallie’s testimony, the jury convicted him of premeditated murder of Jed. Hutchinson held off on the rape and abduction charges at Marcel’s request. My friend felt that forcing me to relive my nightmare and Luke’s betrayal for the whole world to see could be too much for me.

At first, I fought him, determined to have Luke convicted for raping me, but after a while, I was thankful. Having to tell in open court every detail of his atrocious acts was a terrifying thought. When he ended up with a life sentence without the possibility of parole, he was out of the picture for good. Finn let it slip to one of his old friends who was doing state time that my brother was nothing but a nasty rapist, and Luke has suffered at the hands of the other inmates accordingly. It’s painful to imagine, even though he deserves it.

I tear myself back from the events of these past sixteen months—I still can’t believe how much my life has changed since I stood in that field the night Luke got arrested. “Well, I’d better run. A friend of mine is getting married today and I still have loads to do.”

“Sure, it was so nice seeing you again.” She extends her hand and I shake it. “Tell your mom to give me a call if she ever needs to talk.”

“Will do.” I escape the post office and unlock my bike. Driving is still a drag for me, something I’m planning on tackling as soon as I return from my trip.

Ten minutes later, I stop my bike with screeching brakes in front of the small two-story my mom has been renting ever since she sold the house. The bouncing of a basketball attracts my attention, and I lean the bike quietly against the garden gate and squat down next to it to stay invisible.

Laughter erupts when Finn scores a basket, which is met by a low cuss from Cameron.

“It’s nine to eight, bro,” Finn says, briefly doubling over to catch his breath. “One more and I win.”

Cameron scowls. “You’re so full of yourself. I’m not gonna lose to an old geezer who smokes. You’re going down.”

I suppress a snicker when he elbows his brother in a slick side maneuver to get closer to the basket to score. With his fifteen years, he’s still scrawny, yet this gives him great agility. It’s only a matter of time until he outgrows Finn both in height and muscle strength, and after that, Finn will have his hands full—not only on the basketball court, but also in the girl arena. Cameron can be quite the charmer when he wants to be.

The court has allowed contact ever since Finn’s sexual assault conviction was vacated a few months ago, and the two have been spending a lot of time together. This also brought Andrew, their uncle, into our lives which has been a really good thing for my mom. There have been a few stolen glances and smiles that give hope for a happy ending after all.

I remain crouched to the ground and watch them shoving each other boisterously to get the upper hand. It’s a warm and mild morning, and the wind plays with my hair. Maisie is rolled up in the grass next to them in a deep slumber, her ears only twitching from time to time. I sometimes envy her that she can just sleep her life away. Haunting nightmares still torture me from time to time, making sleep still the hardest exercise.

Finn has slipped out of his shirt and the sweat is glistening on his bare torso. He’s still pale from the winter, which doesn’t take away from his six-pack and his firm chest muscles. I try to ignore my racing heartbeat and the warm tingling in my stomach that lately seems to be present whenever I look at him, reminding myself that we are just friends. Healing takes a long time for people who are as damaged as us.

He finally notices me and gives me a goofy smile, which earns him an eye roll from Cameron. The boy whispers something under his breath; Finn, in response, knocks him on the back of his head. “Hey, behave.”

My legs ache from kneeling down on the hard ground. After I rise, I hop up and down to get the circulation going, realizing how silly I look when the boys’ lips begin to twitch. I pout in response, giving them my best evil eye, which makes it worse. Finn’s laughter is catching and grows the more I pretend to be infuriated.

“Stop, Kelsey, please,” he splutters in between chuckles. “You’re too funny.”

I swallow a sarcastic remark when he stretches, a breath caught in my throat as his muscles flex. He follows my gaze, which is fixed on his chest, and clears his throat. Awkward silence falls over our little group.

“I told you she’s drooling over you, bro,” Cameron remarks dryly.

That gets him another slap on the back of his head. “Oh, shut up.” Nevertheless, the widest grin is on Finn’s face when he slips into his shirt. For a second, our eyes interlock and he winks at me. That sends a hot flash to the pit of my stomach. I drop my gaze with burning cheeks.

Luckily, my embarrassment is cut short when my phone dings with a message signal.

“HELP!!!” the text reads.

“Who is it?” Finn asks when he notices my frown.

“Marcel.” I show him the message.

“Sounds serious.” He digs the keys from his pocket. “I’ll drive.” His eyes zoom in on his brother. “Go home, Cameron, and get ready. I’ll pick you up at two. Andrew got your dress pants and shirt from the cleaners and I expect you to wear a tie.”

Cameron grimaces. “Can’t I just wear jeans?”

“NO!” we both shout, our horror reflected in this one word.

“It’s a wedding,” I remind him. “Loads of girls will be there, so you want to look nice.”

He sticks out his tongue at me. “Girls are gross.”

I remind myself how childish he can be. My mom said it’s common in emotionally neglected kids—it takes some of them much longer to grow up in some areas.

“For once, just do what you’re told, or you’ll be in trouble.” Finn’s voice is firm, trying to sound authoritative.

“Yeah, yeah.” Cameron waves him off, but I know he won’t disobey. There are times you just don’t mess with Finn and this is one of them. It’s something I have come to appreciate over these past months because it makes me feel protected.

For a moment, my heart clenches. I will miss him during my trip. It will be odd to go for such a long time without seeing him, and I can only hope that when I come back, he’s still around and has not forgotten all about me.

I push the dull thoughts from my mind when a second message flashes on the display of my phone.

“ARE YOU ON YOUR WAY?!!!”

Someone is getting anxious—and for today, he’ll get all of my attention. That’s the least I can do for my second best friend on his wedding day.

 

~~~~

 

The small apartment that Marcel and Finn share is in total shambles when we arrive. Open boxes filled halfway with random stuff are scattered throughout, and a pile of clothes I’m not sure is clean is spread on Marcel’s bed.

He stands in front of the mirror with desperate eyes, already dressed in his tux pants and dress shirt. His fingers fumble with the band that’s supposed to become a bow tie, and I immediately know that this is the big drama that got him all wound up. Marcel can be so silly at times, getting upset over nothing.

Pages upon pages of printouts of bow-tie suggestions are lying on the dresser in front of him. He curses in frustration as he tears the band open once again. “I can’t figure this out.”

I grab his hands. “Marcel, look at me.”

He lets out a dramatic sigh as he takes his gaze off the mirror. I search his eyes to determine if this is really all that’s bothering him. Over the last year, he has been able to fool me less and less. In a way, it has become a game to figure out his thoughts and feelings. After he has been hiding his real self for so long, it is still hard for him to trust anyone.

I guide him over to the bed and sit him down. “Now why don’t you tell me what’s really wrong?”

His fingers run over the short coarse hair he managed to grow. “What if she doesn’t show up?”

My eyebrows arch in surprise. “Why wouldn’t she? Donna loves you.”

“I dunno.” He chews on his lip. “Girls do that sometimes.”

A snort escapes me. “This is not some cheap remake of the Runaway Bride with Donna standing you up at the altar. You shouldn’t worry about it.”

He doesn’t look convinced, falling back on the bed with a loud huff. “She was really upset earlier.”

That gets my attention. “And why was that?” I nudge him. “Did you do something to her?”

He sits up like a rocket. “Hell no.” He avoids my eyes when he gets on his feet and walks back to the mirror. “It’s Hallie. They won’t allow her to come because she was caught lying again, so Donna was in tears. As you know, Hallie is her only family left.”

I let the air slowly escape through pursed lips. Hallie’s condition has been a constant concern in Marcel and Donna’s relationship. The DA worked out a deal with her in return for her testimony against Luke, which only resulted in a juvenile conviction, though they could have easily charged her as an adult for the kidnapping.

The court still locked her up in a mental institution until she’s at least nineteen, claiming she is a threat to society without proper treatment. Ultimately, I had to agree and just hope she will be able to pull herself together. Lately, she hasn’t been doing as well as everyone had hoped.

“What did she lie about this time?”

He grimaces. “You’re not gonna like this. Apparently, she convinced one of the janitors to smuggle out a letter for Luke. The prison caught it, but when the therapist confronted her, she said it wasn’t hers. You were trying to frame her to get her into trouble.”

I roll my eyes—we have been here before. Though I have written her a long letter forgiving her for her involvement, she is still convinced I hate her. “That’s ridiculous.”

“Yeah, I know.” He fidgets again with the bow tie. “Worst thing is that she can’t help it. Being the pathological liar she is, she actually convinces herself that her lies are true. People like her can trick out lie detectors.”

It’s one of the reasons why she could so easily trick me with the staged rape at the cabin. In her mind, it really happened. Add real tears and fear, and she actually convinced herself that she was a kidnap victim like me. Otherwise, she might have sabotaged our escape or accidentally prattled away their plan. Coupled with her severe fear of abandonment, she had been a powerful weapon under Luke’s spell. After her parents’ death had pushed her over the edge. She was so afraid of losing him, too, that she would have done anything to please him.

Ultimately, I hope she’ll get her act together. “Do you want me to talk to Donna?”

“Would you?” He looks like a little boy with big pleading eyes. “I’d really appreciate that.”

I check my watch. “Okay, I’ll swing by the hotel before going home to change. My mom should be there, too. She promised Donna to help her get ready.”

He lets out a sigh of relief. “Thanks.” The tension is gone—it doesn’t take much to make Marcel happy.

“But before I go, we’ll figure out this bow tie.”

That puts a wide smile on his face. “Have I ever told you that you’re the best friend anyone can ask for?”

I divert my gaze. “Don’t try to smooth-talk me, Officer Brown. It won’t work.”

He snorts. “Smooth-talking is not my area of expertise.” He winks at me. “I’ll leave that to someone else.” My cheeks flush when I start on the bow tie while his eyes stay on me. “You know he likes you, right?”

I quickly glance at his face, not in the mood to talk about it. It’s too early to think of Finn as anything but a friend. Maybe once I come back from my trip, things will be different—but not now.

 

~~~~

 

Four hours later, I’m standing in the chapel as Donna walks down the aisle, looking prettier than ever with the happiest glow on her face. Having dealt with plenty of blows in her lifetime, she got over the fact that her sister couldn’t be there rather quickly. Donna is a practical woman that way. Why cry over something you can’t change—life is too short for that.

She is beaming when Marcel takes her hands. As they exchange vows, I wipe a few tears away. Of all people, they deserve to be happy. Yet my eyes return more and more to Finn, standing next to the groom and looking absolutely stunning in his tux as Marcel’s best man. When our eyes interlock, a smile curls his lips. That alone gets me so distracted that I almost miss the wedding kiss.

The reception is at Stonehenge’s only hotel, and it seems that half the town has been invited. Marcel has built a good reputation and his career as a police officer is thriving. He’s often seen having a heart-to-heart with some of the local hooligans, which usually gets them to straighten up. Kids practically stand at attention when he walks by and there is not one who has ever tried to mess with him.

At first I was afraid that Tyrone would seek revenge when Marcel moved with Finn to Stonehenge, but I learned that the DEA maintains the covers of their agents in case they ever have to plant them again in that same group. For Tyrone, Marcel was being held in a different part of the jail until being shipped off to a federal prison in another state. Tyrone actually snitched on Marcel to get a better deal, and the DA cut a few years off his sentence to make it more believable. In the end, Tyrone still got twenty years, which makes the streets a hell of a lot safer.

The food is divine and the only downer is that I cannot sit next to Finn during dinner. He is huddled around Donna and Marcel with the rest of the wedding party. To my delight, he isn’t paying any attention to the maid of honor—Donna’s best friend since kindergarten—though she’s trying her hardest to flirt with him.

Right after dinner, he excuses himself and drags me onto the dance floor. When the upbeat music changes into a slow song, he pulls me closer, nuzzling his nose into my hair.

“You know, I’m gonna miss you.”

I snuggle against his broad chest, taking in a whiff of his cologne. “Me too. I wish you could come.” For a moment, I close my eyes and get lost in his embrace, wishing to hold onto this moment forever.

Marcel clinks his knife against the water glass and kills the mood and the music; with a small frown, I turn to hear yet another speech. There were already at least a dozen during dinner, and I’m getting sick of them.

When I try to hide behind a pillar to play with my phone, Marcel catches me red handed. “Kelsey, Finn, could you please come here for a second?”

I gaze at Finn, wondering what this is all about, and his big smile almost cuts his face in half. A prickling sensation spreads at the nape of my neck—I can’t help but think that this is a big conspiracy.

Marcel clears his throat melodramatically when I stand next to him. “First off, I’d like to make an announcement. My beautiful wife”—he beams at Donna—“told me a few weeks ago that she’s expecting. We are very excited about this, but we have decided that going to Hawaii for our honeymoon might be a little much, so we’re staying closer to home.”

I almost strangle him. For months, he has been whining about his fear of flying, and it is so typical that he takes Donna’s pregnancy as an excuse not to go. He will be in a boatload of trouble when I get him on my own.

“Since this frees up quite a lot of travel funds, Donna and I want to make a little present of our own today.” With a sheepish smile, he squeezes my hand. “As y’all know, we wouldn’t even be here today if it wasn’t for this young lady. She is planning a trip around the world—alone—and since she tends to get into a lot of trouble, we thought she’d be better off with a chaperone.” He nudges Finn, whose eyes are fixed on me with a rather anxious expression. “So my best man here will tag along, as long as that’s cool with Kelsey.”

My jaw drops. “You mean . . .”

Both Marcel and Finn nod in unison.

Tears pool in my eyes when I find Donna’s face, who grins just as widely as the guys. Without another word, I pull Marcel into a hug. “Thanks.” A few tears are soaked up by his tux, and I’m ready to scream when happiness bubbles inside me.

Finn whisks me away under the applause of the other guests. My head is spinning, the truth that I won’t have to conquer the world on my own after all still sinking in. In the shadows of the rose bushes, I finally catch my breath. My mouth opens to scold Finn that he kept this a secret, but he places a finger over my lips to shush me.

We just gaze at each other as the music starts back up. A light evening breeze warms my skin, but it is nothing in comparison to the heat that surges through me when he bends forward. When our lips connect, my racing heartbeat is the only noise in the world. I close my eyes, and this incredible pain seeps out of me, more and more as the kiss intensifies.

When we break, wetness glistens in his eyes. “I think I love you, Kelsey.”

Just this morning, those words would have scared me to death. I would have been convinced that it could never work—that I could never let go of the past enough to open my heart to a man and trust him with my soul.

Now, it all makes perfect sense. We cry together, we laugh together, and we give each other strength. It is time to cross a new bridge and kill off those remaining demons that trapped me for too long—time to give love a fair chance. That’s what I owe to the both of us.

 

 

 

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