Epilogue
JACE
That Christmas
I pull my sweet wife closer as she comes apart in my arms. We’re side by side, with her leg draped over my hip. I like this position ’cause I can see her beautiful face. It doesn’t take me much to follow her over the edge.
I kiss her forehead. “This is how I wanted to do it when we first had sex without a condom. Sweet and slow. Tender. Make it special.”
Her eyes are closed as she smiles. “It was special. We did it slow afterward.” Her gorgeous hazel eyes open, and she rakes her nails through my hair. “But I like when you lose control.”
I lose control a lot with Aurora. “Merry Christmas, baby.”
“Merry Christmas, honey.”
“Love you.” I kiss her, wondering how much longer before—
“Dada! Mama!” Layla’s little voice calls out to us from the monitor. “Eat, Mama!”
I gently pull out of my wife and kiss her again. “Don’t know where our kid gets her appetite from,” I tease. “Go shower. I’ll feed our little squirt.”
“Thanks. I’ll be out in a bit. What time do we need to be at the ranch?”
“In two hours, so you don’t have to rush.” I get up, use the john, throw on some clothes, and go get Layla. Since my tour ended last fall, we’ve been staying in Maverick’s condo in downtown Wild Heart while we build a house on the ranch.
I lift my girl out of her crib. “Morning, sweet pea. Did ya have a good night?”
“Hi, Dada.” Her beautiful smile melts my heart. “Eat!”
“All right. Let’s change your diaper, and we’ll get breakfast. Then we gotta go to the ranch to see everyone.”
“Unkies.”
Her nickname for my brothers cracks me up. I chuckle as I put her in her high chair in the dining room. “That’s right. We’ll see all the uncles.”
She claps her hands. “And babies?”
“Yup. Baby Bodie will be there too.” She’s obsessed with Honey and Beau’s son, who was just born last month.
“And we’ll see Leo and Ella too. All the little squirts and their mommies will be there.
Do you know why? ’Cause it’s Christmas.” As I stare at my daughter, I get a little choked up ’cause this is our first Christmas together.
To think I didn’t know she was in the world last year.
I might not know her mom at all, but I’m grateful as hell she brought me this beautiful girl.
Family court was backed up, but we finally got in to see a judge, who made it official. Layla is one hundred percent mine—well, mine and Rory’s. And that’s actually part of my surprise for my wife. I can’t wait to give her my presents.
When Rory emerges in a forest green dress, I let out a wolf whistle. “Dang, girl. Look at you.” The dress is fitted on top but flows down her legs. It’s totally her style, just ramped up a little.
She gets embarrassed and blushes. Aurora still doesn’t understand that she’s the most beautiful woman I know, but it’s my life mission to convince her.
I pull her into my arms and kiss her. “You look stunning.” She’s also wearing the cowboy boots I got her and a prim little sweater.
As I adjust myself, I have to admit I love her librarian sweaters. They’re fun to strip off her.
“Is this too much? I wasn’t sure what to wear.”
Cupping her face, I smile. “You look perfect.”
She holds up her hand where a large diamond sparkles. “I love my ring.”
“I’m glad, baby.” I’ve done it all backwards, but at least my lovely wife now has an engagement ring, something that matches the wedding band I gave her last spring.
My thumb goes to my own ring that now sits on my left hand where it belongs, and a sense of satisfaction washes over me.
Rory and I gave each other one gift last night, and I got down on my knee and proposed for real. I’m gonna give her the wedding she’s always wanted. So she can have that father-daughter dance and get all beautified in a bridal gown and walk down the aisle to me.
I want the whole world to know she’s mine.
I turned down that record deal. Rory was right about Niles pressuring me, but because he’d already gotten the rights to my number one song, he didn’t kick me off the tour like he’d threatened.
We got to finish out the tour and keep our merch sales and meet-and-greet ticket sales.
It’s given me and Rory a nice nest egg for our joint savings account.
Her stepsister got Rory’s dad all riled up about those videos with Marlowe, but once I explained what was going on, Karl seemed to understand.
I apologized to him and Rory and promised I’d never put up with those kinds of demands from a label again.
I also flew him out to a concert so he could see firsthand I wasn’t two-timing Rory.
I appreciated that he cared enough to come.
He and Rory don’t have the closest relationship, but I think he’s seeing how wrong he was to back Taylor instead of supporting his daughter when her ex cheated.
Karl’s planning to drive down later this week to visit Rory. It means a lot to her that he’s coming by himself. He knows better than to invite her stepfamily. Twatty Taylor and Shit-for-Brains Hayden have already filed for divorce. Can’t say I’m surprised.
In other news, Edmond took a plea deal and will spend the next ten years in prison.
He turned on Susan, who tried to plead insanity, but Edmond’s lawyer coughed up all of the evidence that showed she stalked my wife across state lines, which will possibly add federal charges.
Susan’s looking at a life sentence. Frank’s heartbroken his wife is a sociopath, but he’s coming to terms with that and filing for divorce.
The guys and I have offered to help Frank financially if he needs it. Rory supports that. I wouldn’t have suggested it if she didn’t. Frank was the reason we’ve had so much success, so once the dust settles, I’m gonna find him a promising band he can work with.
But it won’t be Marlowe and the Dusty Roses ’cause they recently broke up. Last fall, Marlowe started dating her drummer and then very publicly cheated on him with their guitarist. She’s keeping a low profile now since the gossip columns have gone wild covering their drama.
I’m so grateful I’m married to a down-to-earth girl. Grinning, I hug my wife. “When are we gonna tie the knot?” Even though I take those vows I said last spring seriously, I wasn’t in the right headspace. I was thinking about my kid and my tour and my needs.
This wedding is for Rory. To show her how much I love her. To celebrate us. To prove to her I’m in this with her until death do us part. And if I kick the bucket first, I’m haunting her ass until she joins me.
She smiles at her engagement ring and shrugs.
“I don’t want a big wedding. Something small and intimate is more my speed, so we don’t need a lot of time to plan.
I like what we talked about that one time, maybe having mini-cows and playing games at the ranch.
A big white tent with all of our friends.
Some good music and our favorite food. What about this spring?
Maybe in April on the anniversary of when you knocked on my door and asked me to be your nanny? ”
I grin at my beautiful woman. “That’s kinda poetic. I love it. Plus, it’ll give us a buffer before we hit the road again this summer.”
She grabs my face and kisses me. “I’m so proud of you. I don’t think I say that enough.”
“I’m proud of us.” I get all the attention ’cause I’m out there on the stage, but that thing they say is true—behind every great man is a great woman.
And Rory keeps the wheels on my bus, so to speak.
She’s a fantastic mother. She’s my sounding board when I need advice.
She’s my best friend, and the hottest lover.
This woman just does it for me, and I’m so grateful Baylee and Paige suggested I ask her to be my nanny.
“Before I forget, I heard something the other day that might make you smile.”
“What happened?”
I pull her into my arms. “Your favorite person, Vance Kozlov, got a lien on your old apartment building for not paying his contractors, and now he’s getting sued by the company buying the property.”
Her brows tighten. “Ugh, I hate him.”
“Me too.” I wanted to kick his ass when I found out he took a photo of Rory after she fell and called her a wet rat.
Fucking asshole. “But here’s the best part.
Because Vance screwed up that sale, his mom decided not to retire to Florida and made him move into her basement until he repays her for all of her legal fees. ”
“He’s a turd, but maybe I should be grateful he kicked out his tenants.”
“How do you figure?”
She tilts her head to look up at me, a twinkle in her pretty hazel eyes. “Because I was so desperate, I accepted a nanny position from a guy I barely knew.”
Chuckling, I kiss her. “Best decision ever.”
“Mama!” Layla shouts, holding up a fistful of banana. “I eat.”
Rory grins at our daughter. “Great job, ladybug.”
By the time we leave the condo, I feel like Santa himself with a giant sack of toys for my nieces and nephews. Baylee just found out she was pregnant a few months ago, so we’re adding to our Walker crew. Maverick is out of his mind with excitement.
When we get to the ranch, I help my girls out of the truck, and Rory points to the cupholder. “Don’t you want to grab your phone?”
“Nah. Today is for family.” I’m learning to unplug more.
She grins and tosses her phone next to mine. “Great idea.”
Her smile lingers, soft and approving, giving my heart a familiar tug. I wrap my arm briefly around her waist before turning toward the truck. I’m about to haul our bag of gifts to the house when I spot trouble. “Hold up.”
Rory looks confused as she picks up Layla. “What’s wrong?”
I sweep them into my arms. “I wanna carry ya over the potholes.” It’s bright and sunny now, but we’ve had rain. No need for her to get muddy.
She chuckles as I stalk to my brother’s house and deposit her and my daughter by the front door. Rory pushes up her glasses and leans over to kiss me. “Thanks, baby. You’re the sweetest.”