Epilogue
JEREMIAH
Five Years Later
I did a quick headcount.
Two having a cartwheel contest across the stretch of grass, seeing who could do the most in a row.
Three in the chicken coop with Holly, meeting the newest chicks.
Another two sitting on the tire swing.
One clinging to my wife’s leg.
And one fast asleep on my chest.
Kids everywhere. They weren’t all mine, but I felt the weight of responsibility for their well-being as if they were. It was starting to feel like I was running a daycare instead of a cattle ranch.
Hannah laughed. She knew exactly what I was doing. “They’re fine, Jay. All here and accounted for.”
“Just making sure.”
“You haven’t lost anyone yet.”
I shook my head. “Not true. I lost Isaac in the corn maze yesterday, remember?”
My sister pushed her glasses up on her nose and rolled her eyes. “For, like, thirty seconds.”
“Longest thirty seconds of my life,” I muttered. I should have known better than to take my three-year-old son into a maze without a leash. He was a verified bolter.
“It was so much fun!” Hannah grinned at me. “You should do this every year.”
I groaned. Mercy River Ranch hosted an autumn harvest festival to raise money for our non-profit side of the business. The proceeds from yesterday would enable us to build three new cabins and pay for the stay of half a dozen first responders.
It was worth it, but it was a lot of work. Hannah and her husband, Zack, had come up to help us and brought their kids Caleb and Rosie with them. Yesterday had tired out all the grownups and left us in recovery mode today. Unfortunately, after a good night’s sleep, the kids had energy to burn.
Hannah and I had claimed the rockers on the front porch of the lodge. It was the first moment we’d had alone together since their arrival three days ago. She had an embroidery project in her lap and a mug of tea next to her feet, keeping me company while six-month-old Jessica napped on my chest.
I pulled the blanket tighter around her plump little body. The September afternoon was full of mellow sunshine, but there was a nip in the air. The first snow wasn’t far off.
Lennon let out a peal of laughter, clutching her chest, as Zack waved his arms like he was describing something. They were too far away for me to hear what they were saying, but I could tell they were having a good time. No surprise there. They’d hit it off from the moment they first met.
Hannah looked up from her embroidery. “What do you think they’re talking about?”
I snorted. “Us.”
“Of course they are. Comparing notes on what it’s like being married to someone raised in a cult, probably.”
I looked at her. Neither one of us had gotten out of the compound unscathed, but at least I hadn’t been married off to my uncle at fourteen. The fact that we both sat here now, happy and free, was nothing short of a miracle. I never took that for granted.
But it wouldn’t hurt to check in. PTSD had a way of smacking you down when you least expected it.
“How are you doing, Hannah?” I asked.
She smiled in understanding. “I’m good. Truly. How are you?”
“I’m good.” My gaze cut to my wife and son. I rubbed Jessica’s back gently. “The best I’ve ever been.”
We watched Lennon and Zack laugh together.
“They’re so normal.” Hannah sounded baffled.
“We’re normal,” I protested.
She wrinkled her nose. “We’re a little odd, Jay.” Suddenly Zack and Lennon were looking back at us. Hannah drew in a sharp breath and let out a laugh. “But I think they love us, anyway.”
“I know they do.”
I could see it shining in her eyes. I could see it in the soft curve of her smile. Joy, hope, laughter, and sex. Lennon had given me so much these past five years. Things I had never dreamed would be mine.
But the greatest of these was love.