Epilogue
Pearl
Five years later…
Istared up at the home that was now officially ours and sighed. It was so big and cold. Much like Duke’s father, who was now buried in the graveyard on the property, along with most of Duke’s other ancestors. Ugh, so creepy.
I’d been here twice. Once when Mr. Hill had summoned us to the home, furious Duke had married me.
To be fair, I’m not sure he had a problem with me, per se.
He would have been angry regardless of who Duke brought home, particularly because it had all happened so fast, and Duke hadn’t taken measures to make sure I wasn’t a ‘low-life gold digger.’
The second time had been when Hill was close to death. But it wasn’t to say goodbye. That would have been far too after school special. He’d wanted to remind Duke of everything he’d done wrong as a child. Three minutes in, I’d had enough and lost my temper.
Duke had laughed as I’d given his father the dress down he’d greatly deserved, and then immediately felt horribly guilty, considering the man was dying of cancer.
“Baby, he’s a bastard. He’s dying alone and he no longer affects us and our life together.”
I nodded into his chest as he held me. “But he’s sick, honey. I should have been kinder.”
He lifted my chin and wiped my tears away gently. “You can save that kindness for someone who’ll appreciate it.”
I searched his eyes and sighed. “Are you okay?”
“Of course.”
“Really? Because if you’re sad your daddy’s dying, it’s okay.”
He laughed. “I’m not sad, sweetheart. I just need him to hurry the hell up so it can be done.”
I nodded. “Will you tell me if you get sad?”
“Maybe.”
I rolled my eyes. “Right.”
“I love you for defending my honor, though,” he said, his grin widening.
“Can we go now? This house gives me the creeps.”
He stroked my cheek. “Might want to get used to it, because it’ll be ours in a few weeks.”
I shook my head. “I vote we raze it and build something new.”
“I promise, you’ll change your mind once you make it yours.”
“We’ll see,” I breathed out.
He’d taken my hand and led me out of the house and back to our little apartment at the edge of town. Hill had died two days later, and the will had been read and the inheritance finalized six weeks ago. As the only living heir, Duke got everything.
I wish I could say I was more excited.
“Mama, come on,” Michael, my three-year-old, begged, tugging on my hand and bringing me back to the present.
“Just a second, baby,” I said, and settled my hand on my ever-expanding belly. I was pregnant with our second baby, and I desperately hoped for a little girl.
“Pearl!” Duke bellowed from inside the house. “Whatya doin’, woman?”
“Wondering if I need a priest to exorcise any demons that might be in there,” I grumbled to myself.
My husband appeared in the doorway and smiled. “Baby? You comin’?”
“Yes,” I breathed out.
Michael pulled free of my hand and ran to his daddy, who picked him up and gave him a hug. “You wanna see your room?”
“Yeah,” Michael said, and Duke glanced my way again.
“Baby, you okay?”
I nodded and waddled up the porch steps and into the house. I didn’t combust, so I forced myself to relax a bit. “Yes, I’m fine.”
Duke slid his hand to my neck. “We’re gonna change anything that you don’t like.”
“All of it, Duke,” I whispered. “We need to erase the darkness.”
“Okay, Pearl, we’ll change it all.”
“Knock, knock.”
I turned at the sound of my girlfriend’s voice.
“Hi, Ronnie, come on in,” I called, and she and her husband, Zaius walked in.
Zaius was now the president of the Burning Saints Savannah chapter, which Duke rode with on occasion, and they’d become our closest friends in the world.
“Why do you look like you just saw a ghost?” Ronnie asked.
“Oh, because one probably just walked through me,” I retorted, and she chuckled.
“Honeeeee, you have no vision,” Ronnie retorted. “This house was built in 1802. Imagine the stories these walls could tell.”
“Literally,” I said.
She grinned. “I’ll help you. It’ll be fun.”
“I’m glad you’re enjoying this.”
Ronnie took my hand and gave it a squeeze. “Show me around. I want to see what I have to work with.”
Ronnie touted herself as an interior designer, although, I’d never seen her actually do any design work. But if she wanted to give me ideas for this house, I was open to suggestions, and happy to hear them.
“I’ll show Michael his room,” Duke said.
“I’ll go with you,” Zaius offered, and the men made their way upstairs.
“I guess we’ll start in the library,” I said, and led Ronnie into the dark room. “The power of Christ compels you,” I muttered.
“What?” Ronnie asked.
“Nothing,” I said.
She smiled. “This place is beautiful, Grace. It’s practically a blank canvas.”
“Well, I guess that’s true,” I conceded.
“A coat of paint, some updated appliances and furniture, and you’ll fall in love with it.”
I smiled. “Thank you for helping me see the positive, honey. I’m so hormonal with this baby, I think I’ve been a bit of a whiner.”
“You’re allowed to be,” Ronnie said. “But soon, you’ll bring a new life into the world and your home will be ready and waiting.”
I grinned. “You’re right.”
“Let’s go find the boys. We can do a bigger tour later.”
“With over ten-thousand square feet, it’ll probably take a few days to tour it all anyway.”
Ronnie laughed. “This is true.”
We found our men and spent the rest of the evening playing charades, eating fondue, and listening to records.
Three days later, I was in the hospital and in heavy labor.
Ronnie and Zaius were watching Michael so Duke could be with me during the delivery.
Dr. Belmont was older and didn’t seem to understand Duke’s insistence on wanting to be in the room for the birth, but he was adamant.
Duke said that next to meeting me, being there for Michael’s birth was the most amazing experience of his life.
Wild horses couldn’t have dragged him out of that delivery room, let alone snotty looks from square medical staff.
“I’m so proud of you,” Duke said as he held my hand.
“I don’t care how proud you are, I want your spawn out of me!”
Duke kept hold of me but turned his head away quickly. I could see his shoulders rising and falling rapidly.
“Are you laughing at me?” I asked in between a series of short breaths.
He whipped around and deadpanned, “Never, my love.”
It delighted Duke to no end any time I was in pain, not because I was in pain, but because it was just about the only time I would “lose my ever-blessed shit,” as he would put it.
I rarely cursed and wasn’t easily ruffled, but a good toe stubbing in the middle of the night could give me the mouth of a drunken sailor in an instant.
As much as he loved me for being his angel, Duke loved to see my devilish side slip out from time to time.
“It’s time to push now, Mrs. Hill,” Dr. Belmont said through his surgical mask. “Deep breath in. That’s it. Now push.”
Passing the head and shoulders of a human body through your own is an experience not unlike having a New York city taxicab that had been parked inside you for nine months, decide to back out suddenly.
I pushed a total of six times, and with each one came a torrent of increasingly horrible obscenities hurled at Dr. Belmont, my wonderful husband, and even the poor nurse.
“It’s a boy,” Dr. Belmont said, presenting my beautiful son to the world for the first time.
“Wait, what?” I panted out. “Are you sure? Make sure. I specifically demanded a girl.”
I looked over to see Duke beaming. Tears streaming down his face.
“He’s got a dick any man would be proud of, baby,” Duke said with a chuckle. “He’s definitely all boy.”
I sighed, suddenly realizing another boy meant I’d always be queen, and that made me stupidly happy. The nurses gently cleaned the baby up before swaddling him and placing him in my arms.
“He’s so beautiful, Pearly,” Duke said before leaning down to kiss me. “Look at our boy. Look what you did, baby.”
“What are we going to call him?”
“I’ve been thinking a lot about that,” he said, stroking his beard. “What do you think about Hayes?”
“After your father?” I asked shocked at what I’d just heard. In fact, I was glad I was already in a hospital bed, as I thought I might faint from the shock.
“No, after Isaac Hayes,” he joked.
“I think I would have expected that before you wanting to name our son after a man you hate.”
“I think that’s it, Pearl. I don’t want to hate my father anymore. I don’t want to hold bitterness inside my heart anymore, and I don’t think I could if our son shared the same name as him.” Duke placed his hand gently on the baby’s head.
“If naming him Hayes helps to heal your heart, then I can’t think of a better name,” I said, and Duke kissed me again.
“Well, then it’s settled,” Duke said with a broad smile. “Welcome to our gang of four young Hayes.”
Fortunately, Duke was very wrong. Although we only had two “natural” children, Double H ranch would come to serve as a home for many young men over the years.
Young men that would become like sons to us.
Sons that we were proud to see grow up and start families of their own.
In fact, our most beloved adopted son would one day return to the ranch just when we needed him the most, but that’s a story for another time.
Thank you for reading Duke!
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