Reap The Whirlwind

Book 2 of the Killian Kendall Mysteries

By Josh Aterovis
Copyright 2026

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Chapter 22

I called Mom first thing the next morning while Aidan made breakfast. She said there'd been no change since the night before.

While I was on the phone, a polite knock came at the door.

"Who could that be? Can you get that?" I asked Aidan.

"Well, we know it isn't Nikki, or she'd be beating the door down by now," he said as he started for the door.

When he opened it, Adam swept in with his arms loaded with shopping bags, which were brimming over with flowers, ribbon, and Christmas lights. In all the confusion of Dad's crisis, the wedding had completely slipped my mind.

"Oh my God!" I gasped.

"What is it?" Mom asked on the other end of the line.

"I forgot all about the wedding! We'll have to cancel it."

Both Adam's and Aidan's faces fell so quickly it would have been comical if I wasn't so upset.

"What's going on?" Adam asked Aidan, who proceeded to bring him quickly up to date.

Meanwhile, Mom was talking to me. "No, you can't cancel your wedding. Your father — well, I can't say he would have wanted you to go ahead with this, but he would want you to be happy, and if this is what will make you happy, then... At any rate, don't cancel it. Please. You heard the doctors. It could be today or it could be next week. They just don't know."

"It doesn't seem right..."

"Will, you've been living your own life separately from us for months now by your father's choice and my silent agreement. You shouldn't stop now simply because his is coming to an end. I want you to do this. Celebrate life. Please."

"If...if you're sure."

"I am. I love you, Will."

"I love you, Mom. I'll try to come by to see him sometime today before the wedding."

"Okay. Tell Aidan I said hello and thank him for being there last night."

"Aidan's been there for me many nights. He knows how grateful I am."

"Well, now he needs to know how grateful I am."

"I'll tell him."

I hung up and turned to face Adam and Aidan.

"The wedding is still on," I said.

"Woohoo!" Adam and Aidan yelled together.

Adam quickly grew serious again. "I'm sorry about your father, Will."

"Well, like Mom said, I've been living without him for months now..."

"It doesn't make it any easier."

"I... I should take a shower," I said as I felt tears building. I fled to the bathroom where I turned on the shower to cover the sound of my muffled sobs.

I should have known I couldn't fool Aidan. He followed me right in and wrapped me in his arms.

"Are you sure you want to go ahead with this?" he asked me when I had calmed down.

"No, but I feel like we should anyway. I feel like if we don't do it now we might never do it."

He squeezed me tight. "Why don't you call and tell Nikki you won't be in today. You've got too much going on, your dad, the wedding, everything with Joey's killer."

"No, I need the distraction. I'll go in for at least part of the day. I want to go see Dad this afternoon, too."

"Do you want me to go with you?"

I sighed. "Yes, but you don't have to. One of us should be here. I'll be okay. Are we supposed to wear anything special for tonight? Like am I supposed to pick up a tux or something?"

"I hope not. I'll go ask Adam."

He left me to my shower and reappeared as I was getting dressed.

"Adam says he has everything covered and not to worry about what we're wearing."

"One less thing to worry about, at least," I said with no small amount of relief.

By the time I was ready to leave for work, the entire entryway was filled with bags full of decorations.

"Holy crap, Martha Stewart died and left us all her shit," I moaned.

Adam laughed as he appeared from behind a seven-foot undecorated live tree that had miraculously sprouted in the middle of our living room. "Get in the spirit, Will!" he said. "You guys should have been decorated by now. What kind of self-respecting gay couple are you?"

I started to answer that we were the type of gay couple who until recently had been trying to find who killed their best friend, but I stopped myself just in time. Aidan stepped in to fill the awkward pause left by my second thought.

"We're still trying to get the hang of this whole couple thing. Give us a little time and we'll figure it all out."

"Thank you for everything, Adam. I've got to get to work," I said and made my exit.

How am I ever going to get through this day? I wondered as I drove to the gallery.

I filled Nikki in about Dad as soon as I arrived, and she told me to let her know if work got to be too much or if I needed to leave.

Work did prove to be a distraction, however. There were lots of people out looking for unique Christmas presents. Not too many bought anything, though. For the most part, when they got a look at the prices, reactions ranged from shock to abject horror.

Finally, though, the façade of geniality just proved more than I could keep up, and I asked Nikki for the rest of the day off.

"No problem, bello niño," she said with a soft caress to my cheek. "I will see you tonight. Take care."

I drove straight to the hospital. I found Mom dozing in a chair next to Dad's bed. As for Dad, I had to look closely to see the movement of his chest before I was even sure if he was breathing.

I had only been to one funeral, besides Joey's, in my entire life. It had been for a great uncle on my father's side. I had thought then that he looked like a wax dummy, as if there had never been any breath of life in him. Dad looked exactly the same laying in that bed, as if his spirit had already left. I wondered if Mom could see it, too, or the nurses. Or maybe it was just my imagination.

I walked to Mom's side and touched her lightly on the hand. She jumped and looked wildly about for a second before she focused on me. Her tired face lit up when she saw who it was.

"Will, you made it."

"I told you I'd be here."

"I didn't think you would be able to with everything going on."

I gave her a hug and then stood by Dad's side, looking down on him.

"Can he hear us?" I asked.

"They think so. They said to talk to him. The doctor said that many times he's seen people who hold on until their families tell them it's okay to go, and then they just slip quietly away."

I looked over at her. The unspoken words had been as loud as the spoken. "Is that what you want me to do?" I whispered.

She looked at me as tears filled her eyes. She gave a jerky nod and then stood up and walked out quickly.

I looked helplessly after her for a moment, then turned slowly back to my father.

"Dad?" I began in a raspy voice. I cleared my throat and began again. "Dad, it's Will. I...I don't know what to say." I cast about desperately to find the right words. How do you tell someone it's okay to die? Then it occurred to me that you simply make it so that there is nothing holding them here.

"Dad, I want you to know that I forgive you." I choked up, and it was a while before I could continue without crying. "I know I disappointed you. I wasn't what you hoped I would be. I'm sorry, but I'm doing the best I know how. And I think I'm doing all right now; I'm going to be okay. Don't worry about me. I've got my friends. I've got...Aidan. He loves me. And I love him. He's good to me, Dad. And I've got Mom. Don't worry about her either; I'll take care of her. So I guess what I'm trying to say is, it's okay to let go. You don't have to stay here and suffer any more. Dad...I...I love you."

I broke down and cried at his side for a few minutes. When my tears had run their course, I backed slowly away. At the door, I turned to find Mom waiting for me, tears rolling silently down her cheeks. She took me in her arms, and we cried together.

I wasn't in much of a celebratory mood when I arrived back at the apartment. I tried to shake the heavy mood as I rode the elevator up, but it wasn't easily dislodged.

As I came through the door, I received my first glimpse of the magic Adam had created in the relatively short time I'd been gone. It was so spectacular that I stopped dead and just gaped.

The entryway had been turned into a tunnel of fairy lights and pine garlands. It ended at the living room, which had been transformed into a beautiful sanctuary. All the furniture had been removed and folding chairs had been set up in a semi-circle facing the huge windows. In the center of the windows stood a Christmas tree decorated completely in gold and white. All the other decorations in the room carried on the simple, elegant theme: gold and white bows were fixed here and there with sprays of pure white lilies; white pillars held gold candles that had been set up inside frosted glass globes with wreaths for bases. The result was stunning.

Adam was putting some finishing touches on the tree and didn't hear me come in.

"Adam, this is...incredible." I gasped.

He spun around and a wide grin quickly spread across his face. "Do you like it, then?"

"Like it? Are you kidding? I love it! It's absolute perfection."

"Good, I was hoping you'd approve. Aidan hasn't even seen the finished results yet. You're the first."

"I'm honored. Where is Aidan?"

"He's in his room, working on his vows."

"His what?" I asked in panic. "We were supposed to write our own vows? Why didn't anyone tell me?"

"Aidan just decided a little while ago. But don't worry, I'm sure Bryant will have some vows for you to use."

"If Aidan's writing his own, I have to write my own," I wailed. "I'd better get to work."

I dashed back to my old room and threw open the door to find it packed full with the furniture from the living room.

"Whoa!" I exclaimed.

Aidan opened the door to our bedroom across the hall. "You're home!" he said with a grin.

I closed the door and gave him a kiss on the lips. "I can't believe you decided to write your own vows without telling me!" I whined. "Now I have to hurry up and write mine."

"You don't have to," he said. "I just had so much that I wanted to say I decided to write my own."

"Well, I want to do it, too."

"Then you'd better get to work. Time's running out, and it isn't as easy as you'd think."

"I never thought it would be easy! This is your fault. You're the one who started this." I squeezed by him to get into his room. He followed me in and quickly scooped up a notepad that was lying open on the desk. He ripped off the top page and tossed the notebook to me.

"Get to work. I'm pretty much done, so I'll go see if Adam needs any help."

He left, shutting the door behind himself, and I set to work.

Several hours later, the door opened again. A small pile of crumpled false starts and frustrated attempts surrounded me. I turned expecting to see Aidan, but it was Adam. He was holding a white bundle in his arms.

"Sorry to interrupt," he said, "but it's almost time to start. Your guests will be arriving soon, and I have a surprise for you. I got your sizes out of your closet and well...here. Consider it one last wedding present."

He held out his bundle, and I saw now that it was clothing — white dress pants and a fitted white button-up shirt. I accepted with a hug.

"Thank you, for everything," I said, feeling overwhelmed.

"You're more than welcome. Now get dressed. Bryant is here already. I'll send him back with Aidan in a minute."

I quickly pulled on the clothes Adam had bought me and found that they fit perfectly. I was reading over my completed vows when a soft knock came on the door.

"Come in," I called.

Aidan entered, followed by Bryant.

"You ready?" Aidan asked.

"As I'll ever be," I answered. "Thank you for doing this on such short notice, Bryant. It means a lot."

"Oh please, thank you for allowing me to be a part of your special day," he said with a warm smile. "Although, I must admit, this is a highly unusual wedding, even for me, and I'm used to nontraditional ceremonies."

"Heh, yeah. So, uh, what do we do?" I asked.

"Well, Adam said to keep things simple so I did. I'll welcome everyone, ask you to share your vows, then we'll exchange rings."

"Short, simple and elegant, just like me," I joked.

"Must be why I love it so much," Aidan said with a grin.

"Okay, you two, save it for the ceremony. Do you have the rings?"

We handed him the rings Aidan had bought, and I found myself getting truly excited about what we were about to do. There had been so much going on that I hadn't had time to think about it, but now my heart was racing.

After that, it was just a matter of waiting. Adam was greeting the guests as they arrived and making the big announcement. Steve, who had been in on it all from the first, was recording their reactions so we could watch it later.

Finally, after enough time had gone by for me to develop a severe case of butterflies, a soft rap came at the door, and Adam popped his head in.

"Bryant?" he said. "You're up."

Bryant slipped out, and Adam stayed in the doorway.

We could easily hear Bryant as he addressed our small group of friends. "Friends, we are here today to share with Aidan and Will a most important moment in their lives. They have learned to know and love each other, and now they have decided to live their lives together. I would like to thank all of you on their behalf for being here. You have each been invited because you are important to them, and they wanted you to share this moment with them.

"I'd like to start this ceremony by reading a poem written by the great queer icon Oscar Wilde. The title is "We Are Made One with What We Touch and See."

"We are resolved into the supreme air,
We are made one with what we touch and see,
With our heart's blood each crimson sun is fair,
With our young lives each spring-impassioned tree
Flames into green, the wildest beasts that range
The moor our kinsmen are, all life is one, and all is change.

And we two lovers shall not sit afar,
Critics of nature, but the joyous sea
Shall be our raiment, and the bearded star
Shoot arrows at our pleasure! We shall be
Part of the mighty universal whole,
And through all Aeons mix and mingle with the Kosmic Soul!

We shall be notes in that great Symphony
Whose cadence circles through the rhythmic spheres,
And all the live World's throbbing heart shall be
One with our heart, the stealthy creeping years
Have lost their terrors now, we shall not die,
The Universe itself shall be our Immortality!"

As the last words faded away, soft guitar music began to play. Adam signaled to us, and Aidan offered his arm, which I took. Together, we walked down the hall and into the living room. As we entered, everyone stood up, and I got my first glimpse of our guests.

There, beaming back at us was everyone in my life who mattered to me. Killian and Asher were the first faces I focused on. To their right stood Killian's mom Meg and Kane and beyond them, Caitlin, wearing a slightly stunned expression. Behind them stood Ilana and Lysander. Gabe and Laura were there, and Nikki with her boyfriend, Sam. Steve was across the room with his phone pointed in our direction.

The entire front row was filled with people I didn't recognize, but I assumed were Aidan's family. The woman was already dabbing at her eyes with a tissue — she looked so much like Meg that she had to be Aidan's mother. Her blonde bob was a few shades darker than Meg's, but they shared the same blue eyes, leading me to deduce that Aidan must've gotten his green eyes from his father. The rest of the row looked like his siblings: three boys and a girl.

My breath caught in my throat and tears welled in my eyes when I spotted Mom at the back of the room, standing just inside the door. She looked worn out, tired beyond measure, but she was there and she was smiling with tears in her eyes.

Aidan squeezed my hand, and I realized that he must have had something to do with her being there.

A boy who looked to be in his early teens — and almost exactly like a younger version of Aidan — was playing the guitar. He glanced up, met his older brother's eyes, and broke into a proud grin.

Bryant was standing in front of the Christmas tree, and as the last notes of the song faded away, we turned to face him. That's when I noticed that it was snowing outside the window, the perfect final touch.

Adam took his place next to Kane as everyone sat down and looked at us expectantly.

Bryant spoke again. "Will and Aidan, all of us know that the two of you are deeply in love. But beyond the warmth and glow, the excitement and romance, what is love? Real love is caring as much about the welfare and happiness of your partner as about your own. Real love is not possessive or jealous; it is liberating; it sets you free to become your best self. Real love is not total absorption in each other; it is looking outward in the same direction together. Love makes burdens lighter, because you divide them. It makes joys more intense, because you share them. It makes you stronger, so that you can reach out and become involved with life in ways you dared not risk alone.

"Aidan, do you find within you a love that unites you and Will?"

"I do," said Aidan.

"Do you find within you the courage to resist the many deaths by which love can die? Are you willing to love Will into his unique fullness, and to take the risk and the vulnerability of love again and again?"

"I am."

"Will, do you find within you a love that unites you and Aidan?"

"I do."

"Do you find within you the courage to resist the many deaths by which love can die? Are you willing to love Aidan into his unique fullness, and to take the risk and the vulnerability of love again and again?"

"I do and I am."

"Aidan and Will, as you have affirmed your willingness to join together, I now invite you to make the promises of your covenant together. Aidan?"

"Will, these past few months have been so difficult for both of us. There were many times when, if you'd told me this day would ever come, I would have laughed in your face...or cried because I wanted it so much. But here we are, and I can't even find words to say how happy I am. I have been so fortunate to find you.

"I now join you to share all of life with you, its responsibilities and freedoms, its joys and sorrows, to love and care for you. As we continue to grow in our love for each other, I will always love you, and listen to you, and speak the truth to you, and try to be the best person I can be for you. I look forward to spending the rest of my life with you, as long as we have together."

I took a deep breath and tried not to cry. "Aidan," I started and then realized I was going to have to read my vows if I ever hoped to get through them. I pulled them out of my pocket and tried to ignore the sniffling coming from the rest of the room. "Aidan, when I met you a few months ago, I never in my wildest dreams thought I would be standing here now, doing what I am doing. I hadn't even accepted who I was at that point. That's still a work in progress, but, in reality, my love for you goes so far beyond labels or gender. It doesn't have anything to do with being gay or straight; it just has to do with the fact that you are a beautiful person and I love you. I love you with all my heart and with all my soul. You've been there for me so many times, even to the point of saving my life...more than once. Now, I give you the life that you saved. I look forward to living that life with you, sharing all that the future brings, and celebrating each day as a gift, as long as we both shall live."

Bryant reached into his pocket and pulled out the rings. He held one up for everyone to see. "These rings are the symbol of the vows just taken, a circle of wholeness; an unbroken, never-ending, perfect form. These rings mark the beginning of a long journey together filled with wonder, surprises, tears, laughter, celebrations, grief, and joy. May these rings glow in reflection of the warmth and the life which flows through the wearers today."

He handed the ring to Aidan. "Aidan, place this ring on Will's hand and repeat after me, 'I give you this ring as I give you my love and faithfulness.'"

We repeated the process with me placing the ring on Aidan's hand.

"Aidan and Will, go into the world and fulfill your lives. Hold fast to your ideals. Give one another new experiences of joy. Challenge one another that you might grow together. May this love now sealed with your mutual covenant mature and enrich the experiences of you both. May your home be a happy one and your lives fulfilled.

"Aidan and Will, why don't you seal your vows with a kiss?"

He didn't have to ask twice. We stepped forward and kissed softly.

"Friends and family, it is my great honor to pronounce Aidan Matthew Scott and William Spencer Keegan, husband and husband."

With that, everyone rose to their feet with a thunderous round of applause..

The small, informal reception that followed was the perfect complement to the ceremony. There was even a beautifully decorated three-tiered wedding cake complete with two grooms, one with black hair and one with blond. How Adam had managed to pull it all off in only one week, I'd never know.

Everyone stayed for the festivities, including, to my surprise, Mom, although the smile she had pasted on her face was beginning to look quite strained. Who could blame her? Dad was at home, quite possibly dying, while she attended her son's marriage to another man. Considering she'd been a pastor's wife her entire adult life, I knew this couldn't be easy for her. I was touched that she was there at all.

She wasn't the only one who wasn't one hundred percent on board with our surprise nuptials. I could tell Laura wasn't exactly thrilled, though I hoped her expression had more to do with not being in on the surprise. Aidan and Killian's suspicions also tugged at the back of my mind, but I swatted them away. I refused to believe Laura could be a cold-blooded killer, and my wedding wasn't the time or place for that sort of thinking anyway.

Then there was Caitlin. I'd noticed that she'd had a strange expression on her face throughout the ceremony, and now she seemed to be positively glaring in our direction every time I looked her way. Whenever she noticed that I was looking at her, though, she would quickly rearrange her features into a poor imitation of a smile. It came out as more of a grimace, though, as if she were experiencing some sort of sudden attack of gastrointestinal pain.

Eventually I disengaged myself from Aidan, no easy task since he seemed to have become so attached to my arm that I thought he might have to be surgically removed, and made my way over to her.

Once there, however, I didn't know what to say. She didn't make it easy on me. She stared at me with her arms crossed and an unreadable expression on her face.

"Um, hey. You okay?" I said after an awkward pause.

"Why wouldn't I be?" she said icily.

"I don't know, but your body language is speaking pretty clearly," I said in what I hoped was a lighthearted manner.

"And what is it saying?"

"Um...I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Oh, I'm grand. That was some surprise you guys pulled here tonight. I sure as hell didn't see it coming. God, I wish I had a drink."

I blinked in surprise at the venom in her voice.

"We didn't want to make a big deal out of it. We wanted it to be a surprise."

"Well, you succeeded. It makes me wonder what else you've been keeping from me."

"What are you talking about?"

"I can see the writing on the wall, Will. You've got your perfect little family now. Except, where does that leave me?"

"What?" I was lost. "What do you mean?"

"You want the baby, don't you? Once it's born, you're going to want it all for yourself."

"No! That's crazy!"

"Oh, so now I'm crazy?"

"No, I mean...we literally just signed papers that limit my access."

"Sure, that's what you say now. I'll bet you're already planning ways to get rid of me."

"Where is this coming from?" I looked around to see if anyone was close enough to bail me out of this bizarre encounter. Everyone seemed to be involved in their own conversations, completely oblivious to the bizarre parallel universe that I'd somehow slipped into.

With a sudden intensity that took me off guard, Caitlin leaned in and grabbed me tightly by the wrist. Instinctively, I pulled back, but her grip was like iron.

"You're a lying little snake," she said in a low voice that sent chills down my spine. "I see right through you."

Just then Killian approached us with a big grin on his face. "Congratulations, Will!"

Caitlin quickly let go, and I took the opportunity to move a few steps away from her, just out of reach. At first blush, Killian seemed to be oblivious, but then I noticed how he kept sneaking little glances at Caitlin out of the corner of his eye. "Everything okay here?"

"Just congratulating the blushing bride," Caitlin said through gritted teeth before turning and walking away.

"What was that about?" Killian asked.

I shrugged and rubbed my wrist. "I'm not sure. I guess she doesn't like surprises."

"Well, it was quite the surprise! How did you manage to keep it from everybody?"

I forced a smile. "It wasn't easy. Only Adam and Steve knew."

"They even kept it a secret from me and I live with them!"

I looked around the room for Aidan. I spotted him off by himself, talking on his phone. After listening for a few seconds himself, he looked around the room. When his eyes met mine, he quickly looked away and disappeared down the hall.

Was it my imagination, or was he acting a bit guilty? What was going on? Why was everybody acting so weird? Did someone slip something in the punch? First Caitlin, and now Aidan.

Thinking of Caitlin again, I turned around to see if she was still there, just in time to see her leaving with her coat on. Everyone else was still deep in conversation.

"I wonder who Aidan is talking to on the phone," I said, in what I hoped was a casual tone.

"Oh, uh...I dunno."

Something in his tone made me suspicious. "Killian, what do you know? What's going on?"

"You should ask Aidan. I, uh, hafta pee. Excuse me."

I sighed. So much for casual. But at least he'd confirmed that Aidan was up to something, and Killian was probably involved. That most likely meant they hadn't given up on the investigation after all, which definitely concerned me.

Another glance around the room told me everyone was still engrossed in their conversations, so I started off down the hall to find Aidan.

He was in our bedroom, talking in a hushed tone. When he noticed me in the doorway, his eyes widened for a split second, then he smiled and held the phone against his chest.

"Hey, babe, you need something?" he asked cheerily. Curiouser and curiouser, I thought, especially considering that he almost never called me babe.

"I was just wondering where you'd disappeared to," I said, giving him a chance to come clean.

"I have to take this call, and then I'll be right out. Go enjoy the party."

"Who is it?"

"Who is...uh...who?"

I sighed again. "On the phone, Aidan. Who is it on the phone?"

His mouth opened and closed soundlessly several times.

"Okay, look, never mind. Forget I asked. You look like a freakin' goldfish. I'll get back to our guests."

"Will," he called, and I stopped, "I...I'll tell you later, okay?"

"Whatever," I said with a disgusted wave. "I think there must be a full moon."

"Huh? Full moon?" he called after me, but I was gone.

The party was still going strong, but my head was starting to throb. I thought some fresh air might be good for me, so I grabbed my coat and slipped out of the apartment. I was a little disappointed that no one even seemed to notice my departure.

So much for being the guest of honor.

There was no sign of Caitlin anywhere, so I wandered to the back of the apartment building. I was standing by the river with my head thrown back, staring into the sky when Asher found me.

"Hey, I thought I saw you leave," he said. "How come you're out here? The party's inside."

"I know. That's why I'm out here."

"Not much of a party person, huh?"

I shrugged. "I was right."

"Right about what?"

"The moon is full."

"Is that why you're out here, to admire the moon?"

"Everybody's acting weird. It must be because of the full moon."

"I don't know about everybody else, but you sure are."

"Caitlin flipped out on me, Aidan's acting all secretive. Even Killian is acting strange."

"Okay, first off, Killian is strange. Second, Caitlin is pregnant. Aren't pregnant women supposed to be emotional? You know, hormones and all? As for Aidan, I don't know, maybe he's planning a surprise wedding present. You guys seem to be into surprises."

"What am I doing, Asher?"

"Um, right now? You're staring into the sky. Your neck is going to get stiff, by the way. What do you mean?"

"I mean, what am I doing with my life? Getting married? I'm eighteen! And to a guy? I mean, three months ago I didn't even know I was gay." I gave a short bark of edgy laughter. "I've been messing around with a killer. I may have indirectly gotten two people killed. I could have been killed myself, or one of my friends...I've lost my fucking mind!"

"Hey, Will, take a deep breath. You've got to calm down," Asher said calmly. "I'm no expert or anything, but I'm pretty sure you're supposed to have cold feet before the wedding."

"Who had time?" I laughed again. I was definitely teetering on the edge of hysteria.

"Maybe that's what this is, you're moving too fast. So just take a second and breathe. Do you love Aidan?"

"Yes, of course."

"You know he loves you. What more do you need? No one's saying it'll be easy, but if you love each other, you can make it through anything."

"You're right," I was starting to calm down, my panic subsiding. "I should have listened to you to begin with. You're the one who didn't want to get involved with this stupid investigation."

He sighed. "I didn't want anything to do with this whole thing, but if you'd listened to me the police would have let the killer get away with murder."

"But maybe Keiyara and Robbie would still be alive."

"Or maybe they wouldn't. Keiyara clearly knew more than she was saying. She knew enough to send you the necklace. If you hadn't taken that note seriously, maybe she would have gone to the police and the killer would have done the exact same thing. He doesn't seem to like leaving loose ends."

"She."

"Huh?"

"The killer is a she. You said he."

"You know that for sure?"

"Robbie told me, before he was killed. He said he was pretty sure that the person with Joey when he died was a female."

"Oh." He didn't seem to know what to say.

"You really think Aidan and I can make it?"

He looked over at me. "Yeah, I do. I think if anybody has a chance you guys do."

"What about you and Killian? Do you guys still have a chance, or did I screw everything up?"

He was quiet for a moment. "I don't know. I hope we still have a chance. I love him, and I know he loves me, but I just don't know. I do know one thing, though. If things are screwed up, it's not your fault. That's between the two of us. You've really got to stop carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders. Now, are you ready to go back in and celebrate?"

"Yeah, sure." I said, and we started back toward the building. We only took a few steps before I stopped again.

"What now?"

"Just something you said..."

"Damn. What did I say?"

"You said the killer doesn't like loose ends."

"Yeah? And?"

"I'm the biggest loose end of them all."

"Whoa, that's not what I meant."

"But you can't deny it."

"Will, this isn't what you should be thinking about tonight."

"Why not? Death has been all I've thought about for the last few months. It seems pretty fitting to think about it on my wedding night. And I have a feeling I haven't seen the last of it yet."

"What do you mean?" He looked spooked.

"My dad is dying. Like, actively, as we stand here. And Joey's killer is still out there...and I just can't shake this feeling that something is going to go wrong. Maybe I'm not meant to be happy. Maybe I'm cursed."

"Cut it out, man. I'm sorry about your dad, and I know it's hard with everything going on, but this is your wedding night, so try to put all that aside for now and just enjoy it, huh? All those problems will still be there tomorrow, I promise."

"Yeah. You're right. Let's go."

We walked back inside in a companionable silence. I was glad to have a friend as grounded as Asher. Everyone cheered as we re-entered the apartment.

"There you are," Aidan said, a hint of worry in his eyes. "Nobody knew where you'd gotten to."

"I was just outside with Asher, getting some air," I said.

Mom approached us just then.

"Congratulations to both of you," she said with just a hint of stiffness. "It was a lovely ceremony." She turned to Aidan. "Thank you for including me. I...I may not understand all of this, but it's clear that you care deeply for my son, and that's enough for me." She pivoted back to me. "I should get going, though. I want to check in on your dad before it gets much later."

"Of course. I understand. Thank you for coming. It...it means a lot." I gave her a kiss on the cheek, and she squeezed my hand before grabbing her coat and heading out.

"Come meet my mom and sibs," Aidan said, tugging me by the hand.

His mom was lovely, and, where my mom had been visibly uncomfortable, she was unquestionably thrilled.

"Please, call me, Gwen. Welcome to the family! I'm so looking forward to getting to know you," she gushed.

His siblings were sweet, and just as obviously happy for their big brother.

The party came crashing to a halt a little after midnight when my phone rang. "Will?" It was Mom, and she sounded as if she were crying.

"Dad?" The single word was all I could manage to squeeze past the sudden lump that had formed in my throat.

"The doctor thinks it's time. He said I should call the family together. You're the only family..."

"I'm on my way."

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