EPILOGUE
ONE YEAR LATER
ELIZA
My back is killing me. I try and rub it, but the ache is impossible to stop at this point. Well, there is one thing that would get my back pain to stop and I’m hoping it happens any day now. Considering I’m technically past my due date, having this boy join us out in the world would be ideal.
I rub a hand over my belly just as Kendrick steps up next to me and rubs my back. I’ll never understand how he always finds the spot that is hurting the worst, but I’m not going to question his magic. Hell no, I’ll just reap the rewards and enjoy it.
As my head falls onto his shoulder, I try and stifle the groan of relief trying to come out of me. The middle of Falls Market is not the place to make such sounds. The people of Seneca Falls talk about me, well us, enough as it is.
Now though, the whispers have changed. Arden loves to let me know what she hears about us whenever she’s in town, which isn’t as often now that she’s found love of her own. It’s quite a story and hers to tell.
The people of our small town are no longer all a twitter about the bad boy corrupting the good girl they always thought would do more with her life.
No, now people talk about how I’m always glowing and have a smile on my face when they see me.
They talk about how my husband—because yes, we got married with only the people closest to us in attendance in front of the judge—dotes on me and hardly lets me out of his sight.
Just like Kendrick, I don’t care what they say about me, good or bad. I don’t need to hear their whispered words filled with speculation. I’m lucky enough to experience happiness on a level I never imagined every day. It’s more than enough for me.
“Eliza? Kendrick?” Our names are said tentatively, but that’s not what has me snapping my eyes open to find out who is calling out to us. No, what has me going on high alert is the way my husband stiffens next to me.
Cody Hilton is standing in the middle of the aisle with a woman at his side who is clinging to his arm.
He’s hardly paying her any attention and is, instead, focused on us.
His eyes dart back and forth between us like we’re doing something far more exciting than taking a small break while stocking up on the groceries we need.
My heart starts to race, and I cover my belly with my hand as if it will be enough to protect the little life that I’ve been entrusted to bring into the world safely.
Cody glances down at my belly, but nothing in his expression changes.
It’s almost as if he doesn’t acknowledge just how pregnant I am, which is unnerving.
He clears his throat and takes a small step forward. The woman continues to cling to him, and I almost feel bad for her.
Arden kept me updated on how Pastor Hilton arranged their marriage through some sort of church mail order bride network. I was skeptical about the whole thing, but kept my mouth shut because it wasn’t my business then and it’s not my business now.
“I’m sorry for approaching you,” Cody’s voice is pleasant, but there’s a note of hollowness there which has the hair on the back of my neck standing up and Kendrick’s arm tightening around me.
“I just wanted to say how sorry I am about all the unpleasantness in the past. I wasn’t grounded by the Lord the way I should have been, but I see the error of my ways now,” he tries to explain.
Kendrick’s body coils tighter like he’s preparing to go into battle to protect me. Fear climbs up my throat even though we’re in public and in broad daylight. There’s something vacant in Cody’s eyes that has me wanting to run in the other direction.
Okay, run is probably a little ambitious, but I could waddle with surprising speed for someone who could deliver, literally, at any time.
When neither Kendrick nor I say anything, he presses on. “I’m going to be following in my father’s footsteps and taking over the church from him. I’m looking forward to continuing to minister to the people of Seneca Falls and hope you’ll join us for service one day.”
Kendrick grunts in response and I open my mouth, but nothing comes out. It could be because I have no clue what to say or it could be because of the sudden and shocking pain that ripples across my belly and heightens the back pain I’ve been battling all day.
“Thank you for your time,” Cody gives a nod, seemingly to accept our relative silence without issue.
It’s only after he turns and leads his wife away from us that it feels like I can breathe again. I look up at Kendrick to find him watching Cody carefully. There’s distrust shining in his eyes, but I can’t really blame him for it.
“We are not going to his church,” Kendrick grumbles under his breath.
His words crack the tension around us wide open, and I throw my head back and laugh. I laugh so hard that I have to hold my belly as it shakes and wiggles.
Then something inside of me breaks and there’s a gush of liquid. I let out a very loud gasp as I look down to find the floor wet below me. Kendrick looks down at me and follows my line of sight.
“Holy shit,” there’s an edge of panic to his voice that almost has me laughing again.
The next thing I know, I’m being scooped up into his arms and he’s rushing away from the half-filled cart of groceries. He slips a little on the water I’ve left behind but doesn’t fall. Thankfully. Fuck, could you imagine?
As he rushes me past the check-out counter and my former boss, he tosses out, “Sorry about the cart and the mess in aisle six, but I need to get Eliza to the hospital. We’re having a baby!”
I swear I hear people cheering in Falls Market, but I can’t be sure because we’re already out the door and rushing toward his truck. He’s so gentle with me as he buckles me in just as an intense pain has me curling over my huge belly.
Everything is a blur of pain, breathing, sweat, and more pain. But then, without warning, I’m holding our son on my chest and my entire world shifts. I look down at his angry little face and smile.
“I’ve never heard a more beautiful sound than your cries,” I murmur, exhaustion lining my words.
Kendrick is right there, pressing his lips against my forehead and chuckling under his breath as tears shine in his eyes. He looks at our son with so much awe and love that I can feel my heart grow larger to hold even more of this feeling, and of this moment.
“We’ve talked about a lot of names,” my man rumbles, his eyes fixed on our boy.
“You pick,” I whisper, trusting him with everything in me.
Even though the room is far from quiet as the doctors and nurses work around us, the silence stretches between us. It is weighted with possibility and holding its breath until it can be filled again, this time with the name of our first child.
“McCoy,” Kendrick chokes out, and I nod, feeling the rightness of it settle in my soul.
“McCoy,” I whisper, “welcome to the family.”
I’m lost in a bubble of love, not caring about anything other than the weight in my arms and the hope I have of being a good mom to this little boy.
I know Kendrick will be an amazing dad. He’ll show McCoy how to be a rancher but never expect him to work the land the way he’s chosen to.
He’ll show up and show love, never withholding and always giving.
He’ll never listen to the whispered words of others over what he knows in his soul about our son.
A knock on the door has my eyebrows pulling together as I look at Kendrick who hasn’t taken more than a step or two away from us since McCoy entered the world.
We’re not expecting anyone just yet. Since Kendrick has the truck, Cliff and Harold are waiting for him to go pick them up and bring them here to meet the newest member of our family.
My husband just hasn’t managed to tear himself away yet to do it.
When Kendrick opens the door, I barely stifle my gasp of surprise. My parents shuffle into the room, their faces sad and remorseful. As they take me in, I can see the hope in their eyes.
“Eliza,” Mom breathes out like a prayer, one written on the heart of a mother in a way I’m only beginning to understand. Tears start to stream down her face and even Dad looks choked up. “We’re so sorry for everything we said that day.”
“We are,” Dad echoes. He looks at my husband, and he softens.
“We judged you unfairly, Kendrick,” he speaks directly to the man who carries my soul in his heart.
His eyes come to meet mine. “We didn’t listen or trust in you knowing your own mind and heart and because of that we’ve missed out on the last year of your life. ”
“We don’t want to miss out on anything else and lose even more time,” Mom sobs.
Dad has to wrap an arm around her shoulders and tuck her against his side to keep her upright. I can see the toll this has taken on them, and it breaks my heart.
When my eyes find the dark brown pools belonging to my husband, I don’t need him to say a word. I nod slowly and Kendrick steps back to allow them full access to the room.
“Come on in,” he offers, his voice kind and warm, but wary as well, “and meet your grandson, McCoy.”
And just like that, we have one more thing to be thankful for, even if I’m hesitant. I’m glad they’re here, but we’ll have to work to repair our relationship and bring our family back together. I’m not afraid of work or the hard moments; they make the good ones sparkle.
I have a feeling this life will be full of gratitude and moments so beautiful that we have no choice but to stitch them together in our memories.
Everyone should be so lucky.