Page 26 of Crewe (Nelson’s Honkytonk Saloon & Bar #3)

Epilogue

C rewe walked down the street with his kids. They’d come for their annual trip to Mistletoe Canyon. He and Ry made the trip a little more often to bring her work, but with the kids getting older, they could only swing one trip a year.

Wyatt and Freya were both in their late twenties and pursuing the careers they’d fallen in love with. Poppy and Iris were graduating this year. Their other kids were in different stages too .

When he’d been pining over Ry so long ago, he’d never known how full his life could be.

Now, it was overflowing with love from the life they’d built.

A couple of his kids had taken after him, loving to cook.

Freya had shown a passion for photography just like her mom.

And then some of their kids had followed other dreams. Poppy was planning on taking over the kitchen after she attended a culinary school she had her eye on.

They’d come a long way from having only men run the bar.

He’d be forever thankful for Vivi pushing them to hire a female bartender. His life was forever changed.

“Hey, Dad, maybe we should check out the chocolate shop before Mom’s event,” Wyatt said, smirking.

Wyatt had such a great sense of humor, but Crewe wasn’t letting anyone near food that could stain their outfits before Ry’s big event.

“Nope. We all look good, and we are not screwing up your mom’s special night,” Crewe said.

He thought back to her deciding to talk with the gallery about her prints. From there, it had snowballed into everyone wanting to commemorate their Mistletoe Canyon visit with one of Ry Nelson’s prints of the Mistletoe Canyon Falls or the area.

Ry’s nature photography had also added pictures of all the businesses for advertising. Her eye for detail and her love for Mistletoe Canyon had her in high demand.

Tonight, the Mistletoe Canyon Amphitheater was being unveiled, and Ry Nelson’s work was gracing all the walls. Crewe adored that his woman was getting the recognition she deserved but that she was still the down-home girl who played bartender to keep in touch with the townspeople.

He and the kids walked into the amphitheater. His eyes were immediately drawn to Ry. She’d been lamenting this morning that she might need to color her hair because she’d found two gray hairs. She looked as beautiful as the day he’d fallen for her back when she still only saw him as a friend .

The Nelson women were all standing with her. Vivi, Ellie, along with the other women the Nelson men had fallen for over the years. None of them would miss this for anything.

Whiskey walked up to Crewe and shook his hand. “Aren’t we the luckiest men on the planet? Those women are amazing.”

Crewe smiled. “That they are.”

Halligan joined them. “Wives, kids, and the next generation taking over. Man, it’s been a ride.”

Crewe chuckled. Halligan had been all about having fun until he’d met his one and only in Las Vegas, of all places.

Hennessy walked over. “Did anyone think it would be this hard to let your kids make their own way?” he asked.

Crewe smiled, seeing Morgan and Elijah standing with their friends.

Both men now had their own lives to live.

Crewe had decided it was hard to let your kids make their own way, but it was only his job to shepherd them to adulthood.

Then he’d always be there if they needed help, but they were strong enough to make their own choices and mistakes.

“I’m going to go let Ry know we’re here,” Crewe said.

Whiskey, Hennessy, and Halligan chuckled.

“Yeah, right. You’ll be looking for a room with a door you can lock,” Halligan called.

Crewe grinned because since that first time he and Ry had made love in that locked room after the wedding, it had become their thing. Sometimes he just wanted her so much that he couldn’t wait. His wife was beautiful, and he could never have her enough.

He walked up and kissed her on the cheek. “You look gorgeous, Ry,” he said.

She smiled at him. “And you all made it, dressed up and without any chocolate on your clothes,” she said.

“Well, Wyatt wanted us to stop, but I kept them in line,” he said.

He slid his arm around her waist and stared around the room. So many people were here to celebrate Ry. The oldest Nelson men were carrying drinks back to their women. He never would have believed his dad and uncles would find their loves in the most unlikely of places, but they had.

Crewe only hoped his children found the type of love he and Ry had. It had made all the difference in his life.

He leaned close to Ry’s ear. “Maybe after the party, we could find a place to be alone?” he whispered. Ry shivered at his words.

“Well, you have been very good, Mr. Nelson. I think that could be arranged,” Ry said, turning to kiss his cheek.

Yep, life was perfect, and he had Mistletoe Canyon and the women of his family to thank for it.

Thank you so much for reading Crewe. I hope you enjoyed the introduction to Mistletoe Canyon and also Crewe and Ry's story.