Garrett’s Destiny by Anna Blakely

Epilogue

Six months later…

“I now pronounceyou husband and wife. You may kiss—”

Garrett didn’t wait for the preacher to finish. He was already kissing her. Dipping her. And Avery didn’t mind one little bit.

“Get it!” Colt hollered from his spot as Garrett’s best man.

Even the preacher and Rafe Owens, Garrett’s stoic boss, couldn’t hold back their laughs.

Avery chuckled against Garrett’s lips, loving that she hadn’t just gained a husband, but also the best brother-in-law a girl could ask for.

And, though no one could ever replace her father, Garrett’s dad had already proven himself a darn good substitute.

Kenneth Morgan had beamed from the front pew throughout the entire ceremony. Avery suspected she’d start getting questions about grandbabies soon, as Garrett had the last few years.

But she was fine with that.

They’d already discussed kids, and as of last month, they were officially trying. This wasn’t news they’d shared with anyone yet. Not even Alex.

Avery would tell her sister, and probably soon. But for this first little bit, she liked the idea that she and Garrett had something that was just theirs.

Cheers and whoops from the small crowd filled the church where Avery and Alex’s parents had exchanged vows fifty years ago to the day.

When she’d told Garrett about her idea for that to be their wedding day, too, he’d kissed her wildly and told her he loved the idea.

Alex was on board, too, and as the Maid of Honor—and Avery’s only bridesmaid—she’d taken care of almost every part of the planning. Of course, she’d made several checklists.

None of which included kissing a hot guy.

But Avery was kissing one, anyway. And since Garrett was her husband, she’d get to kiss him whenever she wanted to…for the rest of their lives.

“What do you say, Mrs. Morgan.” He stood them back upright. “You ready to party?”

Losing herself in his crystal blue eyes, Avery smiled wide. “That depends, Mr. Morgan.”

“On what?”

She raised a brow. “On whether or not you can keep up.”

Without any warning, Garrett bent down and scooped her into his arms. Avery squealed, then tossed her bouquet of white roses behind them. Looking over her shoulder, she laughed when she saw her sister catch it.

Avery gave her hilariously horrified sister a wink as her newly pronounced husband carried her back down the aisle and out of the church as if she weighed nothing.

A barrage of hollers and high-pitched whistles blared from the men of Tac-Ops, as well as Ghost and his gorgeous wife, Rayne.

Avery had met the woman briefly before the ceremony, and they’d instantly clicked. When Avery had commented on that fact, Rayne had simply laughed and told her it took a special kind of woman to love men like theirs.

Speaking of…

Avery glanced at Garrett’s handsome face as he moved them down the church steps with grace and ease. Her heart felt so full she thought it would explode from the love she felt for this man.

He was every fictional hero she’d ever read about. But he was real.

And he was hers.

* * *

Ethan “Apollo”McAllister stood at the bar and watched the happy couple dance. He ignored the feeling in the pit of his stomach, chalking it up to bad liquor rather than the jealousy he refused to acknowledge.

He didn’t want to get married. Hell, he wasn’t even dating anyone right now. So, what did he have to feel jealous about?

Fucking nothing.

It wasn’t like his dating history was any less fulfilling than the next guy’s. The women from his past had been nice enough. They’d enjoyed each other’s company and had fun while it lasted. And when it ended, they always parted on friendly terms.

But that was the thing. It always ended.

As nice as those women were, none of them had ever made Ethan want what Falcon had found with Avery. He never imagined himself getting down on one knee or watching any of them walk down the aisle toward him.

Not because of anything they’d done. Truth be told, he wasn’t sure why they hadn’t sparked that special feeling deep inside.

You know why.

A woman’s face flashed through his mind. A gorgeous, curvy, blonde with eyes that sparkled when she laughed and dimples that drove him crazy with the urge to kiss them.

Nope. Not going there.

He couldn’t go there, even if he wanted to. Which he didn’t.

Because those dimples…those curves…they belonged to a woman Ethan couldn’t have. A woman Ethan shouldn’t want.

And that same woman’s lips…those full, luscious lips. Yeah, those belonged to a woman he never should’ve kissed.

Ignoring the voice—and woman—filling his head, Ethan took another sip of his Crown and Coke and continued with his people watching until his glass was empty.

When there was nothing left but ice, he tossed his cup into the trash and slipped away unseen.

But later, in the privacy of his own bedroom where no one was around to judge him, he let his mind wander back to that same woman. And when he laid his head on his pillow, he let himself pretend—for just a moment—that she belonged to him.

Instead of his best friend.

* * *

Want more from Anna Blakely’s Tactical Operations Series? Keep watching for Ethan’s Obsession

(Tac-Ops Book 2) coming January 2022!