Epilogue
A MONTH LATER…
The click of a lock makes my eyes snap open. Quiet giggles follow as well as an attempt at whispering.
“You’re going to wake her,” Liv whisper-yells, outside of my door.
“Guys?” I call out, stretching my arms before getting up. “What’s going on?”
“Happy birthday, Mom! Don’t worry about anything. Relax and we’ll let you out when we’re ready,” Asher sing-songs.
Let me out?
I grip the doorknob, only to realize what the sound that woke me up was. They’ve locked me in.
“What if I’m thirsty?” I ask them.
“Check your nightstand,” Liv responds, with excitement in her voice.
A cup of coffee sits on it, a small plate of cookies next to it. Fuck, they’ve thought about everything.
“Good thing I have a bathroom here,” I yell, and hear a deep, manly chuckle from the other side of the door .
“What do you expect me to do?” I aim the question at him, since he’s the only adult on the other side.
“Enjoy yourself. Read a little.” His shrug is practically audible.
I groan out, “Fine.” I plop my ass back onto the bed. The giggles reappear before disappearing fully.
I guess it’s time to relax. They made the coffee how I like it, so I take a few sips before opening the book I was reading last night.
I can’t remember the last time I had the morning to relax.
Mornings are typically a rush from the moment I open my eyes with making breakfast, preparing lunches, and getting myself and the kids ready to get out. But today, I get to enjoy the peace.
Searching my brain for the best use of this time, I decide on a bath.
I luxuriate in the warm water with a book in hand, feeling like I’m in a parallel universe.
A part of me fears what awaits me when I get out.
Logan’s great with Liv and Ash, but he’s not trained.
He’s not a parent. And they outnumber him two to one.
I perk my ears, trying to hear if someone is screaming or crying, but nothing comes.
Finally, the water turns cold, so I get out and dry myself with a soft towel before rubbing scented lotion on my legs.
Not sure how much time has passed, but I’m dressed and ready when the lock finally clicks and the door bursts open.
“Happy birthday!” Asher screams before jumping into my embrace. Liv follows behind while Logan leans on the doorway, looking sexy in his workout clothes.
When Liv and Ash get off the bed, he approaches, pulling me in for a kiss. A kid-appropriate kiss that still leaves me hot and flustered.
Pretending we’re only friends lasted four full days. Then we shared the whole truth with the kids. He told them how much he loved me, how much he loved all of us, and I barely kept my tears at bay.
“Ready?” he whispers into my hair. My skin tingles.
“For what? ”
The only response I get is a smirk, but I take his hand and follow him downstairs. We pass the kitchen, which is a mess, but I see the breakfast served on the dining table.
Saliva pools in my mouth and I realize I’m hungry. But Asher jumps in front of me. “Do you want to see your surprise first?”
“Isn’t this it?” I ask, pointing to the table.
“Noo.” He rolls his eyes as if I’m ridiculous and leads me outside to the deck.
I don’t notice right away, but as he pulls my hand in the right direction, I realize there’s an addition to the barbeque and dining area.
Suspended from an arch supporting the roof are two mesh reading chairs, adorned with comfy pillows.
The roof is just long enough for it to be comfortable in the rain as well.
And the chairs can spin around to face either the fire pit or the woods.
In front of it, there’s a playground. It’s not huge, but it has a climbing wall, a rope ladder, a small tree fort on the top, and a tire swing.
Asher’s already climbing up to the fort, obviously thrilled.
“It was their idea,” Logan says.
Liv stands proudly next to the reading chairs, waiting for my reaction.
Tears appear in the corner of my eyes. “This is amazing,” I mutter out.
She chose the reading chairs so we could read together.
My moody pre-teen gave me the best gift ever—the gift of knowing she still wants to hang out with me.
Asher chose a gift for himself, but in that, he gave me the gift of peace, which is amazing on its own.
I can comfortably read in my chair and know he’s close by, enjoying the playground.
I pull Liv into a tight hug, and she melts into me, hugging me back.
“How did you do all this?” I ask Logan, my eyes glossy.
“Well, we were preparing for it for a while. Liv mentioned the idea while I was still working on the deck.”
I pull him into the hug with us. The idyllic, romantic moment breaks when my stomach grumbles .
“Asher, time to eat!” Logan calls him, and he listens in an instant.
The bacon, eggs, and pancakes they prepared are still warm and so delicious. Even Asher is silent, his loud chewing the only sound breaking the silence.
“I’m stuffed,” I say, placing a hand on my stomach.
I’d love to lounge around the rest of the day, but foolishly, I invited my sister and her family for a birthday hang out, which means I need to get to work. Inhaling deeply, I get up from the chair, steeling myself for everything that needs to be done, but Logan pulls me back down.
“Relax,” he says.
“Thank you for everything. But I really need to start cooking before the others arrive.”
“I’ve got it.” He presses a kiss to my forehead, something that never gets old, and heads to the kitchen. “Liv, Ash! We have work to do.”
They follow him immediately, taking their empty plates with them.
It’s then I realize the kitchen isn’t a mess.
Well, it’s messy, but not with dirty dishes and trash.
It’s messy with food prep. I watch in awe as he delegates age-appropriate tasks to Liv and Ash, preparing a feast. He consults his phone a few times, making me giggle, but he looks completely in control.
The meat’s marinating, and they’ve got three different sides and salads all ready.
I head to grab another coffee, but Ash stops me. “You’re not allowed in the kitchen today.”
I glance at Liv, and she nods. Logan repeats the same. Sighing, I get out and Logan hands me a fresh cup.
“Could you, umm, go somewhere else for a while?” he asks, sounding flustered, which is completely adorable.
“Sure.” I smirk, fully confident he has control over whatever is happening here.
Not sure what to do with myself, I get comfortable on the couch with my Kindle .
The doorbell startles me from the book I’m engulfed in. By the time I get up, Asher has already opened the door to let Sandy, Liam, and Stella in.
“Happy birthday, sis! Another year that you’re older than me,” she says cheerfully, and I slap her shoulder, making her chuckle.
She lands a smacking kiss on my cheek while Liam rolls his eyes at her antics.
“Happy birthday, Sadie,” he says, hugging me.
Liam is a handsome guy that treats my sister great, worshipping the ground she walks on. I, naturally, love him for it.
Logan and he share a man-hug. We’ve been hanging out a lot, the four of us, and the guys became great friends.
Liv and Ash are our servers for the night, wearing their best clothes and taking our orders. Some wine spills from my glass as Asher brings it to me, making me chuckle. The day passes in laughter and friendly chatter, so unlike any birthday I’ve ever had.
I didn’t care for birthdays much before. Mostly, it meant I got to do a ton of extra work for a couple of lame presents. Whether it was my birthday or David’s, Ash’s, or Liv’s birthday, it was pretty much the same for me. There was no difference to the day. Only extra work.
But this one was something else. I got to relax and enjoy it with my favorite people in the world. I guess thirty-seven is the charm.
Sandy and Liam leave when Stella gets too fussy, and Logan and I work in tandem, starting the cleanup and getting the kids ready for bed.
It’s another thing that’s new—we’re a team.
Whatever I’m doing, he joins me, helping.
He does the dishes while I help Asher take a quick shower and in less than half an hour; the house is spotless, and the kids are in bed.
He pours me a margarita, grabbing a beer for himself, and brings them out to the deck. Fire crackles in the fire pit, illuminating the surrounding space. It’s still warm, but the kids wanted fire, so Logan lit it.
We get cozy near the fire, and I have to admit, it adds a certain charm, no matter the temperature. Logan puts his arms around me, enveloping me in his warmth.
“Thank you for today,” I say, turning my head to look him in the eyes.
“For what?”
“For everything. Preparing everything, getting the kids involved. The day’s been perfect, and it’s because of you.”
“I had help,” he responds, still unwilling to admit what he did.
“Regardless, thank you.” My lips brush his, drinking him in. As soon as his teeth capture my bottom lip, I let out a quiet moan.
He groans, pulling away. “Wait.” My brows furrow in confusion. “I still need to give you my present.”
“You already did. I told you, today was perfect.”
He crouches down to dig underneath the bench we’re sitting on. Extracting something from there, he lifts his hand to reveal a cream suede jewelry box. It’s long and rectangular, suggesting it likely contains a necklace or a bracelet.
But what he uncovers inside leaves me breathless. It’s a simple gold necklace with a gold sparrow pendant. But the pendant is the replica of the Best Reads Awards I’ve received. With shaky fingers, I lift the necklace, flipping it around.
And she lived happily ever after is engraved in the back, flooding my eyes.