Justice For Juniper (Tatienne Richard) novel Chapter 185

Epilogue Part I

Five Years Later

18 min left

Juniper was sitting at a table in a restaurant enjoying the few minutes of silence before the hoard of her family descended on her. She sipped her sparkling water wishing it were wine feeling grateful she’d snuck out of work early to beat her family to the table. Phineas was leaving the office later because he had a meeting running late. Beni and Adil were on school pickup. She breathed in the lack of screaming children clamoring for her

attention.

A purse slammed onto the table made her look up from her reverie and take in Suki’s disheveled state.

“Jesus what happened to you?” Juniper pulled her head back in disbelief. “Where are Frank and the baby?”

“Frank is picking the baby up from his mom’s house. I was at a massage. It was glorious. She massaged my head, Juni. My head!” she moaned excitedly. “I told him I’d meet him here. I swear the best thing he’s ever done for me was pay for a massage membership. It’s the highlight of every week.”

“I don’t want any other hands on me,” Juniper made a face. “Between my husbands, my kids and my physicians, someone always is touching me. I would rather eat live bugs than let one more person touch me while I’m naked.”

Epilogue Part I

18 min left

“You look amazing though.” Suki smiled at her. “All that love and affection makes you glow.”

“I feel like it’s because I’m radioactive,” she gave a snort. “I’m constantly covered in shit, puke or snot.”

“I feel that. I thought having an infant was hard with all the puking and runny diapers but now he’s walking. I got up this morning to get his breakfast, and I stepped in something in the kitchen, and I was afraid to check what it was. Frank told me it was a clump of cereal he missed when he cleaned up last night after giving the terror his nighttime snack. The kid has more mealtimes than Frank and I combined. We were both so exhausted last night that we wiped down the surfaces, went to bed, and slept. He missed a spot in cleaning, and my bare feet found it. It squished up between my toes, Juni. I needed to put my foot in the sink and spray it out.”

She giggled at Suki’s storytelling. “There is a plus side to having three partners. They make sure the house is spotless before bedtime. They have such a good routine, I simply need to show up, look pretty and give hugs to sticky fingers and faces.” She grimaced at Suki, “some of those sticky fingers and faces belong. to grown men.”

Suki threw her head back and laughed loudly, drawing the attention of several people around the room. “I still want them to kiss.”

“Never going to happen,” she laughed at Suki’s words. “They don’t mind skin touching during intimate moments, but they even after five years still aren’t interested in one another sexually. I’m not sad about it. I like having their attention all on

me.”

“Clearly,” Suki waved at her before her eyes widened as she looked at someone over Juniper’s shoulder. “Holy shit, guess who is sitting behind you?”

“Hopefully not my parents because they are supposed to be on their anniversary vacation.” Juni laughed and was prepared to turn around but Suki hissed at her.

“Do not turn around.”

“What? Why? Who is it?”

“Kyst Kennedy and his mother.”

“No way.” She was stunned. He’d gone to prison five years, and she knew he’d taken a hell of a beating in the first month or so. He was left paralyzed from the waist down and the rumor mill said that the cock he used to swindle women out of their money no longer worked because of his injuries. She’d not seen or heard from him since the day she’d seen him in court all those years ago. Carl had been involved in a car accident which took his life. Juni never questioned her father on how it was that the

accident was eerily like the one which killed her aunt. Loist then moved to an apartment in the city where Kyst served his

sentence.

“Yeah. He’s there with his mother and they’re looking at menus. Holy shit he looks old.”

“Old?”

“And crippled.”

“Suki, that’s not a nice word.”

“It’s the nicest one I can afford him.” She was leaning forward and sideways to get a better glance and then her eyes rounded and she gasped, “shit he saw me.”

“Damn it.”

“He’s waving and nodding.”

“Do you think he was brain damaged in prison?” Juniper whispered curiously.

“I don’t know but he’s coming over here.”

“What the fuck for?”

“Suki! That is, you. Hey. How are you?” His voice was hoarse

and gravelly as he called out to Suki like they were still childhood best friends.

“Hey Kyst.”

18 min left

“Oh my god, Juniper.” A hitch in his throat betrayed the emotions he felt as he noticed who was sitting with Suki. “Wow.

Hi.”

“Hi.” She tried valiantly to be polite in the public setting.

“How have you been?”

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