“Are you okay?” I whisper.
She nods. “Louis Montgomery's lawyer send me a letter to Austin this week. He sold me his business.”
“He did?”
“When I left for Austin, I told him I wasn’t sure if I’d come back because of the situation with Riley. I explained everything to him. He said he understood and respected my decision to live closer to her. Three days ago, I got a certified letter from his attorney offering to sell me the business for onesingledollar.”
“What?!” I ask again.
She nods. “It turns out, it was never about the money for him to retire and sell his practice. He’s been saving for decades in preparation and could have retired years ago. He just wanted to find the right person to take over for the families and city that he loves, and he said he finally found that in me.”
“Wow…”
She sighs. “Even before the letter had arrived, I was feeling like it was time to come back here. Riley is incredible, and I’ve loved spending the past month with her and the Andersons, but I realized, she’ll always be a part of my life and past no matter my physical location, and I can visit without living in the city. I don't want to disrupt her relationship with her family or her childhood by acting like another mom she doesn’t need. So much of who she is—her interests, likes, and dislikes—is nurture, not nature. She’s a beautiful, spunky, kind, and funny girl because of her parents,the Andersons. My heart is full seeing how loved she is, it’s exactly what I always needed to know, butI realized, now that I have that fulfillment and peace, I no longer need to live there in Austin.”
She smiles up at me. “And I also realized that I love you, Wilder Cameron. I don’t want to be apart from you anymore. I want to move forward with my life with you in it.”
I rub my nose gently against hers and kiss her again. “I was ready to come to Austin to tell you the same thing. Hell, I would have moved there if you wanted me to. I love you, Teagan Keating and I can't wait to meet Riley someday soon. She sounds incredible which makes sense given who her mother is. I’m so grateful your time in Austin was healing.”
“You would have moved to Austin?” she asks.
“Yes, baby.Right person, right time.”
Chapter 31 - Epilogue - Wilder
Six months later…
“As we venture deeper into the rainforest, notice the intricate web of life surrounding us. Over there, you’ll see the vibrant array of bird species, their calls echoing through the canopy. And if you look closely, you’ll spot the elusive monkeys swinging gracefully from tree to tree,” our tour guide speaks.
“This is incredible!” Teagan whispers excitedly in my ear as she leans over and squeezes my thigh affectionately.
I smile back at her. I knew she’d love to be back here.
The off-roading truck lurches forward, taking us deeper into the Brazilian rainforest. Along with the other tour attendees, we gaze up through the canopy, marveling at the various animals enjoying the beautiful, hot, humid day.
I lean over, brushing my lips gently against her neck as she smiles and continues to gaze upward.
“I wonder if we’ll see any penis snakes,” I whisper in her ear, causing her eyes to widen.
“Shhh! Wilder you’re going to get us in trouble,” she laughs as I grin. “You know, I should have never told you about that. It was the only thing I could think of when you asked me.”
“No, youdefinitelyshould have told me about that. In fact, tell me more about the phallic shaped animals you’d like to encounter while working in your career.”
She slaps my arm gently as she rolls her eyes and laughs.
An hour later, our tour is finished and we’re back at the hotel that we’ve been staying in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It’s a beautiful, warm spring day in the city and the last evening of our trip before we head back to our reality together in Texas.
Willow had the week off for spring break but had opted to spend it in Austin with Riley, her new best friend and pseudo-older sister, instead of coming with us out of the country. She’d said something about how‘boring a tour through the rainforest would be’ and I can’t wait to tell her that tour was nothing but boring.
“Well,” I say taking off my raincoat and tossing it on the bed of our hotel room as I wrap my arms protectively around Teagan and pull her back against my chest, “Sadly, no penis snakes today.”
“There’s only one penis snake I’m interested in seeing anyways.” She moves her hand lower, cupping my cock through my thin shorts and giving a little squeeze. I harden on demand as I start to undress.
“Ooh… is that so?” I ask nipping at her ears as she giggles and pulls back slightly.
“You want to shower together before we go out to dinner?”
“Babe, you never have to ask if you want me to shower with you. You know it’s an automatic yes if it starts with me rubbing your soft tits and ends with me coming inside of you.”
