Epilogue
EPILOGUE
Autumn
The doorbell rang at Hank’s place. Gideon had the candy bucket and was already opening the door, his dad crowding behind him. They both scooted over so I could see the trick-or-treaters.
Hank was getting a kick out of tonight. This year, I’d told all the kids that they’d have to trick-or-treat at his place since Gideon and I lived at Percival Farms now. We’d remodeled the house over the summer and built an addition. The place was beautiful. Still his childhood home, but also ready for the future.
“What do we have here?” Hank said. He’d been delightedly talking to each kid about their costume. Tonight, he was making up for years of living in the country and missing out on trick-or-treaters.
“Mario!” Deon grinned. He was one of four boys, and he had a cardboard box decorated to look like a car from Mario Kart. The entire group of boys had coordinated their outfits. There was a Luigi, a Toad, and a Bowser.
Deon held out his blue tote bag. “Trick or treat, Mr. J.”
“Evenin’, Deon.” Gideon doled out the candy.
“No Princess Peach?” I asked the boys.
Deon rolled his eyes. “Caleb didn’t want to wear a dress.”
“It’s cold!” Toad—Caleb—argued.
“Why are you a chef, Mr. J?” Deon asked. The others peered around him, eyeing my costume and Gideon’s.
My husband wore a white puffy hat and an apron.
I grinned. At school, I had worn an apron not unlike Gideon’s. I’d used an old Amelia Bedelia costume of Scarlett’s. But for tonight, I told my students I had a big surprise with my costume. I’d been delighted when Gideon had asked what we were dressing up as this year.
I pointed to the image inside the viewing window of the oven costume. “Because I have a bun in the oven!”
I hadn’t told my students or coworkers yet that I was expecting. Our family knew and they were ecstatic, no one more so than Hank.
The boys chortled and a few rolled their eyes. I was glad none of them asked why that made Gideon the chef. Teaching them about batter and ovens wasn’t my job.
The kids rushed off. No more trick-or-treaters were running up the walk. Hank went to the kitchen, probably to fill his cup of decaf. Gideon closed the door and wrapped his arms around me.
“Happy Halloween, Mrs. J,” he murmured in my ear. “Guess what I found this morning when I was unpacking the boxes in the guest room? ”
“Hmm...” I had all the important stuff unpacked, and we’d bought a lot of new things. The guest room was full of classroom supplies I didn’t use often and seasonal decorations. “I can’t think of what I should be excited about.”
“The red suspenders.”
A hum started between my thighs. I was programmed for this man. Completely and irrevocably his. “I seem to recall those.”
“I’ll make sure you remember.”
Hank stood in the dining room, a steaming mug in his hands. “You two leaving for Mae’s soon?”
“We’ve got a few minutes,” Gideon said.
Summer and Jonah were at Mama’s tonight, showing off their new little boy. Eliott Darin Dunn, an ode to Jonah’s late brother, Eli. Tate and Scarlett were taking the kids over, same with Summer and Myles. Hank was staying home and catching up on sleep. He’d been working hard with Gideon to get the harvest in. They hadn’t planted all their acreage, but they had a tidy pile to sell to Copper Summit.
I was a farm wife, about to be a mom. I’d come a long way since I’d been refused entrance into a trendy club.
Hank disappeared back into the kitchen.
Gideon pressed a kiss into my hair. “This has been the best year of my life.”
“And to think it all started with a bourbon-fueled fake marriage.”
“Nothing about us was ever fake.” The next kiss was on my mouth. “Our bourbon promises were very real.”
____ _
When Junie’s tour comes to an end, she needs to go back to her roots. Only the cabin she plans to stay in isn’t far from her high school sweetheart’s place. And when her car breaks down, he’s the first one to stop and help, with his two adorable daughters. Junie’s about to get everything she wants in her career, but Rhys Kinkade just might be everything she needs in Bourbon Harmony .
Want to keep reading about Gideon and Autumn? Join them on a very special date night in a special bonus epilogue .