And I do. Maybe not that exact phrase. But each morning when I go to feed Ace, I look at him and think about how much my life has changed in less than a year.
At this time last year, I was in the middle of an ugly divorce. The bakery had just opened. I was trying to decide what I wanted to do with my life. I didn’t know what was next.
I surely never expected this.
Having a thriving business. Being with a man who loves me endlessly. A son who will one day call me “Mommy.”
Who knew all I had to do was go to Vegas, take a dare, and put on a sequin dress, for the rest of my life to come into shape.
“Oh fuck!” Shelby yells and we quickly turn our attention to her. At some point, it looks like she took hold of Ace, who has his “yup. I pooped” face. And judging by Shelby’s reaction? It’s a blowout of epic proportions.
“Shelby! Bad word!” Adalyn yells, which makes Beau laugh harder than he ever has.
“Make her pay Adalyn!” Beau says. “Actually, she called me areallybad name earlier. Can she pay for that too?”
“Oh fuck you Devereaux,” Shelby says before walking over to us. “Here. Take your child.”
Maddox takes Ace from Shelby. and yup, upon further inspection, our son ruined another onesie.
“This is our life, huh?”
“Damn right it is,” Maddox says, giving me one more kiss on the cheek. “And I wouldn’t change it for anything.”
Neither would I. Not one bit.
EPILOGUE
MADDOX
~~Five Months Later~~
Vegas is much different from the last time I was here.
Yes, both trips were for sporting events. A year ago, it was the championship game. This time I’m a spectator, because you better believe I wasn’t going to pass on the opportunity to watch Shelby and Beau playing together, as a pair, in a mixed-doubles tournament. To an outsider, they probably look like they’re just playing a round of golf. And going into the final day of play, they’re in second place. But to Gabi and I who know them as well as anyone on the planet? We can tell they’re one snide comment away from trying to murder the other with their drivers.
It’s epic. And we weren’t about to miss a single second of it.
Plus, a return trip to Vegas felt right. Especially for what I have in mind when it comes to the love of my life.
“I need another ten minutes,” Gabi calls out from the bathroom.
I look down to Ace, who’s currently on my lap and finding his plush golf ball very entertaining. “Do you think Mommy’s going to be ready in ten minutes?”
My little guy laughs at my question. Sure, I’m bouncing him on my knee—one of his favorite things—but I like to believe it’s because he’s agreeing with me.
“You’re good,” I say as I look over to the clock. “We have plenty of time.”
That’s true. The reservation I made for us at a rooftop restaurant in Las Vegas isn’t for another hour. I’m dressed and ready in a white button down and black pants. I have my suit jacket waiting on the back of a chair. Classic. Easy. And hopefully, an outfit that won’t give too much away from my motives for tonight’s date.
I don’t think she’s suspicious. At least, she’s not acting like it, and I think I’ve done a pretty good job of keeping my surprise under wraps.
It wasn’t hard to convince her to have a date night while we were here. I told her we were celebrating a year of knowing each other in the place it all started, even if it’s about a month late. And when her parents decided to come—they also weren’t missing front row seats to the Beau and Shelby Show—the childcare piece of the plan was secured. Now, Gabi thinks they’re going to watch Ace then head back to their hotel room when we return at a reasonable hour—because we’re parents of a five-month-old who like clockwork is up three times a night.
That’s where she’s wrong.
Her parents are going to stay here overnight. And us? If all goes well, by the end of the night, Gabi will have said yes to the most important question I’ll ever ask, and we’ll be celebrating in the hotel room I booked two floors up.
“What do you think Ace? Do you think she’s going to say yes?”
