EPILOGUE #3
Carter looks from the painting to me, a proud smile on his face. He offers a little wink. When I’d asked for his opinion, he assured me they would love it.
“You’re welcome,” I say, trying to keep my own composure. “I hope it’s something that brings you joy for a very long time.”
“It will be,” Wyatt says with a nod. “It’s incredible.”
I smile a bit more assuredly, feeling Boston’s supportive hand on my back.
“I vote it goes in the main bathroom so all our guests have to stare at us when they take a shit,” EJ says, raising his hand in the air.
Lau snorts, rolling her eyes as she wipes them free of tears with her sleeve.
Declan glances at Penny, a soft smile on his mouth. She looks his way, her hand reaching for his. She sweeps her thumb over the tattoo on his wrist.
“I say in the hallway upstairs,” Tiff suggests. “It would look nice between the light fixtures.”
“I agree with that,” Lau says.
“I vote for right there,” Wyatt interjects, pointing to the spot behind my head.
The big, stone fireplace mantel, with a space I designed specifically to hold this very frame.
I wasn’t going to force them to put it there, but in my professional opinion, that’s where it should go. “Right in the heart of the house.”
The crew stares at the spot, and Boston and I slide out of the way. Without hesitation, Boston takes the frame from me and walks to the mantel, reaching up to place it on the ledge. He steps back, wrapping his arms around me from behind.
We all gaze up at it.
The quiet spreads again. Tiff and Lau melt into each other. Avery smiles through so many tears that it makes my heart ache, though it’s probably a side effect of her pregnancy more than anything.
Wyatt nods adamantly, like that’s the only place the picture would make sense.
He’s right. Good eye.
“Knocked it out of the park,” Boston whispers quietly in my ear. I slide my hands along his, glancing up at him. “I’m proud of you.”
I lean against him. “I love you.”
He kisses me as softly as a whisper. “I love you more.”
“Oh my god!” Penny screams. I jump in Boston’s arms, and everyone in the room freezes. She rushes from the couch, standing on her tiptoes to see the painting.
I grin, realizing what she’s just noticed.
She whirls around, eyes round as she looks at her husband. She points to the corner of the porch, where three dogs sit behind the railings, a little something special that I had added to the original photo for the two people who hired me. “Our kids!”
Declan smiles wide, eyes flickering to me. “What’s the warranty like on that thing?”
“You want to return it?”
He shakes his head curtly. “No, but every single time we get a new dog, she’s going to want to add them in. Does the artist do additions?”
Penny laughs, brushing away tears as she studies her babies immortalized in paint.
“I thought you said no more dogs, you giant fucking pushover?” Wyatt asks.
Declan glances at him, a smirk on his mouth, and slaps his hand onto his leg—squeezing until Wyatt jolts in pain.
I look at Penny and she looks at me. She outstretches her hand, tears in her eyes, and takes my fingers in hers. With three squeezes, she lets go, but she doesn’t move to take even a single step away from the painting.
“Maybe we should get a lakehouse.”
I huff a laugh, lounging between Boston’s legs on the porch, looking out at the dark water. Everyone is in bed, but not us. We decided to share a bottle of wine and enjoy our last night in the city where we fell for each other.
“I love our farmhouse.”
His arms tighten around me. “Me too.”
The gentle sound of the water and the murmuring from the crickets warms my soul. There is magic in this city. I can’t put my finger on it, but it breeds love like nothing I have ever seen. I feel it in every corner of this property, of the town itself, and in the people I’ve grown to care for.
Deep in my heart, I know it’s a place that will always be important to me.
“What do you want, sweetheart?” Boston asks, his mouth near my ear. “In life. If you could have anything, what would you want?”
I swallow, sliding my hands over his. The question scares me. I worry Boston and I will not always be travelling down the same path, that there will come a point where we venture in different directions. The thought paralyzes me with fear.
“You.”
“Done,” he says, kissing my hair. “What else? Be honest.”
“Boston,” I say quietly, leaning back to look at him. I’m immediately met with warm, green eyes. “Why are you asking me this?”
“Because I want to know,” he says simply, pressing a soft kiss to my mouth now. “What does your future look like in that brilliant head of yours?”
My throat bobs, studying his face.
He searches my eyes. “There are no wrong answers.”
“Yes, there are,” I say quietly, but his grip tightens around me.
“Tell me,” he says, offering a gentle nudge. “Whatever you say is not a death sentence for us, Ari. I promise.”
It might be. Eventually… it may be the exact thing that takes us out, and I’m not ready to think about it.
“I want to marry you,” I whisper, expecting his face to fall, but it doesn’t. He nods, encouraging me to continue, giving me his complete, undivided attention. “I love the idea of having a family with you, Boston. Kids. Dogs. Cows. Baby goats.”
“Who are also kids,” he corrects.
My brow furrows as I scan his face. “I know we haven’t really talked about this in a while, and I know where you stand, but—”
“Where I stood,” he corrects. “Before you.”
“You don’t have to change what you want to make me happy.”
“I’m not,” he says, resting his chin on my shoulder. “I want to marry you right back, Ari. Not a question in my mind about it.”
“Really?”
“Really,” he answers, kissing my temple. “I worry about how I’d be as a dad, but I know you’d be a great mom. Like Remi, you’d help me…grow into fatherhood. You’d help me be the dad I want to be. If you want kids, I want to give them to you.”
I stare at this man I fell so recklessly in love with, who I gave my heart to, despite knowing that he might not be able to give me every single thing that I want out of life.
I feared where it would bring us, but I was too afraid to ask.
Too afraid to want more when I’d already been given the greatest love I’ve ever known.
Tears burn in my eyes as a gentle smile pulls at his mouth.
“You’d be such a good dad, Boston,” I promise, my voice cracking.
His eyes flutter and he squeezes me tighter. “I believe it when you say it.”
“And seeing you in uncle mode is already hot enough. Dad mode might make me explode and die,” I say, reaching up to wipe my tears away.
He laughs under his breath. “You might want to keep yourself in one piece, depending on how many gremlins you want.”
I study his face. “How many would you want?”
He just shrugs, his thumb brushing my side. “I’ll give you one, or I’ll give you six. It doesn’t matter to me.”
“Are you sure you’re not just bending to what I want? You were steadfast on what your future looked like and I—”
“Ari,” he murmurs, his tone holding a warning.
“I know who I was when we first met. I’m not the same person anymore.
I’m not scared of the same things. I have my brothers back.
I have my nephews. I have a family in them, and I have a family in you.
It’s my favourite part of life. It’s my greatest achievement. Them, and you.”
I smile. That sentiment means a lot more when you’re with a professional hockey player who has won a cup.
“There’s room in my heart now, sweetheart,” he says quietly. “You can absolutely choose to take up all of it, but if you want to fill it with mini versions of us, I’m on board. When I think about our future lately, it’s rare that kids don’t pop up in the blueprint.”
“What if you have six girls?”
“Six of you?” he asks, brows shooting upward. “I’d be the luckiest bastard on the planet.”
We have three girls, the first of which has silky, nearly-black hair and bright green eyes.
We name her Ryan.