Epilogue
CASSIDY
TWO MONTHS LATER
Istare in shock horror at the very obvious marriage certificate glaring back at me. “Olivia, you didn’t,” I groan.
My sister appears on the screen, eyes wide with shock and fear. “I did.”
Beside me, curled into my side with a bag of Doritos, Cleo looks up at me. “Was it another cowboy?” she asks, totally serious.
Arlo and Caleb look up from their video game. “Wait, what?” Arlo asks, jumping from the other sofa. “What did Aunt Olivia do now?”
Olivia smacks her face. “Your aunt made a huge mistake while we were with Cousin Lennon. Nothing to be worried about.”
My sister gives me a look like I should have warned her the whole family was here, but, hey, how the hell was I supposed to know she’d be showing me her very real, very valid wedding certificate to a man named Ford? Like, who names their kid that?
“What are you going to do about your…mistake?” I ask.
She drops her hand, moving to where baby Christopher lies in his crib. She flips the camera around so we can see him. The little dude is wide awake, grinning, and has no idea his mother just gave him an accidental stepdaddy.
Look, mistakes run in our family. For me, getting knocked up twice by accident and falling in love with a man I just met.
For Olivia, it’s getting knocked up and then accidentally married in Vegas.
Hopefully, our children don’t follow in our footsteps.
“I don’t have time to find two different men,” Olivia says finally, flipping the camera back to her face so I can see the distress marring her features. “I still need to find Chris’s father.”
“You also need to find Ford and get an annulment,” I reply seriously. “You have his full name. That should be relatively simple to do.”
Olivia chews her lip as she runs a hand through her messy hair. “You’re right. I’m getting nowhere with his father.” She stops and sighs. “You know what’s weird?”
“What?” I ask as Caleb and Arlo return to their video game quietly. It amazes me how quickly my children pulled him into their lives and how much they already adore him. I thought there would be more pushback, but I suppose they’ve always had a man in the house.
“Obviously, I should never get drunk again,” Olivia mutters. “But I could have sworn he reminded me of the cowboy.”
I sit up a little straighter and try to rack my brain over what happened that night. I can’t account for what happened the first time, but the party?
“Cowboy hats make them all look the same,” I reply slowly.
“Yeah, but there was just something about him that seemed familiar. I don’t know. Maybe that’s why we ran off and…did what we did. But at least I think I know where he is.”
“Where?” Cleo asks, absolutely engrossed in the gossip.
“A dude ranch in Texas,” Olivia says. “He’s on their website for staff. Ford Greyson. Ranch hand. Looks like my supposed husband. Maybe it is him. And Cass? He’s close. Like, same county.”
Looking over at Caleb, I feel a pressure in my chest. “Go get him. And good luck.”
Hopefully a happily ever after also runs in our family, too.