EPILOGUE
5 YEARS LATER
BAXTER
The cabin feels like our home away from home and I can’t help chuckling over finding one of our wedding photos on the resort’s website. It was a beautiful day the morning Jade and I vowed our lives to each other in the scenic gazebo on the front lawn.
Even years later, I still feel an icy shiver of fear that I could have lost her forever if I hadn’t gone to the front lobby meaning to rent that blasted movie so I could work out the perfect way to ask her to stay. It may not have been the perfect moment, but it was real, heartfelt, and uniquely ours. And it led me to having the love of my life.
Giving up Hollywood was easy. Melvin’s tears and shouted curses were harder. Though even that salty bastard ended up wishing me well and agreeing to be the best man at my wedding and later the godfather to Mia, mine and Jade’s four-year-old daughter.
Fatherhood has also been a breeze. Jade accuses me of being a pushover, but surely, she’s mistaken. What father wouldn’t give their little girl a pony for their birthday? She’s at the perfect age to start riding lessons.
Jade’s yoga studio is coming along well, with classes filling up enough that we had to hire two more instructors. I told my wife she could do it, and she did. Apparently, she’s not the only one that likes to do her downward dog to rock.
It’s been hard to tear her away from her work and Mia, even for a well-deserved vacation. It took both sets of our parents to convince her that Mia was in good hands and some guilt-tripping on my part to get her here.
And now that we’re back where it all began, I hope to show her again how thankful I am that she took a chance on me.
JADE
Stretching in bed, I feel eyes upon me and open mine to see Baxter grinning down at me. I trace his beloved features, my heart swelling with emotion. His brown curls are as unruly as ever and of course our daughter Mia inherited them and is a holy terror when it comes to getting her hair combed. My hand moves down to my stomach, and I must stop myself not wanting to give my secret away just yet.
Will we be blessed with another daughter, that’s a miniature of Baxter in almost every way from her curls, blue eyes, and wicked sense of humor? Or will this baby take after my side more? It doesn’t matter, but it’s exciting to dream about.
Almost as exciting as the life I have with Baxter. It’s hard to believe that once upon a time I couldn’t imagine him in the middle of nowhere Indiana or fitting into my mundane life. I should have known that with Baxter, nothing is dull. Not only has he fit in, he’s embraced our life.
Backyard cookouts with my parents are a monthly affair. Mowing the grass and tending to our landscaping is a matter of pride for him. Our yard won the state-wide garden of the year award last spring. Leave it to my husband to win awards no matter where he goes or what he does.
“Sleepyhead, are you ready for breakfast?” He asks as he slips into bed beside me, pulling me into his arms.
Nestling closer, with my head under his jaw, I rub against his stubble. It’s peppered with gray now and he rarely lets it grow out, knowing I’ll tease him over being my old man, but secretly I love it. Just as I love him.
“Not yet,” I say, pressing a kiss to his throat.
“We can’t sleep away the day. I made plans.”
I chuckle. “Oh, plans. And what type of plans would they be?”
His arms tighten around me, and I feel the steady rising pressure of his dick against me. “I thought we could give archery a go and maybe look into the canoe races again.”
“Hmmm… that sounds oddly familiar,” I tease.
“I thought we could recreate our first visit here,” he says softly, pulling his head back, his eyes meeting my gaze. “And perhaps even do that picnic that I planned that never happened.”
He’s referring to the one I ruined by deciding to leave early. How was I to know he was renting the famed most romantic movie of all time and organizing a picnic for the two of us near the lake in order to ask me to make our fling into a relationship?
While that would have been wonderful, I’m quite happy with how things worked out, even if it was a slightly bumpier road.
Pressing my lips to his, I smile. “A picnic sounds nice and so does the archery. Let’s give the canoe races a pass this time.”
“Why? I plan to prove to you we did indeed win the last time.”
“Morning sickness and motion sickness might do me in,” I say, biting down on my lower lip while I watch comprehension dawn on his face.
The skin around his eyes crinkle in delight, as his hand goes down to cup my soft belly. “You’re pregnant?”
“I am. Surprise!”
His mouth swoops down, capturing mine. Happiness fills me and once again, I’m thankful that we took a chance on each other and turned a few moments into a lifetime.
THE END