Epilogue 2
Two years later…
Reagan turned to the side, studying her profile critically. Preoccupied with her growing waistline, she didn’t notice Jackson coming into the bedroom until his arms encircled her waist.
“I think I’m gaining more weight with this pregnancy than I did with Jax,” she grumbled.
His response was a slow smile as he reached up to cup her fuller breasts. “I’m not complaining.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m serious, Jackson. I’m having to wear maternity clothes sooner this time. By the time I deliver, you’ll have to roll me to the hospital because I won’t fit in the car.”
He turned her around and drew her close. Their kiss was slow and heated. He raised his head to stare into her dark eyes. “Ray, you’re beautiful. Our baby will be beautiful. I would appreciate it if you stopped all the negative talk about my wife.”
Sighing, she closed her eyes as if to reset her attitude.
When she opened them, she placed her hands on her husband’s chest and smiled.
“I’m sorry. You’re right. Our baby boy will be amazing.
I can’t wait to meet him and watch Jax be the best big brother.
Maybe by the time he arrives, we’ll have a name for him. ”
“I’ve been thinking about that, and I have an idea. What do you think of Jett?”
She was silent, and he could tell she was considering his suggestion. “I love it. It’s perfect. How did you come up with it?”
Jackson scowled. “I hate to admit it, but Easton picked it. But I like it too. It’s cool.”
“What do you think about Jett Adam Moore?”
Jackson blinked. “Really? After all this time trying to decide, did we come up with a name just like that?”
Reagan giggled. “I think so.”
“Mom!” Jax’s voice rang out from his room, and Reagan placed her head against her husband’s chest.
“Duty calls.”
Jackson dropped a kiss to her hair. “I’ve got to get to the bar. You go take care of whatever crisis our son is having. Then tonight, we celebrate finding a name for our baby boy.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
∞∞∞
Luke knew something was up the moment he stepped into his home. The lighting was dim, soft music played, and rich aromas wafted from the kitchen, smelling suspiciously like his favorite meal.
“Mel?”
He listened for his wife, and when he didn’t hear her, he started searching.
First the kitchen, then the back patio. Her home office.
The bathroom and finally their bedroom. She stood there, a silky slip of a dress draping enticingly over the curves of her body.
Her thick curls spilled over her shoulders. Her teeth worried her bottom lip.
He closed the distance between them. His thumb pulled her lip free, and he lightly kissed her.
“Hi.”
She smiled sweetly. “Hi. I’m glad you’re home.”
“If I’d known you were waiting for me looking like sin in a dress, I’d have been here sooner.”
He reached for her, but she stepped out of his embrace. “I have a surprise for you.”
She placed a blank envelope in his hand, and he eyed it like it might explode.
“Open it, Luke.”
He ripped the envelope and withdrew a piece of paper. He read the words twice before their meaning registered. Raising his head, he met his wife’s nervous stare with a wide smile.
“You’re pregnant?”
“Yes. Nine weeks.”
Luke let out a loud whoop as he lifted Melody off her feet and swung her around. When he sat her back down, he kissed her soundly, his hand spanning over her abdomen.
“How are you feeling? You okay?”
Melody grinned. “I’m fine. Tired and a bit nauseous. The doctor said that’s normal. Everything with the baby checked out. Little baby Meade is healthy and growing.”
“Damn. You sure you want to have a baby with me? I’m not exactly father of the year material, you know.”
Melody’s hands framed his face. “You are a great man. You are a wonderful husband. I have no doubt you will be an amazing father. So you put those doubts out of your head right now. They have no business ruining our celebration.”
“Our celebration?”
“Yeah. I thought we’d have a nice salad, juicy steak, and baked potato. And then for dessert, you get me.”
Her smile was seductive, and her body rubbed against him, making his cock sit up and take notice.
Luke settled his hands on her hips. “I think I want my dessert first.”
“Our dinner will get cold,” she warned him.
“So I’ll eat a cold steak. It will be worth it.”
Melody smiled as she shared a long, passionate kiss with her husband.
∞∞∞
Easton stepped into the house with Dylan riding piggyback. They were met by the loud wailing of two very unhappy, very hungry baby girls.
“Uh, oh. Sounds like Momma needs some help.”
He set Dylan on his feet with orders to wash up.
Then he followed the sound of his daughters’ crying to the nursery.
Bailee was bent over the changing table, using wipes to clean a messy Abby Lynn.
Easton stopped beside a baby bed to lift a sobbing Bella Rose into his arms, blowing a raspberry to her round cheek. She laughed through her tears.
Bailee spared him a grateful glance. “Thanks. The twins have been cranky all day. I think they’re teething.”
Lightly bouncing his daughter to soothe her, he walked over to kiss his wife’s cheek. She smelled of baby formula with spit-up staining her shirt, and she was still the prettiest, fiercest woman he’d ever seen.
“What can I do to help?”
“You’re doing it,” she said with a tired smile. “How was Dylan’s T-ball practice?”
“He had a blast. He loved using his new glove, and he made friends with one of the other boys. He said the kid goes to his school, but they aren’t in the same class. Scotty something.”
“Oh, yeah. Scotty Beason. I know his mom, Lydia. She’s a teller at the bank. Very nice, and Scotty seems like a good kid.”
Bailee lifted Abby Lynn and stood facing her husband. The girls were starting to calm down now that they were being held. They were going through a clingy phase, which seemed doubly hard with twins. Easton dropped another kiss to his wife’s cheek.
“Tough day?”
“Long day,” she clarified. “I was just about to start dinner when Abby Lynn let me know she needed a diaper change. Once she started crying, Bella Rose started in too. Solidarity and all that.”
Easton chuckled. “Want me to have a pizza delivered for dinner?”
Bailee sighed. “That sounds perfect.”
“And I’ll put the kids to bed tonight, so you can rest and relax the rest of the evening.”
Her smile sparkled in her eyes. “And that’s why I love you so much.”
Shifting Bella Rose to his hip, he draped an arm around Bailee’s shoulders. “I love you, too, Bailee Anne. More than you’ll ever know.”
∞∞∞
Paige snuggled into Ben’s side, staring at the sonogram picture in her hand. Her head rested against his chest, and a smile crossed her lips when she thought of their sweet baby growing inside her, a testament to how much their love for each other had grown.
“When should be tell everyone?”
“We’re getting together with Gish and Becky on Saturday. We can tell everybody then if you want.”
“Think they’ll be excited?”
“In case you haven’t noticed, our family has become baby crazy lately.”
Paige chuckled. “I’ve noticed. But do you think they’ll be surprised that we’re having a girl?”
“I think they’ll be ecstatic. You sound nervous though.”
Paige shook her head. “No, not nervous. A little anxious. Excited. Curious. I can’t help but wonder what she’ll be like. I hope she has your eyes.”
“Nope. She’s going to be blond with blue-gray eyes, just like her beautiful momma.”
“It doesn’t matter, does it? As long as she’s healthy, that’s all that matters.”
Ben brushed his lips against her hair. “You’re right.”
They settled in to watch a streaming movie on the smart TV, but after a few moments, Paige looked up at her husband. “Ben? Do you think we could ask Wally and Mona to be our daughter’s godparents?”
The couple visited their friends in Ivy Springs often. Paige owed them and the town so much. They’d given her refuge when she needed it, and the town was where she reconnected with Ben.
“I think that’s an excellent idea.”
Paige smiled. Snuggling closer to Ben’s side, she went back to studying the sonogram picture, feeling contentment spreading though her chest. Life with Ben had been ideal, and the things in her life that had once been painful now brought her joy.
With a daughter on the way, she was excited to see what the future held for them.
∞∞∞
“When should we tell them?”
“I’ll call them all right now if you want. I don’t know how to do that group calling thing on my phone, but I think I could figure out. I used to work for the CIA for Christ’s sake.”
Becky Lathan laughed as she snuggled close to English Barlowe’s side. A bird chirped outside their bedroom window, and an owl hooted in response. English drew circles on her arm with his finger, his light touch giving her goosebumps.
“Saturday. When we’re all together. What do you think they’ll say?”
“That it’s about damn time.”
Becky had to agree. After years of imagining a life with English, she was living her dream.
Seeing the boys find true love with four phenomenal women inspired her.
They’d overcome dangerous and life-changing circumstances to find happiness.
It was enough to make Becky wonder why she was afraid to take a chance with English.
So she cornered him one evening at the bar and told him as much.
He responded by kissing her. Then he told her she was staying at his place that night, and they would make their relationship official.
They’d been together every day since, keeping it a secret from their kids until they knew it was going to last. Now that English was living with her, it was time to let their family know about their decision to be together.
“I don’t know. I was planning to talk to the boys about something else on Saturday while they were here,” English said.
“Oh? Sounds serious.”
He didn’t respond immediately, and Becky waited, knowing he’d tell her when he was ready.
“The boys are married and starting families of their own. I’m wondering if maybe we should cut back on their work as Legends. The cases can be dangerous, so it makes sense for them to slow down and protect themselves. They have people depending on them to be around for a long time.”
Becky raised up in surprised. “Really? You think so? I’m not sure I like the idea of this world without the Legends helping those who need it.
They wouldn’t have the families they have now without their work.
I wouldn’t be here without your work. I understand why you think it might be time. It’s just hard to imagine.”
English released a long breath. “Maybe you’re right. The boys haven’t mentioned anything about stepping back. If the girls wanted them out of harm’s way, they’d say so. Maybe I shouldn’t say anything. I guess I’m just nervous about something happening now that they have everything they deserve.”
“They are living out their calling. They’re smart, and you’ve taught them how to be careful, especially now that there is more at stake.
They’ll know when the time is right for them to step back, and you can be there to tell them it’s okay.
That their work as Legends is done, and they can step back knowing they’ve changed lives for the better. But they’ll be the ones to decide.”
“You’ve always understood that, haven’t you? Their need to help people who need it. Not many people do.”
“As someone who benefited from the original Legend’s protection, yes, I can understand it.
And I’m proud of those boys. Folks in this town thought they would grow up to be troublemakers and good-for-nothings.
But they are bright, handsome, caring men who make a difference.
I’m glad I had a ring-side seat to see it happen. ”
English kissed her. “For the life of me, I do not understand why you want to be with the likes of me or why you’ve hung around all these years. You’ve had so many chances to live a completely different life, but you stayed.”
“Because you are an amazing man, English Barlowe.”
He shook his head. “I’m just a man, Becky. An old one at that.”
“Old or not, you’re mine. And I love you.”
He smiled, his blue eyes shining. “I love you too, Becky. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, but I swear to you that I’ll say it every day until I draw my last breath.”
“Sounds like a long, perfect life to me.”