“Hmm, I’m not answering that.” Harrison gave Rose a quick hug, although the wings almost hit him in the face. “You keeping my brother in line?”
“Of course.”
Seth had contacted his CO two days before his deadline and told him he wasn’t going to take his offer. Sergeant Loyd had been put out, but after Seth had explained his reasoning, Sergeant Loyd had sighed and told Seth that he was an idiot but that he understood.
“You’re going to turn into some soccer dad with five kids, aren’t you?” Sergeant Loyd had said, albeit good-naturedly.
Seth had laughed. “You never know.”
Soon thereafter, Alan had asked Seth to work full-time, and had even mentioned Seth’s taking over the business once Alan had retired. With no children and only his wife, Alan had planned on closing when he retired, but Seth would be the perfect man to take it over.
Honored and surprised, Seth had accepted. He and Rose had celebrated with their own party—mostly in their bed—that night.
It was strange, Rose thought as she chatted with everyone, how things had fallen into place. Her life had been a series of disasters up until now, but it was like Seth had become the anchor she’d needed. Now she had a home, a man she loved, and a future that was bright and exciting. She was going to return to school in January at the local community college to finish her English degree.
After that? The sky was the limit.
Johnny would go on trial within the next few months, although he’d remained in jail because it was, ironically enough, safer for him there than it was in the outside world. His so-called buddies had turned on him when he’d ratted them out, and now they were out for his blood.
Rose was glad that Johnny now got to experience the terror he’d instilled in so many people. It was a small price to pay for what he’d done to her, to Heath, and to countless others.
Both she and Seth had begun to see therapists to talk about their PTSD and nightmares. Although they both still suffered from nightmares, they were happening with less frequency. Having someone to talk to had been liberating, Rose had found. It was one thing for your family and friends to agree that something was terrible; it was another to find that validation in a third party.
“Rose! Your costume is amazing!” Jubilee, wearing a flapper dress and headband, bounced up to Rose. “Did you make the wings?”
“Kind of. I decorated them.” Rose had never seen Jubilee wear a dress this short or this kind of makeup—smoky and sensual with a bright red lipstick—and she had to approve. She’d even cut her hair recently into a short, stylish bob, which went with her costume perfectly. Jubilee looked gorgeous.
“How have you been? I feel like it’s been ages.” Jubilee smiled shyly. “How’s my brother?”
“Wonderful. But don’t get me started on that subject or you might hear something you don’t want to.”
Jubilee snorted. “Have you seen my siblings? They have no shame. I went to the bathroom earlier, only to find Caleb kissing Megan and feeling her up in a dark corner.” She rolled her eyes. “You guys are a bunch of teenagers.”
Rose laughed, mostly because Jubilee was the youngest of them all yet seemed like the oldest in a lot of ways. Jubilee murmured something about getting them both drinks right when Heath strolled up. His costume was a loose sport coat, a sweater, and spectacles.
“Heath, you’re not supposed to dress up as yourself,” Rose joked.
“I’m Professor Lupin! You know, from Harry Potter?” He pulled out his makeshift wand and acted like he was casting a spell.
“And why do I feel like you remembered that this was a costume party only an hour ago?”
“Not true. It was two hours ago.”
They laughed, although Rose couldn’t help but notice the strain around her brother’s eyes. Ever since the Johnny incident, Heath had been distant, and Rose knew he still blamed himself for what Johnny had done to her. She’d tried to assure him that she didn’t blame him, but he’d refused to discuss it.
“You look great,” he said quietly. “I’m happy for you.”
It was silly, but she felt tears prick her eyes. She touched Heath’s arm. “Are you happy? Because I think after everything, we both deserve to be happy.”
“Happy enough.” His smile was forced. Rose was about to pry into that remark when Jubilee returned bearing drinks.
“Here you go—oh, Heath. Hi. What’s your costume supposed to be?”
“Professor Lupin.”
Jubilee smiled. “Are you going to turn into a werewolf tonight? It’s a full moon, you know.”
“Is it? Then you should watch out if I turn wild.”
Rose widened her eyes and drank her punch. The sexual tension was rampant between these two, as it had been for months now. Except as far as Rose knew, Heath hadn’t asked Jubilee out, and Jubilee was too shy to ask a guy out.
As if realizing what he’d said, Heath muttered something about getting a drink and walked away without another word.
“Hey, there you are. Apparently they’re doing a toast or an announcement or something,” said Seth. He kissed Rose’s cheek. “Hey, Jubi. You look nice.”
“Thanks. Looks like you forgot your costume.”
“Nah. I got it covered.” He showed Jubilee his sign, which resulted in Jubilee rolling her eyes.
Trent and Lizzie arrived then with Bea dressed as a lobster in a giant cooking pot, which meant that Bea became the most popular person there. Even Seth demanded that he get a picture with his niece. Bea yawned and fell asleep in her pot soon thereafter, and Trent carried her around the party for the rest of the evening.
“Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, may we have your attention please?” Caleb yelled into the crowd as he stood on an ottoman. “Excellent. Glad everyone could make it tonight.”
“Dude, it’s not even your party!” Harrison called.
“Unimportant. Megan, can you come up here?”
Megan climbed up beside Caleb, looking pink-cheeked, and Rose had a feeling she knew exactly what they were going to announce.
“Don’t worry, Megan said I had permission to do this.” Caleb smiled so wide that it was infectious. “Megan and I are happy to announce that we’re expecting.”
That resulted in a collective shout and applause from the crowd. Seth said into Rose’s ear, “My siblings are going to be prolific.”
Megan yelled over the noise, “We’re due in late May.”
“Oh, I’m so excited!” Sara pulled Megan down and the two sisters hugged. “Cousins so close together in age!”
“I know. Perfect timing, right?”
James, dressed as a dragon, told his aunt, “You should have a boy like my mom!”
Megan ruffled his hair. “We’ll try our best.”
Rose hugged Megan and congratulated her before hugging Caleb.
“So, when are you and Seth getting hitched?” he asked.
She shrugged. “We’re not in any hurry.”
“Uh-huh. That’s what we all say, and then it’s marriage, babies, white picket fence…” Caleb’s eyes lit up as Megan caught his eye, and Rose knew very well how happy he was with all of those things in his life.