Page 35 of Staying for Her

“Now the question is, once we get the money, what do we do with it?” I joke, winking as I cup the back of her head and bring her close, kissing the hell out of her because that’s the best thing about this.

We can do whatever the hell we want.

Epilogue

Lucas (Six Months Later)

Sitting in Mark’s living room, I pass him a beer as he finds the hockey game on TV. I know he expected the rest of the gang to come tonight, but they all have plans. Something I know gets to him even if he doesn’t show it. He’s the only one of us that hasn’t found someone, and even though he tells me he doesn’t care, that he’s happy in his bachelorhood, I see the looks he gives everyone, including Billie and me. It’s only gotten worse since I proposed, something everyone knew was coming, I mean I had the ring since the second week we knew each other, but it wasn’t until a month ago that I actually got down on one knee and asked her.

“So is Billie happy you finally popped the question?” he asks, flicking through the channels, not making eye contact.

“We both knew it was coming, but she’s happy, so am I.” He finally looks over at me and smiles.

“I’m happy for you, dude, after what your family put you through, I’m happy you came out on the other side better and happier.”

He’s not wrong. After we got the money, Billie and I invested in our passions. With me opening up my own bike shop, and Billie opening her own photography studio, where she now does so much more than weddings and engagements. I’m so proud of her and the way she loves what she does. It inspires me every day.

“Thanks, what about you? Anyone in your life that you’re hiding?” I tease, knowing that the answer is no because he’s not that type of guy.

Mark has always been afraid of commitment, and for the life of me, I can’t figure it out. How can Max, his twin in every way but personality, be so open to it, but Mark shies away from it as if it holds the plague? I never understood it.

“Yeah right, me stick to one woman? No thank you.”

He might be able to fool everyone else with that false bravado, but I see the longing in his eyes and so I just smirk, take a sip of my beer and bide my time because it’s only a matter of time before a girl comes along and shakes up his world.

“Knock, knock!” Addison says right before she bursts through the door and smiles at Mark and me, Max not far behind her.

“What are you guys doing here?” Mark asks, hugging Addison and then doing the same to his brother. “I thought Lucas said you all had plans.”

“That was true. We were going to have our date night, but decided this sounded like more fun.” She winks in my direction, and I give her a grateful smile. I know Mark misses that sense of normal and she and Max being here is giving him that.

“What about Luna?” I ask, knowing that on their date nights they usually ask one of us to watch her, and since I know Cash and Hannah are home with their own baby and Kate and Drew are away for the week, they don’t have many options.

“We asked Harlow to watch her. Luna loves her at day care, so when I mentioned it tonight, she offered to watch her.”

“That was nice of her,” I say, making my way into the kitchen to get them a drink. “How is the day care anyway? I know Billie said that she was finding it hard to adjust to life outside of modeling.”

At the mention of modeling, Mark freezes, his eyes going between me and Addison.

“Wait a minute. Is your babysitter Harlow Bennett?” Mark asks, Addison’s eyes popping out of her head and that’s when I see the way Mark’s face pales and the way his hand’s fist at his sides.

“Yeah, she told me she quit modeling and decided to come here to start her own at-home day care since…”

“That’s what she wanted to do when she was in college,” Mark finishes for her and all of us are silent.

“Do you know her?” Addison asks, all of us confused as fuck.

“I did,” he mutters before walking out of the kitchen and leaving the rest of us standing there in stunned silence.

Oh, this is interesting.

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