Epilogue – Zach
“ Is she in her office?” I asked as I slipped inside San Juan Marine Repair.
Rae’s dad lounged in the small waiting area. He looked up from behind his newspaper, scowling over the top. “She’s working too hard. You need to take better care of my daughter and grandbaby.”
The old coot was as cantankerous as ever. The urge to remind him that he’d taken her for granted for years and that there wasn’t a chance in hell I was following in his footsteps melted on my tongue. He’d softened considerably in the last few months, and I didn’t need the drama. I needed my wife.
“Yes, sir.”
I picked my way through the shop, watching Rae from the door to her office. She frowned down at the paperwork in front of her, rubbing one hand across her burgeoning belly. Our baby must have kicked, because she flinched, smiling down at her lap.
If I could have turned into a puddle on the floor, I would have. Two years of marriage, and I still couldn’t quite believe how much my world revolved around Rae.
She looked up, catching me staring, and raised one dark brow. “Husband. You have some explaining to do. ”
I grimaced. So she’d seen the text message. Trust Gran to try to have the last word. She hadn’t even goaded me privately. Just dropped it like a bomb into the group chat.
Gran: Don’t forget, I have naming rights for that baby of yours…
“In my defense, I do have a plan.”
“Tell me you didn’t really make a deal with your grandmother to name our firstborn?”
“It’s not like it’s legally binding…” I trailed off. “We weren’t even married at the time.”
“Zach. This is our first baby. I love your grandmother, but you know I’d never have agreed to this.”
She sounded exasperated, and I couldn’t blame her.
I’d had the fun part. She’d been doing all the work.
Her morning sickness was no joke. I’d rubbed her back, feeling helpless, after she collapsed in front of the toilet following her bouts with nausea.
Harlow at the bakery had joked that our baby would be ninety percent bread, thanks to all the loaves of sourdough I bought to make toast for Rae in the mornings.
“Captain, it’ll be fine, I promise.” I grinned, flashing my dimple. “After all, Fenwick is a name.”
She groaned, drawing the sound out until it was almost a whine. She ended it on a chuckle, the low sound scraping along my nerves, sending a ripple of want through me. My wife had never looked sexier. Face and body round with our baby.
I moved in, drawing her from her chair and into my arms. Her bump created distance between us, her belly nudging me.
She wreathed her arms around my neck, and I took their weight, rubbing at her lower back, trying to ease the tight muscles there.
She moaned softly, resting her head on my shoulder.
I smiled into her hair, loving that she snuggled against me so easily.
Like it was the most natural thing in the world for us to touch .
“How’s the old man taking you working part-time?” I asked.
“Surprisingly well. I never thought a grandbaby would make him eager to hand over the reins here, but he keeps making noises about wanting to trade me places and watch the baby when I come back to work.” She shook her head, eyes wide. “I can’t believe he’s the same man.”
“You have a great track record for changing men for the better.”
She snorted. “I’m not sure if that’s a compliment for you or for me.”
“Why can’t it be both?” I flashed my dimples, grinning harder when she scowled. I brushed a kiss across her forehead. “Let’s go home, Wife. You need to get off your feet.”
“I’m fine,” she groused.
I held back the urge to tell her she was grumpy and it showed. She put one hand low on her back, wincing.
“No arguments, love.”
“My back is a little achy…”
I hid my smile. My strong, sweet, oh-so-stoic wife hated admitting to discomfort. It was a victory every time she shared with me.
Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, I gently maneuvered her out of the office, pausing with her while she locked the front door. Night air enveloped us softly, the ferry horn blowing in the distance.
I escorted Rae toward my truck. Her chin jutted. “I can walk home.”
“You can,” I agreed. “But we’re not going home.”
Her head popped up. “We’re not?”
“Nope.”
“Then where are we going?”
“You’ll see.”
“ Zach . ”
I chuckled, relenting. “Can’t a husband take his pregnant wife out for a nice dinner before their baby comes?”
“Only if it’s not a ruse to soften the blow of letting that husband’s grandmother name their firstborn.”
“I would never…”
We shared a grin. Okay. I might. But only if Gran came up with a really good name that Rae and I both loved. Otherwise, no deal.
Rae’s happiness and our baby’s health were all that mattered to me. My original claim rang true: Fenwick was a name. So long as Rae and our baby claimed me, I’d be the happiest man on earth.
I’d finally learned to see what was right in front of me. The love. The happiness. The future.