Bonus Epilogue
Dakota
A Few Years Later
“I am swimming in pussy,” Calder says as he sits down on the filthy concrete floor of the rescue center that Trista recommended
while a swarm of cats climb all over him.
“And you’ve never been happier.” I laugh and kneel down to scoop up an orange one currently gliding along my leg.
“Oh, I don’t know about that.” Calder shoots me a wicked look. “I was pretty damn happy last week.”
Heat fills my cheeks as I flash back to the trip we returned from a few days ago. We’ve been doing a fair amount of recreational
travel the past couple years and on our last journey we stopped at a sex club that we’d read about. It was... an experience.
Don’t get me wrong, our sex life has been incredible the past few years, so it’s not like we needed this to spice things up.
But there was something so electrifyingly naughty about being back in that scene with my boyfriend. All that pent up arousal
that surged through me as we watched other couples required an outlet that I could use. And Calder was all too happy to satisfy
my every need. Turns out, we both enjoy a bit of voyeurism on occasion. Though I think Calder watched me more than any of
the other patrons at the club.
And as hot as it was, I don’t think we’ll be going back to another club anytime soon.
It was fun, but we both agreed it was just for a visit.
We both seem to prefer the company of just each other.
It’s pretty remarkable to be so open and secure in a relationship that we can try new things and keep it spicy while also feeling free to say enough.
I love it.
I love him .
The talk of marriage and kids has come up a handful of times, but neither of us are desperate to do either. We’re both happy
as we are, managing our flourishing businesses, and enjoying a bit of travel here and there. We even went back to our little
Mexican palapa last winter and made some new memories that still make me weak in the knees. What happens in Mexico stays in
Mexico indeed.
And when we want to feel a little domestic, we’re so lucky because we have wild little Stevie right next door. She’s almost
four now and comes skipping over all the time. Calder even built her a little dollhouse that he keeps at our place to encourage
her to come play anytime she likes. She is spoiled on Fletcher Mountain with only adults around her, but the way Wyatt has
been looking at Trista lately makes me think it won’t be long before they add another to the peak. My guess is Calder will
be just as smitten with that one too and I can’t wait. It’s beautiful watching him be an uncle. He’s so proud of everything
Stevie does.
That’s the perk of compound living. We don’t miss a thing and we get to spend as much time with his family as we want and
still curl up in our beautiful cabin every night just the two of us... and our soon-to-be two cats.
Life on Fletcher Mountain is good. Why mess with perfection?
“Damn, I want to take them all home,” Calder says, pulling me out of my happy musings as he scoops a third cat up into his
arms. “They all seem like they’re friends. We can’t split up a pack.”
“Just one, Cat Daddy.” I sigh and smile, hating to be the practical one, but it’s going to be a big task to get Milkshake
used to a new friend. I don’t want to shock her with more than one.
I’ve grown attached to that little furball and am protective over her. She needs to approve of this new addition to the cabin just as much as I do. Thankfully, Trista is an expert at this stuff so we’ll have plenty of help to make it as painless as possible.
“I just love cats so much,” Calder groans as a black cat paws at the gauze wrapped around his left hand. Apparently, he hurt
himself in the workshop today, though he refuses to let me look at it. I’m guessing he needs stitches so I fully plan to look
at it before we head back to the mountain.
The orange cat in my arms purrs and nuzzles into my neck. “I’m good with being a childless cat lady, but I draw the line at
becoming a cat hoarder.”
“I like this black one,” Calder says, as it tugs on his bandage. “She’s got some fight in her. Reminds me of someone I know.”
My eyes narrow. “You better not be referring to me, Calder Fletcher.”
“Never.” He waggles his brows at me and butterflies erupt in my stomach. Bearded and holding three cats at a time is a good
look on him. I must stay strong. I must stay strong.
The black cat manages to find success loosening the gauze, and Calder’s too busy with the other two to notice that his wound
is now exposed. I set the orange one down and walk over to him to inspect what happened.
“Calder, what is this?” I gasp as I pull the bandage off the rest of the way and see black ink etched around his ring finger.
“Fuck,” Calder says, carefully setting the cats down and holding his hand with his other to conceal whatever is on his finger.
He looks stressed as he glances around nervously. “I wasn’t planning on doing this here.”
“Doing what here?” I ask, grabbing his hand to see what he’s hiding.
He conceals his hand behind his back and stares down at the cats having a full conversation with himself before nodding firmly.
“Fuck it... this is better.”
“What is better?” I exclaim, feeling irritated and confused and slightly worried. “What is going on?”
Calder gazes down at me and the grave look on his face causes my heart to sink, but when he lowers himself down on one knee,
all the air whooshes out of my lungs.
“Calder? What are you doing?” I feel myself sway so I reach out to hold on to his shoulders for balance as the cats all seem
to scurry away, likely sensing the elevated emotions radiating off of me.
“I’ll be the one asking the questions here, Ace.” He winks at me and my heart begins hammering in my chest as I stare at him
with so much love and adoration, I think I could burst. And he hasn’t even done anything yet!
“There’s a lot of things we don’t do like other people,” Calder says formally as his eyes glitter up at me. He looks so young
and boyish and hopeful, my heart swells at the sweet sight of him. I could look at him forever. I want to look at him forever.
“Our unconventional life is what I love most about us.” He reaches into the front pocket of his flannel and pulls out a sparkling
diamond ring on a silver band. He had that in there the whole time?
“But this thing. This ring. I guess you could say it’s conventional, but listen, I don’t care if we never get married. If
you don’t want to walk down an aisle again, you don’t have to. But I want you to wear something that says you’re mine forever.
I want you to know you’re mine forever. And I’m yours. That’s why I did this.”
He reveals his hidden hand to me, holding it out, and I stare down as I read my named scrawled in black ink around his ring
finger. My eyes well with tears.
“You tattooed my name on your finger?” I feel like I need to say it out loud for confirmation.
“Yeah, well, I wanted to put your name on my ass, but Everly said this would be more romantic.”
I laugh and shake my head. That kid is still pulling strings in this family. One of these days, we’re going to pull them back
and she won’t know what hit her.
“But my ass is yours too, just so we’re clear,” Calder adds, causing me to giggle more.
“You are crazy.”
“I’m crazy in love with you, Ace. I’m crazy in love with this life we’re living together and I want to do it forever. So,
Dakota Schaefer, will you please wear this ring and do forever with me?”
My heart swells at the insecure look on his face, like he thinks I could ever say no to him. Like he doesn’t know that I never
knew what love was until I met him. Like he doesn’t realize he makes my life infinitely better just by being his stubborn,
silly, always surprising self. Does he really not realize how he saved me by helping me believe I could save myself?
I drop down onto my knees and cup his face, my fingers brushing against his coarse beard. “Hell yes I’ll do forever with you.”
“Yes?” he exclaims his brows shooting up to his hairline.
“Yes!” I laugh and brace myself as he yanks me into him, covering my mouth with his and kissing me like it’s our first time.
Tender, sweet, and sinfully sexy.
When we pull apart, I’m out of breath and shaking as he slides the round diamond onto my finger. “It’s beautiful.”
“Everly picked it out.”
I erupt in a fit of laughter. “You Fletcher brothers would be lost without that girl.”
“Tell me about it,” Calder huffs.
I inhale sharply when an idea comes to mind. “I think I’m down for a tattoo also.”
Calder loses all humor on his face as his eyes flash back and forth between mine. “Are you serious?”
I nod slowly. “It would be my first but yeah, I want your name on me too.”
A low groan vibrates his chest. “Just when I thought you couldn’t get any sexier.”
He attacks me with more kisses, pressing our bodies together and running his hands down to my ass in a way that gives these
cats quite a show. I break our kiss and press a finger into his chest. “You’re still only getting one cat.”
“For now,” he husks and presses his lips to my neck, sending goose bumps down to the tips of my toes.
I sigh and roll my eyes to the sky. “For now.”
* * * * *