Violet smiles at Sutton, soft and knowing. “You don’t stop being you just because you became a mom.”
Sutton chews on her lip. “I don’t want to be selfish.”
I reach over and squeeze her hand. “It’s not selfish to still want things for yourself.”
Cami leans back and says with authority. “Let your hair down. Go be wild in Vegas.”
Jack chokes on his drink. “How wild are we talking? Vegas can be pretty wild.”
Everyone laughs.
“I don’t think I even know how to be wild.” Sutton sighs. “I know work and motherhood. That’s it.”
“And that’s exactly why you need to go,” Violet says.
“Go meet all the romance authors,” Cami continues, undeterred. “Get new clients. Have fun. Dance. Sleep in. Eat room service. That sounds like a fun time to me.”
Sutton’s eyes fill, but she’s smiling. “Okay,” she says softly. “That does sound pretty great. I can get dressed up, meet new authors, and get some rest.”
Maggie raises her glass. “That’s my girl.”
As the sun dips lower and the lights come on, I step back fora second and take it all in. Violet is laughing with Walker, one hand on her belly, his arms around her, whispering into her ear. Sutton, rocking Crew gently, with a peaceful look on her face, takes in everyone. Cami is leaning into Jack, content and fierce. Maggie and Mack are bickering like it’s their love language about whether or not they should get alpacas.
Ollie stands near the grill with Ellie, talking to Walker. He looks over at me and smiles, and the look in his eyes makes my chest ache in the best way.
I spent years thinking I had to carry everything alone. Turns out, I just hadn’t found the right person to carry it with me.
I look at Ollie and realize it was always you. And now, it’s always us.
Epilogue
Ollie
Buy Dirt by Jordan Davis
Boxes are stacked everywhere, half labeled, half not, and Owen barrels past me with an armful of something fragile, yelling that it definitely needed bubble wrap. Ellie toddles behind him on unsteady legs, holding onto boxes and furniture, clapping like she’s the one in charge of this whole operation. Poppy laughs from the kitchen, where she’s trying to figure out which box holds the coffee maker.
It’s been over a year since I got her to agree to be my pretend wife. There was nothing pretend about that for me. I knew I loved Poppy a very long time ago. I just needed to get her to believe it and see the future that I saw. No matter what came our way. Sibling adoption, new jobs, a surprise baby...whatever has come our way, we’ve powered through it together.
Ellie will be one in a few weeks. She’s got one of my ball caps on that keeps slipping over her eyes, and she is a curiousand happy baby. Owen has his own horse at the big barn and a grin that doesn’t leave his face anymore. He runs out there every morning like he’s afraid she might disappear if he doesn’t check on her fast enough. He rides her everywhere and they’re practically inseparable.
The house is done for the most part. We still have to paint a few things and add on some hardware, but that’s nothing. We made the cabin work, and now we have a barndominium. The barn is being built next, but for now, we can use Jack’s until we can save up. We’ve got plans tacked up on the fridge with magnets shaped like cows and horses. Poppy keeps adding animals to the list like it’s a joke, but I know she loves it. I used to be scared of wanting this much. Turns out, there was nothing to be scared of because it’s a pretty great life.
Poppy still teaches at the high school, and she loves it. She comes home talking about students and projects they’re working on. She runs the shop part-time now, too, confident and respected. She didn’t give anything up. She gained space to breathe. We are a team and work hard to make everything happen. We rented out the loft above the shop, and that income is helping us save up for the new barn.
I watch her cross the living room barefoot on the hardwood floors we picked out together. This life fits her. It fits all of us. Her dream became our dream.
By late afternoon, the housewarming party is in full swing. Jack and Cami are playing bartender and handing out drinks behind a makeshift wooden bar that Tucker and Jack built that has wheels, and we can use for all of our family parties. Maggie’s set up in the corner, holding court. Walker and I are manning the grill, cracking jokes as we sip our beers and fill trays of burgers and hot dogs.
Weston stands near the back porch, quiet and observant, nursing a drink and watching everything like he’s taking notes.Weston’s usually the quiet one of the group. But this time he sees a little quieter.
Then the bikes roll in. Engines cut, and a few of the guys from the club step out carrying gifts from their saddle bags. Jack and Weston stiffen, unsure of the visitors. I’m not. They’ve been around, they respect the hell out of Poppy, and they run the business fairly and work hard alongside her. I have had no problems with the Pine River MCs.
Jonesy hands Poppy a ridiculous oversized stuffed horse for Ellie, and she laughs so hard and gives him a hug. Another gives Owen a pair of riding gloves, which he immediately puts on and Poppy shakes her head. “You’re not riding a bike,” she says, ruffling his hair.
Jack leans toward me. “You good with this?”
I nod. “Yeah. I am. They’ve been all right.”
Because people can change when they choose to, I’ve seen it. I’ve lived it. And others don’t change and that’s just the way life goes.
As the sun drops and the lights flick on, Poppy finds me by the porch and slips her hand into mine like it’s instinct. Ellie toddles between us, holding onto our legs, safe and certain.
I look around at the house, the land, the people who showed up and stayed. The life I never let myself imagine because it felt like tempting fate. I was wrong. I thought love would cost me everything. Turns out, it gave me everything.
