Crew didn’t say a word, he just stepped a little closer then punched the asshole right in the nose, hearing the satisfying crunching sound as blood squirted out. Now it was broken in at least two places.

  “I didn’t see a thing,” Smoke said as he gazed out over the ocean. He let Steve crumple to the ground. He wasn’t going anywhere though, because Smoke pushed him onto his back, then used his huge foot to hold him against the sand.

  “Thanks, Smoke. Truly.” Smoke nodded again. “I want to kill him, but then this scum gets off easy, and I go to jail and can’t be with my soon-to-be fiancée.”

  “Congrats, man,” Smoke said. “Just say the word and he’ll disappear.”

  Tempting. It was so tempting. Crew looked at the pathetic man whimpering on the ground, then back at Smoke. “I believe in our justice system. Until they fail me, I’ll continue to do so. If this scum gets out, then we’ll talk.” Smoke nodded.

  Crew turned and ran to the chopper. He’d already been away from Darla for too long.

  It was too loud in the chopper to talk, so he sat at her side as they lifted into the sky and flew over the ocean. The moon was shining down, and he could see the reflection on the water, but he didn’t care. All he cared about was the woman he’d come too close to losing. If that didn’t shake him up, then nothing would.

  He felt better the farther they got away from the prison this man had made for her. He could try to get out of this one, but Crew and the rest of his family would make sure he paid.

  The chopper landed at the small local hospital and Darla was rushed inside. He didn’t take his first full breath until they told him she was bruised, had a slight concussion, and would need to be watched, but there wouldn’t be any long-term effects. She needed plenty of rest, fluids, and food, and then maybe some therapy. Well, he was just the man for the job.

  It was less than four hours before their private jet was back in the skies. Darla slept in his arms on the big bed in the back of the jet while the special ops team stayed out front. There wasn’t a chance Crew was getting sleep anytime soon — or so he thought. He closed his eyes, feeling comforted with her in his arms.

  When he awoke again they were close to home. He led her to the front of the jet, and she ate breakfast, moving slowly, but her smile returned as she joked with the men who’d rescued her.

  When they landed, and emerged from the jet, Crew was stopped in his tracks. Darla’s eyes were wide as she looked out at the huge mob of people standing there to greet them.

  “I wanted to come,” Daisy cried as she rushed from the crowd and threw her arms around Darla. “I wanted to be there, but I knew Crew had to be the one to save you. I’m so sorry, Dar, I’m so sorry. I can’t believe that man got his hands on you. I should’ve done more.”

  Daisy and Darla were both crying as they stood with their arms wrapped tightly around each other. After a minute or two they pulled back.

  “You’re always there for me just as I am for you, but sometimes bad people get through our fences. Then we have to be there for each other to make the repairs,” Darla said. “Thank you for being my best friend and my family.”

  They cried some more as Finn, Noah, Brandon, and Hudson surrounded them too.

  “Thank you all for putting your lives on hold for me,” Darla said with a sniffle.

  “We take care of family, and you’re family,” Hudson said. He did feel like a brother to her, Crew was sure, since he was marrying her best friend.

  “I won’t turn down an offer to be a part of your group,” Darla said with a laugh. “I guess I made it to the in-crowd.”

  “Ah, sorry, darling,” Brandon said. “We’ve got you fooled. We’re really the nerds who’ve made everyone think we’re cool.”

  Darla smiled at him. “You silly man, don’t you know the true in-crowd are the nerds. We’re the ones who rule the world. You don’t see the cool kids with all the bright ideas, you see the people with compassion, caring, and dreams worth following making it to the top of the ladder. That’s the crowd I want to be in.”

  “Damn straight,” Noah said. “Then I guess we are the cool kids.”

  “No one’s going to call any of you losers kids. Maybe me since I’m the youngest,” Brandon said.

  “You’re not that much younger,” Finn said.

  “I don’t know, big brother. I’m starting to see a few grey hairs on that head of yours,” Brandon said. “I don’t have a single one.”

  “Marrying these women gives us all grey hairs. They tend to put themselves in situations that scare the living hell out of us,” Noah said with a laugh.

  “I’d toast to that if I had something in my hand,” Crew said. “I think I got a few hundred greys in the past twenty-four hours.”

  “No doubt about it,” Finn said, patting his brother on the shoulder. “But it all worked out in the end. You got your woman back and the world is once again spinning in the right direction.”

  He turned and looked at Darla. “Almost,” he said. He shocked all of them when he dropped to his knee in front of her.

  “This is the worst possible moment, but I need you to marry me. I want you by my side for the rest of my days, and I want a full head of grey hair because I’m so full of worry over you. I was going to take you to a mountain top, but I can’t stand not calling you my wife for another single minute. Marry me, Darla. I’ll do a much better job of protecting you from this moment on,” Crew said.

  There were sniffles behind him as the night grew very silent, everyone stepping a little closer to listen to Darla’s answer. She dropped down to her knees with him and took his hand.

  “It’s about time,” she said with tears falling down her face. “We belong together.” Of course that’s what she’d say.

  He pulled the ring from his pocket he’d been carrying since just before they’d left for Italy. He’d never found the perfect moment. He’d given up searching. The perfect moment was any time and any place he was with this woman he loved. He placed the ring on her finger.

  “You’re wrong about one thing. This is the perfect moment and the perfect time because everyone we love is right here with us,” she told him.

  Then he leaned in and kissed her, sealing their promise to each other for eternity.

  Epilogue

  Joseph Anderson looked down into the crystal blue eyes of his beloved Katherine. She was fixing his tie that was off center. He’d been knotting a tie for more years than most, but maybe he’d never done it correctly because he wanted his wife’s finishing touch.

  “Where are we going my love that I need to be in a suit and tie?” Joseph asked.

  Katherine finished what she was doing, then patted his chest and gave him an angelic smile.

  “You will soon find out. It’s not quite as fun being the one without the answers, is it?” she asked him with a musical laugh.

  He grumbled. “You know I’d walk over coals for you, so it doesn’t matter where you’re taking me.”

  “So, if I told you I want to become Bonnie and Clyde, you’d hold my hand and jump into a convertible?” she asked with a laugh.

  “I’d walk through fire for you, so doing a little shootout mission would be a new adventure,” he said.

  “Joseph Anderson, I don’t think it’s possible to love a human being more than I love you,” Katherine told him. She wrapped herself in his arms and he held her, so grateful for the doctors who’d helped her, and so appreciative for every single moment he had with her. He didn’t want to face the day they might have to part for a while until they met again in their afterlife.

  “I guarantee you there’s no greater love than mine for you,” Joseph told her.

  She took his hand and led him from their bedroom, down the enormous staircase, and through the halls. A limo was out front waiting, the back door open.

  “It’s not my birthday and it isn’t a holiday, so I’m completely perplexed,” Joseph told her as they slid into the backseat.

  “I know. I love it. After nearly fifty years together I’ve finally managed to surprise you,” she said with glee as she poured each of them a glass of champaign. He held the delicate stem in his huge hand and waited. “To love, laughter, heartache, and success. May we have many more years to come,” she said.

  He gladly clinked to that.

  An hour later they pulled up to a private residence in the country outside of Seattle. Katherine slipped a blindfold over his eyes.

  “Now Katherine, this is just silly,” he said.

  “I know. But you’ll grant me my fun and games,” she told him. She was absolutely correct. He wouldn’t deny her anything, especially something that was bringing such joy to her voice.

  He took her hand and trusted her to be his eyes as they walked down a path. It was oddly quiet out, and he had no clue what to expect at the end of the journey. What a ride the two of them had been on together. It hadn’t always been easy, but it had most certainly always been an adventure — and he wouldn’t change a single day.

  “We’re here,” she said as she reached behind him and undid the tie.

  It wasn’t often that Joseph was stunned into silence. That might’ve happened a handful of times in his life. The first time he’d been speechless had been the moment his soon-to-be-wife had stepped to the front of the aisle and he’d looked up, knowing they were about to be united for all time and eternity. He’d nearly fainted at the raw emotion raging through him. He’d wanted to rush down the aisle and pull her into his arms. He’d wanted to shout to the world that she was his — and he was forever hers.

  The next moment had been when he’d held his eldest son, Lucas, for the first time. He’d been so in love and awe he hadn’t been able to say a word as tears had fallen down his cheeks. He’d been just as mesmerized with his next two sons, Alex and Mark.

  The day his first grandchild, Jasmine, had been born, he’d once again been awestruck at the perfect tiny human who’d so lovingly and trustingly been placed in his arms. He loved each and every one of his grandchildren, but that first moment with Jasmine a bond formed that words couldn’t describe.

  Now, as he stood next to his beautiful Katherine and looked out at a crowd of hundreds of people all beaming at him, Joseph was at a loss of words.

  “Surprise!” the called as they lifted glasses into the air. Someone handed Joseph one and he was so in awe he didn’t think to raise his to toast them back.

  “This is for you, my love,” Katherine whispered.

  “For what?” he asked, his voice a bit choked with tears.

  “Let’s find out,” she said. She took his hand again and led him over to where two huge throne chairs were set up. He smiled as he and Katherine sat.

  Jasmine, Jacob, and Isaiah came out with crowns on pillows. They stepped in front of Joseph and Katherine.

  “Grandfather, grandmother, we bow to thee,” Jasmine said with a little giggle as the three of them did just that. They placed a crown on Katherine’s stunning white hair and another on Joseph’s equally white locks.

  Joseph was getting his breath back and laughed. This was silly and beautiful, and might go down in history as one of his all-time greatest moments.

  His grandchildren bowed again and walked off the stage. The crowd of family and friends all bowed while they giggled.

  “What is this?” Joseph once again asked his wife who was grinning ear to ear. She didn’t answer as Lucas stepped up to a podium. Silence settled upon all of people before them. Joseph looked out in awe. This was his family, his friends, his loved ones. Each person there was special to him in many different ways. Lucas looked at his father and smiled before he began speaking.

  “Thank you all for coming today on extremely short notice. As we all know, my father has a way of figuring things out, and if we aren’t fast and sneaky, he’ll bust us.” Laugher followed Lucas’s words, and Joseph shrugged. It was true. He was shocked he hadn’t figured this out anyway. They must’ve planned and implemented in less than a week. That was the only explanation that seemed plausible.

  “Dad, we’ve all gathered today to . . .” He gave a long pause and Joseph found himself confused. “To thank you.” Joseph’s heart swelled as he felt stinging in his eyes.

  “What are you thanking me for?” Joseph asked.

  “As we all know, this giant of a man has meddled in each of our lives.” Joseph looked down. He didn’t meddle. He just pushed people along.

  “And each of us fought you every step of the way, but what we finally realize now is how grateful we are for what you’ve done for us. We’re stubborn and set in our ways — we are Andersons after all. We couldn’t see what we truly needed or what value there was in true love. But you never gave up hope, you never gave up on us.”

  There were many agreements from the crowd.

  “We wanted to gather here today and let you know you never fooled us, but we appreciate you anyway. We appreciate what you’ve done for us.”

  “Well, I didn’t do too much,” Joseph said, slightly embarrassed, though he didn’t understand why. That made the entire crowd laugh hard. Joseph sent them a glare.

  “Ah, the famous Joseph Anderson started with me, at least we believe it all began with me. He decided Amy was my perfect wife.” Lucas stopped and looked at his wife who was beaming. His daughter Jasmine was next to Amy, their arms wrapped around one another, both so beautiful.

  “He knew we were a perfect match, and he gave her a job where we’d be side by side. He knew the moment we met it would be fate. And he was one hundred percent correct. Because I not only got Amy, but I got my children too, and I’ve never been happier in my life,” Lucas told them.

  Amy and Jasmine both blew him a kiss. His boys stood with their shoulders back looking like such fine young men. The next generations of Andersons were well on their way to a beautiful success story.

  “Once my father matched his three stubborn sons, he knew he wasn’t done. Uncle George had moved away years earlier, and my father made sure to bring him back to Seattle where the two of them put their heads together, doubling the trouble. My cousins didn’t stand a chance,” Lucas said.

  “Not a single chance,” Trenton said with a laugh as he stood with his arm around his wife, Jennifer.

  “And we were furious at first, but now we realize that not only did you help us find our way, but you brought us all back together. We were floundering, and now we’re home,” Trenton told him.

  George stepped up to Joseph and put his arm on Joseph’s shoulder. They both looked like extremely proud and humbled men. All of them knew the humbleness would wear off quickly.

  “But we decided to share something with the two of you today,” Lucas said with a wicked smile.

  “I don’t trust that look,” Joseph said.

  “Me neither,” George said.

  “You shouldn’t. I got it from you,” Lucas said, making the crowd laugh again.

  “Not only did Uncle George have one love of his life, but he’s been lucky enough to have two,” Lucas said. He looked out at Esther and smiled. She blushed.

  “You see, we knew before you told us that you two were in love. We knew you were fighting it just as much as each of us did. So, we gathered together and did some meddling of our own.”

  “What are you talking about?” George asked.

  Bree stepped up to the podium next. “You see, Dad, we figured out real quick that you and Uncle Joseph were meddling in our lives, so we decided to have a bit of fun of our own. Do you remember when you couldn’t get a single moment alone with Esther?”

  George’s gaze widened in realization that he’d been tricked by his own children.

  “You monsters did that on purpose?” he gasped.

  “Yep, we took turns to make sure each of us had a problem needing solved. We loved the annoyance on your face. We did feel bad about doing it to Esther, though. Sorry about that,” Bree said, looking toward Esther.

  “I forgive you. I know what a terror your father can be,” Esther said with a laugh.

  “I’m a terror but I sure love you,” George said.

  Bree stepped back and Lucas took the podium again. “But we all knew my father still wasn’t done. Oh no, he had many more lives to mess with.”

  Katherine took Joseph’s hand and squeezed his fingers. “We all knew,” she whispered. “And we all loved you in spite of your meddling. But now, we realize what a blessing you have been to this family and how you’ve helped it thrive and grow. We all love you.”

  Joseph felt those dang, irritating tears stinging his eyes again.

  “My father paired up with his long-time family friend, Mr. Martin Whitman.” Martin laughed as he waved to Joseph. “The two of them decided it was high time to marry off his children as well.”

  Spence Whitman, who’d been invaluable in helping Katherine with her brain cancer stepped up next to Lucas. “Yes, we were lucky enough to be saved by our father, Martin, when my brothers and I were young punks in foster care. And then we were saved again when Joseph and our father knew we were once again heading down a wrong path. We didn’t think we needed rescued, but we realize that’s when we needed it the most.”

  Joseph looked out as Martin discreetly wiped his own tear away. These children of theirs had grown into such fine young men and women. It was impossible not to get emotional.

  “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you, Spence, after what you’ve done for my beautiful wife,” Joseph said respectfully.

  “And my family and I feel the same toward you. Thank you, Joseph for never giving up on us.”

  Spence stepped down after giving Lucas a hug.

  “Our wonderful father then discovered a long-lost brother.” Richard stepped up next to Joseph and George and waived to everyone who cheered. Their family had grown and grown, and it was all for the better.