Epilogue
Joshua | Three years later
" W e present to you this year's graduating class. Congratulations graduates!"
Our row was the first to stand up and the loudest to scream as Cassidy and her class tossed their graduation caps into the air.
"I hope she doesn't lose it, I worked really hard on that," Maddie complained. She did spend all week bedazzling it with all our names.
"I'm sure we'll find it," I assured her.
"Yay! Go mama!" Parker stood on his chair pumping his hands.
"Settle down, brat," Cole said poking his stomach and tickling him.
Parker broke out into a fit of giggles.
"That's weak," Sadie said. "If you're going to tickle, Park. You gotta really get in there."
Sadie, Cole's girlfriend, jabbed her fingers into both his sides and Parker lost it.
I think hearing Parker's giggles is how Cassidy was able to find us in the crowd.
"Here she comes," I told the kids. "Do the horns!"
They all grabbed their fog horns and blasted them. People freaked out all around us but Cassidy just laughed. She saw us and ran straight to us jumping into my arms. She didn't hesitate to kiss me. Even knowing how Parker would react.
"Eww," Parker gagged.
"Oh stop it," Cassidy told him, taking her turn to tickle the boy.
"Alright, honeymooners. It's time to go," Keelan said. "I got the rascals. You need to get out of here before it gets too late."
I used to believe that the worst things in life always happened to me in threes.
But ever since those kids came into my life—three hasn't been too bad.
Three kids brought me one woman. One woman I might've never seen if it weren't for the light and love that radiated from her because of them.
Cassidy laughed in my face when I asked her a year ago if she'd like a big wedding once she graduated.
She said the last thing she needed in her life was somethingso obnoxious when she already had everything she wanted. But there was one thing she wanted on our honeymoon.
We eloped. In a small courthouse near Savannah. That's why Keelan flew up. He was our witness.
The kids were there too. Mom and Oliver were coming later. So Keelan also offered to be our sitter for the weekend.
The next week, I played him and the Heatwave boys in Houston. I wasn't looking forward to having to kick their asses. I'd rather not have to. But it's the game we play. And to be honest, we kicked each other's asses even when we were on the same team.
Friends are good for that.
Wives are too, apparently.
So with Keelan watching the kids. Cassidy and I drove up to do the thing she had wanted to do for so long.
"Oh what's wrong? You scared I might be better at something than you?"
I scoffed. "Are you kidding me? You do realize I'm the one that taught you, Princess?"
She revved the engine on her fully remodeled '86 Corolla that Cole fixed up.
I matched her revs with those of my own.
We glared at each other through our open windows. She blew me a kiss, just before the lights on the track went from red to yellow to green and we took off.
On the back of her car window it said Jus t. The back of mine said Married .
And we drifted off into the sunset…
There's a knock on the closet door.
"Babe, are you talking to yourself again?"
I look at the three babies laying on the pillows in front of me and put my finger to my lips.
"Uh… no. Why would you think that?" I make a she's crazy signal with my finger and my daughter coos in agreement.
Cassidy opens the door and sees us all huddled in the closet.
"What are you doing? We've been looking everywhere for you guys."
"I was telling them our story."
"Well hopefully you left out the parts they don't need to hear."
She bends down and picks up Ainsley and smooths out her dress. I get Brennan and Cooper, looking dapper in their tiny baby suits.
"Ah, they'll be okay."
"Well, we need to go. Keelan's going to be so pissed that we're late."
"Are you kidding me? We've waited forever for this. He can wait five minutes."
"Josh… we're thirty minutes late."
"Oh shit! Yeah, let's go. Rina's gonna ream our asses!"
The love doesn’t end here…
If you love these characters—go read Ryker and Izzy’s story in Pucked Together .
It’s a brother’s best friend, grumpy goalie meets sassy team photographer romance with all the laughs and love from our Heatwave boys.