Epilogue
EPILOGUE
ZACK
I stared at the two-story rustic wood building in front of us, my wife’s hand tucked tightly into mine. She probably didn’t even realize how hard she was gripping it. That was how caught up in the moment she was.
“I can’t believe it’s actually happening,” she said. “So many times it seemed like it would never get done.”
She wasn’t kidding. The path to this moment had been a twisty one. More like a rollercoaster ride. We’d faced construction permit issues, flaky subcontractors, and protests from local residents. But I stood by her side throughout. As her husband of three years, I was her biggest champion.
“We still have a ways to go,” she said. “But it’s starting to look real.”
“And pretty soon you’ll be able to start taking reservations.”
She turned to face me then. We were alone out here on a spot that overlooked both our house and the new construction. We came out here every night after dinner, but these trips might become fewer and farther between as Ashlynn’s pregnancy progressed. Or maybe we’d just have to walk slower.
Toby stood behind me, having finally stopped tugging on his leash. He seemed resigned to letting his humans stand still for a while.
“I guess I’m a little superstitious about that,” she said. “With all the delays, I’ll wait until we get a little closer.”
“And you’ll hire someone to oversee the interior construction?” I asked.
She knew how I felt about her being inside the retreat center while all that activity was going on. She agreed with me, but it was hard to stay away. After she stepped on a nail and had to be checked for tetanus, we’d switched to me stopping by every day and taking video of the progress.
“I’ve already put the call out for someone,” Ashlynn said. “Once the manager’s suite is finished, I’ll hire a desk clerk to live there full-time and keep an eye on things—at least until little Taylor’s here.”
“Tyler,” I said.
I was hoping for a boy, but Ashlynn was sure she was carrying a girl. Deep down, though, we both knew as long as the baby was healthy, we’d be over-the-moon happy.
“Why don’t we get this dog home before he takes off without us?” I asked.
I stepped away from her, and we both looked down at Toby, who was staring longingly at the house. He wanted his after-walk treat. If I knew my wife, she was ready for her daily banana split made by me while she curled up on the couch to watch her favorite reality TV show.
“Maybe before bed we could…you know,” she said as we started back toward the house.
I looked over at her with a big smile. “Really?” My mood brightened even more. “You’re ready for that again?”
Ashlynn had a horrible bout of morning sickness during the first trimester, but we were heading into the second. It had lightened enough that it was only the morning now and only a few times this past week.
She smiled over at me. “In fact, I might not even make it to my banana split.”
Now she was talking. I picked up my step, which meant Toby didn’t have to pull on the leash quite as hard.
“Slow down,” she said. “You need to pace yourself. I’m going to wear you out.”
That was what I liked to hear. I squeezed my wife’s hand a little tighter and stared at our house, which we were fast approaching. I loved our home. We might eventually outgrow the two-bedroom cabin, but for now, it was the perfect place for the three of us—soon to be four. Toby even had his own fenced-in backyard now—something we’d done more for him than to section off our property from the constant parade of guests that would be coming soon.
“I owe my grandparents a big thanks,” Ashlynn said as we approached the side door.
“Why is that?” I asked, glancing over at her.
With a big smile, she said, “If they hadn’t left this property to me, I might never have met you. That would have been a shame.”
I shook my head. “Even if I hadn’t fought the retreat center, we would have met eventually. It just would have taken longer.”
“But I wouldn’t have wanted to wait an extra day to meet you. Not even an hour. In fact, we met at the perfect time.”
“Exactly. Now, let’s get in there and get that banana split made so we can get down to business.”
She didn’t protest. In fact, she followed Toby inside. I locked the side door and headed straight to the kitchen, eager to take care of my baby-to-be and wife. And more children would follow.
I couldn’t wait to spoil them all.
The retreat center’s first employee finds love with a hunky builder in Stuck with the Mountain Man . Turn the page to start reading.