Flynn (Oath of Honor #8)

Epilogue

Thanksgiving Day...

Taylor was a little nervous being invited to Thanksgiving with some of Flynn’s teammates. Rhy had insisted on having several of them come to the homestead, a term he used to describe his house. Not everyone could be there, Brock and his wife, Liana, were out of town, and Zeke, Sienna, and Bailey were also still traveling on tour, which wouldn’t end until just before Christmas. Jina and Cole were spending the holiday with her sister and brother-in-law in Madison. But the rest of the team was there, along with their spouses and kids, if they had them. Even Gabe Melrose had been included, although she noticed he stood awkwardly off to the side, his gaze constantly tracking Cassidy.

Rhy had refused to let Devon do much even though she’d recovered from being sick, and Joe, too, was protective of the very pregnant Elly, but everyone else pitched in.

Especially Flynn.

Many of the women were gathered in the living room, taking care of the babies. Several were pregnant, and those who weren’t yet seemed to be interested in trying to be. Surprisingly, Taylor could relate, as she’d contacted the Department of Health and Human Services about Max Miller. He was with a foster family who wanted to adopt him. A pair of physicians who both worked at Children’s Memorial Hospital.

As much as she wouldn’t have minded taking Max in herself, she was reassured to know that Aaron and Maggie Monroe wanted to be Max’s parents. And it sounded like Max would have a big brother too.

Taylor moved from the living room into the kitchen to help with meal prep. Much like Gabe, her gaze tracked Flynn. He had been wonderful over the past three weeks, supporting her writing to the point that she finished her book.

Her first book!

In truth, the romance had practically written itself, based in a large part on her own experience. Writing it down had proven to be cathartic.

She and Flynn had only stayed in the safe house for two days. The feds had moved quickly to arrest Allen and Irene Irving, finding them in the large house on Peabody Lake. Once they were no longer a threat, the federal agents had uncovered the entire money-laundering scheme. From what Brady and Doug had said, it sounded as if Allen was running an illegal gambling ring, funneling the cash through his companies and into the Brookland Bank. There were notes in Steve Miller’s desk that indicated he’d stumbled across the money laundering that was being done practically under his nose and hadn’t appreciated it. By tracking Steve’s phone records, it appeared he had placed a call to Roman, who had met with him in Steve’s home office. When he’d told Roman about his suspicions about his mother, Gail Lee, and her sister, Irene Irving, the plan to eliminate Steve and Robin had been put in motion.

What the Irvings hadn’t counted on was Taylor being awake and caring for the baby. Understanding that she’d witnessed the murders and had been smart enough to evade being found by their hired gun, Nickoli Yurgis, had sent them into panic mode.

According to her cousin Jake, Nickoli had killed Roman out of anger when Roman had accused him of being an idiot for letting Taylor get away. Which in turn meant that Lyle and Jake had been tasked with finding Nickoli to finish him off as well. Since Nickoli’s prints were found at her cousin’s apartment, they assumed he’d tossed the place to find information on Taylor.

Detective Klem had survived the shooting and had agreed to cooperate with the investigation in exchange for being placed in protective custody. Flynn hadn’t been happy with that but let it go when Cassidy pointed out how cops don’t fare well in jail. Maybe Klem deserved to be placed in protective custody.

“Okay, everyone,” Rhy called. “Dinner is ready.”

As she, Flynn, Cassidy, Joe, and Rhy set platters of food on the table, the others gathered around the enormous dining room table. Everyone took a seat, except for Flynn, who stood next to Rhy.

“Before I say grace, I would like to ask Taylor to join me.” Flynn’s expression was so serious she worried he’d somehow learned bad news.

“Of course.” She rose from her chair and went over to stand beside him. “We’ll say grace together.”

He smiled, then dropped to one knee. There was a collective gasp from the women in the room when he pulled out an engagement ring. “Taylor Rose, I love you very much. Will you please do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

“Yes, Flynn. A hundred times yes!” She threw herself into his arms, almost knocking him to the floor. He was strong enough to hold her close while rising to his feet.

“I love you,” he whispered.

“I love you too,” she whispered back.

The room erupted into applause, before Grayson said, “Hurry up already, it’s time to eat!”

She and Flynn blushed, laughed, and kissed again before turning to face the room. They held hands and said grace, together.

And while Taylor had been upset to know her blood relatives had participated in brutal acts of murder, she realized in that moment that she had another family.

The tactical team family.

And having their love and support was all that mattered.