Heston (In the Company of Snipers #25)

Epilogue

“I’m so excited!” London squealed when Heston stopped his Challenger at the entry to his parents’ circular drive. The white stucco, red-clay tiled hacienda ahead radiated the same glow coming off London, and the driveway would take them right to his parents’ front door. Just. Not. yet.

The lazy trip from Virginia to Arizona had been time well-spent. Maybe it was just the steady vibration of wheels on the road. Maybe simply being together long enough to really communicate did the trick. Heston didn’t want this unique time of their lives to end. As soon as they stepped into Mama’s house, everything would change. Not in a bad way, but he’d have to deal with his dad, Mama would take up all of London’s time, and Heston didn’t want to share.

Until this cross-country trek, their life together had always been packed too full of studying and tests, planning or working, and both of them striving to reach that unreachable ‘all they could be.’ Whatever that meant. It no longer mattered. The only thing Heston cared about now was bouncing in the passenger seat like a kid at Christmas. He’d had no idea how badly London had missed his mother. But then, he hadn’t understood how bleak of a childhood she’d lived through, either. That was about to change.

Heston just wasn’t sure he wanted their lives to change. The last three days had been filled with nothing but long, private conversations, impromptu stops along the way to see some out-of-the-way attraction, too much junk food, and intimate nights spent making love and getting reacquainted. Once again, they were what they’d been meant to be. Sharers of nightmares and dreams. Listeners. First and foremost… friends and lovers.

He didn’t plan on quitting The TEAM, but he’d definitely be meeting with Murphy for a career adjustment when he got back home. Not that he blamed Murphy for the way he’d buried himself in his work to forget how much he’d missed London. But now that he had her back, the sky was their limit. The rest of their lives had already begun. Heston intended to get it right this time.

Her hair was turquoise again, and, all by herself, she’d sought counseling for her PTSD. Of all people, she’d hooked up with Shelby Cartwright, Gabe’s wife, at her first group session. Turned out Shelby had given up her home-healthcare practice and was now a certified PTSD counselor. London made a new friend and Heston was thrilled, especially since he and Gabe had cars in common. Gabe had restored a beefed-up ’69 Nova, then topped off the restoration by replacing the stock engine with an LS engine. The man had built a damned ten-second car.

While London and Shelby talked girl-stuff whenever they got together, Heston and Gabe talked cars, engines, and raceways. Heston had toyed with racing his Challenger at Evergreen Speedway in Washington, but had never taken the time to follow that dream. If London was willing, he would now, but only with her riding shotgun. That was the way the rest of his life would work, with her by his side.

“You ready?” he asked, his hand on the door handle, ready to jump out of the car before his parents burst out of their house.

London giggled. Her tropical eyes were as hot and beautiful as ever. She was the epitome of life again. “I’m ready if you are.”

“Then” —He pushed his door open— “let’s go!”

She laughed as he ran around the front of the car, opened her door for her, and scooped the woman he adored into his arms. Still giggling, she wrapped both arms around his neck, and together, they faced his parents’ home.

He stopped in his tracks, not ready to turn her over to his mother. Not yet. But he would. Heston had a feeling Mama needed London as much as London needed her. Mama could be bossy, but he knew she already considered London part of her family.

She didn’t yet know he’d had another ring made, this one as brilliant as the first, but different. The stone wasn’t blue-topaz, and it wasn’t enhanced by white diamonds. It was simply a brilliant two-carat solitaire diamond, set in a solid gold band. Heston only needed one rare blue-topaz in his life and that was London.

“You ready?” he asked again.

She laid her head on his shoulder. “Whenever you are. Wherever you go, I will go. And whatever you want to do, I will do, too. No matter what happens next, I’m in this with you all the way, Hes.”

He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I know, babe. I know.”

“Heston!” his mother called out from her front door. “Bring that girl inside. She needs a hug. Hurry!”

As if Mama couldn’t see he was already hugging London? Heston grinned, turned his back on his adorable mother, and kissed the hell out of his woman. Only when London was breathless, did he do as Mama ordered. From now on, the only woman he was taking orders from was… London.

The End