Epilogue #2
“Yeah, yeah. Just leave your old man to fend for himself, then. Don’t be surprised if I drop them on your doorstep at Christmas. I’m already dreading the drive. I might take Bishop and Josie in one car and leave your mom to fend for herself with Lennox and Lincoln.”
“Doug, I’d be happy to send our private jet down for y’all,” Liv said. “Might make the trip a little more bearable.”
Dad pointed in her direction. “I knew I liked you.”
“What do you think, Stella?” Lincoln asked, taking his daughter from Lennox’s arms. He held her close before pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Wanna ride in a fancy private jet?”
“Would be better than listening to her scream for hours on end,” Josie muttered.
“I don’t know how you’re keeping your shit together right now,” Lincoln said, changing the subject. He clapped Dad on the shoulder, eyes locked on the moving truck. “Even the thought of Stella growing up and moving away makes my chest hurt.”
All our eyes went to Dad as he started to laugh.
“Are you kidding? I love my girls, but I’ve been trying to get rid of’em for over a year now.
” He threw his thumb over his shoulder, gesturing toward the house.
“Now, I don’t have to worry about shit anymore.
I can enjoy my retirement and walk around in my underwear if I want. ”
Had I just heard him right? “What do you mean by ‘get rid of us’?” Lennox asked, stepping closer. “It’s not like Josie and I are moving. We’re still on the ranch.”
“Yeah, but you’re outta the house. That’s all that matters.”
“Why do I feel like you’re hiding something?” she asked, crossing her arms.
“I’m not hiding anything. Y’all just don’t pay attention.” When none of us spoke, he continued. “Come on… You didn’t really think this guy showed up by accident, did you?” he asked, pointing at Grady.
Grady’s brows furrowed. “Wait, so you knew who I was when you booked me to play at your birthday?”
“No shit, Sherlock. Y’all really think I’m that dumb? Of course, I knew. I followed your career for years, just didn’t say anything outta respect for my daughter,” Dad said, jerking his chin my way.
Understanding dawned as I thought back to that day. Dad’s memory had never been great, and I’d been too shocked to think straight, so when he said he didn’t recognize Grady, I hadn’t questioned it.
Of course, he knew.
Of course, he was the puppet-master pulling all our strings.
“When my buddy Frank wrote me that letter before he died last spring, I didn’t realize the chain reaction it was gonna set off by inviting Lincoln down here,” he continued, glancing at Josie.
“Y’all getting together was a happy accident.
I mean, I was hoping he’d run your piece of shit ex off, but I didn’t expect all this.
Seeing y’all got the wheels turning, though.
I started paying closer attention to each of you girls.
” His gaze slid to Lennox and Bishop, who were both staring at Dad with wide eyes.
“Don’t give me that look. Y’all were about as subtle as a house on fire. It was easy to push you together.”
“But how?” Bishop whispered, clearly confused.
“I needed to get y’all working together on the ranch without killing one another, but I didn't have a reason until I wound up in the hospital,” he said with a grimace. “That wasn’t part of my plan, but I worked with what I had, and, well, look at y’all now. You’re welcome, by the way.”
Lennox’s jaw dropped. “Oh my god, you were playing matchmaker this whole time?”
“What? Like it’s hard?” Dad asked. He turned toward me, hands braced on his hips. “You two were the biggest pains in my ass, though. At one point, I thought y’all were a lost cause, too damn stubborn to see what was right in front of you. Guess I was wrong.”
I stood there, trying to wrap my mind around everything happening. “Let me get this straight… You paid for my ex-boyfriend and his band to play at your birthday party in an attempt to get us together?”
“Sure did.”
“But you didn’t even know about my divorce.”
“You’d been in Texas for months, sugar. You wouldn’t have stayed unless y’all were splittin’ up. Plus, you stopped wearing your ring. I may be old, but I know damn well when a woman takes off her wedding ring, there’s no going back.”
“Douglas Hayes!” Mom exclaimed, smacking his arm. “I can’t believe this. Why didn’t you tell me? I could’ve helped!”
“Well, honey… I love you, but you would’ve meddled too much and scared everyone off.” He shrugged, clearly not seeing any faults in his argument. Granted, neither did I. He was right; Mom really was the type to meddle. “Plus, you didn’t ask. If you had—”
“I didn’t know I needed to!” she shrieked.
“Oh, boy,” Lincoln said, laughing. “Good thing you have that big, empty house, huh, Doug? Just you and Ruby. Alone. Forever.”
Mom’s lips twitched at the joke, but she quickly composed herself and continued staring at our dad like he’d just run over her garden with the lawnmower. She wasn’t quick to forgive, either. Dad would likely be hearing about this for years to come.
“Well, shit.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Too late to ask you girls to move home? We’ve got plenty of room.”
Bishop reached for Lennox, tugging her against his chest. “Sorry, Doug. This one is mine.”
“Yeah,” Lincoln agreed, following suit with Josie and Stella. He stared down at them like they were the only things that mattered. “Guess I should be thanking you for giving me these beautiful ladies.”
“Kiss ass,” Lennox muttered as Bishop kissed the top of her head.
I looked at Grady, whose bright blue eyes shone with unshed tears. He opened his arms, and I leaned into his embrace. “Thank you for meddling, Daddy,” I whispered.
Dad turned to Mom. “You can’t be too mad. Look at our girls.” He held out a hand with a raised brow, practically begging for her to argue with him. She took it and let him pull her close. “And think about all the things we could do now that—”
“Nope! I’ve heard enough,” Lennox said, breaking free of Bishop’s hold. “I draw the line at listening to y’all talk about your sex lives.”
“Well, if that ain’t the pot calling the kettle black,” I murmured, stepping forward and glancing at everyone around me.
While I was making the best choice for myself, I couldn’t deny I’d miss this—miss them.
My chest ached, and eyes stung as I fought off tears.
The sadness I felt wasn’t tied to regret, but rather the knowledge that this road was one I had to walk alone.
It was uncomfortable, but in an exciting way, knowing I was about to discover who I really was for the first time.
“Oh, Cleo,” Mom said softly, opening her arms. “Come here, baby.”
Quickly striding forward, I hugged her and let the tears fall as she stroked my back. It wasn’t long before Dad joined in, and then both of my sisters. I was sure I felt Lincoln in the mix, and Bishop, too, though the bastard would likely never admit it.
“We’re so proud of you,” Dad whispered, giving me a squeeze. A chorus of agreements echoed his words. If they hadn’t been supporting me, I likely would have fallen to the ground and wept.
And then I started crying harder, because how could he go and say something like that and expect me to be able to keep it together? I knew they were proud of me every day of my life, but it was strangely cathartic for him to show his pride at my leaving. “I’m going to miss you all so much.”
“God, why am I crying?” Liv asked from the sidelines. I turned over my shoulder, smiling when I saw Grady with his arm resting over her shoulder. “Healthy family dynamics freak me out.”
“You’re getting rid of us for good,” Lennox said, wiping beneath her eyes.
“Yeah, I’d like to show Stella where her mom and I met,” Lincoln added.
Josie shook her head. “You can’t take a baby into a bar.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s a bar,” she deadpanned.
“I don’t see what the problem is.”
Bishop clapped Lincoln on the shoulder. “You wouldn’t.”
Lincoln turned and flipped Bishop off, making our tears turn to laughter. As it died down, I realized there was nothing else to wait for. It was time to go.
“The driver will be by to get the truck later,” Grady said, stepping up beside me and placing his hand on my back. “He said he’d be here this afternoon.”
“Don’t worry. We got it,” Dad said, waving him off. Then he stuck his hand out for Grady to take. “Take care of my girl.”
“I will, sir.”
Dad’s gaze shifted to me. “You’re still my little girl, and you’ll always have a place here, sugar. Don’t forget that, okay?”
“I won’t, Daddy,” I mumbled, giving him one last hug. It lasted longer than the others, and I let his warmth ground me. “I’ll let you know when we get there.”
“You better,” he said, giving me one last squeeze before letting me go. “Better get on the road or else these goodbyes are gonna keep going ‘round in circles.”
Everyone followed us as we walked to the car, where yet another round of hugs awaited us before we climbed inside. Grady reached over and squeezed my hand as he put the car in reverse. “You ready for this?”
I nodded, blowing out a breath as I stared out at my family. “Let’s go.”
The house was dark as we pulled into the drive. It was surrounded by thick pine trees, hidden off the road from prying eyes. I’d seen it plenty of times in pictures, and when Grady FaceTimed me for a virtual tour.
It was the perfect secluded space for us.
The last half of the trip was spent in companionable silence, listening to Charlie snore in the backseat.
Though she was keen, she didn’t have the opportunity to lighten her dad’s wallet this time.
She didn’t even wake up when we dropped Liv off at their house.
She offered to take Charlie for the night, but Grady and I said no, wanting to make sure she didn’t feel left out.
Quietly, we climbed out of Grady’s truck and stared at our new home. “What do you think?”
I leaned into his warm presence. “I think we probably should’ve grabbed a hotel for the night so we don’t have to sleep on air mattresses.”
“Oh come on, we agreed it’d be fun. Kind of like a sleepover,” he pouted. “Where’s your sense of adventure?”
“Probably packed away in one of the many boxes showing up tomorrow,” I chuckled. “Come on, grab our girl so we can go inside.”
He smiled at that, giving me a chaste kiss and tossing me the keys. “Go on in. I’ll be there in a second.”
Without waiting, I headed up the brick-paved walkway and unlocked the door. Grabbing my phone, I turned on the flashlight, scanning the wall for the switch. “There you are,” I murmured.
The entryway was immediately bathed in light, illuminating a large portion of the living room ahead, where there were two large air mattresses already set up.
Floor-to-ceiling steel paned windows sat on either side of the massive stone fireplace.
They’d be beautiful during the day, but honestly, it was slightly creepy at night.
Thankfully, our furniture was scheduled to arrive tomorrow.
If Grady hadn’t already grabbed them, curtains would be the first thing I’d order in the morning.
Soft footsteps had me turning around to see Grady carrying Charlie into the house. He walked over and laid her down on one of the beds, tucking her in tightly before kissing her forehead.
“She didn’t wake up?” I whispered, looking down at his daughter, whose mouth was hanging open.
Grady shook his head. “Nope. She’s out.” He pulled me close, brushing his lips over mine. “Why? Whatever could be on your mind?”
“I was just thinking about some promises you made back in Texas that involved christening all the rooms in the house.”
Even though it was dark, I could see the glint of mischief in Grady’s eyes. “I did say that, didn’t I?”
“You sure did.”
He looked around, gaze settling on the end of a long hallway. “The kitchen will have to wait, but,” he paused, grabbing my head and tugging me down the darkened space, “we could always make use of our new bedroom.”
I laughed as he kissed me deeply and passionately, my body relaxing in his arms as he trailed his mouth down my jaw to my neck.
“Wait, there’s something I need to do first,” I said, stepping away and pulling my phone up.
Pulling up the family text thread, I checked the time.
11:11 p.m. Then, I glanced at Grady before typing the words I had always longed to say.
Cleo
I’m home.