The Revenge by Tijan

How she knew, I wasn’t asking. Everyone knew.

We just let her do her thing, because who was going to stop her? She’d appointed herself the cyber guardian over the entire family, Marie and Theresa included. Payton as well. All three of them that were in the back, too.

Then the music started.

The girls were lined up.

And Seraphina was the first down.

Melissa was next.

Torie and Tamara walked together, since Bailey couldn’t make up her mind. Matt loved the idea of having two bridesmaids on his arm.

The music changed.

Everyone stood.

The back doors parted, and there she was.

Stunning. Beautiful. My life.

Bailey was smiling so wide, she was literally glowing.

Chrissy was walking beside her.

I was about to cry.

She started toward me.

Three years after that

“I hate you!”

I cringed, holding my wife’s hand as her legs were pulled up into stirrups, spread wide. A sheet was over her legs, with the doctor’s head angled between them.

“Push again. Almost there, Bailey!”

“I’m almost there. Did you hear that?” She squeezed again, glaring at me, gritting her teeth. Sweat was rolling down her face. “I’m almost there. Famous fucking last words. Pretty sure that’s the same words you said nine months ago.”

I sighed, running a thumb over her hand. She could crush it all she wanted.

I closed my eyes, knowing it was a matter of seconds, and then …

Our son’s wails filled the room.

Then Bailey remembered she loved me, and we named him Matthew Curtis Colello.

Two more years later

Chase Peter Colello was born.

Three years more

Christina Seraphina Colello entered the world.

Another ten years even later

“Come on. Don’t be shy.”

We were sparring at one of my gyms. We had reserved it just for this afternoon, the two of us. Chase had just flown into town and I wanted some time with him. Matt would join us later, but only to heckle us, and he’d talk us into having a drink at his new bar. It was our routine.

Bailey was doing her thing, but unlike the days when I knew what she was doing, she no longer could tell me. The government paid her well to keep creating more programs, though she didn’t do it for that reason. She did it for the thrill. A year after she graduated with her master’s degree, she wrote a cybersecurity program that became the top seller among cybersecurity experts. She kept perfecting it, and once she sold the license for it, her net worth nearly rivaled mine.

The kids were with their grandparents, so we had all day if we wanted.

Bailey had plans to meet up with the girls, so I knew we’d be joining them at either Naveah or Matt’s newest club. We’d find out wherever the girls went and would just go there, but they were always at one of our places.

Drake and Josh were still with us, and they’d send a text to report in. As usual.

I stopped and glared. “Are you kidding me?”

Chase smirked back, his taped hands up, and he bounced back on his feet. “Nope. Don’t be shy. I know it’s been ages since you’ve—”

I struck out. My hit was clean and it got him right across the face.

He hissed, bent over from the force of it. “Damn.” He looked back up.

I smirked. “I might be getting old, but I still fight on a regular basis. Unlike your ass.”

He laughed, wiping away some blood that trickled down from his mouth. “Whatever. No holding back, brother. You ready for that?”

Was I ready for that? Always.



* * *



We found the girls at Naveah, and some of Matt’s old friends had joined as well.

I paused before going up.

Bailey was standing at the edge of the group, laughing at something Torie was saying, and then she saw me. She smiled, and like the first time I ever saw her, I felt a kick to my chest. She was in there. She tunneled her way inside and she never left.

Thank God.

I went up to her, slid my arms around her waist and pulled her into my arms.

“Hey.” She relaxed back into my arms, her head tipping up to see me, and that same glow was with her. It rarely left her.

I bent down, my lips finding hers, and I said back, “Hey.”

This.

Fucking perfection.

“Did you have a good time with your brother?”

She always asked. She always cared.

I nodded, tightening my arms around her, and I took in the scene. We had family. We were surrounded by friends. We had our own little ones. This was something that I had never thought I could have, but she came into my life. Bailey. Brainiac Bailey. And everything flipped upside down.

She did that.

I never expected it, but I was damned grateful to have gotten it.

She took in my face, tipping her head back. Reaching up, a palm to the side of my face. “What’s in your head?”

“You.”

She smiled. The sight was radiant and took my fucking breath away, and I knew that would never end, either. “Good,” she said simply. She pulled me back down for another kiss, and I knew it’d be one of a million.

We had a long life ahead of us. A long and happy one.

Bailey

Sometimes having a photographic memory could suck, but to be honest, that was rare. And times like this, times when he was staring at me like he won the lottery, these were the times I was thankful I’d never forget.