Epilogue
Six Months Later
SLADE
“Where in the hell is this supposed to go?” Trig holds up a six-inch bolt.
Carson snatches it from his hand and shoves it into his back pocket. “Would you go find something else to do?”
“You don’t have to ask me twice.” Trig heads toward the house and grabs a beer from the cooler. He plops down in a lawn chair beside Wind, who’s manning the grill amongst an array of balloons and a Happy Birthday banner.
“Swade, catch.” Ollie throws a ball, and I extend my arm above me to keep it from going over my head. He holds his mitt out, and I lob it back. It bounces off the edge of his glove, and Grover snatches it.
“No, Gro-ver. Drop,” he says, carefully enunciating each word.
Over the past months, Ollie has made amazing progress with his speech. He still stutters when he gets excited or tired, but he’s doing so well.
“Are you finally going to get the balls and do it? It would be an excellent birthday gift to yourself.” Carson pulls the drill from his tool belt and screws in one side of a plank.
I start on the latter. “I’m getting to it. Just shut your yap and worry about your plans.” He’s not wrong. It would be a nice distraction from my birthday altogether .
“G-getting to what?” Ollie asks, tossing the ball with one hand and trying to catch it with the other.
I glare at Carson.
“Now is a good time,” he says around a screw between his lips.
I’ll wipe that smartass look off his face as soon as we are alone.
I take a deep breath, setting my drill down. “Toss me that ball. Let me see what you got.”
Ollie takes a few steps back, and he throws it, using his whole body. I have to stretch, but I catch it.
“Love Bug incoming!” Sarah sticks her head out the back door and sets Frankie down.
Frankie takes off toward us, holding a large tube of bubbles.
“Aww. We’re playing catch. I don’t want to d-do bubbles.”
“Bubbles. Bubbles.” Frankie waves the tube at me, and I squat, taking it.
“Come here, partner. Let’s see how big we can make these,” I say, and Grover barks, ready to bite them.
I pull the sticky wand out and gently wave it in the air. Grover prances as Frankie tries to grab the mass of bubbles.
“These are small,” Ollie pouts, plopping down in the grass.
“Hey, can I ask you something, man to man?”
He looks up at me. “Yeah.”
I inhale, my stomach squeezing tight. I’ve been looking for the right moment to have this conversation, but I’m beginning to think there’ll never be a perfect time.
“How would you feel about me marrying your mom?”
He blinks a couple of times, and I dip the wand into the bubbles, waiting. My heart pounds, knowing I need this little boy to want this as much as I do.
One side of his face scrunches. “Can you move all your stuff to our house?”
My shoulders stiffen, realizing I didn’t think through all the questions that might be tossed at me. “Maybe. We’ll live together here or wherever your mom and I think is best. ”
His eyes fall to the ground, and I can’t interpret the look on his downturned face. I sit beside him, and Frankie scoots backward, falling into my lap and blowing on the dripping wand.
Carson’s drill zips another screw into the playset while Ollie picks at the green grass.
“Does that mean you’ll be our d-dad?” His voice is soft and tentative.
My body relaxes a little. “If you want, or I’ll be whatever you want me to be. I’m not going anywhere. I just want to make it official with your mom. We’ll be a family.”
“Daddy,” Frankie says, trying to stick the wand in the tube. “Daddy, bwow.” She looks up at me and grins, her little nose curling up.
My chest swells with her words.
Ollie giggles. “She called you Daddy.”
I watch him, so undeserving of that title, but I will never take it for granted. “What do you think, partner?”
He shrugs, climbing to his feet. “You can be my dad. I want to be a f-family.” He says it so nonchalantly.
My body sags, clearly seeing I’ve been stressing about nothing. Now, I just need Sarah to marry me.
“Can we play catch now?” Ollie pats the ball into his glove.
“Ol, throw me that ball,” Trig hollers. “Maybe those two can actually get your swings up sometime today.”
“Wait, Ol.” I stop him, and he turns. “What we talked about is just between us for now, ok?”
He frowns, and his head drops to the side. “Is this like Mama’s s-secret about the baby?”
I stare at him as his eyes grow wide.
“Oopsie.” He grins, his shoulders hunching up to his ears. “S-s-sorry.” He turns, running toward Trig and throwing the ball.
I can’t move. My heart might have stopped beating. I look around, wondering if anyone else heard what I just heard. Baby ?
“Looked pretty serious over here. How did it go?” Carson’s boots stop beside me.
I glance down at Frankie, who is blowing spit more than bubbles.
She twists, holding it up to my lips. “Daddy, bwow.” That word strikes me square in the chest as her cheeks puff out with air.
“Not good?” Carson asks, sounding concerned.
My heart finally kicks back into rhythm, and my skin prickles with heat. I lift Frankie, handing her to Carson and climbing to my feet.
He scoops her up. “Well, hey, little darlin’. You want to help me hang these swings?”
I charge toward the house. Baby. What the hell? Maybe this is a joke, or he misunderstood.
My heart pounds with each step, and I rip the back door open, stepping inside.
My eyes roam over Sarah, looking for any clue. I inhale and hold it, needing to squash all hope and possible elation.
Sarah glances at me and returns to rinsing something. “Oh, hey. Krissy will be late. She got called in to work.”
Millie steps around me with a giant bowl of fruit. “I’ll check with Wind to see how much longer for the ribs.”
Sarah scrubs a pan. “Can you get the—”
I move toward her, hitting the water off and pulling her to the side.
“Hey! What are you—”
I grab her waist and set her on the counter.
“Ok. Hello. What’s happening? We have a house full of people. We cannot—”
I stand between her legs, bracing both hands on the counter, getting eye level. “Is there something you need to tell me?” It comes out a little ragged and growly. I don’t mean for it to, but dammit, I need to know.
Her chin tips up a little, her eyes avoiding mine. “Umm.”
“Sarah, you know I hate secrets. ”
Her eyes meet mine as she twirls a finger through the end of my hair, flipping out from under my hat. “But what if this is a good one?” she whispers.
“Sarah.”
Her head tilts to the side, her eyelids dropping. “What specifically are you asking me?”
My head falls forward, and I groan.
Her hands lift my face back up to hers. “Fine. I might have something to tell you, but your birthday is still a couple of days away, and I—”
My heart starts pounding again. “I need you to tell me now. Are we having a baby?”
Her shoulders sag. “That little stinker. I knew he heard me talking to Roxie.”
I straighten as hope explodes from my heart through my body. “When did this happen?”
“Well, you were definitely there. Could have been that one time in the shower, or maybe when you didn’t—”
“How sure are you?”
She pushes her lips to the side, thinking as adrenaline soars through my body. I need a fan and an answer.
“I’m late. It’s. . .a maybe.” Her eyes flick between mine. “But my boobs are sore and growing, I’ve puked a few times at work, and I can’t stand the smell of cheese.” She shivers as if she got a whiff of it.
“What do we need to do to be sure?”
She slides her arms around my neck, pulling me close. “How about patience?” She tries to distract me, nipping at my bottom lip.
“I have none of that,” I growl.
She laughs, her head falling to my shoulder. “I grabbed a test from the clinic on my way out yesterday, but I was waiting for your birthday. So it would be great if you could forget this little conversation for just a few days. ”
“No, let’s go.” I scoop her off the counter, and she wraps her legs around me.
“Slade Bennett, you are a total party pooper.”
“I let you put balloons outside.”
She laughs. “You’re so generous.”
I set her down just outside the bathroom door, and she peers up at me with those eyes that see straight through me. “Are you suuurrrre you don’t want to wait?” she pleads.
I pull her close, angling my head and kissing her. Her arms swing around my neck, tugging me closer. She hangs onto me, but I pull away.
“Fine,” she says breathlessly and slips into the bathroom.
Thirty seconds later, the door swings open, and she sits on the edge of the bed.
“Five minutes, you wild beast. So much for my surprise.” She sets the timer on her phone.
I look down at her, knowing I’m already the luckiest man. I hear Frankie’s sweet voice calling me daddy, and Ollie hugging me tight and making sure I’ll be here when he wakes up.
My throat swells as my chest fills with awe at somehow getting to be a part of their lives.
I move in front of her and drop to my knees.
I wait for her gaze to meet mine. “You, Sarah, are the absolute best surprise of my life. Every day I get to be here with you and Ollie and Frankie, it’s a gift I’ll never take for granted. I want nothing more than just this. The three of you.”
She blinks quickly, her head falling to the side.
I spread my hand over her stomach. “If there’s a little life in here, my love will only stretch that much further.”
She sniffs as her eyes well with tears, and my throat grows dry.
“I need you to marry me,” I say clearly. “I don’t care what the test shows, and if you don’t want to do that again, I’m still going to be here. I’m already yours in every way that matters, and all three of you are mine. I need you all the time, but I’d really like for you to also be my wife.”
Her lip quivers, and she smiles as tears roll down her cheeks. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Please say yes.” I brush her cheeks with my thumbs. “I already told Ollie we’d be a family, and Frankie just called me daddy. And regardless of whether we made a baby or not, I can’t be without you. Ever.”
She leans forward, bringing her forehead to mine. “There was no question in there, Bossy Pants.”
The timer goes off, and I smile.
“Sarah, will you marry me? Please.” I whisper.
Her salty lips brush against mine. “I’d marry you this very minute.”
The timer continues to chime.
My chest inflates with hope, joy, and wonder for all that will be.
“You ready?” she asks, holding my face.
“I’m always ready with you.”
She grins and releases me, then goes into the bathroom and returns with the little stick.
I push to my feet.
Those different-colored eyes meet mine, and she bites her bottom lip. I hook an arm around her and snatch her off the floor. Her arms squeeze my neck, and my eyes burn with tears.
“I love you,” I whisper.
She sniffs. “I love you, too. So much.”
We stay wrapped together for a long moment before she pulls away, wiping her face.
“Did Frankie really call you daddy?”
I nod.
“I missed it,” she whines.
“I asked Ollie about marrying you, but this is not how I planned it,” I admit.
“You planned something?” Her mouth turns downward.
I exhale. “Yes. I wanted to ask you at the shop. ”
She swipes at her eyes. “Wait, was this going to include you calling me an asshole again? If so, I would have definitely said yes.” There’s a twinkle in that blue eye that makes my heart swell with pride that this woman will be mine. Forever.
I kiss her, unable to believe this will be the rest of my life.
“We should probably get back to your party,” she says against my lips.
“Do we have to?” I slide my hands to her butt.
She pulls away, swatting me. “Yes. They’re probably already thinking we’re doing other things in here.”
“So.” I stay put, needing a second to be sure this is all real, but she grabs my hand.
“Come on.” She tugs me. “We have lots to celebrate, but just so you know, we’re going to the courthouse as soon as possible to make this legit.”
I smile, so ready for this.
“Now, since you got your surprise early, you have to have a good attitude when we play birthday games later.”
“I’m not playing any games, Sarah.”
She links her fingers with mine, ignoring me. “Hey, if it’s a boy, how do you feel about the name Simba?”