Epilogue
Two months later
Rowan
Dragonfly Lake in the springtime was stunning as promised.
With my husband by my side, I breathed in a full, fragrant breath of the May evening and marveled that this was my life now.
Rusty Anchor’s beer patio, bordered by lush, colorful flowers on two sides and a vista of the lake on the third, was the ideal venue for our gender reveal party. We’d closed it to the public for the duration, allowing our thirty-ish guests plenty of space to eat, drink, spread out, and enjoy the view before it got dark.
“This is beautiful,” I said to Chance, whose arm was around me as we mingled with our friends.
We were minutes from sunset. The colors cast over the water ranged from gold and coral to a deep, dusky grayish plum. A bank of clouds in the distance increased the sky’s drama without threatening our perfect spring weather.
“ You’re beautiful,” he said in my ear.
Even though we were surrounded by our friends, his intimate declaration awakened a physical desire deep inside me I knew I’d be quenching later tonight.
I pressed a quick kiss to his lips, a grin on my own.
The joy I felt in my soul made it impossible not to smile, laugh, love, not only my handsome husband but all the people who’d joined us this evening. It was hard to remember how depleted and overcome with sadness I’d been when I’d happened into this little town five months ago. I’d lost everything then, and somehow I’d lucked into a life overflowing with friends and goodness and love.
In addition to Chloe, I’d gotten to know several of her friends, plus the dads in Chance’s group, and the wives and fiancées of Knox, Ben, and Max. They were all with us tonight, as were Sam and her friend Kinsley, Loretta, Kemp, and the rest of the brewery employees. Magnolia from the Lily Pad had volunteered to help me plan the details, from the silver, pink, and blue balloons and centerpieces to the guess-the-gender board and the suggest-a-name station.
Chance and I stood in a cluster with Chloe, Magnolia, Emerson, Loretta, Olivia, and Anna.
“This looks fantastic,” Emerson said as she bent over one of the tables to sniff the flowers in the middle.
“Magnolia deserves all the credit,” I said.
“Aww, thank you,” Magnolia said. “I had fun with it.”
“I keep telling her she needs to make a business of her party-planning skills,” Chloe said, nudging Magnolia’s side.
“You really should consider it, dear,” Loretta said.
“In my spare time between the Lily Pad and the inn,” Magnolia said, laughing.
“You’re good at event planning,” Chance told her.
Luke and West arrived, and my husband excused himself to greet them.
We’d been married for three weeks. I was still pinching myself at my good fortune or fate or whatever deserved the credit for guiding me to that man. He was so exactly what I hadn’t even known I needed. Forever supportive, full of love, humor, and common sense, and so damn irresistible. I knew pregnancy hormones could enhance a girl’s sex drive, but I wasn’t convinced those were to blame for how much I craved him.
Our wedding had been an intimate gathering of just over a dozen of our closest friends, everyone except Presley, who’d been too sick to get out of bed. We’d exchanged vows on the terrace of the Honeysuckle Inn, the exact one we’d discussed the first night we’d met. If you’d told me on New Year’s Eve I’d be marrying Chance a few months later in that spot, I would’ve laughed hysterically and told you to shut up.
Afterward, our group enjoyed a private dinner party at the Marks Resort, prepared by The Cove’s chef, Nola Simms, and her staff. We’d made the decision to branch out from Henry’s with the good-natured blessing of both Holden and Cash, who were on our short guest list. I could understand why Nola and Cash had both received national recognition for their chef skills. Our wedding dinner had been unforgettable.
Though Chance had invited his parents and brother to the wedding, none of them had bothered to show up, claiming four weeks wasn’t enough notice. Chance had shrugged it off and declared it their loss. He’d told me Sam and I were what true family felt like, not the cold, self-centered jerks who’d raised him. I agreed. Those people, who I had yet to meet, didn’t deserve to have him in their lives.
“You look gorgeous, Rowan,” Quincy, Knox’s wife, said as she came up and hugged me.
“No, you do,” I said, grinning as I checked out her short, flouncy tangerine dress with boots. “I look like a plump blueberry.”
Her smile was sad at the edges. “I’d give just about anything to look like a plump blueberry.”
“You will,” I told her.
“You absolutely will,” Chloe said.
It was no secret Quincy and Knox had been trying to get pregnant. My heart went out to them. It must seem so brutally unfair that they could want a baby so badly and not be blessed with a pregnancy, and then someone like me comes along and gets pregnant after one chance meeting.
I squeezed her hand and tried to convey my empathy without drawing more attention to her.
Just then, Presley came bustling onto the patio from the parking lot, looking classy and sexy at once in a short, silver dress, thigh-high black boots, and a black cropped jacket.
“About time you got here,” Chloe called to her.
“Hey, Presley,” Olivia, the baker of the gender reveal cake, said. “Welcome.”
“You look stunning,” I said as she approached us.
“Thanks, Rowan. I’m sorry I’m late.” Presley hugged me, then Chloe and the other girls in our cluster.
“There’s no late,” I assured her. “The food is about to be served, and we’ve got plenty of drinks, so help yourself.”
“Yes to the drinks,” Presley said. “I just quit my job on the spot.”
I whipped my head to her to see if I’d heard her right. “You quit? Really?”
“Escorted off the premises and everything,” she said almost flippantly.
There was a collective gasp, then Chloe said, “Well, good riddance.”
Presley said, “Amen.”
“What happened to make you quit?” Anna asked.
“I’ll get you a cocktail. Would you like a Blue Bayou or a Watermelon Mojito?” Quincy asked, naming our themed blue and pink drinks for the evening, also Magnolia’s idea.
“One of each,” Presley answered, making us laugh.
“I got you,” Quincy said.
“You seriously just quit?” Olivia asked Presley.
“She’s needed to for a while,” Chloe said. “Her boss is a douche wagon.”
“She speaks the truth,” Presley said. “But I didn’t intend to waltz in here and steal the show. How’s our resident pregnant lady?”
“I’m good even without the pretty cocktails,” I said, laughing.
“This girl definitely has that newlywed glow about her,” Anna said.
“That on top of the pregnancy glow…” Presley said. “You really do look alive and happy.”
“I am,” I assured her. “I’m truly blessed. And dying to know about your job.”
“Ex job,” Presley said. “So one of the partners is retiring. I told the douche wagon I was interested in going for partner. He told me not to bother, that I wouldn’t get it. I considered my options on the spot—prove him wrong and get the position, or get that worm out of my life for good. He was so smug and self-satisfied and privileged white male, so…I told him what he could do with the job.”
Quincy handed her a Blue Bayou.
“Thank you,” Presley said, then closed her eyes and savored her first sip. “Walking out of that place with my box of belongings? Best. Feeling. Ever.”
“You go, girl,” Olivia said.
“Wow,” Magnolia said. “Brave woman.”
Presley waved it off. “Happy woman. Screw him. I decided on the drive here I’m moving to my lake house as soon as possible.”
“Awesome,” I said, meaning it. “You’ll love it here.”
Chloe laughed and shook her head. “It’s almost like you planned it.”
“Not consciously, but everything’s working out,” Presley said.
The servers from Henry’s indicated that the food—an assortment of heavy appetizers—was ready. Holden took charge of encouraging our guests to fill their plates.
As people made their way toward the long table of food, Presley grabbed my arm and Chloe’s and said under her breath, “Who is that ?”
Chloe and I followed her gaze to the group of men standing near the bar.
“With the beard?” Chloe said.
Presley’s reply was an affirmative growl.
“Down, girl,” I said.
“Is he taken?” Presley asked.
“It’s West Aldridge,” Chloe said quietly. “Not taken as far as I know.”
“Very single,” I affirmed, as Chance had told me how anti-relationship West was after his last breakup broke his daughters’ hearts.
The rest of the group meandered toward the food table, so the three of us gathered closer together.
“He’s so not your type, Pres,” Chloe said.
“I don’t have a type. I rarely take time for guys, as you well know,” Presley said. “But suddenly I’m feeling footloose and fancy free.”
“Danger,” I said with emphasis. “That feeling’s exactly what got me like this.” I pointed at my round belly.
Presley frowned at my middle. “It seems like it worked out for you, but I do not want an insta-family. He’s just…” She shook her head, her gaze back on West.
“He’s a contractor for Levi Dawson’s construction company,” Chloe said.
“Levi. I met him at your wedding reception, right?” Presley asked her, sipping her drink, looking nonchalant even as her eyes didn’t leave West.
“Probably?” Chloe said. “I didn’t take notes. I was kind of busy that night.”
“Telling your new husband you were with child, if I remember right,” Presley said.
“I don’t know whether this will attract or repel you,” I said, “but West is very dedicated to his little girls. And against any kind of relationship.”
Presley looked thoughtful but didn’t say anything.
“Your type,” Chloe said, “is tall, thin, bordering on metrosexual, and brainy. The more expensive the suit he’s wearing, the better.”
My eyebrows shot up because West was the antithesis of that. He was former military, with a thick, muscular build. He was gruff, rough around the edges, and had a beard. I’d give her, he was good-looking, with intense green eyes that crinkled when he smiled, but he was about as masculine and virile as you could get.
“He’s your polar opposite,” I told her. Presley was wealthy, brilliant, and outgoing, while West was blue collar, brawny, and reserved.
Across the patio, West got a phone call and stepped away, letting himself out the gate on the lake side, probably so he could hear the call.
As the three of us made our way toward the food line, Holden came up behind Chloe and put his arms around her.
“Hey, Presley,” he said. “Glad you could make it.”
“I wouldn’t miss it, handsome.”
West came back to the patio, said something to Luke, then hurried out the other gate toward the parking lot.
“Where’s West going?” Chloe asked.
“No idea,” Holden said. “Probably something to do with his girls. I’m not sure what else would make him move like that.”
“I guess I won’t be meeting him tonight,” Presley said and shrugged. She took a longer drink of her cocktail. “So what’s your gut say, Rowan? Girl or boy?”
Chance
Life was funny. Not really in a haha way but more in a smack-you-upside-the-head-with-exactly-what-you-needed-even-if-you-couldn’t-see-you-needed-it way.
How had I ever thought I didn’t want this ?
Rowan and I sat at one of the patio tables with Sam, her friend Kinsley, and several of our friends. I put my arm around Rowan and kissed her temple.
“Everyone’s done eating, Dad,” Sam said impatiently.
A glance at the food table told me it had, in fact, been demolished. Lots of our guests were standing, drinking, talking, no longer sitting at the tables.
“How long do we have to wait for cake, Mr. Cordova?” Kinsley asked.
“I think now’s good,” my daughter said.
While she wouldn’t argue with cake itself, I knew my daughter’s hurry was more about finding out whether she’d be getting a baby sister or brother.
Sam had made big strides in the past couple of months. Her friendship with Kinsley was partly responsible, I was sure, but so was Rowan. I’d always known, as much as I wanted to be both parents for Sam, there were areas I failed in. I just hadn’t known what to do about it. The answer turned out to be fall in love with a woman who loved my daughter too.
We’d been cautious about discussing adoption possibilities with Sam, as Rowan didn’t want to force herself on Sam as a mother figure too soon. When we’d returned from our short honeymoon on the other side of the lake, holed up in a beautiful vacation rental on the shore, Sam had surprised us in the best possible way by asking outright if Rowan could adopt her and become her mom. We’d wasted no time in starting the process, much to my wife’s sheer joy.
Sam was less sullen toward me now that she and Rowan could talk boys, hair, and clothing to their hearts’ content. I was fine being left out of those conversations and thankful as hell the sweet side of my daughter had resurfaced. She was set to finish her freshman year of high school with solid grades, a bestie in Kinsley, and a burgeoning business, as the two of them were starting a babysitting service this summer.
“Mama to be?” I said to Rowan. “Are you ready to find out what flavor kiddo we’ve got in there?”
Rowan shoved her chair back. “So ready. Let’s do this.”
“Yay!” Sam said, standing in a flash. “Come on, Dad.”
Olivia, who was sitting on the other side of Kinsley, tuned in to our conversation. “Reveal time?”
“Yep. As if you don’t know what it is,” Kinsley said to her.
“I’ll never tell though,” Olivia said, grinning.
Olivia, who worked at Sugar, was the only one besides the ultrasound tech who knew the gender of our baby. The tech had written it down and sealed it in an envelope. Rowan had handed that over to Olivia, who’d agreed to bake the special cake that was filled with either pink or blue. She’d also baked the larger cake our guests would eat.
Rowan and I stood.
“Bring your drink. We’re going to toast,” I told my girls.
Sam practically dragged Rowan and me to the cake table.
The three of us had everyone’s attention in no time, as “Is it time?” was repeated from one side of the patio to the other.
“Hey, everyone,” I said. “It is time.”
A round of cheers rang out, and though I’d not immediately embraced the concept of this party, now I was glad we were sharing our moment of truth with our closest friends.
When they quieted, I repeated, “It’s time for the reveal. Well, almost time.”
“Cut the cake!” Max called out.
“I’ll get there, Coach Impatience.”
Rowan stood to my left, and Sam was on my right. I pulled them both closer.
“I want to thank every one of you for joining us tonight,” I said, as Rowan and I had agreed I’d do the talking. “I mean that. While the three of us can’t wait to find out whether we’ll have a boy or a girl join our family, we know that most of you just wish us a healthy baby, regardless of gender. But you came out because it’s important to my family.”
“Plus the open bar,” Ben hollered, eliciting laughter.
“And the cake,” Presley said.
We laughed with the smart-asses, then I sobered. “Some of you know I’m not close to my immediate family. That bugged me for years as I tried to figure out what was wrong with me and what I could do to be closer to them. I played with the decision to move away from St. Louis, where my parents still live, for a couple of years before doing it, worrying it would make us even more distant and maybe end our chances of ever feeling like part of a family.”
My daughter leaned her head on my upper arm on one side. On the other, Rowan squeezed my arm, nestling in closer.
“No way could I have predicted that moving away would be one of the best decisions I’ve ever made,” I continued, “but that’s exactly what it was. If Sammy and I hadn’t taken the risk of moving, I never would’ve met the woman of my dreams. Sam wouldn’t have met her bestie, Kinsley.” I nodded at the teenager sitting at the closest table. “We wouldn’t have learned that found family can mean a lot stronger binds than blood family.” I paused for a second to swallow down the emotion threatening to overcome me. “You all have become our family. The people who care. The people we love. So thank you.”
I raised my beer bottle in a toast. “To found family.”
“Here, here!”
“To found family!”
I clinked my bottle to Sam’s soda glass and Rowan’s water flute. We all drank a sip, then Sam stepped forward. We’d agreed she could do the honors of finding out what color was inside the cake.
She turned an empty glass upside down, hovered it over the small, all-white cake, then said, “Here goes nothing.”
Rowan and I held on to each other. My heart was pounding at the anticipation, even though I’d be happy with either gender as long as they were healthy.
The excitement in the air was tangible in the moments of silence as Sam pressed the glass down into the cake. Rowan gripped me as if her life depended on it, and I had the fleeting thought that supporting her through labor wouldn’t be a pain-free experience for me.
“It’s a”—Sam blocked our view, so we held our breath for her announcement, as planned—“girl!”
With a squeal of happiness, she held the glass full of cake and icing up high to show off the pink.
A round of cheers went up, along with random comments and jokes, as Rowan and I pulled Sam into a three-way hug. My daughter was bouncing on her toes as she dropped a brief hug on us, then went to hug Kinsley.
“She wanted a girl,” Rowan said, her grin splitting her face as I went in for a kiss. “So she can knit cute girl clothes.”
“And you?” I asked once I could pull my lips away from hers enough to speak.
She shook her head. “You know I don’t care. I just want your baby, whatever flavor.”
With my arms around her and our bodies as close as they could possibly be while still clothed, her baby bump pressed into me, I said, “You’ve got my baby. And my teenager. And me.”
“Sounds like the perfect family to me.”
Thanks for reading Single Chance ! I hope you loved Chance and Rowan.