25. Epilogue
Six Years Later
Ryker
Don’t ever let anyone fool you into thinking that planning an extravagant party for a hyperactive little boy is everything dreams are made up of. Every single time I think I’ve got the details down, Nico walks up and gives me a brand new thing to worry about.
At first, he said he couldn’t live with himself if there wasn’t a huge bounce house at his party—something his friends would apparently “freak out” over—and he needed to stay in the cool crowd.
I handled that, feeling proud of myself, and then he came up to me and told me that he’d lose all credibility if there wasn’t a huge monster truck cake. He even went into specifics—he wants a big orange monster truck on the top, with small monster trucks cruising along the bottom to show how big of a deal he is.
Now, after pouring over every last detail, he tells me monster trucks are no longer interesting to him and he wants everything to be Minecraft-themed.
Minecraft.
I’m supposed to change everything for a party that’s in four days because my son has since decided that it’s not what he’s interested in anymore. I want nothing more than to deny his request and explain to him that I put my time and effort into planning the monster truck party, but I can’t bring myself to let him down.
If Wren were in here, she’d cave as soon as he looked up at her with those big puppy dog eyes – at least I have a little more restraint than that.
Nico is looking at me expectantly, after I got the decorations put together in front of me, and I sigh. “Bud, I thought you wanted the monster trucks?”
He grumbles like he’s the adult and I’m the kid, then crosses his arms with a frown. “I want Minecraft, Daddy.” I know it’s coming, which is why I wait until he pokes his bottom lip out in a pout that has my heart cracking and let him say, “Pretty please, Daddy?”
How could I possibly say no to that?
Just as I go to give in to him, Wren walks through the door with bags dangling from her fingers and our daughter clutching her hand like she’s in need of saving.
Nico has always been our more outgoing child, loving the attention, but Nicole is the complete opposite of that.
Nicole is the type to hide behind our legs when a stranger even starts walking in our direction. She only speaks animatedly with a few people—Wren’s family and my best friends. Anyone else is completely off-limits to her.
I smile at my little girl, her red curls bouncing right along with her as she rushes over to my outstretched arms and jumps onto my lap. “Hey there, pretty girl, you have fun shopping with mommy?”
“She let me get a new baby doll!” I watch with my mouth dropped open in amazement as Nicole pulls her new dolly from the bag and dangles it in front of me, that toothy grin making my heart immediately warm up. “I think I’m going to name her Lily, do you like that name?”
Nico is coming up on six years old, with Nicole following closely behind him at almost five. Once we had our son, it didn’t take long for Wren to get yet another positive pregnancy test and we took in the news with happiness.
I never thought I’d see myself with a house full of kids, but as Wren walks over to me and her swollen stomach brushes against my bicep, I know there’s no other place I’d rather be. I’d have an entire football team as long as Wren was the one at my side to wrangle them together.
“We’ve got an issue,” I mumble to her after brushing our lips together in a slow kiss. Even to this day, I can’t get over the way tingles erupt through my veins when she touches me.
Wren cocks a brow, then smirks. “Let me guess, another change?”
“Oh, big time,” I mumble, then wave a hand at Wren while looking at Nico. "Why don’t you tell Mommy what kind of party you want now?”
Nico smiles wide, and the excitement rolls off him in waves, giving me more of a reason not to open my mouth and deny his wish. It’s his birthday after all, who shouldn’t get what they wish for?
“Minecraft!”
Wren chuckles like she knew this was going to happen all along, and she shrugs her shoulders. “Well, the boy has spoken, Daddy.”
I shove what I’ve been working on aside and roll my eyes while already thinking of decorations to match a Minecraft theme instead.
A loud knock on the front door has me stealing a glance at Wren with a raised brow, asking her silently if she invited someone over – we normally have a weekly dinner with her family, but that isn’t another five hours or so.
She shakes her head and I rise slowly from my chair, Nicole still perched happily on my hip. My eyes widen when I see my best friends standing on the porch, smiling brightly as they catch sight of Nicole clinging to me.
“Uncle Brent, Uncle Evan! I missed you!”
Just like that, Daddy is no longer her favorite man in the room. I can’t even try to compete with it. Brent and Evan love to spoil our kids rotten. Brent easily takes Nicole while Evan takes the first step into the house with his hands tucked into the pocket of his jeans.
They look at each other, communicating with stares instead of words, and it makes me wonder if something is seriously wrong.
“We have a show tonight to help raise money for cancer, and we want you to play with us.”
Well, that’s not what I expected to hear.
Wren
It’s been six years since Ryker decided quitting the band was the best thing for him, so I know Evan’s statement is throwing him for a loop. When the silence goes on far longer than necessary, I calmly step around the corner with Nico following behind me and clear my throat.
“He’ll do it,” I say proudly.
Ryker snaps his attention to mine, raises his eyebrows, and shakes his head. “I don’t know, baby. It’s been a while.”
I roll my eyes and smirk at him. “You’ve been teaching our son how to play the guitar, and I think you’re more than prepared to play a single show.”
There are times when I can tell Ryker misses the rockstar life, especially when he’s keeping up on Brent and Evan’s career, but I also know that he feels more content staying here with me and the kids.
I can’t say I disagree because I love always having him close, but I also know that he would regret it if he turned his best friends down right now.
“Dad, come on, that would be totally cool!” Nico says from in front of him, then turns to greet uncles. “Hey, Uncle Brent and Evan.”
Evan scoffs. “That’s the greeting I get. What happened to me being the favorite uncle?”
As much as they love fighting over who the favorite uncle is, everyone knows that goes to my older brother. Elias has been nothing short of supportive ever since I called to tell him about the grand gesture Ryker made for me all those years ago and he was elated when I told him about the pregnancy.
Since then, my brother has moved back to Arizona with his own wife and kids, visiting at least once a day to make sure we have play dates.
“Listen to your kid, man,” Brent says, hugging Nicole closely when she starts pressing kisses against his cheek.
My stomach cramps, and I lean against the wall for support, squeezing my eyes shut for a moment as the feeling passes.
Braxton Hicks.
That’s all it is.
I’m only four weeks away from my due date; there’s no way the baby is coming now. I shake from my thoughts and walk over to my husband, gently placing a hand on his shoulder with a smile. “I think you’ll regret it if you don’t go. It’s only one night. What could possibly go wrong?”
Just like that, another wave of pain shoots through my stomach, and I grip Ryker’s shoulder like my life depends on it.
“Wren, baby, are you okay?”
I nod while sinking my teeth into my bottom lip to keep my mind off the pain. This close together? That can’t possibly be good. “Just need to lie down, you remember how bad Braxton Hicks was last time.”
He stares at me curiously, studying me for any signs of a lie, then nods in response. “Go lie down on the couch. I’ll bring you something quick to eat.”
Just as I sit on the edge of the couch, another contraction pulls tight at the base of my stomach, and I lean back into the couch. Once I lay back, get into a different position, and take deep breaths, everything will be okay.
I’m not in labor.
I’ve done this enough times now that I’m only fooling myself, but there’s no way our unborn child is ruining its dad’s chances of playing for the first time on stage in years.
When Ryker finally walks in with a plate of crackers, my favorite snack since getting pregnant, I scarf them down as quickly as I can before another wave of contractions hits. I groan loudly into the room, hand splayed over my belly, and everyone rushes into the room with concern.
“Just call my mom,” I grind out while squeezing Ryker’s hand. “It’s time for another baby.”
***
Just like that, after only a few hours of laying on the hospital bed while I’m hooked up to different machines, cries fill the room like the most beautiful song I’ve ever heard. I’ll never get used to the feeling of hearing those first cries or feeling my baby as the doctors splay him or her across my chest.
This time around, Ryker and I decided we wanted to wait until birth to know what we were having. We’ve already got a boy and girl, what was the point of finding out this baby’s gender? I eye our newest addition with tears in my eyes, Ryker standing next to me, smiling like he’s never been more proud, and I lean into his touch while our baby curls further into me.
There’s a blanket surrounding the baby, so I look up at the doctor expectantly, and he chuckles. “Sorry, you know I have to keep you guys in suspense.” After three kids, you learn to get more comfortable with your doctor, and his jokes show just how comfortable we’ve gotten.
“Come on, Dr. K, don’t leave me hanging,” Ryker says with a small smile, even though his eyes are entirely focused on the baby clinging to my chest.
Dr. Kirtz smiles brightly and nods toward the baby. “I’m happy to announce that you have… another little girl to care for.”
A little girl.
Nicole is going to be ecstatic. Nico, on the other hand? He’ll probably demand we have another one and tell me to make sure it’s a boy. If only it worked that way, Buddy.
When it came to baby names, Ryker and I agreed that we would change it up.
“It’s nice to meet you, our sweet Arabella,” I whisper into her hair that has yet to be washed.
I can’t even care.
This is everything I could’ve ever wanted and more.
Who would’ve thought that it would all start from simply standing on the front porch of Riker James's home to help him through his anger?
Ryker presses a quick kiss to my lips, then runs his knuckles down Arabella’s soft cheeks, and everything in the world feels right. There’s no one else I’d rather have by my side.
The End