Epilogue
EPILOGUE
H usband and wife .
He was still reeling from everything that had happened that day. To think it was only a few months ago that he’d seen Daisy Heroux for the first time in twenty years and now they were bound to each other for life. And unlike his previous marriage, he knew this would last a long fucking time. Not only because of their history and penchant for commitment, but because this was Daisy . He’d loved her long before he fully understood the feelings twisting his stomach and making his heart race.
Hell, he’d loved her all the time they were apart.
More than that, when he looked at her or even thought about her, he knew that nobody else would ever be able to make him feel the way she did. They supported each other, guided the other through whatever was going on and stood by their side through the good and bad. And she accepted Cal like her own without even thinking about it. When his son had asked, for the second time, if she would be his mother, Rafferty almost broke down. The first time had been a shock, but understandable. He was better prepared for the second time, but it still rattled him.
Now, standing on the back porch of the Thomas-Rhodes house, he watched his wife.
Ever since that night when she showed up at his house draped in yellow, he’d been fascinated by sarees. She’d shown him how to put it on and he’d sat with her once while she browsed online stores looking for more. On its own, the cloth was very basic. When wrapped around his wife? Incredible. He had expected a simple white dress for their town hall wedding, but he should have known that she’d go all out. Every curve of her body was accentuated with how snug the saree was. That was all the permission he needed to admire her every chance he got.
The sound of her laughter drew his attention to the people around them. Their friends . After the Fourth of July getaway, he’d run into these people a few times. They had become so special and important to him too, not to mention the fact that Cal was so excited to be with his uncles again. His friendship with Mack was evolving every single day and he was building a bond with Wyatt, though at a much slower pace. But he was so proud of himself for finally taking Louise’s advice and getting out there.
He’d have been happy with just his family and nothing would have been amiss. To have this large group of people who wanted to celebrate their big day with them? Unbelievable.
After being surprised by everyone outside town hall, they piled into various cars and drove outside of town limits to where Gavin and Ginny lived in a gorgeous converted farmhouse. A congratulations banner had been hung up, a bar area was set to one side, tables were overflowing with food and a gorgeous cake with flowers sat in the center.
Daisy had been stunned too, tears clinging to her long lashes as she looked around at all of the beautiful things their friends had done. For him, it was everything he never had in New York, a group of people who included him and his son in all festivities.
All it took was finding Daisy again to feel like he finally belonged.
“You’re supposed to be out there with your wife, not creeping on her.”
He chuckled and glanced at the tall blond man stepping up beside him. “Since she’s my wife, I’ll do whatever I want.”
Mack chuckled and held his beer out and Rafferty clinked his bottle against it before both of them took long pulls of their drinks. “Happy for you, man. But seriously, why are you all the way over here?”
“Sort of processing that this is real, I guess.”
“That after twenty years, you actually got your shot with the love of your life?”
He laughed at the way his friend said it, but nodded. Mack was probably the only person here that really knew the history Rafferty and Daisy shared. He’d given him advice, sometimes unsolicited, but it had been good to talk to someone about what was going on that wasn’t biased.
“I get it,” he added and glanced at their running around with the dogs. “I do sometimes wonder what things would have been like if my ex had stuck around. But I look at my kid and know that we’re better off without her, you know?”
“Especially when you’ve got a certain realtor making you paint again?”
“Maybe. She’s beautiful and funny and really gets me, you know? And Dig really likes her, but what if it’s just…”
He clamped a hand on Mack’s shoulder. “Don’t overthink it. Your kid likes her, you like her and if she fits, that’s all that matters.”
Before Mack could reply, a loud whistle went through the backyard. He looked over and found Daisy with her arms in the air and a what the hell expression on her face. Laughing, he patted Mack on the back and walked down to where she was waiting with one hip cocked and arms crossed over her chest.
“Wife.”
“Husband,” she teased and looped her arms around his neck as he wrapped his arm around her waist. “Wanna sneak away for a minute?”
“I’d do that in a heartbeat, but I’m afraid of what we’ll stumble across in this house.”
She laughed and looked around at their friends. “Maybe we’ll find a sex cave.”
“There’s no sex cave,” Ginny said as she walked past them. “Trust me, I tried to build one.”
They laughed and he focused on the woman in his arms. “We’ll make one for ourselves.”
They swayed to the soft music pumping through speakers and he let the sounds of their friends fade away as he stared at her. She was looking up at him too, beautiful caramel swirls dancing as she smiled. He’d shown up in Wildes with zero intention of finding love or anything and he’d found everything .
“You’ve got your thinking face on, hotshot,” she teased.
He smiled and kissed the tip of her beautiful nose. “Thinking we should find an old ranch and turn it into our forever home.”
“You going to become a rancher now?”
“Only if I get to wear a cowboy hat.”
She laughed, fingers tugging at the leather rope tied around the topknot, letting his hair loose. “I’m sure we can make that happen. I do prefer the firefighter.”
“Firefighting cowboy?”
“No,” she said with a laugh. “Just you.”
He slid his hand under the dark curtain of her hair and wrapped it around the back of her neck. Her head tipped back slightly, eyes sparking with desire and he narrowed his eyes.
He growled. “Stop seducing me.”
“Can’t help it. I married a stone cold fox.”
He laughed, feeling a blush spread over his cheeks as he dipped his head to kiss her. She smiled against his mouth, fingers tangling in his hair. Their friends hooted and whistled around them, but he didn’t bother to pull away. They could watch if they wanted, he honestly didn’t give a shit. He was so fucking happy and if he couldn’t sneak his wife away to consummate their marriage, he would make out in front of everyone.
“Gross,” a soft voice said beside them and he broke away and found Cal staring up at them with a weird face. “Can we eat the cake now, Mama?”
Daisy sniffled and pressed her face into his neck as Rafferty ruffled his son’s hair. “Sure.” Once he rushed off to where the cake was, he looked at his wife. “You sure you want to adopt him?”
“We’ll have to teach him about timing.”
“Don’t want to scar him for life, so yeah.”
She smirked and released him to link their fingers. “I am so excited for us to be a family, Raff.”
“You’ve always been our family, Hero. Everything else is just a piece of paper.”
“That piece of paper is quite important,” she added and they walked to where their friends, dogs and son were waiting. “Besides, I like that he calls me Mama.”
His heart lurched at the reminder. She’d gone from Miss Daisy to Daisy and now Mama; the last one was still the best name she could have. Kissing the side of her head, they stopped in front of the cake and he took a moment to admire it. With two thick layers, it had a cream base and around it were all of their favorite flowers. Almost like Clementine had recreated Daisy’s tattoos on the cake. It was absolutely breathtaking and he felt guilty about cutting into it.
“Speech!” someone yelled and he looked up to find all their friends standing on the other side of the table. When he glanced at Daisy, she nodded and he sighed softly.
“I…uh, thank you,” he started, laughing when everyone booed. He flipped them off and continued. “When I moved to town, I didn’t know what my life would look like. When your kid tells you he wants to live in a small town you’ve never heard of, you agree because you love him beyond life itself. The last thing I expected was to meet all of you, to find the kind of friends that I’ve been lacking my whole adult life. Thank you for taking us in the way you have, asking no questions and showing up whenever we need you.”
He turned to his wife and she arched an eyebrow, cocky smile gracing her lips. “You’re, by far, my favorite surprise,” he said softly. “I loved you quietly back in the day, but never again. I will always love you loud and proud, I will scream it from the rooftops and make sure the world knows that I’m the lucky son of a bitch that gets to be with you. Thank you for making me feel at home in your town, for loving me and for bringing all these troublemakers into my life.”
“Now kiss!” another person yelled and he rolled his eyes good-naturedly before looping his free arm around his wife. She came willingly and their mouths collided on a laugh.
When they pulled away, she smiled widely up at him. “Thank you for showing up in my small town and changing my life again.”
“Nowhere else I’d rather be,” he whispered.
Cal made a fussy noise and both of them looked down as he flashed them his famous Puss in Boots eyes. “Cake?”
“One track mind,” Rafferty muttered and Daisy grabbed the knife, holding it out so he could take it as well. Together, they cut into the cake. When it became clear that they were not going to be able to cut the perfect slice, Clementine came around to help. They stepped back as their friends crowded around the chef and the table.
“I really wish I could tell my teenage self that it would all work out.”
He glanced at his wife smiling up at him. “Yeah?”
“That the boy who promised to always look out for me would stay true to it and one day become my husband.”
“Make sure to let my young adult self know the same thing.”
She laughed and leaned into his side. “Forever and always, Raff.”
“Forever and always, Hero.”