And it’s epic.

EPILOGUE

AVERY

“Shit, Nate,” I scream as he fucks me, hard and fast, my back slamming against the cool tiled floor.

“So fuckin’ tight, baby,” he groans, tilting my hips up so he can take me deeper.

Our bodies slide across the cold floor as he slams into me, drilling me with his cock, bringing me to heights I’ll never come down from. When we find our release it’s deep and long, both of us groaning and shuddering.

“Never get tired of that,” he murmurs into my neck.

“Fucking on the floor?” I laugh softly.

“Fucking you, baby.”

I close my eyes and smile as he pulls out of me and stands, leaning down to scoop me into his arms. We walk towards the bathroom in our new apartment when the phone rings. I look to Nate and he frowns. He reaches over and stares down at the screen.

“It’s Max.”

“I should answer it. We’ve been living in our Fuck Cave for a while. He might be worried.”

He chuckles and puts me down, slapping my ass as he walks off to the shower. I go to answer the call, but it hangs up just as I take my phone. I make myself a cup of tea and then dial him back.

“Hey Maxy,” I say, when he answers.

“Avery,” he whispers. “Liam’s been in an accident.”

My eyes widen and my heart feels like it stops beating. “What?” I rasp.

“He’s stable, but he’s in the hospital. I only just found out.”

“Which hospital?” I croak.

He gives me the details and I rush down the hall to Nate, who is just getting out of the shower.

“What is it?” he asks.

“Liam’s been in an accident.”

~*~*~*~

“Oh, Li,” I whisper, staring down at my brother.

He’s covered in deep gashes and bruises. The doctor said he has a broken leg, ribs and collarbone. He’s lucky to be alive after he crashed his car. The worst part? He was high when it happened. I didn’t know he was sinking so badly; he put on such a brave face. My heart breaks for him.

“It’s not your fault, Avie,” he says, reaching out to take my hand. “Nothing you could have said would have stopped me from takin’ those drugs. I’ve got a problem, a problem bigger than you and me. It’s no one’s fault but my own.”

“I thought . . . I just thought you’d slowed down. I didn’t know it was so bad.”

He laughs softly. “Neither did I.”

“You could have killed yourself,” I say, tears welling in my eyes. “What would I do  without you, Li?”

He reaches up and cups my cheek. “I’m getting help, Avie. I’m going to rehab.”

My heart bursts with pride that my brother could be so strong as to admit he has a problem and get help for it.

“I’m so proud of you,” I whisper.

“I guess Dad’s money has come in handy after all, hey,” he jokes, but his eyes are sad.

“You’re doing the right thing.”

He nods and looks away. “I know, but the right thing is so fuckin’ hard, Avie.”

I understand that more than he’ll ever know.

~*~*~*~

TWO MONTHS LATER

“How is he?” Nate asks, nuzzling my neck.

“He’s good. He’s struggling hard, but he’s fighting through it.”

“Good,” he murmurs.

“How’d Macy go when you dropped her to Lena?”

He nips at my neck and wraps his arms around my waist. “She’s good. She likes spending time with Lena, even if it is only a day or two here and there.”

“Of course. She’s her mom.”

Macy has lived with Nate and I since the day we moved in together. She’s been a delight to have around and she brings happiness to our home. She visits Lena on and off, depending when Lena can be bothered, but it makes her happy and neither Nate nor I would ever try to take that away from her.

Liam is doing well in rehab. He’s going through the worst of his withdrawals now, and it seems he looks sicker than he did when he was taking drugs, but at least he’s working to fix himself. I visit him twice a week, and even though most of that time he’s not entirely with it, I know he likes my company.

Things are working perfectly with Nate and I. I’ve gone back to teaching dancing and he’s still riding. I work part-time at the library, and dropped my job at the bar. We’re happy, finally. We started out in a not-so-great place, finding a love that wasn’t ours to have at the time, and we fought through the consequences that came with that love. But we made it through and we’re stronger for it.

My life a year ago was a mess. I had no answers and nothing made me happy. Now my mother is at peace, finally, and my life is taking the right track. I’ve healed myself, my brother is getting better and I’ve found something worth fighting for. Through all of this, through the ups and downs, the highs and the lows, Nate has taught me one strong lesson.

Life throws you curveballs all the time, but it’s how you catch them that determines how your life is going to go. We don’t always make the right choices and we don’t always get away from things unscathed, but as long as we take the ball we’ve been given and we accept it for what it is, then we will always find our way back out the other side.

Nate taught me how to find my way. He showed me the light at the end of the tunnel. He taught me to breathe again and he taught me how to love. He walked me through my darkest days and he helped me to be a stronger person.