EPILOGUE
SHILOH
“Oh my God, Dad. They’re perfect!”
“Aren’t they?”
“I love them so much!”
“As much as you love me?”
“Obviously, it’s a different kind of love, but the fact that they’re so cute and you’re so not makes it hard to . . .” When I growled, Raylee laughed and snuggled the tiny kitten closer to her neck. “I can’t believe we’ve got seven cats now!”
“We do not have seven cats, Biscuit! We’ve got two cats and some kittens we’ll give away at the first opportunity.”
“Were you surprised when you found out Church got Valentine pregnant?”
“Almost as surprised as I was when I found out Lara was pregnant,” I admitted.
“Just think, soon we’ll have a lot of babies in the house.” Raylee laughed. “Actually, we’ll have babies all over the building. Not just ours, but Lake’s and Lana’s too!”
“Those three don’t know how to do anything without each other.”
“You’re about to find out that we do,” Lara threatened from the doorway behind me.
I turned and froze. She was clutching her huge belly with a pained look on her face. “Cupcake, are you okay?”
“No, I’m not okay, I’m pregnant.”
“I get that, sweetheart, but . . .” My voice trailed off when Lara winced and bent forward. “Oh, shit! Is it time?”
“Duh, Dad!” Raylee yelled as she gently placed the kitten next to Valentine. “I’ll get the bag and alert the family while you help Lara down to the truck.”
“Are you ready for this, Snookums?” Lara asked when the pain receded.
“Looks like I don’t have much choice in the matter,” I said as I pulled my wife into my arms. “My life has been one adventure after another since I met you, and I can’t wait for more.”
“I love you, Shiloh.”
“And I love you. Let’s go have a baby!”
“You act like this is a joint effort, but really it’s not,” Lara said, waddling toward the front door.
“Let’s just consider your labor and delivery payment for all the pain I experienced when you broke my nose and your brother-in-law crushed my ribs.”
“That’s it. I’m going to have to kill you.”
By the time we stepped into the hallway, people were already waiting to see us off, promising they’d be outside the delivery room to welcome the newest baby in the family.
It took a while to get downstairs since Lara insisted she could walk rather than trust me to carry her. Since she was unsteady on her feet, Mark walked in front of her and she held onto his shoulders while Clay and I flanked her and Quinn walked behind in case she teetered backwards.
Once we were in the truck, I looked over and asked, “Are you ready to become a mom, Cupcake?”
“I’ve been a mom since I fell in love with Biscuit, but I’ve got enough love left in me for one or two more kids.”
“Good, because this is the first of many.”
Another contraction started, and Lara groaned. “We’ll see, Schmoopie, but right now it’s not looking very promising.”
I knew without a doubt she’d change her mind once the baby was here, but I was smart enough not to point that out. Instead, I repeated what I told her every day and had for quite a while now.
“I love you, Cupcake.”
THE END