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“It was truly an accident, but sometimes accidents work out for the best. Polly knows now to label her brownies better before she gives them to people,” Joy said, full of authority. “And that the kids didn’t get any, and we had two sober, responsible adults left to hold down the fort, so despite the fact that we lost the turkey to the dogs and we all unexpectedly got very, very stones, I’d say it all worked out.”
“But what about the crossfade?” Rayma asked, her voice getting higher and almost shriek-like. “People who have never done cannabisshould notalso consume alcohol, that’s freaking dangerous.”
Joy’s lips pressed together tightly for a moment. “I agree. Very dangerous. But we didn’t know the brownies were laced, so …” She glanced sheepishly at the other adults who were looking at her with raised eyebrows. “Don’t look at me. I didn’t know they were special brownies, I swear. And I’ve never heard the termcrossfadebefore. I’m old, and I’m notupon all the new lingo and ways to … todoperecreationally.”
All four of the Hart men groaned and shook their heads.
“Somebody could have gotten seriously sick,” Jordan murmured.
Joy adopted a haughty expression and plopped her hands on her hips. “Well, they didn’t. My uptight beasts of sons relaxed a bit, so did their wives, and we all saw the clouds turn into beautiful woodland creatures. And most importantly,yougot the second chance with the love of your life.” She pointed a finger at Jordan. “So let’s just be grateful that we handled it well, the kids didn’t get any and Rayma and Jordan are back together. I’ll be calling and thanking Polly tomorrow.”
Jordan’s lips twisted. “I suppose you’re right, Nana Joy.” He snorted a laugh, which earned him a swat on the stomach from Rayma. “What? I believe them when they say they didn’t know the brownies were special. And it’s legal here in Canada, and the kids are all safe.”
“But then why didn’t they share them with us?” Rayma challenged. “Something just isn’t sitting right.”
She had a point.
“Hmm, Nana? Why didn’t you share the brownies with us if you didn’t know they were special?”
Joy was the picture of innocence. It was impossible not to believe her with those wide blue doll eyes of hers and the way she shrugged her slender shoulders. “Honey, I swear to you it was all a big accident. We weren’t keeping you from the brownies, the big buffoons I gave birth to just ate them all before you got any.”
“Polly makes a mean brownie, not gonna lie,” Heath said. “Meanandspecial.”
“You have to admit, it was nice to see these uptight fools relax a bit,” Grant added. “Though, the whole Russian spies and aliens thing was a bit much.” He glanced at his four stepson-in-laws with a raised brow.
Jordan snorted again.
“I’ll relax when I’m dead,” Brock said with a grunt.
“No, you won’t,” Rex replied. “You’ll be spinning in your grave because your kids will be up here going about their lives without you. Unprotected and free to get facial tattoos.”
Brock shot Rex a deathly glare. “Don’t fucking remind me.”
“Anyway,” Joy said with a sigh, shooting irritated glances at her sons as she placed her cool, papery hand on Rayma’s arm. “Nothing else matters except that you two are back together now. Everyone is happy and fed. No need to dwell on the past, but rather focus and celebrate the future.”
Rayma turned to him, confusion in her eyes. “Are you believing all of this?”
Jordan slowly nodded. “I do. It’s not in Joy’s nature to lie and manipulate. And I don’t think those four control freaks,” he pointed to Brock, Chase, Rex and Heath, “would agree to be drugged just to get us back together.”
Peeling his hand from Rayma’s he went and loaded up two plates with pizza and stuffing, sidling up next to Joy as he did. Rayma was speaking with Pasha by the couch.
“Send me Polly’s phone number so I can thank her personally, please,” he whispered to Joy. “I might need to buy the brownie lady some flowers.”
Joy beamed, lifted up onto her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Only if you do me a favor?”
“Anything,” he said, wanting to kiss and hug this woman for her brilliant meddling.
“Stick around this time, hmm?”
He glanced up at Rayma and caught her eye. They both smiled at the same time. Love and the promise of forever passing between them unspoken but completely heard. “I have no plans to go anywhere but home with my woman. Everything I could ever want is right here. And I’m extremely grateful for it.”
Epilogue
Two years later …
“I still can’t believe it’s taken two years for any of this shit to go to court,” Peyton said with a grumble as they all left the courthouse.
“They needed to wait for other victims to come forward to make a more rock-solid case against them. And since they actuallydiddrug and rape a few women—which is horrific—the prosecutors were able to get them convicted of greater charges. They needed the convictions to stick.” Rayma rubbed her angry friend’s back. “It was a hard day, but a good day. We won. Women won. Their victims have justice. You have justice. We have justice. They’re going to jail and that means two fewer douchebag rapist slimeballs off the streets.”
