"Yes, yours." My heart is racing and the world blurs for several seconds until the remnants of that monumental climax clear. Then I brush her hair from her eyes and grin. "And you’re mine. We belong together.”
I roll away, snuggling her in my arms as I whisper across her hair. "My girlfriend. My wife. My life partner. The mother of my children. My travel companion."
Her hand lands firmly in the center of my chest. "Whoa there, buddy. Let's take things one step at a time, okay?"
"Oh, of course. But I’ve already seen our future. I just wanted to say it out loud once."
Her eyes glow as she looks up at me, then nods. "Yeah… You're right.”
And with those three words, Jenna makes me the happiest man on the mountain.
Probably the world.
EPILOGUE
JENNA
* Seven Years Later *
The beautiful fairy princess lightly bops the big, strong lumberjack on the head with her wand. The lumberjack retaliates by sprinkling a handful of sand on her poufy pink skirt, which gets him another bop, and a loud, squealed giggle.
I snap photos like crazy as the other parents stand behind me, laughing. Then Max, my three-year-old lumberjack in his overalls and cap, decides to bop fairy princess Penny on the pigtails with his foam axe. She rolls to her feet, hands on her hips with all the rage a lady a few weeks shy of turning four can muster.
“Max, if you get sand in my hair, you don’t get cupcakes!”
My stepbrother Steven can’t stop laughing as his wife Trisha steps in and examines Penny’s hair seriously. “No sand, honey. You’re fine.”
Penny doesn’t look convinced, but Max grabs her hand and they head for the jungle gym.
“Guess the photo shoot is over,” I grin.
Firm, strong hands hitch under my elbows to help me up off the grass. “Enough shots for now?” Kellan murmurs in my ear.
“Yeah. I’ll take more when the rest of the gang arrives.”
We head back to one of the five picnic tables under a huge awning behind the house. Kellan hands me a glass of sparkling water with mint and raspberries, then nudges the crackers and cheese plate toward me invitingly.
He’s the best husband, and the best dad – always making new adventures instead of just showering Max with toys. Usually we host the winter parties, teaching the kids to snowboard on small, gentle hills that the brothers create at the very back of the yard. For some reason the topography of our property seems to hold the snow best and creates plenty of natural drifts.
Kingston’s yard is usually the prettiest in the spring, but we’re hosting today since his huge new gazebo is under construction, and we certainly don’t want the kids playing around that. Which they definitely would, because they’re all a bit feral and fearless.
Kaden has built several enormous shade structures, so his yard is good in the heat of summer. Kane’s has the best view across a valley and the mountain of the leaves changing color in the fall. Kai and Leah travel a lot, so their yard isn’t quite as polished. But that’s okay – they bring back wine from all over the world to every gathering they can make.
Trisha returns from the kitchen with another bowl of chips that Steven and Kellan immediately dive right into. She grins, and I return her eye roll at the vultures we married.
I never managed to get close to my stepfather, and that’s fine. Mom and I have drifted even more apart because of it, but if that’s what she wants, so be it. Luckily, Steven and Trisha keep me in the loop, and the four of us get along great.
From the very start, though, I clicked with Kellan’s whole family. It’s terrific to know that we have so many options wherewe can drop off our toddler if we really need a night alone. Plus, hosting other kids is great practice for when we have our next one.
Two more trucks arrive out front, but there’s no need to get up. Everyone knows to come straight in and either drop some food in the kitchen or help themselves. These huge casual family hangouts every few weeks keep us all connected and give our kids a chance to truly grow up together.
I can tell from the sound in the driveway that Kellan’s parents have arrived, even without the light tap on the Jeep horn after they park. Which means our kitchen will be filled with delicious premade sandwiches in a few minutes. I smile.
Kellan grabs my hand and leads me into the house and down the back hallway to a quiet nook. “What’s up?” I ask as his arms circle me, holding our bodies close together.
"We’re almost at fifteen weeks, right?" he says, kissing along the side of my throat. "I think you said we could start telling people at fifteen."
I laugh, then hum out a soft moan as his hands gently wander around my hips and the bottom curve of my ass before his right palm settles in the center of my stomach.
