Ghost Falls (Haunted Souls #22)

EPILOGUE

Cope

Later that night…

Cope stood in the middle of his hotel room and couldn’t help thinking it looked like a bomb had gone off in it. Nana Kaye had kept the kids so that the adults could have dinner at the hotel’s fancy Italian restaurant, courtesy of Cannonball and Heidi. While the adults ate like kings, the kids, still on an enormous sugar high from an afternoon filled with more ice cream that a person should eat in an entire year, watched movies together. There had been tears when it was time for CJ to go back to his room, but Jude promised Wolf would keep in touch on FaceTime.

“I don’t even know where to begin.”

Cope turned around in a circle surveying the room. Blankets and sheets were thrown everywhere. The dilapidated remains of a pillow fort sat near the large windows, while the floor was littered with empty chip bags and candy wrappers. Cope didn’t know where the junk food had come from and truthfully, couldn’t bring himself to care much. He’d watched a man survive a trip over Niagara Falls, how could something so small as a messy room be cause for concern?

“Kids are all set in Fitzgibbon’s room for now. They’re watching the news reports of Cannonball’s stunt.”

“I imagine they’re especially loving seeing themselves on television?”

Jude chuckled. “Every time they see themselves, the all start to shout.”

After the hoopla from the stunt died down, two reporters from the CBC found them all waiting in line to go on the Niagara Skywheel and asked if they could have a quick interview. Cope hadn’t minded and neither had Tennyson, after he’d had a brief chat with Everly about not mentioning her gift or what it had shown her about Cannonball’s attempt at the falls. Even Aurora, who hadn’t even seen the stunt, had answered questions about how cool Mr. Cannonball was. All of the kids were unanimous in their “no”

answer when asked if they were going to ever try stunts like Cannonball.

“Can you believe Cannonball’s getting offers to become an actor?”

Jude asked, bending down to scoop up empty candy wrappers.

“Yeah, I absolutely can believe it. If John Cena and The Rock can be action movie heroes, why not Cannonball.”

Cope snorted, wondering if Wolf and CJ could be brought in as extras in the movie. “Even if the acting doesn’t pan out, he could be a safety advisor for movie stuntmen.”

“The sky seems to be the limit for our friend.”

Jude set to getting the beds back into shape for the night.

“It sure does.”

After the stunt, Cope had learned that there would be no charge for the coast guard’s assistance. He had a feeling that had something to do with Fitzgibbon making a sizable donation to the Niagara station’s Toys for Tots fund. A lot of kids were going to have very merry Christmases thanks to Fitz and Jace.

“The sky’s the limit for us too.”

Jude took Cope’s hand and pulled him into a hug. “We’ve got two healthy, happy kids. Our marriage is stronger than ever, thanks to me putting my days of dumbassery behind me.”

“Those days aren’t as far behind you as you think.”

Cope laughed at the wounded look on Jude’s face. “Ten got a call from his brother River today. Since our plans for Thanksgiving had to be canceled, thanks to the arrival of Ten’s new niece, they’ve invited all of us to spend Christmas in the Sunshine State. Fitz checked on the rental house we stayed in the last time and it’s available for the two weeks around Christmas thanks to a mysterious last minute cancelation.”

“Let me guess, Santa Jace offered to put the family with the reservation up in another, more ritzy place?”

“Uh, huh,”

Cope agreed. “Something tells me Jace is just going to buy that house, so we’ll have it available all the time.”

“Are we going?”

“To Florida?”

Cope asked. “You bet your sweet ass! Two weeks away from the snow and cold of Massachusetts in December and January is just what the doctor ordered.”

“Agreed. I can’t wait to hit the beach and take the kids shelling again. Lizbet will be old enough this year to find shells with the other kids.”

“There’s just one thing about going to Florida, Jude.”

“What’s that?”

“I don’t want there to be any police work. No investigating murders. No tracking down thieves, kidnappers, or money launderers. We’re just going to be on vacation. To sit in the sand under the sun and chill the hell out Got it?”

“I’ll do my best babe, but you know how Ronan and Fitz are.”

Jude snorted. He’d always been happy to jump in feet first whenever Ronan and Fitz wanted to stick their noses into a case. “You’ll have to take the issue up with them.”

Jude pressed a kiss to Cope’s neck. “Maybe we should take advantage of this time alone before the kids come back for the night?”

Taking Cope’s hand, Jude led him toward their bed.

“Yeah, you can be my daredevil, and I’ll be the scared husband wanting one last night with my beloved man.”

Cope laughed.

“Freak on the streets, daredevil in the sheets.”

Jude pushed his husband onto the soft mattress and went for his belt buckle.

Cope watched as Jude slowly took his clothes off, happy in the knowledge that the most daredevil thing his husband would ever do was to wear white after Labor Day.

After this little adventure over the border into Canada, Cope couldn’t wait to see what life had in store for them next. Hopefully it involved frosty drinks on the beach and not a frosty body in the morgue.

THE END