Epilogue
PAIGE
Three weeks later…
Gravel crunches under the tires as I pull the van up outside the red barn. Wildflowers are sprinkled across the overgrown lawn surrounding it.
“Tractor!” Noah squeals from the backseat as he points to a rusty orange tractor in the neighboring field.
“It gets a thumbs up from Noah.” Ryan squeezes my thigh, and I glance at him.
“The tractor is a bonus.”
I glance at Ryan, and he looks nervous, but for different reasons than I do. I’m here to check out a barn; he’s here because I’m ready to tell Noah, and the world, that Ryan is his dad.
“Come on.” We get out of the car, and I jingle the keys the real estate agent handed over to me. The barn’s been vacant for over a year, and the owners have moved away. They’re keen to sell the land and barn as quickly as possible.
As soon as Noah is released from his seat, he scampers toward the tractor. Ryan chases after him, and they wade through the long grass to reach it. Ryan hoists Noah into the driver’s seat, and he clings to the large wheel, making vehicle noises.
I share a look with Ryan and give him a nod.
“Hey, Noah…” I’ve rehearsed this in my mind a hundred times, but now that the moment’s here, my palms sweat. “We want to talk to you about something.”
“Watch out, cow!” He turns the steering wheel hard, dodging imaginary cows.
Maybe getting him on the tractor wasn’t the best idea for a serious conversation. But when I look at his joyful face as he gleefully smashes into imaginary cows, the tension of the situation eases out of me.
We wait until he “hits” a few more cows before trying again.
“There’s something I need to tell you, buddy,” I say.
This time, he drops his hands from the steering wheel and turns to me. “Is Ryan moving in?”
I glance at Ryan, and he shrugs. My son is more perceptive than I give him credit for.
Ryan spent a week back at the center, but once he got on the program from Savanna, he’s been staying with us any opportunity he can.
“You know how I told you Ryan and I knew each other before you were born?”
Noah squirms on the seat, and I lift him off the tractor. I keep him in my arms, needing him to hear this.
“The thing is, Ryan is your daddy.”
Noah’s eyes widen, and he looks from me to Ryan. As his face lights up in a grin, he reaches his tubby arms out to Ryan. “Dadda.”
Ryan freezes, and his expression turns soft. He blinks quickly and wipes a tear from his eye.
“Why you cry?”
Ryan takes Noah in his arms and presses a kiss to the top of his head. “I’m happy, buddy. I’m so happy to be your daddy. I lost touch with your mom, and I didn’t know she had you. But now that I’ve found you both again, I’m never letting you go. We’re a family now.”
Noah stretches his other arm out to me, and I can’t hide the tears streaming down my cheeks. I encircle them both, and Ryan puts his spare arm around my waist.
“Family,” I whisper. “We’ve got each other now.”
Noah squirms to be let down, and Ryan puts him down in the long grass. “Did you bring cookies?”
He races back to the van, and I watch him go. His little heart accepts it without question, unaware of the impact he’s had on the both of us.
Ryan’s fingers lace through mine, and he gives my hand a squeeze.
“Do you think he understood?” I ask.
Ryan shrugs. “It doesn’t matter. He’ll understand when I tuck him into bed every night, when I coach his sports team, when I show up for him, and when he has a little brother or sister.
” His arms slide around my waist, and I lean into him.
“I got you now, Paige, both of you. And I’ll show up for you every day.
” He leans down to kiss my neck, making a tingle zip down my spine.
Leaning against his solid back, I let out a soft sigh. I’m not on my own anymore. I don’t have to do it all alone. I have Ryan, and we’ll muddle through this crazy life together.
Hudson’s story is up next in A SEAL’s Choice..
He follows rules, she breaks them…
Hudson is driven wild by the carefree Willow doing community service at Jake’s Retreat. But when her past comes calling, they both end up on the run.