One

Epilogue

CAGE

“Ugliest dress ever.” I stared at our wedding photo on the wall in our bedroom.

“But the shoes …”

“Yeah, yeah, kick-ass heels, baby.”

Lake and her eight-month baby belly stood in front of me, adjusting my tie. “Are you nervous?”

“Terrified.”

“You realize at least one will wet their pants, another will vomit and totally miss the trash, at least two will be sent to the office when you notice they have head lice, there will be name calling, crying because it’s their first full day away from their mommies, but…

” she grinned as I grimaced “…one … one little girl, the quiet one with pigtails and maybe freckles too, she will fall in love with you and declare you as her future husband. That will be the highlight of your day.”

I rested my hands on the sides of her belly and bent down to nuzzle my nose in her neck. “You’re the highlight of my day. Every day.”

I loved my life. We were living, we were falling, we were our own unexplainable phenomena, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

Even our “village,” as Lake liked to call them, seemed to move on to better things as well.

Minnesota renewed Banks’ contract, so he and Shayna moved into a house, a house whose previous owner happened to be Minnesota’s recently-retired quarterback.

He also found a girlfriend: Shayna’s dance teacher.

Lake said she didn’t have that much to hold on to—whatever that meant.

The nanny ‘Jamie’ continued to work for Banks, contingent on him never looking at Banks’ girlfriend.

I felt his pain. Flint went back to school to complete his law degree so he could fight to get his son back since he was taken from him after the accident.

As for Penny and Rupert … they stayed in their Minneapolis apartment.

Lake still met her for girl-talk, and Penny still violated me with her eyes every time I saw her.

“Your lunch is on the kitchen counter.”

I stood up straight, taking a deep breath. “Okay. I have my first practice tonight too.”

When we sold the house and moved into something smaller and closer to the private elementary school where I got a job teaching first grade, I decided to embrace my new, low-profile life by joining one of the Park and Rec’s flag football teams.

“I can’t believe you didn’t get the quarterback position.”

I shrugged. “I know, right? I don’t understand why they think it would be such an unfair advantage to our team. I haven’t thrown a football in several months.”

Lake nodded. “Exactly. We spent the summer on the boat.”

Best. Summer. Ever.

I fished. Lake sprawled out on the front of the boat in her bikini, baby belly growing a little more every day, a high SPF sunblock, a book in hand, and her fishing hat on.

“I just hope they let me play. I’m new to the team so I could end up riding the pine for a while until I earn my spot.”

She tugged on my tie until I bent down to give her a slow kiss, then she grinned. “I sure like riding your pine.”

I shook my head.

“Too corny?”

“A little.” I adjusted myself. “But clearly it still does it for me.”

“Monaghan?” She called after me as I walked toward the door, grabbing my lunch box on the way.

I turned.

“Don’t forget to love me.”

I smiled. “Impossible.”

LAKE

Six Years Later

“He made me call him Mr. Monaghan.” Amelia pouted, dropping her purple backpack onto the floor.

Cage picked it up, giving me an eye roll as I hugged our daughter after her first day of school. I stroked her loose, black ponytail that had lost its braid during the day.

“Then he took me to the hallway and said I can’t raise my hand anymore.”

I smirked. An exaggerated head shake accompanied my hubby’s eye rolling.

“Well, we talked about this. At school, daddy is your teacher, so you should call him Mr. Monaghan like all the other kids.”

“But he’s my daddy.”

Cage fisted one hand over the other, making a stabbing motion toward his heart. “The two women in my life are going to be the death of me.”

“Here.” I handed her a rice crispy treat on a plate. “Trzy is on the back porch. Go give her some love while I scold Mr. Monaghan for being so mean to my baby today.”

Amelia smiled, flipping Cage a now-you’re-in-trouble look over her shoulder, while traipsing out of the kitchen.

“Tell me about your day, Mr. Monaghan.” I grabbed the bowl of leftover marshmallowy goodness and plopped down onto a chair at the kitchen table.

Twisting the top off a hard-earned beer, he smirked as his lips hovered over the amber glass.

“We talked about what it means to do a good deed, and everyone took their turn sharing an example. Amelia said her daddy was helping wash her mommy in the shower this morning and that was an example of a good deed.”

“W—” I coughed. “What? Are you serious?”

Cage took a long pull of his beer, then nodded. “Unfortunately. And the real kicker? The principal was sitting in on that discussion.”

I pressed the pad of my finger to the corner of my eye, wiping away a tear. “That’s hilarious.”

“It’s not.” He tugged on my hair, forcing my head back. “Next time lock the bathroom door before joining me in the shower,” he whispered in my ear, followed by a bite to my neck.

“I wanted to tell her we were conserving water. It was the perfect opportunity to discuss environmental responsibility. But no, you had to pipe up and say you were helping wash me.”

He grabbed my waist and pulled me onto his lap as he sat in the chair next to mine. I draped my arms over his shoulders.

“Because environmental stewardship was going to sound so much more believable to my boss than my explanation.”

Wrapping my hand around the neck of his beer, I brought it toward my lips.

“No way.” He shook his head, pulling it away from me.

“A sip.”

“You could be pregnant.”

“That’s the story of my whole life with you! You haven’t used a condom once since we’ve been married. If it weren’t for all the breastfeeding keeping my eggs at bay, we’d have ten kids.”

“Your math is wrong baby. We’ve only been married for six years. Without multiples in there, we never would have been able to have ten kids by now.”

“Don’t be smart with me, Mister.” I fisted his shirt.

He grinned. “Where are my guys?”

“Jeffrey is playing with Brock next door, and Colton is still napping.” I rolled my eyes toward the ceiling. “That’s it, right? We only have three kids. I can’t keep track. Every time I blink I’m pushing a baby of yours out of my body.”

Cage shrugged. “I love you pregnant.”

“You love me naked and riding your cock.”

He smiled. “That too.”

I could not have dreamed of a more perfect life.

Thad moved on after making me the ideal leg for pregnancy.

The world was no longer ‘ours’ to change, it was his.

I had my hands full with three young kids and my blog.

We were offered an insane deal to do a reality TV show after Cage retired from football, but that wasn’t our style.

Instead, I started a blog. I never could’ve predicted millions of people following it, but it happened.

A familiar voice followed a quick knock at the back door. “Don’t you two ever quit?”

Cage pulled me closer. “Nope.”

I wiggled out of his hold and then resumed my marshmallowy obsession. “Hi, Flint. You staying for dinner or do you have a hot date?”

“No date. No more women.”

Cage grabbed Flint a bottle of iced coffee with almond milk—that we kept on hand just for him—out of the refrigerator and handed it to him. “Is this about the new tenant?”

“New tenant?” My brows raised.

“She’s getting evicted as soon as I can legally kick her out.”

“Someone tell me what this is all about.”

Cage smirked. “Flint found someone to rent the space above his law office.”

“And that’s not a good thing?”

Flint scowled at me. “No. She’s not.”

Cage continued, “Her business is loud and distracting.”

“Oh? What does she do?”

“Drive me fucking insane.”

Both Cage and I laughed.

“She’s a therapist,” Cage winked at Flint.

“Aannd … therapists make too much noise how?”

Flint sighed. “She’s a music therapist.”

My eyes narrowed. “That’s a thing?”

He held his coffee with one hand, gulping it down, as he loosened his tie with the other hand. “Apparently.”

“Flint had a mile-long list of businesses that he would not allow to rent the space, but—”

“But I couldn’t exclude some fucking profession that I didn’t know existed, in the agreement.”

“So, what are we talking? Piano? Guitar?”

“Depends on the day. Drums today.”

“I don’t see the problem.” I shoved more crispy rice into my mouth. “If she didn’t disclose her profession—”

“She did.” Cage laughed. “But Flint didn’t think to ask what exactly a music therapist does because he was too busy ogling her tits.”

“Cage!”

He shrugged. “Flint’s words not mine.”

Flint pulled out the drawer to the recycling bin and tossed his bottle into it.

“Therapist. Just the word implies lots of silence and a few quietly spoken words. I assumed a music therapist…” he rubbed the back of his neck “…I don’t know …

let patients lie on an expensive leather sofa and listen to classical music, wearing noise-canceling headphones. Not autistic kids banging on bongos.”

“Sounds like a cool profession.”

Both Flint and Cage glared at me.

“What? It does.” How was I the only one in the room perceptive enough to see the obvious? “Harrison loves music. Maybe you should send him to see her for therapy.”

“My son doesn’t need therapy,” Flint said in a huffy voice.

“He does because his father has signed him up for every possible sport, yet, all he wants to do is play music.” My nose wrinkled. “I know you hate it when I say this, but I think Harrison is a musical genius—a prodigy.”

“He spent three very influential years of his life being raised by my single, ex-mother-in-law. She enrolled him in dance class. If he needs therapy, it’s to channel the testosterone in his body.”

“Says the guy who concocted his own herbal, anti-itch salve for Shayna when she had the chicken pox.”

“I’m well-rounded. Harrison can play Bach and pirouette around the living room, but he can’t make a free throw or catch a football to save his life.”

“I don’t think his lack of athletic ability is a life-or-death situation. Right, baby?”

Cage’s gaze flitted between us. “I think it’s time for Jeffrey to come home.”

He jabbed his thumb toward the door. “I’ll let you two work this out.”

“Coward.”

“Just smart,” he called before the door shut behind him.

Flint and I stared at each other for a few seconds before we both chuckled. “Feels like the old days.”

Flint nodded. “The second we’d start to argue, he’d flee.”

“Those were the days.”

“Think he misses it?”

“Us fighting?”

Flint shook his head. “Football. I’ve never wanted to ask.”

I set my spoon in the bowl and stared at it for a few seconds.

“Sure, I mean … you both get together to watch every game. So you know he still loves it, but I don’t think he’s ever second-guessed his decision.

And it’s not that I haven’t looked. When he’s watching ESPN or looking through old pictures, I stare at him, waiting to see a tiny glimpse of sadness or longing for that life. ”

I shook my head. “But I don’t. For over six years all I’ve ever seen is complete adoration for this life we have, our kids, and his job.” A smile tugged at my lips. “He says football was just a fun way to make ‘a little money’ while he waited for his life to really begin—while he waited for me.”

“Do you worry that when you’re done having kids he’ll get restless and start to feel a little regret?”

“Ha! I worry that we’re never going to be done having kids, and if that day comes, I have a feeling he’ll be too old and senile to remember that he ever played the sport.”

“Mommy?” Amelia called.

“I hear him, sweetie.” I held up a finger to Flint as I turned toward the bedroom to get Colton from his crib.

Flint grinned when I returned with my smiling six-month old in my arms. “Hey, buddy.”

“Where’s Harrison anyway?”

Flint ruffled Colton’s head of thick, blond hair. “Birthday party.” He looked at his watch. “I have to pick him up in an hour.” His eyes latched back onto Colton then shifted to Amelia as she brought her plate back into the kitchen.

“You need a wife, Flint. And at least three more kids.”

“No.” He shook his head just as Cage and Jeffrey showed up.

“Jeffrey Aric Monaghan! What happened to your hair?” I gasped at his mohawk.

“Brock’s mom thought they were playing in the basement. They were actually in the bathroom with his dad’s beard trimmer.”

Jeffrey smiled. “It’s cool.”

It was hideous. Only a complete head shaving would fix it.

Flint kissed me on the cheek and Colton on the head. “Sure, Lake. I need more kids and a wife.”

I couldn’t erase the grimace from my face as my eyes remained fixed to Jeffrey.

“Looks awesome, big guy.” Flint held out his fist and Jeffrey gave him knuckles. Then he gave Cage a man hug and whispered something in his ear that brought a huge smile to Cage’s face.

“Trust me. I know,” Cage replied just before Flint closed the door.

After dinner, a complete head shaving and three baths, we finally collapsed into bed, enjoying the temporary silence around us. Cage slid down my panties then pulled off my T-shirt.

I loved how after three kids, he still looked at me like a miracle.

“What did Flint whisper in your ear before he left?” My words came out breathy as his tongue circled my nipple.

“Same thing he said to me on our wedding day when you were walking down the aisle.”

“And what was that?” My hips jerked as his hand slid between my legs.

“He said, ‘best decision of your life, buddy.’”