Epilogue
“Is everything ready?” Dakota asked, turning to look at Blade as he walked through the kitchen door.
“Almost,” he replied. “Wolfe is helping with the flowers.”
Dakota burst out laughing. “As in Sheriff Ethan Wolfe?”
“He’s surprisingly good at matching colors,” Blade stated with a shrug.
He walked over to where she stood at the table and placed his hand on her belly. “How are you feeling?”
“Perfect,” she replied. “If it wasn’t for the fact that I’m not fitting in my clothes, I wouldn’t even have known I was with child.”
“That’s not true,” Blade pointed out. “You would have noticed all his kicking.”
Dakota shook her head. “We don’t know that it’s a boy.”
“I do,” Blade said with a playful smile. “He told me while you were sleeping.”
There was no way to really know until the baby arrived, but Blade was convinced that they were having a boy. It honestly didn’t matter; he would be just as happy if the baby turned out to be a girl.
Blade removed his hand from her belly and grabbed a piece of chicken, popping it into his mouth.
Dakota playfully slapped his hand away when he went in for another piece and chased him out of the kitchen.
“You need to go check on the flowers and Wolfe,” she instructed, “or we won’t have any food left for the reception.”
“I can’t believe I’m being thrown out of my own house,” he complained. “You know I’m eating for two.”
“You, my dear husband, are not the pregnant one.”
“I like to believe that we are pregnant,” Blade replied. “And Dr. Masterson confirmed that men do sometimes share their wives’ pregnancy symptoms.”
Dakota sighed dramatically. “You’re impossible.”
“And you’re beautiful,” Blade said as he backed away from the kitchen.
Dakota’s cheeks flushed at the compliment, making Blade’s heart beat faster. It was crazy how much she still affected him. They’d been together for two years now, and they’d been married for just a couple of months less.
Blade blew her a kiss, and Dakota pretended to catch it and press it to her lips. Satisfied, he dragged his eyes away from her, turned around, and started walking back to the barn.
It was amazing how many things had changed since they had returned. Killing Austin had removed the weight Blade had been carrying for such a long time. He felt free and happy.
The first thing Blade had done when they returned to Silver was to check on Millie.
Imagine his surprise when he found her kissing Jace in their living room.
Both Millie and Jace had turned pale at the sight of him.
Blade hadn’t been angry, just shocked and confused.
He had been even more shocked when Millie greeted him with words.
Jace had truly done wonders for Millie. It had been strange to see her with somebody, but it was a welcome surprise.
Blade couldn’t have asked for a better man for his sister.
That was why Blade immediately agreed when Jace had asked him for his blessing.
For years, Millie had been a shell of herself, but now she was happy again, and it was all thanks to Jace.
Once the shock had worn off, Blade and Dakota had listened to Millie as she told them everything that had happened while they were gone.
Blade had almost forgotten how much Millie liked to talk.
When they were younger, he had always teased her, but now he had been way too happy to even try to interrupt.
Jace also enjoyed talking, and Blade and Dakota had shared amused looks as they listened.
Later, when Millie had finally run out of things to say, Blade and Dakota had told her that they were together and about their plans to restore the ranch.
Blade had been a little worried about how Millie would feel about it, but once again, she had surprised him and told him that she would want to live there with them.
Of course, their plans had depended on whether Blade would actually be allowed to start fixing up the place. He had turned eighteen on their journey for revenge, and although it wasn’t twenty-one, he had hoped that it would be good enough.
The next day, he had gone to see Wolfe. The man was not only the town sheriff but a mentor and friend.
Blade had told him about his and Dakota’s adventures and how they had taken care of all the men on the list. Wolfe had listened, and when Blade was done, he had hugged him and told him that he was happy for him.
Blade had known that if anybody could help him get the ranch in his name, it was Wolfe. At first, the sheriff had been surprised when Blade told him that he wanted to fix the place up and restore it to its former glory, but the more they spoke about it, the more excited Wolfe became to help him.
Restoring the ranch also meant that Blade had decided to pursue a career in law enforcement.
The town was safe in Wolfe’s hands, and Blade would always be there to help if needed, but he had spent so many years filled with anger and chasing bad guys that he simply didn’t want to do it anymore.
Wolfe had been disappointed, but he had also understood.
Once the ranch was in his name, the real work started. Fixing the place hadn’t been easy, and they were still working on improving it all the time. The hard work was worth it, though. At first, business was slow, but then it picked up, and things became easier.
Dakota had moved into the ranch house, and whenever Jace wasn’t working, he was there.
The four of them—Blade, Dakota, Millie, and Jace—had become a family, and Blade loved every second of it.
Dakota, being the independent woman that she was, insisted on helping with the ranch, and Millie wanted to help too, so it was a family business.
Together, they had made a success of it, and Blade hoped that his parents would be proud of what they had accomplished.
***
Dakota made her way down the passage and to Millie’s room. She knocked first and then peeked inside. “You need any help?”
Millie’s eyes lit up. “Yes, please.”
Dakota stepped inside and closed the door behind her. Nobody was supposed to see the bride before the wedding.
“All right,” Dakota said, walking over to her. “Let’s turn you into a princess.”
For the next half an hour, Dakota helped Millie get ready for her big day.
“I never thought this would happen to me,” Millie told her. “I thought I would be alone my entire life.”
“Nonsense, a pretty woman like you. If Jace hadn’t shown up, some other handsome man would have.”
“I highly doubt it,” Millie replied with a laugh. “But it doesn’t matter because Jace did show up, and he’s amazing.”
Millie was right. It didn’t matter. All that mattered was that both of them found men who loved them and accepted them for who they were.
Dakota had always been an outcast, too. She was mixed race and didn’t act the way ladies were supposed to, but Blade didn’t care about any of that.
He had seen her for who she was, not who people wanted her to be.
“He’s a lucky man to have you,” Dakota told her.
Millie looked in the mirror, adjusting the pearls that decorated her neck. “Oh, I don’t know about that.”
“Well, I do,” Dakota said with finality. “And so does he.”
There was a knock at the door, and both of them turned to look.
“Who is it?” Dakota called.
“Your husband!” Blade yelled back.
Dakota still marveled at the fact that she was married to Blade, and not only that, she was carrying his child.
Before he had kissed her, she had never thought that they would end up together.
She had hoped and dreamed, but as brave as she was, she hadn’t dared to act on her feelings until Blade had.
Their first kiss was one of the highlights of her life.
Dakota walked to the door and opened it a fraction, peeking out. “What is it?”
“We’re ready,” he replied as his eyes moved up and down her body, causing her skin to warm up.
After Blade had left the kitchen, Dakota had changed into her dress for the wedding.
She didn’t usually wear dresses, but it was a special occasion, and most of her pants didn’t fit anymore.
She loved the fact that they were having a baby, and her pregnancy had been a breeze, but she really missed being able to wear whatever she wanted.
Dakota glanced over her shoulder. “Are you ready to do this?”
Millie nodded. “Yes.”
Dakota stepped back and opened the door. “I guess you can come in then,” she said.
Blade stepped into the room, his eyes landing on his sister. The look on his face was priceless. They had never thought that Millie would talk again, let alone get married, and Dakota knew how much it meant to Blade to see his sister happy and thriving.
“You look beautiful,” he told her, holding his arm so that she could hold on to it.
Dakota followed after them as they made their way to the barn.
They had gone all out with Millie’s wedding.
Dakota and Blade’s wedding had been a simple affair.
They had gotten married at the court and then celebrated by going for a ride in the wilderness.
It was what they had wanted, but Millie had always dreamed of being a princess, and she deserved nothing less.
Once she had started talking, Millie had quickly found herself again.
With Jace by her side, she had become more outgoing, and it hadn’t taken her long to make friends.
The whole town adored Jace, and slowly, they were starting to like Millie too.
That was why they were having their wedding in the barn.
They needed a place with enough space for all the people who wanted to celebrate Millie and Jace’s love.
Not a lot of people had big weddings, but both Jace and Blade had insisted that they spare no cost, and for the last week, they had been preparing.
The barn was decorated with flowers, a band was hired, a cake was specially made, and enough food to feed the entire town was prepared.
Everything was ready for the biggest celebration of Millie’s life.
After seeing Millie suffer for so long, Dakota loved seeing her so happy.
It was amazing to see her become the person she was always supposed to be.
They had Jace to thank for that. Dakota had no idea how he did it, but he had somehow managed to break down her walls and gain her trust. Millie was happy again and had even started going out.
She wasn’t as scared anymore and was spending less time taking care of her vegetable garden and more time having fun.
Millie’s sudden recovery had taken a huge burden off Blade, too, making him much more relaxed.
Blade and Millie waited outside while Dakota took her seat.
When the band started playing, they stepped inside, and Blade walked her to the altar.
The ceremony itself was gorgeous. Millie and Jace exchanged vows, promising to love and cherish each other.
While they committed themselves to each other, Dakota slipped her hand into Blade’s.
His fingers tightened around hers, and he brought her hand up to his lips, kissing her palm.
When the ceremony was over, everybody headed outside, and the men quickly rearranged the barn, moving the benches to the side and adding some tables and chairs. The food was brought in, and a space in the center of the barn was left open so that it could be used as a dance floor.
Minutes later, the barn was full of people again. Blade made a toast, wishing Millie and Jace a lifetime of happiness, and then people were instructed to eat, dance, and have a good time.
Dakota was one of the first people to dish up because even though she didn’t have any pregnancy symptoms, she was eating for two.
After everybody had eaten, the band started to play, and the guests took to the dance floor.
Music wasn’t something you heard every day, and everybody wanted to make use of it when they got the opportunity.
Blade walked over to her and held his hand out. “Care to dance?”
“Why not?” Dakota said with a laugh as she slipped her hand into his.
Blade led her to the dance floor and pulled her into his arms. They swayed to the rhythm of the music. As they danced, Millie came up to them. “Can I join you?” she asked.
“Of course,” Dakota replied, letting go of Blade with one arm and wrapping it around Millie. Blade did the same.
From across the room, Jace watched them with a huge smile on his face.
“Thank you,” Millie said, looking between the two of them.
Blade smiled at her softly. “For what?”
“Never giving up on me. You two were always there for me, and it means more to me than I could ever say.”
“We’ll always be here for you,” Blade said. “And for Jace.”
Jace joined them at that moment, throwing his arms around their shoulders.
It felt nice to be part of a family again.
* * *
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