Epilogue
epilogue
Six Months Later
jude
“ D o you think it will be done in time?” Romy asked, rubbing gloved hands over her belly. You could barely see the swell beneath her heavy Carhartt jacket.
She looked beautiful, standing here in our spot, surrounded by dirt and snow, her hair pulled back in a braid, a bright-pink, knitted beanie poised low over her ears and sunglasses reflecting the winter sun. I didn’t know she could become even more beautiful, but now she glowed like the fucking sun.
Her breath puffed into the frosty air awaiting my answer.
I studied the wooden frame of our future home, the cacophony of hammers, drills, and table saws making it difficult to believe it could get done. There was still so much to do before June. I had promised Romy we could move in before the baby was born, before the wedding we planned to have right here beneath a Thornbrush sunset.
“It will be.” I would make sure of it. Even if it meant working through every weekend until spring.
“Where am I going to have my bonfires now?” Lina grumped behind us, mourning the loss of the burn pile, now leveled by the bulldozer.
I turned to look over my shoulder to see her kicking a rock with the toe of her boot.
“Don’t worry, I’m putting in a firepit. I already ordered some ‘Lina proof’ chairs to go around it,” I said with a wink.
“What the hell does that mean?” Lina sassed back.
“Some Adirondack chairs, the kind you can’t fall out of.”
The sass quickly vanished, my little cousin’s face brightened, running to me to throw her arms around my neck.
“You’re the best, cuz! Idon’t care what people say about you. Thank you! But you know that means your house is going to become party central.”
I laughed. I wasn’t about to disappoint her, and my chest swelled with warmth. I wanted to fill this house. Even with the big house where Uncle Chuck lived, I wanted this to be the place where everyone gathered. I wanted it to always be busy, full of noise and laughter and little feet running across wood floors. All my friends on a Friday night by the fire shootin’ the shit, maybe even have some fighters up here, too.
“Wouldn’t want it any other way,” I told her, squeezing her.
“Damn, you’ve been busy,” Christian called, coming around the back of the house. He hadn’t seen it since October, when we first laid the foundation. “In more ways than one,” he teased, nodding his chin at Romy.
I pulled Romy into my side, dropping a kiss on her head.
“Busy, but happy,” Romy agreed, smiling up at me.
Christian got a wistful look, pushing his cowboy hat up to scratch his brow. “I want your happy one day.”
“You’ll find it, bro,” I consoled.
“I just need to break down her defenses,” he said, his eyes flicking to Sage, who picked her way around the snow-covered rocks and sagebrush, following her new little puppy, Arlo, around.
He was a rescue. We speculated a mix—half Australian cattle dog and half Siberian husky.
“I don’t know, man,” I said. “You may need to hang up your hat with that one.”
Sage Pardy was a tough nut to crack. She seemed as though she had walls two miles high. Rarely sharing about her personal life. Romy and Lina had grown close to her over the last few months, though, and she was always friendly. At least to me. Christian still annoyed her.
“He may be right,” Romy confirmed.
Arlo’s happy tail wagged, his nose skimming the ground, probably getting a good whiff of cow and horse manure. His short legs pranced through the snow. He was pretty cute. Maybe after everything slowed down, I could convince Romy to get a dog.
The pup turned, bounding toward us, straight to Christian’s feet. Arlo circled, sniffing his boots, until he started jumping up on his legs.
Christian chuckled, bending down to pick up the puppy. His tail wagged faster, and he wiggled into his grasp, darting out a tongue to lick Christian’s jaw.
“At least Arlo loves me,” Christian bemoaned.
Sage crossed her arms. “Traitor,” she huffed. “Does anyone want to puppysit tonight? I have a shift.”
The engine of an ATV cut through the afternoon. Reed at the wheel, pulling a trailerful of salvaged wood from the old arena.
“You know I would,” Lina said.
“Where do you want these, boss?” Reed asked.
At the same time, Lina announced, “But I have a date.”
My gaze flew to her. “You have a date?”
Lina rolled her eyes. “Believe me, I already heard it from Dad. I don’t need to hear it from you, too.”
I could almost hear the click of Reed’s jaw from where he killed the engine. His eyes bore into Lina.
“He’s a really nice boy,” Romy said, patting my chest, drawing my attention back to her. “I met him at the coffee shop the other day.”
“He’s not a boy , he’s my age, and his name is Jones. And he’s a bronc rider. You know how I feel about bronc riders.” She fanned herself, her eyes flicking over to where Reed stepped off the vehicle.
“What kind of name is Jones?” My brows rose. Lina was always going after the wild ones, but if Romy said he was nice, I suppose I could be chill.
“Fucking broncs,” Reed grumbled. I chuckled into Romy’s shoulder at Reed’s pissy attitude.
Romy elbowed me in the side.
“He goes by his last name, okay. Quit with the grilling.” Lina scowled.
“I’ll watch him,” Christian cut in, still letting the pup slather him with kisses.
“Like you know the first thing about dogs,” Sage chastised.
“Actually, I do.” His broad shoulders straightened. “My parents breed Norwegian elkhounds.”
“Shit, that’s right.” I had almost forgotten about that. Christian’s folks owned a farm closer to town. They had a few horses, but they primarily bred elkies. They’d done it for years and were successful. There were very few elkhound breeders in the Pacific Northwest, and they made excellent hunting and family dogs.
“I don’t think your apartment allows dogs.” Sage was trying to find every reason not to let Christian puppysit.
“Then I can come to you.” Christian wasn’t backing down. His eyes shone with hope.
“You’re going to stay with him at my place until three in the morning?” Sage asked, her brows raised in question and surprise.
“Why not? The little guy would probably be more comfortable in his own home anyway.” Christian snuggled the pup closer.
Sage shifted on her feet, and we all waited. This may be Christian’s in. I wanted nothing more than to see my buddy happy.
He mimicked Arlo’s cute puppy eyes.
“Fine.” She threw up her hands, seeing all of us watching her. “It’s your loss of sleep.”
Christian’s grin took up his whole face, his dimples popping and his eyes crinkling. “I already lose sleep over you, baby. What’s one more night?”
“Ugh!” Sage growled. “And then he goes and says stupid shit like that. Don’t make me regret this, or you’ll never get puppysitting duties again.”
Christian pressed his lips together, biting back his smile.
Romy and I turned into each other, trying to hide our own smiles.
“Where do you want these, boss?” Reed asked again, hoisting one of the beams as if they weighed nothing. The man was a fucking beast.
“Just in the garage would be fine.” I gestured to the nearly finished three-car garage. I was planning on using the old beams to accent the vaulted ceilings.
He eyed Lina again as he walked past, a look that if I didn’t know any better meant only one thing—he wanted her. But it was quickly masked with animosity. If looks could kill, her returning glare would have had him six feet under. I could feel my own protective instincts gather in my fists. I wasn’t bound to a contract anymore, and if I ever needed to, I wouldn’t mind putting them back to use.
Noticing me watching them, Romy gripped my hand, intertwining my fingers with hers as if to say everything was okay.
She pressed up on her toes, her mouth brushing the shell of my ear. “I bet by the end of the year, we’ll be planning more than one wedding.”
“Yeah, right. I’m not letting my cousin marry some dipshit named Jones.”
Romy giggled, kissing me again. “Oh, babe. It’s a good thing you’re so hot.”