Chased by the Mountain Man

Epilogue

Trent

“Thanks, Ken,” I say, getting up from the comfy armchair and shaking hands with the man sitting opposite me.

“No problem. That was a great session, Trent! I’m very proud of your progress.”

I nod at him. “I appreciate that.”

I’ve been seeing Ken for a couple of years now, ever since I promised Jasmine I’d get the help I needed. It’s been a slow process, but Ken has the patience of a damn saint. He’s a serious-looking guy in his sixties, thin and bald, with thick glasses and a soothing voice. Opening up to a stranger sure as hell didn’t come naturally at first, but I stuck with it. I worked hard, and now, with Ken’s help, my demons are quieter than ever.

They’re not gone. They’ll always be there, and the things I’ve seen will never completely vanish from my mind. But my past doesn’t control my life anymore. I’ve built a new life for myself with Jasmine, and now that we’ve got a baby on the way, things are better than ever.

“Any plans for this evening?” Ken asks as I pull on my jacket.

“I’m going to go home and see my beautiful wife.”

Ken smiles. It’s the answer I give him every week.

“Well have a good one, Trent. Take care of yourself. I’ll see you soon.”

I say my goodbyes and step out into the corridor. Ken’s office is on the outskirts of Winterdale, and he shares the building with several other counselors. Each has their own office, and I smile when I pass the door with my wife’s name on it. I kiss my hand and press it against her nameplate, but I don’t stop. Jasmine’s not in her office; she’s been working fewer hours now that she’s pregnant, and I can’t wait to get home and see her.

I swing by Sweet Tooth Bakery to grab a red velvet cake—Jasmine’s biggest pregnancy craving—before heading toward Snowfall Ridge. As I approach the turn for the mountain path, I drive past the bank where my wife used to work, smiling to myself as I think of how far she’s come since then. She quit her job the day she moved in with me, and she worked so damn hard to complete her master’s degree in only two years. I’ve never been so damn proud.

As I catch sight of the employee parking lot where I threatened Danny all that time ago, I feel a flicker of satisfaction. The cowardly asshole was charged with possessing cocaine, falsely reporting to the cops, and obstructing justice. Once I was certain Jasmine would be safe, we went to the police station together and explained everything to Dave Goodman. He wasn’t thrilled with Jasmine for running from him, but he understood why she was so scared and apologized for any distress caused by Danny’s false allegations. It was a relief for Jasmine to clear the air, and even though Danny didn’t spend long in jail, he left Crave County immediately after he got out. Rumor has it he was scared shitless I would come after him. Last I heard, the scumbag’s skulking around somewhere in California, so my wife will never have to see him again.

I reach our cabin a few minutes later, and my wife flings open the front door before I’ve even gotten out of my truck. I grin at her. She looks so gorgeous, her belly round and her breasts swollen beneath the pretty dress she’s wearing, and my cock hardens instantly at the sight of her. I can’t believe this perfect angel is carrying my baby. She’s curvier than ever, and it’s enough to drive me wild as I jump out of the truck and race toward her.

“I missed you,” I groan, throwing my arms around her. I’ve only been gone a couple of hours, but I always miss Jasmine when we’re not together.

“I missed you too,” she says with a sigh of contentment, her belly protruding against me. “I’m so happy you’re home. I have a surprise for you!”

“Really? Color me intrigued.” I lean in to kiss her silky lips, smiling at the taste of frosting. My girl has been eating red velvet cake again. “I bought another cake. It’s in the truck.”

Jasmine raises her eyebrows and laughs. “That means we’ll have two cakes! Perfect! The more the merrier.”

“Two cakes?”

“Come on, you’ll see.”

Jasmine takes my hand, but she doesn’t lead me into the cabin like I was expecting. Instead, she guides me into the backyard. I stop and stare. Three familiar faces are grinning at me: my grandma, my brother Rafe, and his wife Sophie. Their baby son, my cute little nephew Bobby, is blinking at me from his mom’s arms.

I see my brother and his family all the time. We’re technically not just family anymore; we’re also co-workers. Rafe has owned the White Elk Lodge for a couple of years, ever since my grandpa left it to him in his will, but it’s now split three ways between Rafe, Sophie, and me. Sophie handles the guests and marketing while Rafe and I share financial responsibilities and take care of security and general upkeep of the property. It’s a great system for us. I get to spend time with my brother, but I also don’t have to work crazy long hours, which means I’m always there to greet Jasmine when she comes home from work.

“What are you all doing here?” I ask, looking around at them bewilderedly.

“Good question!” Grandma says, raising an eyebrow. “We thought you’d know. Jasmine is being very secretive.”

My wife giggles from beside me. “Well, I asked you all here today because I went for a scan last week.”

I gawk at her. “You did?”

She nods, beaming. “I wanted to surprise you.”

My heart thumps with excitement. “What did they say?”

“Well that’s obviously what she’s about to tell us all!” Grandma exclaims, tutting at me. “Honestly, Trent, let the woman speak.”

I hold back a laugh, catching my brother’s eye. Grandma can be a real livewire when she wants to be.

“I figured it would be fun to tell you my news in cake form,” Jasmine says, chuckling.

“Cake is the only correct way to present news,” Sophie chimes in.

Bobby gurgles, almost like he’s agreeing, and we all laugh.

“It’s in the kitchen,” Jasmine says. “I’ll grab it now.”

“I’ll get it, princess. I don’t want you carrying anything.”

I plant a kiss on her forehead and head inside to the kitchen, immediately spotting an open box containing a giant layered cake covered in white frosting. I grab it, along with a knife, and carry it outside, setting it down on the outdoor table.

Anticipation is thrumming through my veins. I’m not sure exactly what Jasmine has planned, but I can’t wait to hear it.

“I got this specially made from Heavenly Cakes in Winterdale,” my wife says brightly, looking at me. “When we cut into the cake, the sponge will be either blue or pink…”

I grin at her. She knows I don’t care what gender our baby is—all I want is for our child to be happy and healthy. But when I picture our baby, it’s always a little girl I see. Smart and strong like her mom; another bright ray of sunshine in my life.

“Ahh, this is so exciting!” Sophie squeals as Jasmine beckons me to the cake.

We hold the knife together, just like we did at our wedding.

“In my day, you popped the baby out and got what you were given,” Grandma mutters loudly to Rafe. “But this is much more fun.”

With our loved ones crowding around us, we cut into the cake, and a shout of glee goes up at the sight of the bright pink sponge.

“A girl!” Sophie cries, throwing her arms around Rafe. “A girl!”

I let out a whoop of delight, laughing as I hug my wife.

A baby girl.

A tiny queen to love and raise.

“Finally!” Grandma cries. “It’s about time we had some more girls in the family. Oh, I’m so delighted for you both.”

She bursts into tears, throwing her arms around me and Jasmine while Rafe and Sophie grin at each other. Even Bobby is celebrating, giggling loudly as he looks around at us all.

“That’s not everything!” Jasmine calls over the laughter and squeals. “There’s more…”

We all quiet down and stare at her. My cheeks hurt from smiling so hard.

“Notice anything about this cake?” Jasmine asks me. Her eyes are sparkling.

I look at the cake, searching for some kind of hidden message, but I can’t see one.

“Anybody?” she adds, her gaze sweeping our family.

It’s Sophie who catches on first. Her gasp is so loud that it makes Bobby jump.

“It’s…it’s got two tiers!”

Jasmine grabs my hand, guiding it toward the knife once more as we cut into the second tier of the cake to reveal more bright pink sponge. My body is swirling with energy, but it’s taking my mind a minute to catch up.

“It’s twins!” Jasmine cries. “Twin girls!”

It sounds like a firework just exploded. Everybody is cheering and hollering. Tears of happiness are streaming down my wife’s face, and I blindly reach for her, smothering her with kisses, worshipping every inch of her that I can reach.

Twins.

Holy shit.

I don’t even notice I’m crying until Jasmine reaches up and brushes my cheek. Another tear slides down the length of my scar, and I run a finger down it absent-mindedly. But for once, touching my scar doesn’t send my mind back to Syria. I’m not lost in a war-torn city—I’m here, surrounded by the people I love, kissing my wife. My perfect, wonderful wife: the woman who is carrying not just one, but two of my babies. Two perfect little girls.

“I love you so much,” I tell her, holding her tight. “So fucking much, Jasmine. More than anything in the world.”

She smiles wide, her green eyes shining. “I love you too, Trent. I can’t wait to meet our babies!”

“They’re very lucky girls: their mom is the most incredible woman in the world.”

Jasmine glows with joy, standing on her tiptoes to kiss me. “I hear their dad’s pretty great too.”

I grin at her, feeling so full of love that I think I might start floating any minute, and even as my wife and I lose ourselves in the company of the people we love, laughing and celebrating, we still only have eyes for each other.