Her face softens and her smile reaches her eyes. “You’regoing to make me cry.”
“That’s not very hard to do lately.”
“True.”
I keep going until we reach the back and she gasps, handsflying to her mouth. “Cayden!”
We have a genuine sleigh that has two large gray horseshitched to it. Manny, our foreman is holding the reins. He claps me on the backas I take them, petting each of the horse’s necks. “Well, are you going to juststand there or get in and go for a ride?”
We spend an hour riding through Tennessee farmlands, over toa spot that my family rode to all the time. Thankfully, the snow on the groundallowed us passage, I was worried, but we made it.
She rests her head on my shoulder and drinks her hotchocolate as I hold her to me. “If I knew I just had to get knocked up to getall this, I would’ve done it on purpose.”
I laugh and rub her arm. “I think we would’ve ended up righthere no matter what.”
“I think you’re right.”
“Hold on,” I pretend like I’m reaching for something.
“What?”
“I need my phone, I have to record you saying that.”
Hadley snorts and then nestles herself back against me.“When do you want to get married?”
I hadn’t thought much past this. “I don’t know, when do youwant?”
“Do you think we could do it before the baby comes? I knowit’s soon, but…I really would like to have it somewhat in order.”
“I’d marry you today, Hadley.”
Her mouth finds mine and the cold air fades away as wecreate our own heat and I am eternally grateful I get to spend the rest of mylife with her.
Epilogue
HADLEY
~Six Weeks Later~
“There’s no place like home, there’s no place like home,” Bethannesays over and over in my face as our families rush around the house, yelling ateach other.
Yesterday, theHenningtonsarrivedin Sugarloaf and the calm, sweet mother I have known my whole life has become acrazy lady. She’s insistent that everything be perfect, which is hilarioussince nothing is perfect in our lives.
“Why is she like this?”
Beth shrugs. “You’re her first kid and you’re gettingmarried in two hours. I’m surprised her head hasn’t actually imploded by thispoint.”
Great. “How is Daddy behaving?”
She grins. “Well, he took Cayden and Logan to the treehouseand I haven’t seen them return. Cayden and Logan that is.”
My eyes widen and fear grips me. I grab my sister’s arms.“Find them.”
“Please, he likes your fiancé…ohh,that’s probably the last time we’ll use those words. You’re going to have a husband.”
Lord save me from annoying sisters. “Get Mel and find theboys.”
She gives me a salute and runs out.
