Page 101 of His Promise

EPILOGUE

ABI

“Colter Joseph Gruco, get your hands off that cheese.”

Colter pauses, his hand stilling and eyes wide like he’s ten-years-old and just been caught with his hand in a cookie jar.

I cover my mouth to stifle a giggle. Zeke does the same.

“Yes ma’am.” He pulls his hand back and gives me a look that says ‘oops’. I giggle outright and Aunt Nemma gives me a teasing glare before going back to preparing the bruschetta.

We got here early today. It’s our turn to help out in the kitchen, and Zeke has been bouncing with excitement all week. With the way he admires them, you’d think Nemma and Syrus were his grandparents. Syrus especially has taken to Zeke, giving him small trinkets from his past and telling stories. Zeke zeros in on everything the man says like he’s the most interesting person in the world, and it’s sweet. Colter says he’s this way because he doesn’t think Syrus has much time left. The past is all he has.

With Nemma’s back turned, Colter sneaks a piece of aged Gouda and hands it to Zeke with a wink. Zeke glances at Nemma with a wicked smile on his face and scurries from the kitchen.

“I saw that,” Nemma says. There’s authority in her tone like there always is, but I catch a sliver of amusement as well. One thing I’ve learned from the time I’ve spent with this family over the last four months of Zeke and I living with Colter is Nemma is in charge. But she’s my favorite.

“You’re not even facing me, how could you see anything?”

“I have eyes in the back of my head, kid. You know that.”

Kid. That’s another thing about Nemma. They’re all grown up, but she still calls them kids. I have to stifle a laugh every time she does it to Lorenzo. Crazy-eyes is a mama’s boy.

“That’s fair.”

I go back to shredding carrots for the salad, and Colter picks up a knife to start chopping tomatoes. He turns his head toward me, looking up and down my body while biting his lower lip. My face grows hot.

He leans toward me and presses his mouth to my ear. “Have I told you how sexy you look in that dress?”

“A few times,” I whisper back. “At this point, it’s borderline sexual harassment.”

He raises his eyebrows. “Don’t tell the press.”

“You know, I think the press has had enough of the crooked councilman stories. There hasn’t been one in a while. Do you think they’re bored?”

He shrugs. “Or something like that.”

I roll my eyes, knowing full well the Grucos have something to do with why Colter hasn’t made the papers lately. If you told me I’d be in love with a man connected to criminals a year ago, I would’ve balked. But I can’t do that now. I love these people too much. They saved my life, my son’s life.

Devin was charged with two counts of kidnapping, aggravated assault, child abuse, and possession of an unregistered firearm. A great deal of it I owe to the courage of the manager of the diner. His statement helped tremendously, and he’s agreed to testify. Devin also helped me out. If he hadn’t taken me too, his lawyer probably could’ve gotten him off with the kidnapping charge on Zeke. The police noted the black eye Devin left on Zeke and it earned him the child abuse charge.

And if that had been everything, I would’ve been satisfied. The charges of sexual harassment from Devin’s secretary and three other women were whip cream on the sundae, and the cherry? The tampering with evidence and threats to witnesses charges Devin now has. As a big-time prosecutor, those are big deals. A floodgate opened when word got out that he was more than likely going to prison. People stopped being afraid of him. He destroyed his reputation himself. I should’ve done this a long time ago.

But I’m glad I didn’t. If I’d gone to the police instead of leaving, I never would have run to Las Vegas. I never would have met Colter or his family. The only regret I have from this is Zeke having to endure seeing who his father really is, but I suppose that was inevitable. That’s what Colter assures me, anyway.

We spend the next two hours preparing food, and by the time I’ve made it out of the kitchen, everyone has arrived. Carmen smiles and waves at me, patting the seat beside her. We’ve grown close over the last few months. She’s the one who helped me pick out this dress, actually, with Kirsten’s help as well. She insisted this was a special occasion, and special occasions call for new, special outfits. In this case, it’s in the form of a red, tight fitting dress with a plunging neckline. I couldn’t argue with her.

This week my divorce with Devin was finalized. I am officially free of him. And this is my first dinner as such.

Everyone talks loudly around the dinner table as we eat, and I keep catching Zeke exchanging looks with Colter. He glances at me, then sharply looks away, an excited smile on his face.

When dinner is over, Carmen touches my shoulder. “Time for dessert,” she says to me with a toothy grin. She stands and bounces toward the kitchen. Chatter quiets when she returns with a bottle of champagne. Anthony holds several champagne flutes in his hands.

The room goes silent, and I glance around at everyone, raising my brows when I meet all of their eyes, staring at me with knowing smiles.

Colter stands beside me and takes my hand, helping me out of my seat as well. I tilt my head at him in confusion, and when he lowers to one knee, my mouth drops open. I cover a hand over my chest.

He pulls a small box from his pocket and opens it, revealing a modest, single diamond ring.

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