My Crush’s Brother (Grand Lake Colorado #1)

Extended Epilogue

PEARL-FIVE YEARS LATER…

I lean against the porch railing of our mountain home, watching as Blake chases our three-year-old daughter Emma through the garden beds he built for me. Her dark curls bounce with each step, and her giggles echo across the property. He catches her and swings her up into his arms, pressing kisses to her cheeks as she squeals with delight.

"Daddy! Down!" she demands, but Blake just holds her tighter, tickling her sides.

"What's the magic word, princess?"

"Pweeeease!"

My hand instinctively moves to my growing belly as I watch them together. At seven months pregnant with our second child, a boy this time, I can't help but marvel at how different my life is from what I'd imagined all those years ago.

"Mama! Help!" Emma calls out between giggles.

"Sorry baby, Mama's staying right here where it's cool," I call back, taking another sip of my lemonade. The Colorado summer heat is in full force today.

Blake sets Emma down and she races toward her sandbox—another one of his custom builds. Everything in this house has his signature touch, from the intricate crown molding to the custom kitchen cabinets. He's limited his out-of-state work to just two projects a year now, and even then, Emma and I usually tag along. We've turned his work trips into family adventures.

"You doing okay?" Blake asks as he climbs the porch steps, wiping sweat from his brow. His hair is longer now, touched with bits of gray at the temples that only make him more handsome.

"Just thinking about how perfect everything turned out," I say as he wraps his arms around me from behind, his hands resting on my belly.

"Remember when you thought you were in love with my brother?" he teases, pressing a kiss to my neck. A fact he still loves to tease me about.

I elbow him playfully. "Remember when you thought I was too young for you?"

"Touché," he laughs. "Speaking of Trevor, did you see the photos Katherine sent of little James? Kid's getting big."

Trevor and Katherine's son just turned two, and they're expecting their second child a few months after us. They visit often, and Emma adores her cousin. It's funny how life works out. I spent so many years pining after Trevor, never realizing his brother was my perfect match all along.

"Mama! Daddy! Look!" Emma shouts, holding up a handful of sand.

"That's beautiful, baby!" I call back, though I have no idea what she's trying to show us.

Blake's hands tighten slightly on my belly as our son kicks. "Active little guy today."

"He takes after his daddy, always moving, always building something."

The sound of tires on gravel draws our attention as Jade's car pulls up. She climbs out, a huge grin across her face as she waves at Emma.

“No Memphis?” Blake asks, clearly looking forward to his weekly hangouts with Jade’s husband.

“No, unfortunately Xander isn’t feeling well so he stayed home with him.” She answers, referring to her son who is usually already out of the car and barreling toward Emma. “But that just means, more time with my favorite niece!" she calls out, and Emma abandons her sandbox to race toward her honorary aunt.

"Just in time for dinner," Blake says, giving me one last kiss before heading inside to check on the grill.

I watch as Jade spins Emma around, their laughter mixing with the mountain breeze. My mom will be here soon too. Sunday family dinners have become our tradition. Sometimes Adele joins us, though she's been spending more time traveling since she semi-retired and left Blake and me in charge of the cabin business.

The cabins are thriving, fully booked year-round now. My remote marketing job with the Chicago firm gives me the flexibility to manage both careers while being present for Emma. Blake's contracting business has never been better—his reputation for quality work means he can be selective about his projects.

"Pearl?" Blake calls from inside. "Can you grab the salad from the fridge?"

"Coming!" I call back, taking one last look at the mountain view. The same peaks I've seen my entire life somehow look different now, more beautiful, more like home than ever before. I still can’t believe I ever wanted to run away from this place.

Five years ago, I thought I was settling for small-town life. Now I know I wasn't settling at all, I was building exactly the life I was meant to have, with exactly the person I was meant to be with.

I head inside to help Blake with dinner, smiling as Emma's laughter filters through the open windows. Our son kicks again, and I rub my belly gently. "I know, little one. You can't wait to join this crazy, beautiful family either."

Blake catches my eye across the kitchen and winks, that same spark between us as strong as ever. Who would have thought that one awkward night of mistaken identity would lead to all of this?

Later that night, after Emma is tucked in and our guests have gone home, I find Blake on our back deck. He rocks gently in his chair behind as he stares up at the stars. I slide the door closed and walk over to join him.

"Remember the first time you climbed into my bed?" he asks with a playful smirk, pulling me against his chest as I take a seat on his lap.

"Oh god, still on that memory huh?” I groan, burying my face in his shirt. "You're never going to let me live that down, are you?"

His laugh rumbles through his chest. "Never. Though I have to admit, having a beautiful woman strip down and climb on top of me... not the worst way to start a relationship."

"I was mortified," I say, looking up at him. "But you kissed me back."

"Couldn't help myself." His hands slide down to my hips. "Still can't."

He leans down and captures my lips with his, the kiss slow and deep. Even after all these years, his touch still sets my skin on fire. One of his hands moves to cup my face while the other splays across my lower back, pressing me closer.

"You're even more beautiful now than you were that night," he murmurs against my lips. "Carrying our baby, being an amazing mother to Emma... sometimes I still can't believe you're mine."

"I love you," I whisper, threading my fingers through his hair. "I love our life together."

His mouth finds mine again, more urgent this time. The kiss deepens as his hands roam my body, familiar yet still thrilling. When we finally break apart, we're both breathless.

"What do you say we recreate that night?" he suggests with a wicked grin. "Minus the mistaken identity part."

I laugh, standing up and grabbing his hand to pull him back inside toward our bedroom. "I like that idea. Though this time, I know exactly who I want."

Life in Grand Lake isn't the compromise I once feared it would be – it's the dream I never knew I wanted, with the man I never knew I needed, building a family I never knew could make me so completely, utterly happy.

Want to read Memphis and Jade’s steamy second chance love story?

Check out Hate You Forever

The problem with small towns?

Your first love never stays your last heartbreak.

They say time heals all wounds, but whoever said that never met Memphis Styles—the guy who turned my teenage dreams into an adult nightmare.