Epilogue
“I’M SORRY, DID you say pregnant ?” Juliette asked her doctor over the phone.
She’d been feeling sick for the last few weeks, and after everything that happened with Lucas, she’d gotten scared. But Lucas just had his three-month checkup, and thankfully he was still cancer free. He was bull riding again, and their lives were finally back to normal. She hadn’t wanted to worry Seeley, so she hadn’t said anything and had asked their family doctor to order blood work.
“Yes. You’re pregnant.”
“Are you sure you have the right person? This is Juliette Chambers.”
“Yes, I’m sure these are your results, Juliette.”
“But…Something’s not right. You’re sure I’m not sick? There’s not anything else off in my blood work? Because I can’t get pregnant.”
“Did a doctor tell you you’re infertile? Have you had fertility tests done?”
“No, but I tried to get pregnant with my first husband many years ago, and it never happened.”
“That could have been an issue on his side. Did he have fertility testing done?”
“No. We were really young and didn’t even think about it, to be honest. But my fiancé and I have been together since last summer, and we’ve never used contraception.”
“Well, you’re definitely pregnant, and not using contraception probably has something to do with it.”
“You’re positive? Should I have another test done, in case it’s a false pregnancy?”
“I don’t think that’s necessary. Do you have an ob-gyn? I can refer you to one if you don’t.”
“Yes, I have one, thank you. But I’m definitely pregnant ? You’re certain?” The shock was slowly wearing off, turning to hope.
“Yes, Juliette. You are about nine or ten weeks along.”
“Nine or ten weeks.” She sounded as awestruck as she felt. “I can’t believe it.” Her eyes teared up. “Thank you.”
“Are there any other questions I can answer for you?”
“ Um . No. Thank you again.” She ended the call, nervous and excited about telling Seeley. “I’m pregnant,” she whispered excitedly. “ We’re pregnant.” She had to tell Seeley! She turned to go find him, and he was standing in the doorway, looking as shocked as she was.
“Did I just hear you say we’re—”
“Pregnant? Yes!”
“Baby!” He swept her into his arms and kissed her. “We’re pregnant?”
“Yes!” Tears streamed down her cheeks. “I can’t believe it.”
“I can. I’ve got super sperm.” He kissed her again, both of them laughing. “How far along are you?”
“Nine or ten weeks. I guess that Valentine’s Day lovefest paid off.”
He laughed, but he had tears in his eyes, too. He put his hand on her belly and said, “I get to see you pregnant and rub your feet and buy you pickles and ice cream at midnight.”
“ Ew . How about whipped cream and ice cream?”
“I’ll get you anything you want, darlin’. Why didn’t you tell me you thought you might be pregnant?” he asked.
“I didn’t think I was. Being pregnant wasn’t even on my radar. I haven’t been feeling well, and after what happened with Lucas, I got scared. I didn’t want to worry you, so I called Dr. Winsom and asked him to do lab work.”
“Baby, please don’t hide things like that from me. If you’re ever scared, lean on me. That’s what I’m here for.”
“I will from now on. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.” He hugged her, and then he crouched in front of her and put both hands on her belly. “Hi, baby. It’s your daddy.”
Tears flooded her cheeks. This was what Juliette had wanted all those years ago. This was how Lucas should have been welcomed into the world. With his daddy showing him what it meant to be loved from the moment they discovered he existed.
“Your Mommy and I love you very much, and you have the greatest big brother…”
Oh God. Lucas. How is he going to feel about this?
“Be good to Mama, tiny one.” Seeley kissed her belly and pushed to his feet.
“Seeley, how are we going to tell Lucas?”
Lucas walked into their bedroom. “Tell me what?”
She and Seeley exchanged glances, and she quickly wiped her tears.
“Oh no. Is my cancer back?” Lucas asked frantically.
“ No , honey. No,” she said.
“Is one of you sick?” he asked, his expression pained.
“No, Lucas. It’s nothing bad,” Seeley said. “We just found out your mom is pregnant.”
“ Pregnant? ” he asked incredulously.
“Yes,” she said. “I know this is a shock. It was a shock for us, too.”
“Wait. Let me get this straight,” Lucas said with a smirk. “This is your second child together, and you’ve never been married. I think you should’ve had that safe sex talk with each other instead of me.”
They both laughed.
“You’re both doctors,” Lucas said emphatically, but also teasingly. “You know how this works.”
They laughed again, but Juliette was worried.
“Lucas, can you be serious for a second?” she asked. “How do you really feel about this?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know much about babies, but I love Gus, and I think it’s cool that Doc has a big family, so…”
“You’re not upset?” Seeley asked.
“No. I think it’ll be fun to have brothers and sisters.”
Relieved, she said, “Well, hopefully this is just one baby.”
“Whatever,” Lucas said. “Since the wedding is at midnight, can I miss school tomorrow?”
“No,” Juliette said.
“Come on, Mom. You’re pregnant. Don’t you want to sleep late in the morning?”
“Dude, it’s way too early for you to be pulling that crap,” Seeley said.
“ Whatever . I’m going to see the horses.”
“If you want to help decorate, we’re starting in an hour,” Juliette said. He and Seeley had built a beautiful arched altar for Cowboy and Sully, and everyone was getting together to help decorate the big house for dinner and the yard for the wedding.
“I know,” Lucas said as he headed out.
Seeley put his arm around Juliette and said, “That went better than expected.”
“Thank goodness. I’m so excited, but let’s not mention our news to anyone until tomorrow. I don’t want to steal any attention from Cowboy and Sully on their big day.”
“Okay.” He put his hand on her belly again. “So, it turns out we can get pregnant.”
“Sure looks that way.”
“And our boy wants a big family. The way I see it, we’ve got three years before he goes to college. We could probably have two babies in that time.”
God, this man. “How about we get through one baby and a few more uneventful doctor visits for Lucas first?”
AT THE STROKE of midnight, beneath the light of the moon, serenaded by the soft sounds of Sasha’s guitar, on the land that had brought them together, Doc sat between Juliette and Lucas as Cowboy and Sully exchanged their vows. Cowboy and Sully stood inside a heart of lanterns, in front of the wooden arch Doc and Lucas had built. The white silk draped around it billowed in the breeze, constrained by tethers of greenery, roses, and other colorful flowers and, in homage to the ranch and their roots, rope.
Doc watched his younger brother, who had always known exactly who he was—a natural-born protector, a Dark Knights biker, and one hell of a rancher—standing tall and proud in his jeans and cut, cowboy hat perched on his head, ready to take on his most important role yet. Husband . Sully stood beside him, a picture of simple elegance in a scoop-necked lace gown and white fur shrug, her golden-brown hair hanging loose and wavy, her loving eyes on her soon-to-be husband.
Doc remembered when Sully had first arrived at the ranch, a scared little bird who hadn’t had a clue who she really was. But she’d saved herself from that cult, proving she wasn’t a little bird at all. With the help of many, but mostly Cowboy, she’d broken free from the cages of her past and had found who she was always meant to be. A beautiful, fierce Friesian and the only woman on earth to complete Callahan “Cowboy” Whiskey.
As Cowboy said his vows with tears in his eyes and love in his heart, Doc looked at his loves. Lucas was taking a picture of Cowboy and Sully. He showed it to Layla, who had joined them for the ceremony. Doc’s heart squeezed. Lucas and Layla reminded him so much of himself and Juliette. He prayed their young hearts would never endure the heartache he and Juliette had, but he knew first loves usually came with heartache. A rite of passage , his mother had once said. It hadn’t made it any easier for him back then, and the thought of his son having his heart broken slayed him. But he and Juliette would be there to help him through, just like his parents had been there for him.
Juliette was dabbing her tears with a tissue. He was in awe of everything about her. She was a loving mother and partner, a caring friend, and a compassionate veterinarian. He knew their baby, like Lucas, would be as strong and loving as she was.
She looked so beautiful in the moonlight. He and the other Dark Knights were wearing jeans and their cuts, but the girls had gone shopping together for outfits. She was positively glowing in a long-sleeved peach sweaterdress that clung to her curves and had what she called a scarf collar that crisscrossed around her neck and a sexy, but not too revealing, cutout just beneath. She’d paired it with tights, knee-high leather boots, and a pretty shawl. He couldn’t wait to see her round with their baby and to pamper her the way he wished he could have years ago.
She glanced at him, smiling a little bashfully as she wiped her tears, and said, “That’s going to be us one day.”
He leaned in and kissed her. They hadn’t set a wedding date yet. He hadn’t wanted to wait long before he found out she was pregnant. Now he really didn’t want to wait. He’d been thinking about it all afternoon. He wanted it all, and he wanted it now. His girl, his son, their baby, a ring on her finger, and his last name as hers. What were they waiting for, anyway? Fuck it . “Let’s get married.”
“Isn’t that what this ring is for?” She held up her left hand, wiggling her fingers, her engagement ring twinkling in the moonlight.
“I mean now,” he said, vaguely aware of Cowboy and Sully being pronounced man and wife. Applause rang out, and everyone rose to their feet, clapping and cheering. They pushed to their feet, too, and Doc took her hand, speaking loudly, so she could hear him over the celebration going on around them. “I don’t want to wait! Marry me tonight . Now . Let’s bring our baby into the world the right way. With rings on our fingers, my last name as yours, and our son by our side!”
“Baby?” Birdie exclaimed. “Did he say baby? Is Juliette pregnant?”
There was a collective gasp, and as the din of the celebration quieted, Gus said, “What’s pregnant?”
Juliette’s eyes widened, crimson spreading over her cheeks as she whispered, “What happened to not stealing their thunder?”
“Holy shit,” Dare said. “Doc’s done it again!”
As laughter rang out, Doc felt guilty. He looked at Cowboy and Sully, holding hands, still beaming with joy, and said, “I’m sorry. Forget I said anything. That was rude. I just got carried away.”
“Hell no, bro,” Cowboy said. “If Juliette is in, we are, too.”
“We don’t want to steal your thunder,” Juliette said.
“You’re not stealing our thunder,” Sully said cheerily. “You’re adding the lightning, making it an even more unforgettable night. We would be honored to share a wedding anniversary with you guys.”
Doc squeezed Juliette’s hand. “What do you say, darlin’?”
“Say yes , Mom!” Lucas said. “Do it! We’re all here. Even my baby brother or sister.”
She laughed and shook her head. “I guess we’re getting married!”
Doc pulled her into his arms and kissed her, and cheers rang out. There was a flurry of activity as everyone took their seats again. Doc and Juliette stood inside the lantern heart, in front of the altar he and their son had built, and with Lucas by their side, they pledged their everlasting love and were pronounced husband and wife.
As he kissed his bride, the celebration began anew. They were showered in hugs and peppered with questions about their due date and how Juliette was feeling. Lucas was cheered on for how great of a big brother he’d be, and he ate up the praise. Champagne bottles were popped, and toasts were made by just about everyone.
“I’m really happy for you all,” Birdie said. “But while you’ve been busy getting engaged, and married, and having babies, and finding love on this ranch, I’m still single. Me .” She motioned to herself, planting a hand on the hip of the one-piece wide-legged paisley pantsuit dwarfing her petite frame. “I mean, really .” She pointed at their parents. “This is your fault. I expect you to find a good-looking single man and have him walk onto this ranch and only have eyes for me. I’m giving you six months to get that done. Got it?”
Tiny burst into laughter.
“Sweetheart, that’s not how love works,” their mother said.
“My butt it doesn’t,” Birdie said. “Billie and Dare’s first kiss was in that barn.” She pointed to the barn. “Cowboy and Sully met here. Doc took one look at Juliette right here on this ranch and fell so hard, it lasted all these years. And Ezra? He kissed the flipping life out of Sasha as a teenager, and she was never the same again. Then he came to live on the ranch, and now look at them.”
Everyone glanced at them. Ezra was holding Gus and had one arm around Sasha. “Love you, Bo Peep,” he said, and kissed her.
“See?” Birdie crossed her arms, staring at her mother. “Dad took one look at you and came to the ranch and never left.” She lifted her chin triumphantly. “Tell her, Dad.”
Rebel cleared his throat and said, “It’s going to take a mighty strong man to take on that one.”
“You’re not wrong, son,” Tiny said, before turning a softer gaze on Birdie. “I love you, darlin’, but we didn’t pick your brothers’ and sister’s partners.”
“That was the magic of the ranch, honey,” her mother said. “We might’ve nudged things here and there, but we don’t choose our children’s forever loves.”
Birdie groaned. “You guys suck. I need cake! Can we cut the cake? Or is that controlled by the magic of the freaking ranch, too?”
As laughter and jokes ensued, Lucas nudged Doc and said, “I love it here… Dad ,” and hurried off to get cake with Layla, as if he hadn’t left Doc slack-jawed.
“Did he just call you Dad?” Juliette asked.
“Uh-huh” was all he could manage. As they made their way toward the happy mayhem that was his family, he looked at his beautiful pregnant wife and at their adventurous, healthy boy, and he was sure his heart was going to pound right out of his chest. These were the moments he lived for. They’d shared hundreds of them over the last eight months, and he looked forward to a lifetime filled with them.
Ready for More Whiskeys?
I hope you enjoyed Doc and Juliette’s story. Pick up Birdie’s story below, and continue reading to meet three more awesome families, The Silvers at Silver Island, The Wickeds at Bayside, and The Bradens at Ridgeport.
Birdie Whiskey is ready for love, but the man who knocks her off her feet is the last man her family would ever accept. Come along for the emotional ride as the Whiskeys’ belief in second chances is put to the test, and Birdie faces her toughest decision yet—stay loyal to her family or fight for the man she loves.