Wolf with Benefits

EPILOGUE

Toni looked over all the food on the kitchen table. “Mom, do we really need all this food?”

Her mother stood beside her. “I just don’t know. I was told the most important thing was for the wild dogs to have ample chocolate, so I took care of that. I have a whole picnic table set up outside for that. But when I heard your entire hockey team would be attending, and those lions that are part of the Smith Pack, then I figured we’d need more food. Thankfully, Blayne—”

“Who?”

Her mother bumped Toni with her hip. “Be nice to her! She suggested the caterer,” she said, pointing out the window at the team getting the food tables organized. “They apparently handle shifter weddings and all-lion events, which seems to be some sort of code meaning they could feed anyone.” Her mother clutched her hands together. “I just want everything to be perfect.”

“Are you still sucking up to the dogs, Mom? I mean, they seem to be entrusting you with Johnny now that Donato is interested in him.”

“I’ve always felt you can never suck up enough in some instances. This is one of those instances.”

Jackie reached out, and moved a few of the side dishes around. Then, suddenly, she asked something that she hadn’t before, her gaze still focused on the table in front of her, “Delilah won’t be coming home . . . will she?”

She made it sound like she meant, “Would Delilah be coming home for the party?” But Toni knew what her mother was really asking her. Knew it was hard for her to ask such a thing about her own child. A child she’d given birth to and had loved like she’d loved all her other children. But even so, something had gone wrong. And nothing they did now would change that. They both knew it.

So Toni wasn’t surprised at her mother’s relieved expression when she replied, “No, Mom. She won’t be. But don’t worry, she’s in a good place now.” As good a place as they could hope for anyway. Hey, it wasn’t a prison cell or a shallow grave.

Her mother suddenly hugged her. “I love you, Antonella. I love you more than you will ever understand.”

Toni hugged her mother back. “I love you, too, Mom.”

The doorbell rang and Jackie pulled away. “They’re here,” she announced. “I’ll go let them in.”

“Okay.”

Jackie walked out and that’s when Toni heard, “Pssst. Toni?”

“Dad?”

Her father eased into the room from another doorway. “Where’s your mother?”

“She went to answer the door.”

“We have a problem.”

Toni sighed. “Uh-oh. What now?”

He leaned down and whispered to her, “The Royal Ballet wants your sister.”

“What? She’s only fifteen.”

“Let me rephrase . . .” And that’s when Toni rolled her eyes. She loved her father but . . . oy.

“The Royal Ballet School has offered her a spot in order to train her for the Royal Ballet.”

“That makes sense.”

“And then there was the call I got before that—”

“You got another call?”

“From this art school for gifted children in Milan. They want Kyle.”

“Well—”

“And then—”

“There’s more?”

“Well, this one I’ve been kind of keeping to myself.”

“Because that’s a good idea.”

“There’s been so much going on.”

“What is it, Dad?”

“Troy was accepted to Harvard undergrad in their math department.”

“Of course he was.”

“That one I’m not sure what to do about.”

Toni could hear her mother and some of the guests heading this way, so she turned to her father and said, “You’re going to have to let Oriana and Kyle go. Coop can keep an eye on them when he’s doing his European and Russian tour in the fall. Plus, we have lots of contacts in both Milan and London, so no worries there. As for Troy, he’s too young. I think you should look at Aunt Irene’s University for his undergrad. By the time he’s ready to go for his master’s or PhD, he can go to Harvard without a problem. And trust me, they’ll still want him.”

“Okay.” He hugged her, and Toni wondered what the hell was going on.

“I’m so proud of you, baby.”

“Me?” Toni had to laugh at that. “The Royal Ballet didn’t call about me, Dad.”

“But none of that would have been possible for any of the kids without you. Never forget that, Toni. I know I won’t.” He kissed her forehead just as Jackie and a pack of wild dog children walked into the kitchen, heading to the backyard.

“Toni!” the pups cheered.

“Hey, guys! Where’s Johnny?”

“He’s coming,” one of the kids said.

Then another screamed, “There’s chocolate out here!”

They took off running, quickly followed by the adults of the wild dog Pack.

The three Jean-Louis Parkers huddled together until the danger had passed, then they all let out relieved breaths. “Good Lord,” Jackie said. “It’s just chocolate.”

“Yeah, Mom. I probably wouldn’t say that around them.”

Ricky moved up behind Toni and put his arm around her waist.

“Where have you been?” she demanded, sounding adorably cranky. He knew why, too . . . it took a lot for a body to manage wild dog pups.

“I had a job with Reece.”

“Everything go all right?”

“Yep. Just fine.” He leaned down and kissed her neck.

“You better stop . . . my Dad is totally watching you.”

“He loves me. He’s just not ready to admit it yet.”

“Yeah. You go on believing that.”

Ricky stepped away from Toni and took her hand. “Come on.”

“Where?”

He didn’t answer, just pulled her inside the house and up the stairs to her bedroom. He closed the door and got right to it.

“I might as well cut to the point here and tell you that I’m in love with you and I want you to be my mate.”

“Are you sure about that? Because you sound awfully pissy about it.”

“I am positive, and I sound pissy because I have no idea how you’re going to respond and that makes me tense.”

“I guess my only concern is that you don’t understand what you’re getting yourself into.”

“You mean having Novikov hanging around? Because as long as he’s picking on Reece, I really don’t care.”

“No. But there’s not just me. There’s my entire family. Even if I stay here—”

“If?”

“Although it’s highly likely that I will stay . . . my family will never be far away. In other words, I don’t come unattached. The Jean-Louis Parkers never do.”

“I’ll put up with yours if you put up with mine.”

“What’s wrong with yours?”

Ricky walked over to the window and motioned Toni over. He pushed the window open and she leaned out. Together they watched Dee-Ann, Sissy Mae, and Ronnie Lee loudly sing “Rocky Top” to Brendon and Mitch Shaw.

“What’s wrong with that . . . other than they are supremely out of tune.”

“The Shaw brothers hate that song. A hate so strong, mind, that it’s almost become a living, breathing thing. Which is why the females are singing it to them.”

“Because the brothers hate it?”

“Yep.”

“That seems cruel.”

“Yep.”

“Yet highly amusing.” She pointed over to Kyle. “See how swollen his head is?”

“You mean that lump?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Yeah. I see it.”

“He got that from Oriana when she physically attacked him with one of her toe shoes.”

“Again?”

“Do you know why?”

Ricky cringed a little. “He called her fat?”

“No. This time he told her she had a man-jaw.”

Ricky laughed. Hard.

“Yeah,” Toni went on, also laughing. “And Oriana didn’t appreciate that, so she hit him with her toe shoe. Actually . . . she beat him with her toe shoe, which is vastly different.”

“I don’t know.” Ricky looked back and forth between the two families. “ ‘Rocky Top’ . . . toe shoes? ‘Rocky Top’ . . . toe shoes?” He shrugged and looked at her. “I really can’t decide.”

They leaned back in, Toni smiling up at him. “Look, if you think you can handle this level of crazy—”

“Handle it? You’ve met my mother. I’ve been living this all my life.”

“Then I’m in.”

“Better be. Because I am really liking that apartment of yours.”

“I’ve noticed you’ve made yourself quite at home.”

“Why should you get all the closet space?”

“Yes. I know you need room for your many Tennessee Titan hats.”

“You don’t have to be jealous of my hats; you know I’ll get you one.”

Chuckling, Toni went up on her toes, looked him in the eye. “I love you, too, Ricky Lee Reed.”

“Good.”

She kissed him and Ricky hugged her tight, pulling her close into his body, returning that kiss.

“Thank you,” she finally said when she pulled back a bit, their arms still around each other.

“For what?”

“For everything. But mostly for your amazing patience.”

“Well”—Ricky shrugged—“it’s like I told ya from the beginning, Antonella . . . if you wait long enough, the entertainment comes to you.”