Epilogue
Baylor
No more masks.
No more hiding behind my past misdeeds.
I own it all, and who I used to be, and Lauralee Greene still chose to love me, flaws and all. I’m smart enough to never keep anything from her again though, not through a lie or omission. Those were the hardest lessons learned, but we found our happily ever after in the end.
I slide up her slick body and kiss her on the mouth.
She purrs for me, enticing me to do it again.
When our mouths part and eyes open, she pushes my sweaty hair back from my forehead, the look of love engrained in her eyes like I’m the reward instead of the sex.
I love this woman more than words could ever capture. She says, “I love when you do that.”
Always open to feedback, especially of the good kind, I ask, “When I do that thing with my tongue?”
“That, yes,” she says, squirming as if her body remembers how fucking good it was and can’t stop itself. “And when you kiss down there like you would my mouth. Gah! Incredible. Magical.”
“Don’t be shy. Go o n.”
“Earth-shattering . . .”
“Earth-shattering? I think I’ve outdone myself.” Her laughter is my favorite sound in the world, that and hearing my name on the edge of her release. I’ve heard both in the past five minutes. It’s a good fucking day.
I kiss her again because if I could spend my life doing this, I’d make it my full-time job.
Since I still don’t currently have one, I don’t bother fighting against my fate and lean into it, deepening the kiss this time.
I swallow one of her moans, savoring every part of her, and then dip my hand between her legs.
“How your body reacts to me is such a fucking turn-on. Why is our sex so good, baby?”
“Because it’s the first time you've ever involved your heart, my love.”
There was no hesitation in her response—like she knew all along—but it hits me like a ton of bricks. And now I see it so clearly. She’s right.
Lifting just enough to adjust, I position myself and then slowly push into her.
Her warmth welcomes me, causing my head to dip in reaction.
I force it up enough for our gazes to latch and watch as her body responds by parting her lips as her legs butterfly open and her breath catches when I thrust deeper.
Our lips brush in need before fastening together, our tongues tangling as we find our rhythm. When her heat becomes too much, I take a breath to slow things down, not wanting to rush the ending. Like a prayer, I whisper, “Lead me knot into temptation.”
“I see what you did there.” Holding on tight to me, her smile is serene, but the words lift the heavy that was building.
I like the balance we’ve struck in our relationship.
Humor has gotten us through a few messes.
Our love has given us strength. “I think Gree ne suits me better.” Tilting her head to the side to see my eyes, she asks, “What do you think?”
“I love it so fucking much.” I thrust in again, sending her head back into the pillow and exposing her neck. I trail kisses down the soft column, wanting to appreciate every inch of her before the day forces us out of bed to face it.
Running her hands over my shoulders, she holds tight with a fire lit in her eyes. “Show me how much you love it.”
“I’ll do you one better and show you how much I love you .”
I show her fast like how we fell in love, and then a second time, slower how our love will endure. There was never any denying our attraction. We worked on the rest to get where we are today. Our unbreakable bond is something I’ll always protect.
“I’m thinking the house should go back there,” she says, pointing at an opening among a grouping of trees.
The wind is wild here in the clearing. Pulling her hair back with one hand, the skirt of her dress is whipped to the side of her body.
She shadows her eyes with the other hand when she looks back at me.
“That way, no one can see us from the main, but the house isn’t buried too far back on the property. What do you think?”
While she was admiring the land, I was appreciating her. Who knew something so small and feisty could shift my axis upside down? So glad she did. “I’m happy if you are.”
Cutting through the tall grass, she lifts on her sneakered toes and kisses my chin. “I’m happy. Blissfully because of you. You?”
I turn her around to hold her fro m behind and pull her against me. Rubbing her shoulders and then lowering my arms around her waist, I never expected to find this kind of peace. “I’m happy I broke into your apartment that night.”
She bursts out laughing and turns around in my arms. Receiving a poke to the chest, I catch that finger just as she says, “I knew it all along.”
I kiss her finger and give her all the credit she wants.
She likes to win. We’re a lot alike that way, though I never mind losing to her.
Even if it comes to our story and how we got re-introduced, as she likes to call it.
I know the truth. She was never supposed to be there, but that little mix-up changed everything.
I should probably send a thank-you gift to my sister for telling me to stay there.
If I hadn’t, look at the beautiful life I’d be missing.
I look down the road as two trucks carry the old house away from its original home to its new plot in Dover County.
Shortcake donated it to a good cause, creating a home for people who don’t have one until they land on their feet again.
She even launched a program partnering with local ranches for job placement.
We’ve joined together to reinvigorate Peachtree Pass into a bustling town again.
As her husband, I’m lucky enough to watch this woman chasing her goals and making a difference in other people’s lives like she did mine. I couldn’t be prouder of her.
“We should go,” she says, “my mom said she wants to eat at seven.”
We start back to the car, but I’m dragging my feet, not really wanting to do this tonight. “I never thought I’d be going on a double date with my dad.”
“I think it’s sweet.”
Stopping on either side of the car, I tilt my head and lean on the top edge of the windshield. “I’m telling you now, if they start kissing, I’m out. No one wants to see that.”
She pulls her door open and laughs. “Let them have a little fun, Baylor.”
When she tucks herself into the car, I mumble, “Yuck.”
One thing that’s not yuck is this sexy-as-fuck car. I take a moment to admire it in its glory—sun shining down on the fresh silver paint job, the matte black stripe down the middle, the sweet-as-hell rims, and the cherry on top is that she runs like a dream.
Though she’ll never let me live it down that she sat in that barn for months reading the instructions from books she ordered so I didn’t fuck it up. My words. Not hers. We made a good team all around and got the job done.
I run my fingertips along the side of the car, inspecting it like I do every time I see it.
I never needed to own the ranch. Still, holding a 10 percent share is a great perk of being born a Greene.
Who doesn’t love making money? But this car was the one thing I always wanted, even more so after my mom died.
And every time we drive with the top down, I can imagine how much she would have loved it. I’ll love it for the both of us now.
I fold myself into the driver’s seat and start the car. With the fall sun hanging low in the sky, I flip my visor down to keep it out of my eyes. “Have you seen my sunglasses?”
Lauralee looks around. “No. Did you put them in the glovebox?”
“No.”
“Wanna bet?”
“This is the weirdest conversation.” Not sure what’s gotten into her. “Want me to reach over and check?”
“Yes.”
I’m confused if she’s having fun by making me work for this or if she wants me between her legs. I’m hopin g for the latter, giving us an excuse to miss this dinner. The bonus, I’m between her legs again. I run my hand down her thigh and drag the skirt higher until her soft skin is revealed.
My hand is smacked just before getting to the good part. “You’re so easily distracted, Baylor. If we’re not careful, we’re going to be late.” I think she’s taking this a little too seriously. It’s grilled chicken with the folks, not visiting dignitaries.
“Fine,” I groan, popping the glovebox open to find my sunglasses that I didn’t know I put in there.
I never do. As soon as I pull them out, I pause with my eyes locked on a white stick in the dark space.
Sunglasses are now the least of my concerns.
I flop back and look to her for answers to the question posed in the silent exchange.
It’s the littlest of shrugs raising her shoulders, and when they drop again, the sweetest smile shapes her lips. “We weren’t careful,” she says, this conversation now making a lot more sense.
I reach over to hold her hand, resting it on her lap. “We weren’t trying to be.”
Her gaze sharpens on mine with assurance housed inside, and a soft laugh escapes her. “No, we weren’t.”
Pivoting my gaze to the property where we’ll be raising our children, I realize one day is sooner than I thought. It’s arrived. I drop my head forward and try to wipe the moisture collecting in the corners of my eyes.
Lauralee rubs my back, and whispers, “Are you okay?”
Who am I kidding? She sees through the act. I choke down the emotions that want to overwhelm me and reach over to cup her face, kissing her and holding her to me. When we sit back, I take her hand and briefly eye the test in the glovebox again. “You’re pregnant?”
“Seems the hometown hero knocked me up.” As tears that shine with happiness glisten in her eyes, she laughs. “The whole town’s going to be gossiping when they find out.”
Chuckling, I reply, “Let ’em. I got the girl, the life, and the dream come true. I even got the car. They could only be so fortunate.” I lean over and kiss her forehead, lingering there a moment as my heart settles.
Before I can return to my side of the car, she captures my face in her hands and kisses me again.
It feels needy and gentle at the same time.
I can relate. When our lips part and her lashes flutter open, she looks at me the same as she did when we spoke our vows to each other, and whispers, “Thank you for choosing me.”
As if there was ever a choice in the matter .
. . I never stood a chance. From the moment she knocked me sideways with that pillow, I knew she was different, and the one I was supposed to be with.
I used to pretend the concussion didn’t play a part in that decision.
But I couldn’t rule it out. Now I can. I was a goner for Lauralee from that night onward.
We were always meant to be, and being together is something I’ll never take for granted. “It was always only you, baby.” We both sit back, a wave of peaceful relief rolling through me. When I glance over at her, she’s wearing the ridiculous grin I can’t wipe off my face.
“It’s going to be a whole new era for us, Baylor. You ready for it?”
“I’m ready.” That keeps the smile where it’s supposed to be, right on that pretty face of hers.
“Want to bet?”
“Sorry, I’m not a betting man, Shortcake.” Running my fingers through the back of her hair, I smirk. “But if I were, I’d bet my life on it.”
Turn the page to read a sneak peek of Small Town Frenzy and the first two chapters of Long Time Coming.