Epilogue Sunny
Two years later
The warm water swirls around my hands as I scrub the last plate, my fingers moving automatically while my mind drifts. I glance out the window at the darkening sky, watching the storm clouds gather in the distance, and I smile, it’s always brought Levi and me closer.
I hear the familiar hum of laughter behind me, the low murmur of voices filling the kitchen, and I can’t help but feel a wave of warmth wash over me. My family. These people—they’re not just Levi’s family anymore—they’re mine too. It’s hard to believe that there was ever a time when I wasn’t a part of this, when I didn’t belong to them the way they now belong to me. I have the pleasure of knowing Rose, Levi, and Colton’s mom. But every time we sit down for one of these Monroe dinners, I feel her presence here. I can see the love she built, the traditions she started—this one, especially.
Monroe family dinners were her idea. It was something Rose insisted on, gathering everyone together once a month, no matter how busy life got. She wanted to keep everyone close, grounded in each other. After she passed, it was too hard for them to kept it up, it hurt too much. But we bought them back, and somehow, I feel like I know her through these nights. Like she’s here, wrapped up in the laughter, in the shared memories, in the love that flows through this house.
I put the last plate in the rack to dry and look around the kitchen. Everyone is helping, just like they always do. Paisley’s stacking dishes next to me, her knowing grin plastered across her face as she throws a towel at Colt, who’s wiping down the counters. The rest of the guys are here, as well as Hallie, and Charlie, my wonderful father-in-law.
There’s a soft ache in my chest, but it’s the good kind—the kind that comes from knowing you’re exactly where you’re meant to be. These people have become my family, and it’s hard to imagine a time when they weren’t. When Levi and I weren’t tangled up in each other’s lives like this, spending our days working side by side on the ranch.
He’s now taken over since his dad retired. Levi runs everything, with Colton by his side, while I spend my days with the horses, managing the stables and ensuring everything is in order. It’s hard work, but it’s good work. Honest work. And we do it together. We wake up before the sun, drink our coffee while the world is still quiet, and then head out to the pastures, to the barns. I’ve never been so content, so happy. It’s like this life, this ranch, these people—they were always meant to be mine.
I turn away from the sink, wiping my hands on a towel, just as the screen door bursts open behind me. Levi comes racing into the kitchen, his boots clattering across the floor, and I see that grin. It’s a grin that makes my heart do that little flip it’s been doing since the day I met him. Without a word, he grabs the speaker off the counter and bolts back outside, his laughter trailing behind him. I don’t even need to ask what’s going on—I know exactly what’s happening.
“Wait for me!”
I call after him, my voice light with amusement as I shake my head. The sky’s about to open up, and I know what Levi’s planning.
He’s always been like this. Ever since we started this tradition of dancing in the rain. It doesn’t matter how many times we’ve done it—it never loses it’s magic. It’s become a part of us, these little moments where the rest of the world falls away and it’s just me and him, soaked through but laughing, spinning around in the rain like it’s the very first time.
The first notes of Can I Have This Dance float through the house, the sound muffled by the walls. I smile as I toss the towel onto the counter and move toward the door. “It’s raining!”
I shout over my shoulder, already knowing what’s about to happen.
As if on cue, everyone drops what they are doing, and rushes towards the door. Bodhi is already grinning like an idiot, Colton’s shaking his head but moving toward the door anyway, and Paisley is practically bouncing on her toes. The energy in the room is electric, infectious.
Outside, the rain has started to pour down as Levi stands there, waiting for me. He’s already soaked, but he doesn’t care. His shirt clings to him, his hair plastered to his forehead, but his smile—God, that smile—it’s brighter than the rain, brighter than the fading daylight.
He reaches out for me, his hand open, waiting. I take it without a second thought, and as soon as my fingers lace through his, he pulls me into his arms. It’s like the rest of the world disappears. His hand presses into the small of my back, warm and steady, grounding me even as the rain pours down around us. I laugh, tipping my head back as the water soaks my hair, my clothes, but Levi doesn’t let me get far. He leans in, resting his forehead against mine, and it’s just us. Just this moment. The rain, the music, the love between us—it’s all I need.
“I love you so much, cowboy,”
I whisper, barely loud enough to be heard over the rain, but I know he hears me.
“I love you so much more, Sunshine,”
he murmurs back, and then his lips are on mine, soft and warm, sending that familiar rush through me, the one that tells me I’m home, right here in his arms.
I pull back, breathless, and that’s when I see Levi’s gaze shift to our friends—the way he’s looking at them, the way his eyes linger as they dance together, their heads tipped close, laughing in the rain like nothing else matters. There’s something soft in Levi’s eyes, something I know all too well.
“He’s going to be an amazing dad, isn’t he?”
I ask, my voice barely above a whisper, but I know Levi hears me. He nods, his eyes still on them.
“He is going to be the best,”
he says quietly, and I can feel the weight of his words, the love he has for the people in his life.
I watch him for a moment, my heart so full I think it might burst. I press a kiss to the corner of his mouth, my lips barely brushing his skin, and then I let the secret slip, the one that’s been bubbling up inside me all evening.
“So are you,”
I whisper, my voice trembling with the emotion I can’t hold back any longer. Levi’s head snaps toward me, his eyes wide, and for a split second, he looks confused. But then his gaze drops to my belly, and I can see it—the moment he understands.
“We’re… I’m…”
He stammers, his voice full of disbelief, and I can’t help but laugh, my heart swelling with so much love for this man I can barely stand it.
“I’m pregnant,”
I say, the words finally spilling out into the rain-soaked evening. And just like that, everything changes. Levi lets out this wild whoop of joy, scooping me up in his arms and spinning me around, like we’re floating on air.
“We’re having a mini-Monroe!”
he shouts, his voice echoing across the yard, and suddenly, everyone freezes.
The rain is falling in sheets now, but no one cares. They’re too busy shouting, cheering, jumping around in the rain like kids at Christmas. Levi’s dad, who’s been watching from the porch, steps out into the downpour, his face beaming as he joins the rest of them, hollering and clapping along.
And Levi—my Levi—he pulls me close again, his eyes soft as they lock onto mine.
“We’re going to be parents,”
he whispers, his voice full of awe, his hands trembling just a little as they rest on my waist.
I nod, tears mixing with the rain on my cheeks, my heart so full it’s almost overwhelming.
“The best parents.”
And in that moment, with the rain falling around us, with Levi’s arms wrapped tight around me, I know—this is everything. This is what love feels like. This is home.