Epilogue
Addy
“Are you sure?” I ask Mongrel as we unpack another box.
While he still has a room at the clubhouse, like most of the brothers, we decided to renovate a farmhouse not too far from where the Triple R Ranch sits.
It’ll be close enough so he can be there for his brothers but give us the privacy that every newer couple craves.
Because even after three months, we can’t keep our hands off each other. The night he proposed, using his mother’s engagement set, we nearly had to get Doc to give us fluids through IVs because of our energetic celebration.
Thankfully, the house wasn’t too bad; we just wanted to update the bathrooms and the kitchen.
It’s big enough for the family we want someday, and it has everything we want all the way down to stone fireplaces in the formal living room and what we’re going to use as the den.
Not that this part of Texas gets particularly cold, it’s more for the ambiance.
As for my aunt? She fell in love with Mongrel, and she and his uncle are thick as thieves these days.
She was initially concerned about his relationship with Gretchen, until she came out to the clubhouse for a family day and saw how much she and Doc love each other.
They’re both fashion divas, so my retail therapy comes in the form of me and Mongrel hitting up Costco, or me and the ol’ ladies going to the mall in the next town over.
Mongrel says I’ve been his anchor in all of this, but I tell him that he’s mine as well.
We balance each other perfectly, and even when I’m upset about something, he has a way of listening and not trying to fix things, that lets me come to my own conclusions.
Not that he doesn’t wanna try; I think it’s part of his nature.
“Yeah, why not?” he parries, as he starts hanging up pictures of his family in the family room.
“We haven’t found them yet,” I whisper. “I don’t want you to be sad every time you see the pictures is all, honey.”
“It’s a reminder to me to never stop looking. I know we’ve gotta be getting closer. Now, we have the bed made and the last few boxes unpacked. I think we deserve a break.”
“Then lead the way, Mr. Shepherd, lead the way,” I tease, jumping into his arms. As he carries me upstairs on his back, I lean in and whisper in his ear, “I love you, forever and always.”
“And back again,” he replies, just like he always does.
The end… for now… next up in this chapter will be Nerd’s book!