Epilogue
HUNTER
“This is nothing like prenatal class.” The thought slips out before I can stop myself, loud over the chaos of beeping monitors, nurses moving like lightning, Ivy’s guttural cry echoing through the delivery room.
“Shut up!” Rhett, Landon, and Ivy all snap at me in unison.
I wince, raise my hands in surrender, but my heart’s thundering so hard I swear it might shake the floor.
She’s pushing. Our girl. Sweat slicks her temples, her hair plastered to her forehead, her nails digging crescents into my bruised knuckles. I don’t care if she breaks the skin. I’ll give her my whole damn hand if it helps.
Brooke is here, steady and calm, a hand on Ivy’s shoulder, murmuring encouragement because she’s been here before. She’s radiant, strong, the exact kind of presence Ivy needs when everything feels impossible.
Her husbands are outside with Chloe, wrangling sugar and bedtime, standing guard like the family we’ve all become.
“You’re almost there, Ivy,” the doctor urges. “One more push.”
Her scream rips through me, but the sound that follows?
The tiny, raw cry of life.
Our first baby.
I don’t even realize I’m crying until my vision blurs. Rhett’s hand lands heavy on my back, Landon’s voice breaks on a laugh, and Ivy collapses against the pillows, sobbing and smiling at once.
The nurse places a wriggling, pink, furious bundle on her chest. Ivy’s arms come up instantly, instinctively, her tears dripping onto our daughter’s cheeks.
“She’s perfect,” Ivy whispers, voice wrecked but reverent. “She’s perfect.”
And because my mouth moves faster than my brain, I blurt, “We got you a beach house for the push present.”
The room freezes.
Rhett groans. Landon drops his face into his hands. Ivy blinks up at me, laughter breaking through her tears. “What?”
“Shit,” I mutter, trying to backpedal. “Surprise? I was supposed to wait—dammit, this is like the custody papers for Chloe all over again. And the baby shower. I swear I’m not built for secrets.”
Ivy’s laugh breaks into a sob, but it’s happy. She kisses the baby’s head, her voice trembling. “You’re ridiculous. But I love you.”
I press my bruised knuckles into her palm again when the next contraction hits. My knuckles—busted from last night’s game against the Rangers.
We won in overtime, Rhett and I grinding out a brutal third period that left me bleeding and grinning. Now my fingers ache, but I let her squeeze.
Let her break me. I’d give her every bone in my body if it meant she didn’t have to hurt alone.
She pushes again. And again.
Another cry splits the room.
Our second baby. A boy this time—tiny fists already flailing like he’s ready for his first fight. Rhett takes him, tears running down his face, before laying him gently in Ivy’s arms beside his sister.
“Two down,” Landon murmurs, kissing Ivy’s damp forehead. “One more to go.”
Ivy groans, exhausted but determined. “Three babies. You guys owe me so much jewelry.”
“We’ll buy you a whole damn island,” Rhett mutters, his forehead pressed to hers.
Another contraction tears through her. I grip her hand. She squeezes until my vision sparks.
And then the third cry. Softer, higher, but strong.
Another girl.
Three babies. Three perfect, impossible miracles.
The nurses clean them, swaddle them, tuck them into Ivy’s waiting arms. She looks like something holy—hair wild, gown damp with sweat, face flushed, eyes shining brighter than I’ve ever seen. Our babies nestled against her chest, her lips pressing desperate kisses to their downy heads.
“They’re beautiful,” she whispers, broken and whole all at once. “Oh my god, they’re so beautiful.”
Landon names the boy first. “Gabriel. Gabe for short.”
Rhett strokes the dark fuzz on the smallest girl’s head. “This one’s Lila.”
I look at the firstborn, the one who screamed loudest, who latched to Ivy’s chest like she already owned the world. My throat burns. “And this one? Her name’s Maya.”
Ivy repeats them, her voice soft and reverent. “Maya. Gabriel. Lila.” Tears slip down her cheeks. “Our babies.”
I press my mouth to her temple, unable to hold it in anymore. “Marry us, Ivy.”
The room stills. She tilts her head, wide-eyed, blinking through the tears.
“What?”
“Marry us,” I say again, firmer this time, my hand cupping her cheek. “Not later. Not someday. Now. We’re already yours. Make it official. Marry us.”
Landon nods instantly, his voice hoarse. “Yes. Ivy, I need you. Forever.”
Rhett kisses her hand. “Please say yes.”
Her breath stutters. Her eyes close, then open, and the smile that breaks across her face is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.
“Yes,” she whispers.
“Yes?” I choke out.
“Yes,” she repeats, louder this time, joy ringing through the tears. “Yes. A thousand times, yes.”
We’re all crying. Every single one of us. Brooke’s sobbing in the corner, muttering something about “true love” while dabbing her face with a tissue.
Ivy cradles the babies closer. “This is everything. You’re everything. I love you. I love all of you.”
And I swear my heart has never felt this full.
Our family. Our future. Our forever.
The beach house. The babies. Our upcoming nuptials. The whole damn messy, beautiful, impossible dream… ours.
Happily ever after.
The end.