Epilogue
LILY
TWO WEEKS LATER
“Inever knew just how much went into planning a wedding,” Lily murmured. Then she grimaced as she made eye contact with Penny.
Penny laughed. “It’s true. Maybe you should just elope. Then you don’t have to deal with any of this. At least your father is letting you get married on the property. I doubt he would’ve been nearly as accommodating with me.”
Jasmine snorted. “I don’t think he would’ve had a choice if that was what you wanted. He’s just a big softy once you get past the grudge he’s been holding onto since the beginning of time.”
Lily nodded knowingly. “I bet we could’ve talked him into it. Speaking of, maybe that’s what we should do. After the baby comes, you should have a reception since we never got to give you one.”
Penny rubbed her belly. She looked about ready to pop. “Didn’t we?” She tossed Lily a smirk. “That baby shower was over the top. I honestly feel like I could do with a little less attention.”
She grimaced and sucked in a breath.
Both Lily and Jasmine froze as they watched her like she might actually explode. But then Penny blew out a steadying breath.
Jasmine inched closer. “Penny…” she drawled. “Remind me when your due date is.”
Penny didn’t meet her eyes right away. “It was yesterday, actually.”
Lily gasped. “Please tell me you didn’t come over here to help with wedding planning while you’re in labor.”
Her cousin waved a dismissive hand. “It’s Braxton Hicks. I’ve been dealing with this off and on for the last week.”
Jasmine didn’t look convinced as she pulled out her phone. “I’m calling Aiden.”
“What? No. I’m fine,” Penny said, her voice tight. “Besides, I won’t hear the end of it if I’m taken to the hospital. Do you know how hard I had to fight Royce on coming over today?”
Lily’s eyes widened, and Jasmine made a surprised choking sound.
“That’s it. I’m definitely calling Aiden. And Royce.” She pointed her phone at Penny. “And you’re going to start timing how far apart those contractions are.”
Penny paled.
Lily leaned over and murmured in Jasmine’s ear, “How do you know all this? What’s going on?”
Jasmine shrugged. “You know I want kids. Like, really bad.”
“Yeah? So?” Lily murmured.
Her twin shot her a pointed look. “I need to know what I’m getting into, right?”
Lily gasped. “You’re not—”
“What? No! Of course not. I’d have to find a donor first.”
This time, the air seemed to be sucked from the room as both Lily and Penny gasped.
Jasmine glanced from one to the other, then sighed. “Oh, come on. This isn’t the eighteenth century. If a woman wants to start a family, she can do it on her own. I have some savings, and I think I can make it work.”
Lily was fully aware she looked like a fish. Her mouth opened and closed several times, and when she glanced at Penny to see if she felt the same, she was reminded that this wasn’t the most pressing issue.
Penny’s face crumpled with pain.
Lily moved to her side. “Breathe. Do those exercises you’ve been practicing.”
They worked together as Jasmine barked orders into the phone. When she hung up, she looked at both of them. “They’re on their way.” Then she smirked at Penny. “You were right about Royce. But I think he’ll be a little too distracted to give you a lecture. You are having his baby, after all.”
Penny’s groans cut off whatever retort she might have made.
In no time, Aiden and Royce arrived. Aiden confirmed that Penny had enough time to get to the hospital safely.
Her contractions were close enough to take seriously, but the baby wasn’t coming that second.
Penny bit off his head with a few scathing remarks about how it sure felt like the baby was coming.
Royce’s frustration faded, and his expression twisted with concern the second he saw his wife in pain.
In the end, he helped her into his truck, leaving Lily with Aiden and Jasmine to continue working on the wedding plans.
Aiden wasn’t much help. He mostly sat and watched as Lily and Jasmine put the invitations together. Every so often, he caught Lily’s eye and winked.
Apparently, it had gotten to be too much because Jasmine groaned and covered her face with both hands. “You guys really need to tone it down, you know that? All this lovey-dovey stuff is giving me a headache.”
Lily laughed. Then she turned to her sister. “Okay, now that Penny is gone, you need to tell me what’s going through your head. In vitro? Finding a donor? Are you sure you want a baby that badly?”
Jasmine seemed far too interested in a piece of lint that didn’t exist on her sleeve.
When she finally glanced up at Lily, she offered her a shy smile.
“Yeah. I do. There’s something missing in my life.
I can feel it. And after thinking about it a lot lately, I’ve realized what I want.
I want to be a mother. I want to start a family, and I’m not willing to settle for some guy just because I’m afraid of doing it alone. ”
Her words hit a part of Lily’s heart that made it ache. Jasmine had given up on finding love. And that hurt.
She reached across the table and held her sister’s hand, squeezing it firmly. “I’ll support you in whatever you decide.”
Aiden shifted in his seat. He didn’t speak, but he gave them both a nod to show he felt the same.
He opened his mouth, but a knock at the door interrupted him.
Jasmine rose first, probably wanting to get out of the conversation as quickly as possible. Lily couldn’t blame her. These were Jasmine’s decisions to make about her future. She didn’t need anyone judging her or telling her she was wrong.
Now, when it came to George Taylor, Lily had to hope everything would go smoothly.
Their father wasn’t the sort of man to jump on board with something like this right away.
He would probably insist that none of his daughters should have to raise a child alone and that the child needed a father around. Lily grimaced at the thought.
“What?” Aiden asked, taking her hand. “You look like you just ate a lemon.”
She leaned into him. “I just hope Jasmine knows what she’s getting into. It’s hard being a single parent.”
“You don’t think she’ll be able to handle it?”
“Oh, she’s stubborn as all get-out. I know she’ll be able to handle it. I just don’t know if…” She made a face again. “It’s going to be hard, you know? And if she doesn’t have the support of our family, I worry it’ll cause another rift.”
She peered up at him. “But to be honest, all this talk about babies makes me wonder when you might be ready to start planning our family.”
She expected him to grow still, to pale or stutter over an excuse for why they should wait. They’d already discussed that they wanted children. And sooner rather than later, no less. But the way she’d phrased it made it sound as though she might be ready to start right away.
Ever the surprise, Aiden took her chin in his hand and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips.
“I’m ready whenever you are, angel.”
“Really?” she whispered. “Like… after the wedding?”
His eyes warmed, and the tenderness in his expression started the flutters in her stomach all over again. She loved this side of him—the one who looked at her as though he still couldn’t believe she had chosen him.
“Whenever you’re ready,” he said, then kissed her again.
For one brief moment, the wedding plans, the family worries, and everything waiting beyond that room slipped away. Lily rested her hand against his chest and let herself feel the beat of his heart beneath her palm.
A few months ago, Aiden had been afraid to believe anything good could last. Now he was helping her plan a wedding and talking about the family they might build together. God had been kinder to them than either of them deserved.
The sound of someone clearing their throat had them breaking apart.
Lily expected to see Jasmine giving them a dirty look, but she was surprised to find both Jasmine and Parker standing a few feet away. Her eyes dipped lower to where they were now holding hands.
Holding hands.
Lily’s jaw dropped, and she shot to her feet. “Jazz…”
Aiden looked just as confused as she was, but he didn’t say a single word.
Jasmine cleared her throat and took a step forward, pulling Parker with her. Then she seemed to realize she was still touching him and released his hand.
“So…” Jasmine began. “This has to stay between us for now.”
Lily blinked several times, her gaze darting from Jasmine to Parker and back. “What’s going on?”
Parker gripped the back of his neck and blew out a breath. His focus shifted to his brother. “It’s not what you think.”
Aiden’s expression remained unreadable.
Jasmine rolled her eyes. “It’s come to our attention that the state of Colorado makes it difficult for single men to adopt, especially when it comes to young girls. And I just got done telling you about my plans, or what I thought my plans were.”
Lily’s eyes narrowed. “Yeah, but that doesn’t explain why you two are standing here. Together. Holding hands.”
Jasmine shifted her weight. For once, she didn’t look entirely certain of herself.
“We’ve talked about what we both want,” she said.
“A family. Stability. Someone we trust.” She glanced at Parker before turning back to Lily.
“Neither of us wants to rush into something foolish, and we’re not pretending this is some grand love story.
But we think we could build a good life together. ”
Parker’s jaw tightened. “And give a child a stable home.”
Aiden straightened. “Parker…” His voice held confusion, but also warning.
Parker met his brother’s gaze. “I know how it sounds. But this isn’t a joke.”
Jasmine lifted her left hand. The ring caught the light. “We’re engaged.”
Lily collapsed back onto the couch. “What?” she whispered.
“What?” Aiden barked.
Parker grimaced.
Jasmine sighed as though the conversation had already exhausted her, but nerves flickered in her eyes. She crossed to where Lily was sitting and pulled her into a side hug.
“I’ll tell you everything,” Jasmine promised. “But first, I wanted to ask you a huge favor. It’s okay if you say no. Seriously. I won’t be mad.”
“What do you need?” Lily asked, already knowing she would probably say yes to anything.
Jasmine was her twin. Her other half. They had shared nearly every important moment of their lives.
Jasmine drew in a breath. “Would you mind if we had a double wedding?”
Hello Reader,
I hope you enjoyed Aiden and Lily’s love story. Up next is… Parker and Jasmine.
Parker has a plan to build the family he’s always wanted, and Jasmine agrees to help for reasons of her own. Their marriage is meant to be practical, nothing more. But with two children depending on them, the line between obligation and something real begins to blur.
What starts as an arrangement soon becomes far more complicated than either of them expected. I can’t wait for you to read Parker and Jasmine’s story in Taylors of Copper Creek Book Four.