Epilogue
Emma
O ne year later…
“She was literally the cutest little thing in her dress,” Jess cooed, bouncing Millie on her hip as she sipped on her cup of punch. “I swear it was literally so amazing when she laughed at y’all kissing.”
“Yeah, I know,” I agreed, leaning into Mason as we stood just off the dance floor. The wedding had been going on for nearly three hours, and I was more than ready to go home and celebrate in our own way. “You look beautiful, too.”
“Thanks,” Jess did a silly pose. “You look gorgeous yourself, Mom.”
“I’m still gonna have to get used to you calling her that,” Mason chuckled, squeezing his arm around my shoulder. “But I like it.”
“Me, too,” I reached out to Jess, squeezing her forearm. “I would never change anything about it, either. I love the family we have. ”
Jess gave me a big grin, still hanging onto Millie, our beautiful, dark-headed, green-eyed baby girl. “I guess I’ll stay on baby duty while you two enjoy your night.”
“We’re always on baby duty,” Cody rolled his eyes as he appeared from the dance floor, his eyes taking in Jess. “Though I have to admit that I don’t mind it so much. She’s a real cute baby—not one of those?—”
“Cody,” Lucas warned him. “Don’t ever go callin’ anyone’s kid ugly… Not even if it’s the truth. That’s the fastest way to get your ass beat by some pissed off papa bear.”
“No kidding,” Mason chuckled, leaning over and planting a kiss on my head. “Though I have to admit that Emma might be a little scarier than me.”
“I’ll second that,” Lily added, poking my arm. “She’s dangerous. You should’ve heard her at the PTO meeting when it came to the girls being shorted points for their fundraiser. She was a force to be reckoned with.”
“I would hate to be on the receiving end of that,” Lucas grunted, reaching over and swooping Millie from Jess’s arms. “But I am thinking that after y’all had this cute little thing, I ought to try and settle down myself. Cody’s a good kid, but I don’t think he wants me to read to him the way Millie does.”
“Oh my god, please don’t,” Cody grumbled, shuddering. “You’re like the father I wished I would’ve had, but if you start reading bedtime stories to me, I might have to go live in the barn.”
“Ha ha,” Lucas rolled his eyes, though his face was brighter than ever. Taking in Cody had been a good thing for him, and now that Jackson was long put away, things had truly settled. The town still had its fair share of drama, but thankfully, it was now at a distance from me .
“So what do you think about all the decorations?” Lucas asked me. “Did we do a good enough job? I was starting to wonder if we would meet your expectations.”
“I think you did great,” I laughed, shaking my head at him. “I don’t think Mason would’ve cared either way, regardless. He would’ve married me down at the courthouse.”
“And she’s not wrong,” Mason agreed, planting a kiss on my cheek. “I would’ve married her just about anywhere.”
“Okay, that’s enough mom-and-pop romance for me.” Cody grabbed Jess’s hand and led her out to the dance floor, pulling her into him.
“I’m still getting used to that,” Mason muttered, making a face at the two of them. “I don’t think I like him.”
“I don’t think you’ll ever like anyone who dates one of your daughters,” Lucas chuckled, shrugging his shoulders. “But honestly, the kid has come a long way. I’m proud of him, and I can’t say that for many, you know.”
“Yeah, I would agree with that,” I added. “Cody is a good kid, and he works harder than most who have ten years on him.”
Mason was quiet as Lucas shuffled off and Lily gave me an embrace before jetting off to dance with Drew and Dara. I looked up at him, seeing a perplexed look on his face.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing…” His voice trailed off as he gave me a light squeeze. “This is the perfect wedding with the perfect woman. We have an incredible family.”
I nodded, not buying it. “Yeah, I believe that you think that, but the look on your face tells me that something is really bothering you.”
“It’s just about a year since all that went down with Jackson, and sometimes, I just still can’t believe that it was him the whole time. He was one of my best deputies—I thought I knew him.”
“You did know him,” I said, giving him a reassuring smile. “And the truth is, is that Jackson was partially who you knew him to be… It’s just that he had an entire other side of his life that he kept hidden. His grudge ran deeper than his loyalty.”
“And I guess sometimes I still have a hard time believing it. You know for the longest time, he told me he was framed, and for a while, I actually believed him—even after he tried to kill me.”
I nodded, my heart going out to Mason. “I know that, and I understand, but you did the right thing… And now Jackson is serving the time that he deserves for the crimes that he committed. The fact that you were kind enough to hear him out after the entire mess, says a lot about you, Mason. You’re a humble, kind, and loving man. You’re fiercely loyal to those you care about… And Jackson… He’s a bad seed.”
Mason let out a sigh. “I know, you’re right. I just wish it would’ve been different… But at least Lucas got to keep the ranch and got his cattle back. I can’t even be mad about that.”
“No, it was the best ending that you could’ve gotten to some degree. Those who did wrong had to pay, and justice was served. I think Jackson knew he wouldn’t be able to make it work forever.”
“Especially not when Cody caught him,” Mason added before leading me out to the dance floor. “But you know what?”
“What’s that?” I asked as he pulled me into him.
He leaned down, kissing my lips softly before gazing into my eyes. “We got the best ending of all. ”
THE END