Epilogue
SUMMER
“T hat’s the last of it,” Daisy said as she stepped back and looked around.
She’d just set a box full of dishes on the stack near the doorway. We’d been here almost a week, and I still hadn’t gotten to that group of boxes yet.
I grabbed both our coffee mugs and walked over to Daisy. I held her mug out to her.
“Decaf?” she asked as she took it and turned to check out the living room area of the newly built cabin.
I was six months pregnant with our second child, while Daisy had already had her third—a girl who was sleeping in her carrier in the guest bedroom. That meant Daisy could carry the boxes I wasn’t allowed to lift.
“Yep.” I took a sip from my mug and felt immediately comforted by the warm liquid. “I can still make you a caffeinated version, though. Ryder can’t live without his caffeine.”
I knew she’d opted for decaf because I couldn’t have caffeine. That was the kind of friend she was.
“It’s coming together,” Daisy said. “I know it doesn’t seem like it, but next thing you know, you’ll be unpacking the last box and wondering how you’re already done.”
“I can’t wait for that day.”
I plopped down on the sofa and she joined me, both of us holding our mugs. “Thank you for spending your day off helping me,” I said.
“Hey, we have to stick together.” She hid her smile behind the mug, taking her first slow sip, then lowered it to her lap. “Besides, you helped me when we moved to a bigger place.”
“Did you imagine when you invited me here to help out with your daycare that I’d end up married to someone on your husband’s logging crew?”
“Not just his crew, but one of his military buddies,” she said. “And yeah, I kind of did.”
I frowned. “You knew I’d end up with Ryder?”
“There weren’t that many single guys on the crew at the time. But I immediately thought of you when I first met him. There was something about him that made it seem like you two would make the perfect couple.”
“And you didn’t tell me?” I rested my hand on my belly and set my coffee mug on the table next to me. “That’s a little underhanded.”
“I don’t think you mind.”
She was right. I didn’t mind.
Almost a decade of marriage and we were happier than ever. Our son Teddy was already in elementary school. My current pregnancy had come after a couple of years of going back and forth over whether we wanted to add another family member. In the end, we just couldn’t resist.
The only bad thing about it was we needed to move to a bigger cabin. And that’s why we had this four-bedroom, two-story log home built just down the road from Daisy and Axel. We were looking forward to our kids spending even more time hanging out. That would make our frequent get-togethers easier.
“I think they’re here,” Daisy said. Jumping to her feet, she walked over and peered out the blinds. “Yep. Brace for chaos.”
I couldn’t help but notice Daisy set her cup on the table next to where she’d been sitting. She knew a whirlwind was about to blow through those doors and her coffee mug could go flying as a result.
Sure enough, the door to the relatively quiet cabin burst open and in ran not one, not two, but three boys—two belonging to Daisy and Axel and one belonging to us.
I took a deep breath and held it as I waited for my body to adjust to the sudden shift. I loved having the chaos our kids brought, but quiet was nice too—especially as tired as moving while six months pregnant had made me.
“We’re home!” Ryder announced as he came through the door.
He was practically laughing, knowing he’d just made an unnecessary announcement. But I was smiling by then too. As always, the second I saw him, peace settled over me. Everything was going to be just fine.
“Did they win?” Daisy asked quietly.
The kids were in the kitchen by then. The two oldest boys were going through the fridge while Daisy’s youngest stood behind, watching.
“No,” Axel said, closing the door behind him.
He stepped around us to give his wife a hug and kiss, even though we’d all just seen each other a couple of hours ago. It was ridiculous. Both couples were staring at each other like we’d been separated for days.
“It’s all good, though,” Ryder said. “The boys are learning good sportsmanship.”
“We’re going to win the next one,” Daisy and Axel’s oldest, Sebastian, called out from the kitchen.
Oh, crap. They’d overheard.
“Of course you are,” Axel said. “We’re going to work on that swing.”
“Daisy brought in those boxes from my car.” I gestured toward the stack against the wall. “I know it looks like I’m not making progress. One box out, two boxes in.”
“You’re doing a great job,” Ryder said. “And I’m going to pitch in and unpack the plates and glasses.”
I sucked in a breath. This was where I had to get over the control freak side of myself. I wanted to be the one to put those away. I knew exactly where they had to go.
But I was six months pregnant and bending over was getting more challenging. Besides, some of those cabinets were out of my reach, and the last thing I needed to be doing right now was climbing up on a stepladder or a chair.
“You know what?” Daisy asked. “How about I stay and help Summer, and you guys go do guy stuff.”
“Bonus points if you take the kids,” I whispered.
Axel and Ryder exchanged a look. I knew what was behind that look. They were eager to go do guy stuff, but the kids brought an extra wrinkle.
“There is that movie they were wanting to see,” Ryder said, glancing at me.
Daisy and I exchanged a look. That was why she would always be my best friend. Ryder got me in a way nobody else ever had, but Daisy was second to that. Besides, in situations like this, sometimes you just needed another woman on your side.
“I’ll go rustle up some lunch while we look up movie times,” Axel said.
“I’ll go with you,” Daisy said.
She all but gave me a wink as she walked away. She knew what I needed right now was a few seconds alone with my husband.
Alone was subjective, though. This cabin was wide open. Everyone in the kitchen could see and hear anything we said. Luckily, they were being so noisy, it was doubtful they were paying a bit of attention to us, let alone noticing we were still here.
“How’s the little girl?” Ryder asked, putting a hand on my belly.
Yes, we were having a girl. We were over-the-moon happy about that, and his expression showed it.
That reverence always got to me. It was hard to believe at one time he thought he’d never have kids. He was one of the best fathers in town, and that was saying a lot. As soon as he saw our first baby on the ultrasound, his perspective changed completely. He loved his son more than life itself, and he already had that same love for our unborn daughter.
“Everything’s great,” I said. “I just get tired easily. It sucks when I have so much I want to get done.”
“There’s no hurry. The kids’ beds are set up. Our bed’s set up. We have most of the stuff we need to get through the day.”
I gestured to indicate the stacks of boxes next to us. “But I can’t cook until I find the pots and pans.”
“You know what?” He walked over to them and put a hand on one. “I don’t mind looking through them, but I think it’s a good excuse not to cook for a while. I’ll take care of dinner tonight.”
“Tacos from The Spicy Sombrero?” I asked, my stomach leaping to attention at the thought.
“Of course,” Ryder said. “If my wife wants tacos, by God, she’ll get tacos.”
“Dad, can we have tacos?” Teddy asked.
I smiled at Ryder. “See what you started?”
So much for thinking we weren’t being overheard. It was a good thing we were discussing tacos, not something racy like what we’d done at the tiki bar on vacation last summer.
“Come on over,” I called over to Daisy. “We’ll have tacos and watch a movie.”
“Speaking of movies,” Ryder said, “we’d better get these kids fed and hit the road so you two can work your magic.”
I smiled at my husband. We made a good team. He was doing a lot of work at the old cabin to get it ready to sell, and once he finished there, he’d be working on the landscaping here.
He started to head back to the kitchen but stopped, turned, and gave me a sweet kiss. It was a kiss that the three boys could see. All three said, “Eww!” at once.