Bonus Epilogue
June, the next year
Presley
I hoped my white lie about an emergency at The Bean Counter didn’t jinx me.
I had enough co-conspirators that I should be able to pull it off, but I didn’t like lying to my husband, even when it was to ultimately give him the surprise of a lifetime.
Two surprises actually.
West and the girls were in Nashville on this bright, sunny Father’s Day with his mom and Thomas, who were turning out to be wonderful grandparents.
They’d gone to brunch at a steakhouse Thomas and West loved.
Boys’ choice, as the girls had decreed. I was supposed to be with them, in theory, except for this staffing “emergency” at the shop.
As I made my way up from the shore toward the house, my phone vibrated with a text message.
West: How’s it going?
Presley: Glenda’s coming in to save the day, but she has to shower first. I’m hoping I’ll get out of here in another forty-five minutes. How’s your brunch?
West: Tasty, but I wish my wife was here.
I laughed and warmed at the message.
Presley: Me too. I’ll get you a good present to make up for it though.
West: You haven’t shopped yet?!!
He added a laughing emoji, telling me he was teasing.
I’d shopped. In fact I’d Shopped with a capital S, and I couldn’t wait to unveil his present.
Presley: Are you ordering dessert?
West: No. We all overdid it on the buffet. I’ve never seen these girls eat so much, even Sienna.
Presley: How soon are you leaving?
West: Waiting on the bill now. We’ll see you in a little over an hour.
Presley: I’ll hopefully be home waiting for you.
I’d definitely be home waiting for him. I already was.
As far as West knew, and the girls, for that matter, I was supposed to be with the family for brunch. I did hate missing it, as his parents and the girls were my family now and meant the world to me, but this was all going to plan.
His mom and stepdad were in on it.
My employees were in on it.
Jagger and his brother were in on it.
There were a lot of moving parts to this surprise. I sat down in the living room, antsy with anticipation but determined to rest while I waited for my family to come home.
West
As I pulled into our driveway, it hit me again, like it did every single time I came home, how damn lucky I was.
Three beautiful daughters who were thriving with Presley as a mother figure.
A hot, sexy wife who was the most unstoppable person I’d ever met, hands down.
A mom and stepdad who were living their best life—the life my mom always deserved and could never quite pull off until Thomas had come along, fallen in love with her, and built a life with her that’d allowed them both to retire and live.
A job I enjoyed that paid even better now that I was a foreman.
And this house… I’d never dared to imagine living somewhere like this, but I couldn’t picture Presley living anywhere else.
This was the kind of home I’d dreamed of giving my girls, not because it had four times as much square footage as our tiny duplex.
Not because all three girls could have their own bedrooms if they chose—though the twins had decided to continue bunking together.
Not even because of the view from the master bed where I woke up with the love of my life every morning.
Take all the features away, and we had what was most important—a family home filled with laughter, acceptance, patience, emotions—sometimes heated ones, sure—and love. So much fucking love.
“Pressy’s home!” Nova said as we pulled next to Presley’s SUV in the garage. Pressy was the nickname Nova had started using once Presley and I started dating openly, and the twins had adopted the same name for her. “We can go kayaking!”
“It’s a great day for a boat ride,” Scarlet said.
“We have to wear sunscreen,” Sienna said.
“And take bottled waters,” Nova declared.
Kayaking was something we did as a family every week when the weather was decent. The girls were getting good at it, requiring fewer saves. It was a pastime we all enjoyed, and it was a way for my wife to slow down and relax. Well, as much as a person could relax with three high-energy girls.
I cut the engine and followed my daughters into the house, Nova and Scarlet deep into the debate as to whether they’d wear swimsuits for today’s float. As I walked into the kitchen, Presley sat up on the sectional in the living room, looking sleepy.
My wife was not a napper.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“Yeah,” Presley said, smiling, looking gorgeous with her messy bun lopsided and off-center, further hinting at sleep. Chai hopped up to the back cushion next to her, equally drowsy. “I came in and sat down for a few minutes, and I guess I fell asleep.”
I walked over to her, pulled her up to me, and kissed her, peering into her blue eyes. “Everything’s okay at the shop?”
“Yes,” she said cheerfully. “Glenda got there in time for the post-church rush so Hadley didn’t have to face that alone.”
“Glenda and her husband didn’t have plans for Father’s Day?”
“They’re meeting their sons tonight for dinner,” she said.
Latte scampered after Mocha through the main floor and up the stairs.
“Silly kittens,” Nova said. “Pressy, are you ready for kayaks?”
“Of course I am. How was brunch?”
“The best!” Nova shouted.
“Papa loved his presents as much as Daddy did,” Sienna said.
The girls had showered me with their gifts first thing this morning—a “girl dad” hat from Scarlet, a T-shirt that said “World’s Best Dad” from Sienna, and socks with photos of the three kittens on them from Nova, which made me laugh.
Nova had her own ideas and wasn’t easily swayed.
I loved that about her, and I loved my cat socks as much as the hat and shirt.
Presley took her hair down and redid it so it wasn’t falling to the side. “Grab the supplies and let’s go down to the boathouse to get the kayaks out.”
“I’ve got the bag,” Scarlet said, heaving the oversized beach bag where we kept towels, sunglasses, and sunscreen to her little shoulder.
“I’ll get five waters!” Nova ran to the fridge.
“Who has to go to the bathroom first?” I asked. A race to the bathrooms ensued, with all three girls hitting a different one.
Presley pulled me in for a longer, private kiss. “Sorry again that I missed brunch. I’ll make it up to you tonight.”
I growled, wishing my mom and Thomas would’ve kept the girls for a few hours so I could spend my Father’s Day making love to my wife. “I’ll be there.”
Once everyone had relieved themselves, the five of us headed down the walkway, the three girls leading the way, Presley and I holding hands as we trailed a few steps behind them.
Presley set a quick pace for us, making me wonder what the hurry was, but that thought was interrupted as Scarlet popped back out of the boathouse with eyes as big as the moon and her mouth gaping open.
Excited hollers came from within the boathouse, where Nova and Sienna already were.
“What…?” Scarlet said, looking from me to Presley and back as we reached the door.
Nova’s head appeared in the doorway next. “There’s a boat!”
“There’s a what?” Presley asked.
“There should be four boats,” I said as I went inside.
I froze right there at the top of the stairs.
There was a fucking boat.
“Presley?” I said, my gaze locked on the sparkling blue and white watercraft.
“Yes, dear?” she said in a falsely high, innocent voice.
“What did you do?”
She came up beside me and peered down at the full-size, ten-person jet boat, her mouth stretching in a wide grin. “Happy Father’s Day, West.”
A laugh rolled out of me. “Are you serious? Is this… What did you do, wife of mine?”
She pressed her lips together, then said, “I went shopping.”
“Is this ours?” Sienna asked in hushed wonder. She was kneeling on the deck next to the boat, taking it in.
I was semi-aware of Nova jumping up and down once I made it down the stairs.
“Daddy! Daddy! We got a boat!” our youngest yelled.
Presley joined me on the deck, then nudged me toward the boat. “Go check it out. I hope you like it.”
That drew out another laugh. “Like it? Are you kidding me?” I stepped to the side, then hopped onboard. “Holy…”
This thing was a beauty.
I ducked under the boat arch, which had life jackets hanging from it, to get to the captain’s chair. I sat in it and took in the dashboard, too stunned for words.
We’d talked a little about getting a boat but decided the kayaks were all we needed for now. Or so I’d thought.
We’d also talked about extravagant purchases and how Presley wouldn’t spend too much on gifts.
She and I kept our finances separate by my request. I made a good, honest living, particularly after my promotion, and I didn’t need anyone thinking I was after her money.
She’d insisted on opening college accounts for each girl, and I’d relented gratefully, but for the most part, we split our living expenses. We were a team.
Except when my wife went out and spent tens of thousands of dollars on a Father’s Day present.
“You shouldn’t have,” I said halfheartedly, as she watched me from the deck of the boathouse with the most beautiful, loving expression on her face. “But I’m damn glad you did. This is incredible, Pres.”
Presley
My big, burly husband looked like a little boy on Christmas morning as he ran his hands over every inch of the dash, the captain’s chair, the sides, everything he laid his eyes on. Everything except the one thing I wanted him to notice.
“Can we come on the boat, Daddy?” Nova asked, hopping from one foot to the other close to the edge of the deck.
I hadn’t confided in the girls, knowing it would be too big of a secret that could easily pop out in excitement.
I went to Nova and held her hand as she stepped aboard, then did the same for Scarlet, who was singing something about boats that I assumed she was ad-libbing. Sienna was still kneeling, taking it all in.
“You want to go aboard?” I asked our middle girl.