Epilogue
Five Years Later
I adjust the small earpiece I'm wearing and tap it twice. "Testing, testing. Declan, can you hear me?"
"Loud and clear, boss lady," comes the stagehand Declan’s amused voice. "Stage three is all set. That new folk duo from Mount Airy just arrived."
"Perfect." I scan the crowded festival grounds, pride swelling in my chest. Five years ago, this was just a desperate idea to save my failing coffee shop.
Now, the Passion Peak Mountain Music Festival stretches across the entire town square and into the surrounding streets, with three performance stages and vendors from all over the tri-state area.
The baby kicks hard against my ribs, and I rub my swollen belly. "Easy there, little man. Mama's working."
"Em-beff, Em-beff, Mama Em-beff," Ruby's voice carries across the vendor area, and I turn to see my nearly-three-year-old daughter toddling toward me, dark curls bouncing, tiny purple combat boots (custom-made by Walt's wife) stomping as she goes.
Cade follows behind her, his expression a mix of amusement and mild panic that never fails to appear when she escapes his grasp.
"I found Mama," Ruby announces triumphantly when she reaches me, wrapping her arms around my legs.
"So you did, troublemaker," Cade says, catching up.
He looks devastatingly handsome in his simple black T-shirt, jeans, and boots.
Five years of regular performances haven't completely erased his wariness of crowds, but he moves through them with more ease now, his hypervigilance channeled into making sure everything runs smoothly.
"She wanted to see you before I go on," he explains, leaning down to kiss me. "Something about making sure your hair is pretty enough."
I touch my currently teal-blue curls. "And what's the verdict, Miss Ruby?"
She examines me seriously. "More sparkles, Mama."
"Hard to argue with that assessment," Cade laughs, the sound still makes my heart skip. I get kicked hard in the ribs and grimace a little. It still amazes me that something so tiny growing inside me can be so chaotic. "You feeling okay? Need to sit down?"
"I'm pregnant, not knocking at death’s door," I remind him, though my swollen ankles might disagree. "Besides, Miss Edie is running the café booth like a drill sergeant, and Melody and Harmony have the merch table under control. I’m mostly just chillin’."
Melody's skincare line and my coffee shop merged operations last year, creating what locals call the "Heart and Soul" of Passion Peak. It’s a combination café, performance venue, and artisanal marketplace that employs ten people besides us.
The expansion happened just in time for Ruby's arrival, allowing both of us more flexible schedules.
Mel and Jace have two of their own now. They still do tours of the farm, but it made more sense to have the store in town, so it really worked out for all of us.
"Daddy play guitar now?" Ruby asks, tugging Cade's hand.
"Almost time," he tells her, then glances at me. "You sure you don't want to join for the last song? The crowd always loves when you sing."
I shake my head, patting my belly. "Not feeling up to it today, but we'll be front and center."
Cade's hands settle on my shoulders, turning me gently. "Good, because I added something special to the set."
Before I can question him, Declan's voice comes through my earpiece. "Embeth, we've got a sound issue at the main stage."
"Duty calls," I sigh, giving Cade a quick kiss. "Break a leg, soldier. Ruby and I will be watching."
An hour later, Ruby perched on my hip despite her weight making my back scream in protest, I watch my husband take the main stage. The crowd erupts in applause. Cade Clark is something of a regional celebrity now, though he still insists he's "just a guy with a guitar".
He adjusts his earpiece and steps up to the microphone. The stage lighting catches the simple silver band on his left hand, matching the one I wear.
"Afternoon, everyone. Thanks for coming to our little festival."
Little is an understatement. The event now draws tourists from across the Southeast, revitalizing Passion Peak's economy and putting us on the map for something besides hunting and fishing.
He begins with one of his originals, a song about finding peace in the mountains that's become something of an anthem for the festival. Throughout his set, I notice the small adaptations we've developed over the years. The slight turn of his head to favor his good ear during softer passages and the way he positions himself on stage to maximize his hearing. I’d be right up there beside him if he still needed my visual cues, but he’s really grown comfortable in his musical abilities.
Cade's producer from Blue Ridge Records stands near the sound booth, nodding in approval. The small EP they released last year has opened doors neither of us expected, though Cade refuses to tour for more than a week at a time. "My place is here," he always says, "With you and our babies."
Ruby squirms in my arms, singing along in her toddler babble to the songs she's heard since the womb.
Her brother stirs, kicking me in the ribs again.
When she gets too heavy, Walt appears at my side, offering to take her on his shoulders.
From her new perch, she claps delightedly, calling, "Daddy! Daddy!" between songs.
For his final number, Cade does something unexpected. He motions to the side of the stage, and Melody and Jace’s daughter Sara brings out a tiny ukulele.
"I need a special guest for this last song," Cade says into the microphone. "Ruby girl, can you come help your old man out?"
The crowd melts as Declan carries my daughter to the stage.
Cade settles her on a small stool next to him, placing the ukulele in her hands.
He begins playing a gentle lullaby, the one he wrote when I was pregnant with her and guides her tiny fingers to strum along.
They don't match perfectly, but it doesn't matter.
The image of them together, dark heads bent over their instruments, makes tears spring to my eyes.
When the festival finally winds down hours later, we find ourselves alone on the empty grounds. Cade spreads a blanket on the grass near the main stage, and we lie back, Ruby already dozing between us, her little hand still clutching her ukulele.
"Successful day," he says, reaching across our daughter to take my hand.
"Very." I smile, watching the first stars appear above us. His hand moves to rest on my belly while Ruby stirs between us, blinking up at the darkening sky with heavy eyes. "Mama? Play music?"
"It's bedtime, sweetie," I tell her.
"One song," Cade negotiates, already reaching for his guitar. "Then home to bed."
As he plays softly and I hum along, Ruby's eyes drift closed again. The quiet melody drifts across the empty festival grounds.
"I love you," I whisper as the last note fades. "Every complicated, wonderful note of you."
His fingers find mine in the gathering darkness, squeezing gently. "And I love all of you," he replies.
Above us, the stars of Passion Peak shine down on a family made of broken pieces that somehow fit perfectly together.
Thank you for reading Mountain Man’s Sassy Sweetheart! I hope you enjoyed it!
Up next is Mountain Man’s Sweet Sunshine about the youngest Clark sibling.
She’s got curves that won’t quit and a smile that wrecks me. I’m too old for her, but the second I decide to be her fake boyfriend, I’m done for.
I’m minding my beer at the bar when I hear some punk mocking the curvy girl with the prettiest smile I’ve ever seen, laughing about her romance novels and how she’s never lived what she writes.
She claims she has a boyfriend. They don’t believe her. That’s my cue.
I slide in, wrap an arm around her, and make the lie real.
But when she asks me to fake it for just a little while longer, I realize there is nothing fake about the way I want her.
And when she says I’m exactly what she needs to finish her next book.
I’m conflicted, but one thing I know for sure...
I’m ready to get filthy for her.
Mountain Man’s Sweet Sunshine is available here now!