Epilogue
RJ
“ I call the blue room!” Lucas says.
“I called it first!” Logan shouts.
Summer follows them down the hall, trying to break up the impending fight. “Boys, there are plenty of bedrooms.”
“I want the one next to Sophie’s!” Lana calls, emerging from the middle bedroom. “What room will the baby get?”
Summer places a hand on her bump. It may not be noticeable to most, but I know every inch of this woman’s body, and her growing belly is my newest obsession. “The baby will be in our room for the first few months, but eventually they’ll move up here.”
Her brows knit slightly, and I grab her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
“Do we have to share a room?” Lucas whines as we approach the bedroom he claimed.
“There are six bedrooms?—”
“Actually, there are five,” I interrupt her.
“No, six.” Her brows knit, and she tilts her head at me in challenge.
I look over at Logan and he makes a pleading motion with his hands. I nod at him, trying to contain my smile.
Logan grabs Summer’s hands and tugs her to the room at the end of the hall. “There are five bedrooms and one library.” He opens the door, and Summer’s mouth drops open.
“Oh my God.” She looks at me over her shoulder. “I can’t believe you did this.”
I shake my head. “It was Logan’s idea.”
It was difficult to keep this surprise from her, but when Logan told me his plans for the swear jar money, I knew we had to go big.
She walks into the room, unsure where to look first. The longest wall in the room is made entirely of bookshelves, complete with a sturdy ladder on wheels. I nudge her from behind, pointing out the ladder. “Now you can recreate that scene from Beauty and the Beast .”
“If they don’t break it first.” She laughs as the boys try to climb it at the same time while Lana yells at them to get down.
“I’ll put a lock on the door.”
She turns, taking in the floor-to-ceiling window with breathtaking views of the mountains in the distance. There are several oversized chairs, perfect for reading—among other things. I lean in close to her, whispering in her ear. “I plan to fuck you on those while you read your naughty books.”
The responding blush on her cheeks makes me grin.
“Can I put all my animal books in here too?” Logan asks, bursting our bubble.
Summer bends down. “Sure, there’s plenty of room. I don’t see why not.”
He lights up, then throws his arms around her. “Thanks! Did you know the horned lizard shoots blood from its eyes at predators? And wombats make cube-shaped poops?”
I can’t help but laugh. Summer looks grossed out.
“Can we talk about something else?” She puts a hand over her mouth to hide her discomfort.
“Sure! Auntie Raven got me a whole bunch of books about animal facts. I’ll go get them!” He runs out of the room.
“That feels like a clever form of punishment from my sister.”
Summer laughs. “It is.”
I lean in, wrapping my arms around her, resting them on her belly as I nod to the stack of boxes in the corner of the room. “I wasn’t sure how you wanted to arrange all the books. I figured you’d want to do it yourself.”
The kids eventually get bored and leave us, and I watch as Summer sits on the floor surrounded by several boxes of books. Some are stacked neatly, many are scattered.
Smiling down at her, I watch as she puts several books on the shelf. “Every shit, damn, and fuck paid for this thing. And Chief Sawyer helped me assemble it. He’s really handy with this kind of stuff.”
She squeals, clapping her hands as she admires her work. “Now all my book boyfriends have a home. They don’t have to live on the floor anymore.”
I huff out a laugh.
“What? Don’t tell me you’re jealous?” She peeks at me over her shoulder.
“Never. You can escape with them in books all day, but I’m the only man who gets to eat your cunt. I’m not threatened by a fictional man written by a woman.”
“And that’s why you’re book husband material.”
I can’t help the goofy grin from taking over my face and the warmth that fills me when she stares at my dimple. “You almost done? What are you putting on those shelves?” I gesture at the empty row in the middle of the wall of books.
“Those shelves are reserved for my favorite author. I have every book she’s ever written.”
She offers me her hand, and I help her stand, smiling as she walks over to the last box in the corner of the room. When she tries to lift it, I rush over to grab it from her.
“I told you, I don’t want you lifting anything.” I take the box from her arms, looking it over. “Is this one of the ones I risked my life to protect?”
“It is. These are my book babies. My special editions.”
I set it down in front of the empty shelf, and she runs a nail along the tape to pop it open.
“Have you ever opened this box? Aren’t books for reading?”
“You silly, silly man. These are shelf trophies. I read the e-books while listening to the audio, and then I collect the physical book as my prize. It’s like a reward.”
When she opens the flaps to the box, a huge grin overtakes her face as she sighs. “My babies!”
She hugs one to her chest before setting it on the shelf, then takes a step back to admire it before placing more next to it.
I chuckle in disbelief, peering into the box to confirm my suspicions. The whole box is full of Ayana Cox books. “I didn’t know you read Raven’s books.”