Epilogue #2
“Damn straight.” I wink at her and run back for the toys. When I join them again, I squeeze her hand. “You ready for your first Walker Christmas?”
Her sweet smile makes that warmth in my chest grow. “I can’t wait.”
I pull out the Santa hat from my back pocket, slide it on my head, and fling open the door. Holding up the bag of toys, I shout, “Ho! Ho! Ho!”
All the kids scream and rush me. I pretend to fall over, and Rory shakes her head, laughing at me. She puts Layla down, and my daughter joins in the mayhem.
“All right. Everyone off the floor.” Rhett folds his arms and scowls down at me, but I know he’s just giving me shit. Kids cling to his legs, and he cracks a smile.
“Merry Christmas, bro.” When he helps me off the floor, I yank him into a hug. “Ya got a full house today, huh?”
“Yup.” He glances around the great room, his eyes snagging on Paige. “I’ve come to love Christmas.”
“Never thought I’d say this, but I do too.” ’Cause Christmas when we were young sucked. Our father never gave us any gifts and only doled out chores. But now, with our wives and kids and all of our brothers home, it kicks ass. I pat him on the back. “Rory and I have some news.”
“She’s pregnant.” His eyes widen, but I shake my head.
“Not yet.” I laugh. “Geez, cool it. We’re still in the honeymoon phase of life. Give us a year or two to get our bearings. Besides, that would make my summer tour tough on her.”
“Shut up. You lined up another tour?”
“Garrett called me up last week and offered me a spot opening for him. Said he wanted me either solo or with my band, whatever worked for me.” The best thing is we’re both independent artists and don’t have to pass along the lion’s share of our income to a label.
But since he’s been in this business so long, he has all the contacts to put together a killer tour with all the promotion that goes with it.
“Whatcha gonna do?”
“The guys aren’t really motivated to tour again, and frankly, I’m tired of their attitudes.
Plus, I haven’t forgotten that Cooper was a royal asshole to Rory.
” He was better after she was attacked, but why did it take something like that for him to pull his head outta his ass?
Anyway, my songs have made him plenty of money.
I don’t feel like I owe him anything more.
“Garrett’s gonna help me put together a band, and I’ll be touring as Jace Walker instead of Wayward Sons.
And the best part is Rory and I will get our own tour bus, just for us and Layla. ”
“That’s kickass, man.” He pulls me into another hug.
As we enjoy brunch around our giant table, kids get passed around from mom to dad or aunt to uncle. I end up with Isaiah’s three-year-old daughter Everly. As I situate her on my knee, I hand her a muffin. “Have you been a good girl this year? Is Santa gonna bring you some good gifts?”
“Imma good gurl. I tink so,” she says very seriously.
“I heard you like ponies.”
She folds her hands together. “I love ponies.”
Good, because I bought her some stuffed animals.
After we eat, we all circle around the Christmas tree.
We take turns giving gifts. I may have gone overboard with Rory, but I don’t care.
She busted her ass for me on that tour and deserves to be treated like a princess.
When it’s my turn to hand out gifts, I give all the kids presents from me and Rory.
Then I clear my throat and move to the front of the room.
“First of all, I wanna welcome the newest additions to our family.” I hold my glass up to Beau’s wife.
“Honey, we’re so glad you finally took pity on Beau and married him.
” They tied the knot last fall and were kind enough to schedule it on a Sunday so we could fly in for the celebration. “And congrats on baby Bodie.”
Beau has one arm wrapped around his wife and the other cradles his infant son. “Thanks, bro. Christmas came early for me.”
We all chuckle, and I turn my attention to my wife. “Just wanna let everyone know that I proposed to Rory last night, properly this time. I’m happy to report she said yes. So we’re tying the knot this spring.” I smile at Rory, who turns a fetching shade of pink.
The adults clap and cheer, but Rhett’s son Austin scratches his head and turns to his dad. “But aren’t they already married?”
“Yeah,” Rhett says slowly. “But Jace wants to do it the right way. Kinda like how I married Paige that second time.”
“Oh, okay.”
I pull out Rory’s presents. There’s a small wrapped box on top of a larger flat box. “This is for you, darlin’.” I take Layla from my wife and help her stand. “Open the small one first.”
“Jace, you already gave me an engagement ring,” she whispers.
“I know, but surprise, there’s more.” Everyone chuckles, and Rory tries to bite back her grin. She opens the small box and pulls out the gold necklace. Dangling off the end is a small horseshoe. “That’s ’cause you always bring me luck.”
Her smile widens. “I love it. Thank you.” After she kisses me, she makes me put it on her. Baylee takes Layla so I can do that.
“Now open the bigger gift.” This one isn’t as flashy as that ring on her hand, but it means the whole fucking world to me. I clear my throat. “Rory, you make our house a home, whether it’s here in town or on the road, but there’s one thing missing.”
When Rory opens it, I can tell she’s confused. But as she scans the stack of papers, her eyes go glassy. “Jace.”
“Would you do me and our daughter the honor of adopting her? She’s yours in spirit, and I know she adores you. You’re her mom, but I thought you might like to make it official.”
Her eyes well and then overflow as she nods. “I’d be honored.” She tucks herself into me, and I kiss the top of her head.
I hear sniffling and look up and see all three of my sisters-in-law crying. “Come on now, girls. This is a happy moment. No crying.”
Baylee wipes her tears. “Who knew you were so romantic?”
Paige sniffles. “I’m never going to be over this.”
Honey blows her nose. “Did anyone record Jace’s big declaration?”
Beau winks at his wife and holds up his phone as he balances his infant son in his other arm. “Don’t fret, darlin’. I got it.”
The girls get up and take turns hugging my wife. As I stare at my family, I’ve never been prouder of them. I’m so grateful for how they’ve welcomed Rory.
It’s a beautiful sixty degrees outside, so that evening, we sit around the fire pit as our girls roast marshmallows. I reach over to pat Isaiah on the back. “When ya gonna get yourself a wife? You’re the last one standing.”
He stares into the fire, his eyes somber. “That ship has sailed. I’m never gonna find anyone like Liberty.”
Jesus, is he still hung up on his high school sweetheart? ’Cause she’s engaged to someone else. Liberty runs an animal shelter on the other side of town. I’m guessing Isaiah hasn’t seen her since he came home. “Bro, there are lots of great women out there.”
“She’s it for me.”
When I stare at Rory, I understand what he means. But Zey doesn’t need me getting mushy on him, and since there aren’t any kids within earshot, I go for funny. “Maybe you should get a cat since you don’t want the other kind of pussy.”
He snorts, reaches over, and punches me with a laugh. “Shut up, asshole.”
There he is.
When Rory walks over with a s’more, I pull her into my lap and whisper in her ear. “I’m still gonna get you that bookstore.”
She feeds me a bite of her sweet treat and smiles. “We’re busy enough now, don’t you think?”
“But it’s your dream,” I say.
She kisses me. “You’re my dream. This family is my dream. Being a mom to Layla is my dream. We can do a bookstore down the road when you’re done touring.”
“Are you sure?”
“Jace, you’re building me a house. That’s plenty.”
“When you’re ready to pull the trigger, I was thinking maybe you might want to start out with a mobile bookstore so you could take it to the park on Saturday for story hour with the kids. We could renovate a food truck so you could serve coffee and treats if you wanted.”
Her arms wrap around my neck, and she smiles.
“That sounds amazing, but for now, building our cabin, planning our wedding, taking care of Layla, and prepping for your summer tour will keep us busy.” Her expression turns thoughtful, and she tilts her head.
“Could we check out more bookstores while we’re on tour?
To get a sense of what kind of shop I’d like someday?
That would be fun and something I’d enjoy in the short term. ”
“Done.” I’m getting her that bookstore. Maybe not this year or next, but it’s happening when she’s ready. If it’s Rory’s dream, it’s mine too.
Closing my eyes, I lean back and breathe in the night air. I love performing and am so grateful for my career, but having a family of my own has completed me in a way I never knew I needed.
And I can’t wait to marry my wife again.