This Hick?

Epilogue

CASSIDY

Three Months Later

Settling into our new home felt like a dream. We had spent months working to get the house ready, and just in the nick of time, it was done. We were officially moved in. Now, we were just waiting to fill it with memories.

Karen was at the finish line of her pregnancy, which, I had to admit, was a miracle considering the insane summer heat she had endured. The AC was a lifesaver, but she still looked about done with it all, her patience tested by every last hot, swollen day.

I would never tell her she was cranky… but damn, she was cranky.

I saw her waddle into the kitchen and knew it was time for another popsicle run. I heard somewhere that expecting women liked cold things, but this was another level. Karen was burning through popsicles like a kid in July.

“You better hurry and stock up for the apocalypse.” She waved the popsicle stick in my direction, an empty threat that we both knew I would take seriously.

“Blueberry swirl again?” I asked, pulling my keys out of the bowl by the door. When she wanted something, my job was to get it. It didn’t matter if was two in the morning or if I was knee deep in hay. What my lady wanted, she got.

“Not right now,” she said.

I dropped the keys. “Okay. Are you sure?”

“I’m fine. I have a couple left. I’m just warning you.”

I nodded, taking the warning seriously. “I’ll go first thing in the morning.”

“I’m hungry,” she said, opening the wrapper.

“I’ll make those pizzas,” I offered.

“That sounds amazing.”

“You need to go sit down,” I said. “Put your feet up.”

“Thank you, baby. You take such good care of me.”

I watched as she gingerly eased herself onto the sofa, a small sigh of relief escaping her lips. I couldn’t help but laugh at the sight. It was such a contrast to how she was before. The woman I knew who was full of energy and always on the go was gone. Now, she was more like a queen who had to be constantly pampered and waited upon hand and foot.

“Your wish is my command, Your Highness,” I said, bowing slightly. She giggled at that. I felt my heart swell with love for her.

I popped the frozen pizza in the oven and the breadsticks she loved into the toaster oven. I was so glad we had our own place. She deserved to relax in her own home with no judgment.

“Why don’t you look for something to watch?” I suggested, carrying the remote control to the sofa where she sat.

She scrolled through options and settled on a sweet love story. “Perfect,” she said as the opening credits began.

I went back to the kitchen to check on the pizza.

“Smells good,” she said.

“Do you want ranch or marinara for the breadsticks?”

“Both.”

I laughed but didn’t say anything. I didn’t dare. I dished up two plates and carried them to the living room.

“You’re so good to me,” she said.

“Because I love you. You’re the one doing all the work. I’m just trying to do what I can to make this easier for you.”

“And you’re doing a great job,” she said.

We ate our pizza and watched the movie in companiable silence. She used her belly as a table for her plate, which I found absolutely adorable.

After a while, she started to doze off, her head leaning on my shoulder. I carefully slid the empty plate from her stomach as she snored softly. “Sleep tight, sweetheart.”

While she slept, I did the dishes and tidied up the living room a bit. It felt good to do something productive, but every now and then I found myself glancing toward the sofa, making sure she was okay. Her peaceful snoring was somehow comforting in the silent house. She often took cat naps throughout the day because she slept like shit at night. I went to the nursery and finished putting together the changing table. I went back to the living room to check on her just as she stirred awake.

“I fell asleep,” she said, sitting up and wiping her mouth. “I don’t want to complain, but I will be very happy to have my body back.”

“Soon,” I said. “Up for a little nursery inspection?”

“Let’s go,” she said, a slow smile spreading across her face. “But fair warning, I might have some notes.”

I reached for her hand, pulling her up. I struggled a bit and held back a laugh. “Laugh it up, cowboy. You did this to me.”

“Don’t remind me.” I chuckled, brushing a kiss against her forehead. We made our way down the hall to the nursery.

Inside, the warm green paint gave the room a peaceful glow. Karen had meticulously chosen the nursery theme. There were animal prints on the walls. The crib bedding had more little animals. There were no huge statements, nothing loud. Just a calm, cozy room. I felt like I could breathe easy here, and hopefully, so would the little one.

Karen moved around, inspecting every little piece of the nursery, touching everything like she was giving it a white glove test.

“I almost forgot,” she said, waddling to the closet and pulling it open with an awkward little grunt.

“Easy now.” I chuckled, walking over to give her a hand. “You’re liable to fall over at this rate. What do you need? I’ll get it for you.”

“Your baby is making things impossible,” she groaned, but there was a smile on her face. She gestured for me to help pull out whatever she was trying to get. I pulled out a large picture frame wrapped in brown paper.

“What is this?” I asked.

“It’s for you. Open it.”

“For me?”

“Yes. Open it.”

I tore off the wrapping. My breath caught when I saw it. Behind the glass were dozens of familiar sticky notes in all colors. It was the notes from the kids. I thought I misplaced them in the move.

“Karen…” I trailed off, speechless as I looked down at her. She knew how much the notes meant to me. They were precious reminders of every young person I helped. Every one of them had changed me as well.

Her eyes softened as she leaned against me. “You’ve done all these big, grand things for me, Cassidy. A new house, a new life, a baby, and a proposal. I know this doesn’t come close to all that, but I wanted you to have something that’s just for you. So, when you’re here alone, on those late nights rocking our little one back to sleep, you’ll have something to remind you of how amazing you are. You deserve to be reminded every day of how much you mean to me, and to all of us.”

For a second, I didn’t know what to say. My chest was tight. All I could do was hold her close. The gift was the best thing anyone had ever given to me. “Karen, you don’t know what this means to me. Having these up here, for our kid to see someday? God, you’re incredible.”

She chuckled, reaching up to touch my cheek, her eyes shining with tears she didn’t even bother to hide. “I love you, Cassidy. This whole new life started when I came to this ranch. I wouldn’t change a single thing. I’m so glad I found you.”

“Not even the smell of the chicken coop?” I teased, grinning.

“Alright, maybe that one thing.” She laughed, rolling her eyes. Then she reached up, wrapping her arms around my neck as best she could with her belly between us.

We leaned in, laughing. The baby bump proved to be quite the obstacle between us. But that didn’t stop me. I cupped her face and kissed her, feeling her melt into me the way she always did. There was something raw, something just so purely right about us that touched me right to my very soul.

She nipped at my bottom lip, a playful challenge in her smile. “So, cowboy, you going to keep talking, or are you going to make me swoon a little? There aren’t going to be many more nights that we are alone.”

“Oh, I’ll do a whole lot more than that,” I murmured, pinning her to the nursery door with her hands above her head. Her belly pressed against me as I leaned in. Something about that growing belly got me in a way I couldn’t explain.

“Do your worst, Cassidy. Make love to me.”

I laughed, about to oblige when her eyes suddenly widened.

“Karen? What’s wrong?” I dropped her hands and took a step back. “Is it the baby?”

She looked down at her feet, then back up at me. “I think my water just broke.”

For a second, the words didn’t even sink in. Then it hit me, and my stomach did a somersault.

“Okay, all right,” I stammered, jumping back a bit. “This is fine. We’re fine. This is what happens, right?”

I was scrambling to remember everything I had read. I had prepared myself for this moment, but now that it was here, I was freaking out.

Karen was taking slow breaths. “It’s really happening, huh?” she whispered. “We’re going to have a baby.”

“Yeah,” I managed, my voice trembling as I fought to hold it together. “It’s happening.”

We took a beat, both of us stunned. And then, my instincts kicked in. “Okay, let’s get you to the car. I’ll get the hospital bag. Can you walk? I can carry you.”

She laughed, a shaky, amused sound, and squeezed my hand. “Breathe, Cassidy. If I can, you can, too.”

Right. I forced myself to slow down, taking a few breaths as I helped her to the SUV. When she was finally settled in the car, I hurried back inside for her bag, my mind buzzing with excitement, nerves, and a healthy dose of pure, unfiltered love.

I was hours away from becoming a father. When I came back to the house, it would be with a baby.

I stood in the doorway of our bedroom for a second. “Holy shit. It starts now.”

I rushed back to the car and tossed the bag in the backseat.

On the way to the hospital, she was quiet, her hand resting on her belly with a smile on her face.

“Are you having contractions?” I asked.

“A little.”

“Tell me when the next one comes,” I said. “I’m supposed to time them.”

“I don’t know if I’ve said it enough,” she whispered. “But you’ve made me the happiest woman in the world, Cassidy.”

“I plan on doing that every day of our lives, Karen. Every single day.”

“I just want to tell you that now, because I have a feeling it’s going to get ugly in there. If I say something mean, please don’t take it personal.”

I chuckled, reaching over to squeeze her hand. “Don’t worry, I won’t hold it against you.”

“Good,” she said, closing her eyes and leaning back against the seat.

We pulled up to the hospital and everything became a whirl of activity. All my nerves dissolved, replaced with a fierce determination and a gratitude so intense I couldn’t put it into words.

This was it.

This was the beginning of our family. I knew without a doubt that whatever happened next, as long as I had Karen by my side, I could handle it. We could handle it.

Karen was put into a bed and then it was time for me to send a couple of texts. Kenny, Ginny, and Don were going to be in the waiting room. Her friends back in Dallas wanted to know it was happening as well. It was my job to let them know.

“How are you feeling?” I asked her.

“I feel fine, which is terrifying. I’m worried it’s about to get painful.”

“One contraction at a time, baby. I’ve got you.”

***