Bonus Epilogue #4
Callie reaches over and grips my forearm.
“Oh my God, do it. It’s a life changer. My au pair has turned our lives around,” Callie gushes.
Her three boys are school-aged, but she has an au pair from Germany who has become part of the family.
“Greta has the boys on such a tight schedule, and they just love her. It’s great watching them learn another language, too. ”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I say, laughing at her wide blue eyes and earnest face.
“I like my one-on-one time with Demi,” Paloma says, tickling her year-old daughter under the chin.
“I think I’ll stay home with her until she goes to school and take on styling jobs here and there.
I want to soak up all the time I can with her.
” She and Javi have been married for two years now.
They’re working on baby number two, but aren't sure just how many they want. It’s really cute to watch Javi worship Paloma like the queen she is.
Who knew a fender-bender on I-85 a few years ago would lead to both of us finding our happily ever afters?
“What about you, Knox, any special people in your life?” Callie asks, turning her inquisitive stare his way.
She wants everyone to be coupled up, and Knox is currently the only single one at our besties brunch.
If she had her way, she’d be setting him up every weekend with some nice person she knows.
He pauses with his fork halfway to his mouth before setting it back down. “No. I’m not dating anyone. Kind of hard to do that with the season being so busy. I’m just focusing on me right now.”
Well, that was a good answer without saying much.
Poor Knox. He’s still in the closet, and he’s not comfortable coming out because he’s a tight end for the Atlanta Condors, an NFL football team.
He thinks that if he comes out publicly, it will be detrimental to his career in professional sports.
I hate that he’s unable to date or go after the life he really wants because of it.
He would make an amazing partner for someone, and I want to see him find the love he deserves.
You can’t rush someone’s process, and if Knox says he’s not ready, I’ll stick by his side and guard his secret like I have the last few years.
“The dating pool is crap anyway. Knox is too good for anyone he’d find on the apps,” I say.
“Truth,” Paloma agrees, holding up her orange juice to toast. “Cheers to Knox finding a proper love someday.”
Callie and I raise our glasses and shout, “To Knox!” as he blushes and laughs.
“I swear y’all think dating is where I’ll find happiness. I’m pretty content as it is,” Knox says, waving off our toast.
Axel chooses that moment to grab the plate Knox has been so carefully watching and throws it on the floor with a clatter, sending tiny bits of French toast and cut-up scrambled eggs across the floor. We all start laughing at the disruption as Hana and Demi squeal and clap at the commotion.
“Looks like my baby wants to keep you for himself. Smart kid. He knows Uncle Knox is the most patient and will always help feed him,” I joke.
“But seriously. You’ll find the love of your life someday, and it will hit you like a ton of bricks just how right it is.
I can't wait to see what that does to you. Now, back to brunch!”
My heart is so full as I chat with my besties and feed my babies, enjoying this last bit of downtime before I get back into the swing of things with production on the show.
I’ll have another season of The Foulmouthed Foodie At Home to film before this last baby arrives, and I have so many recipes to test for my next cookbook that will be all about guilt-free snacks.
I’m so excited to hop back into it, but thankful I took some time off with Axel and another few months to slowly get back into my routine.
I look around the table at my best friends, our beautiful babies, and count my blessings.
My oldest is at a school he enjoys, my incredible husband is at work taking over the business world, and I get to do what I love as my job.
I chased my dreams and made them a reality, and I have the best people by my side. What more could I ask for?
This concludes The Southern Thirst Trap, but the Southern Gods Series continues!
If you enjoyed seeing the other Olsens in this book and want to know more about them, you can read their stories!
Hayes and Paige's story is told in books one and two, The Bourbon Bride and The Bourbon Bargain.
Payton's story is told in The Southern Submission.
Keep reading to get a sneak peek at his story!
If you liked reading about Knox in this book and want his story, you can read it in Reckless On Ice, book one of the Gods Of The Ice series, out now!
Thank you for reading The Southern Thirst Trap! If you enjoyed this book, I would be so grateful if you left a review on the platform(s) of your choice. Reviews help get my books into other readers' hands and are everything to an author.
Hugs,
Adrian