Shifting on his feet, Hayden gives my dad an apologetic smile before shaking his hand. “I didn’t plan to do this here. Or for you all to hear it. I should have asked you-”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I gave you my blessing when I found out you were seeing Miranda. She’s a grown woman, capableof making her own decisions. I trust she knows what’s right for her. If she wants to marry you, I couldn’t be happier for you both.”
Just when I thought I was out of tears, fresh ones appear and stream down my already wet cheeks. I needed to hear those words. All these years, I assumed he didn’t trust me as an adult. When he would step in and do things like insist Hayden tag along on my trip to haul horses… He wasn’t taking over or second-guessing me. And I think deep down, I knew that. But hearing the words is the last piece in the puzzle, making me even more certain that I made the right decision to stay. That a life with Hayden and Sierra should be the thing I do for myself.
Epilogue
Hayden
“Iunderstand imitation is the best form of flattery, but come on, man. First, I couldn’t get a few minutes of peace in the tack room that night last season without hearing you on the other side of the wall… Then I couldn’t get married without you following suit a couple months later, and now you do a gender reveal after Joy’s baby shower?”
“Fuck off,” I mumble halfheartedly. I look up from arranging the dessert table in Roger and Melanie’s barn and find Tate grinning at me. “Joy was the one who talked Miranda into this, so I don’t want to hear it. And our wedding was at my house with only a handful of friends and family.”
“I’m just giving you shit.” Tate pats me on the back before seeking out Joy, who’s standing with Miranda and caressing her very prominent baby bump.
There must be something in the air, because we decided we were ready to just see what happened after the wedding, and it wasn’t long before the day Miranda came and found me outin the cow pasture, waving a pregnancy test with two lines. It seems as though half the women in Cole County are either pregnant or have recently had babies all at the same time.
It’s late fall, and Miranda looks absolutely radiant in her fitted sweater dress that shows off her tiny bump and her new curves. She always had a figure I couldn’t keep my eyes off, but as she fills out from carrying our child, I want to take her every chance I get. I force my eyes back to the dessert table before my dick can get any ideas.
Miranda wanted the gender to be a surprise, but it didn’t take long for her to change her mind. Knowing the doctors were aware of the gender after a routine blood test, quickly ate at her, and here we are two months later…
“Something funny, Daddy?”
I let out a groan. “Miranda, you can’t call me that. Not here.”
She treats me to one of her gorgeous smiles and then winks at me. “Why, does it do something for you?”
She yelps in surprise when I tug her to me and kiss her. It was meant to be quick. Chaste. But as soon as our lips meet, I slide my tongue into her mouth, deepening the kiss. I only pull away when I hear a throat clearing beside us.
I take in Miranda’s flushed cheeks and then givehera wink. “You know it does.”
Her cheeks turn a deeper shade of pink, and I give her a smug look. She knows I can’t get enough of her. And we both found out by accident that that word does, in fact, have an effect on me. What she seems to forget is that she gets flustered even more easily than she used to, thanks to all those pregnancy hormones.
“Hey, Roger.” I finally acknowledge the man beside me, who’s been doing his best to pretend not to pay attention to us. It’s a good thing he didn’t walk up before the kiss. Best friend or not, he definitely wouldn’t have wanted to overhear that.
“Don’t mean to interrupt, but I was sent here to tell you that Sierra wants to say something before the reveal, since she didn’t want to at the wedding.”
Miranda and I exchange a look, and when she shrugs, I do the same. “That’s fine. I think we’re ready whenever everyone else is.”
Roger gains the attention of the small group, and I pull Miranda off to the side of the table and into my arms. There’s a chill in the air, and I don’t want her getting cold. With a bonfire going, I know we’ll be plenty warm once we do the reveal and everyone takes their desserts and finger foods out to the fire.
Sierra walks out wearing an outfit similar to Miranda’s, and I can’t stop the smile that spreads across my face as I watch her. They are beyond close, and I couldn’t be more grateful to havethem both in my life. I’m not sure what I did to deserve them, but I’ll make sure I do my best to continue to earn their love and trust as long as I’m breathing.
“Hey, guys,” Sierra says with a confident smile. “I’m sure we all know each other by now, but I just wanted to say something really quick before we find out the big surprise. I didn’t want to give a speech at the wedding, but I feel like, as the keeper of the secret, I’m allowed to say it now, instead. Hayden is the dad I never had, and even though I miss my mom every day, I’m glad he ended up in my life. And without Miranda, I’m not sure how I would have survived all this. So, I just wanted to say thank you, and I can’t wait to play Big Sister. Okay. Go ahead and cut the cake, or whatever.”
Miranda goes stiff in my arms, and I know she’s struggling to keep it together, just like I am. My heart squeezes at her words, and I try and fail to blink away the tears that sting my eyes. Turning Miranda to face me, I wipe away the moisture that wets her cheeks before pressing a gentle kiss to her lips. When I pull away, she does the same, her soft fingers wiping away my stray tears before she kisses me tenderly.
“Thank you,” Miranda says, just loud enough for Sierra and me to hear. “I speak for both of us when I say we love you more than anything. And you’re going to be the best big sister.”
“Okay, okay. Hurry and cut the cake! I can’t keep this secret for another second.”
Laughing, I pick up the knife and wait for Miranda to cover my hand with hers before carefully slicing the cake. I remove the small triangle to reveal pink. A little girl. Closing my eyes, I take a moment to picture our little girl running around the ranch, wearing cute little dresses and cowboy boots. Sierra following around behind her and talking her into all the things she didn’t get to do as a kid.
Miranda wraps her arms around my neck and pins me with her hazel eyes. “Are you happy?”
“Happy? I’m already counting down the days until I can sit on the porch with my three girls.”
