Epilogue
Emmie
I still can’t believe it’s been three years since Creed first came into my life. Since then, so much has changed, yet our love for one another hasn’t wavered. Rowan and I moved into Creed’s house. We use mine as a rental, bringing in some extra income for our family.
We had a wedding ceremony with our closest family and friends about a year ago. It was small, but intimate— with each of our three boys being included.
The boys have adjusted well to all the changes.
I think they were all more ready to move in and be a family than even Creed or myself.
Thankfully, Creed had bought a big home with five bedrooms and three baths right in the center of Spring Creek, so we’ve had plenty of room for everyone.
We have the bedroom on the main floor, and the boys mostly keep the chaos upstairs.
We decided to head back to Deadwood this Christmas to see his mom Marla, brother Cade, and wife Josie. We only planned to be in town two nights, but it’s been so fun to spend time with his family and also play tourist a little bit in Creed’s hometown.
“Are you ready to tell them?” Creed wraps me in a hug, gently placing his hand on my stomach, knowing everyone else is in the living room— relaxing with a cookie and hot cocoa while our three crazy boys play with their new gifts.
I smile. It took me awhile to get used to the idea of having another baby. And then when we found out we were expecting, we decided to keep the news to ourselves for a while to make sure everything went ok.
But now we’re ready to share.
“Now or never.” I tilt my head up and kiss my amazingly supportive husband.
We hold hands and walk back into the family room where everyone else is gathered.
“Mom, we just remembered we have one more gift for you. Here ya go.” Creed hands a small gift over to his mom.
“Oh, my!” Marla has always loved receiving gifts, so you can see the pure joy on her face. “You boys spoil me way too much.”
She unwraps the small package one piece of tape at a time. I’m grateful she takes her time because it gives the kids time to realize what’s going on and start paying attention.
“What a delicate little box,” Marla exclaims as she gets through the wrapping paper.
But as she opens the box, her jaw drops, and the room goes silent.
“Mom, are you ok?” Cade asks, clearly unsure about what is going on. He looks at his big brother, his face puzzled and confused by his mom’s silence.
Marla holds up a small pink ornament with the words Girl Grandma engraved on it. Everyone goes silent as they try to figure out what she’s holding.
Recognition first hits for Cade. He bounds across the room, nearly tackling Creed in his excitement. “Making me an uncle again? Way to go, man!”
“Easy there, dude. Not all of us play professional football!” Creed laughs while rubbing the shoulder his brother just ran into.
That’s when the boys realize what the announcement is. Bart is nothing but smiles. But Jim and Rowan are a flurry of immediate excitement.
A new baby. A little SISTER?! Wow— I’m going to be more than ten years older. A SISTER!!
We figured the boys would be on board, but my eyes fill with tears at their excitement. The age gap has me terrified in some ways but thrilled in others.
Rowan runs over and wraps me up in a hug, then pulls back nearly as quickly. “I can still hug you, right, Mom? I won’t hurt my sister?”
“Of course you can hug me, buddy.”
His arms immediately go back to their previous squeeze.
Marla walks over and wraps her arms around me. “I’m so glad to be a grandma again! This is the best Christmas present ever. Thank you!”
Then she turns to Creed, slugs him in the shoulder, and they hug one another as well. “Congrats, son. I’m so happy for you!”
When everyone has calmed down, we remind the boys that we’ll be leaving tomorrow after lunch. After getting them all settled into their makeshift beds for the night, we decide to head outside to Marla’s front porch to enjoy one last cup of hot cocoa before bed.
As I lean up against Creed with him resting his hand on my growing belly, I can’t help but think of everything we have. Warmth, laughter, and love. This used to be something neither of us thought we would truly find again, but now it’s everything we refuse to let go of.