Epilogue
RAVEN
“ M oooooom! I can’t find my blue train!”
Massaging my temples, I rein in my frustration. We’ve been living in Griffin and Knox’s house for months now. They convinced me that I didn’t need our house anymore, and it’s not like Noah and I were spending much time there anyway. So, I put my house on the market, and it sold almost right away.
But that means that we’ve been piled on top of each other in this two-bedroom house.
Three adults in one room? I’m going to lose my mind.
“Mooooom!”
Be patient. Be patient.
I find Noah in his room, which is Knox’s old room, digging through his pile of toys. It’s a legitimate mountain.
I need to organize that.
“Noah, your train is probably in there somewhere.” I gesture to the heap.
He plops down on the ground, slapping his hands on the carpet.
Noah finished first grade last week, and I’m already eager for the next school year. My patience is wearing thin, and I’m sure Noah’s is as well.
Downstairs, the front door bursts open, and Knox’s voice shouts, “It’s adventure time!”
Noah hops up, darting past me and down the stairs. “I want to come!”
The thought of getting out of the house even makes me a little giddy, so I follow Noah to Griffin and Knox. They’re standing in the entry, smelly and sweaty as they laugh with Noah.
The sight of Noah smiling and happy with them makes my heart ache, but in a good way.
“Where are we going?” I ask.
Griffin smiles. “It’s a surprise.”
Noah beams. “I can’t wait! Can we go now?”
“That’s the plan,” Knox confirms. “Let’s load up in the truck and get going.”
Noah slips on his shoes and runs out the door with Knox on his tail.
Griffin approaches me, but I hold up a hand. “Don’t you dare. You stink.”
He brushes aside my hand and wraps me in his arms.
I try to push him away, but he’s much stronger than I am. “Ew! Stop. You’re so sweaty!” My squeals and yelps echo in the entry. I let my body go limp, hoping my dead weight will make him drop me, but it doesn’t work.
“This would all stop if you’d just give me a kiss, Sunshine,” he teases.
Reluctantly, I press my lips to his, getting a taste of his salty musk. The kiss becomes intense as he coaxes my mouth open, and I get lost in the movement.
Griffin breaks our kiss. “We need to get going.”
I smile up at him. “Okay, but first, why are you and Knox all sweaty?”
“You’ll see,” he promises. Griffin grabs my hand and leads me to my sandals by the door. He kneels down and slides each shoe onto my feet. Then he guides me outside and into the truck.
When I realize the direction we’re headed, I ask, “Did you guys do work on the bar?”
“Nope,” Knox responds.
Skepticism colors my face. “Then why are we going there?”
Griffin grins. “You’ll see.”
I’m getting tired of that answer.
We turn down the dirt road and drive past the bar. Before we come across the barn, there’s a fork in the road that wasn’t there before.
“Where—”
“You’ll see,” Noah cuts me off.
I peep to Noah in the back seat. “Do you know where we’re going?”
“No.”
My face wrinkles. “Then?—”
“We’re here,” Griffin announces.
I turn back around, facing forward and peer out the windshield. My breath freezes in my lungs as my jaw drops.
In front of us is a house. An honest-to-goodness house.
Windows make up most of the front on the first and second story, and a wide porch wraps around the sides. The wood and stone accents are a dream. On either side of the steps leading to the porch are white chrysanthemum bushes.
Noah unbuckles and leans over the seat so he can see as well. “Wow! That’s a big house!”
My eyes water, spilling over with tears. “What is this?”
“It’s our home.”
“ Our home? As in…” My throat chokes up with emotion.
Griffin leans in. “As in, welcome home, Sunshine.” His lips brush my cheek, kissing the tears on my face.
Noah’s brows just about disappear in his hairline. “We get to live here? All four of us?”
“Yeah, bud.”
“Can we go inside?” Noah asks, bouncing in his seat.
“Of course.” Griffin slides out of the truck, taking Noah with him. They walk hand in hand up the steps to the porch and disappear inside the house.
“When…How…” I’m in such a state of shock that I can’t finish my thoughts.
Knox shrugs. “We’ve been working on it for a while. This is where our childhood home used to be, but we tore that down years ago.”
My eyes pop in surprise. “You and Griffin built this?”
“We had a contractor, but we put in a lot of work ourselves as well.”
Blinking, I process his statement. “How did I not notice any trucks and all that driving by the bar?”
“This road goes to the other side of our property. We have the construction crew use that road to get here.”
I have a difficult time smiling because I can’t stop crying. “Thank you for this,” I whisper.
“Let’s go inside, Darlin’.” Knox grabs my hand and escorts me through the front door.
My jaw drops as I walk into an open area with a kitchen, dining room, and living room. It’s even furnished with a beautiful wood table, cozy couches, a TV, and everything we’ll need.
“Mom! This place is huge!” Noah exclaims from the banister above.
Griffin finds us, and Knox jogs away to find Noah.
Griffin surrounds me in his embrace, and I rest my head in the middle of his chest.
These men didn’t “fix” me. I don’t know if that’s even a possibility after everything I’ve been through. But they’ve patched up the holes that I never thought would heal.
They’ve given me hope where I didn’t have any before. They’ve shown me what it means to be taken care of and to be loved.
Griffin whispers in my ear, “Tell me a secret, Raven.”
More tears roll down my cheeks as I peer up at him.
“I’m happy.”