Page 19

Epilogue

“Do you think it’s going to be a boy or a girl?” Woods asks me as he gathers another spoonful of frozen Coke on the spoon for me. It’s Willow’s fault that I’ve become addicted to these things.

“I don’t care. As long as they are happy and healthy, that’s all that matters. But having a girl to spoil could be fun.” I don’t voice the thought that I worry about the undesirable traits this baby could inherit from Thad. May that asshole be rotting in Hell.

“I don’t know if the world is ready for another crazy female.” He jokes.

“Ha. Cute. You think you’re real funny, don’t you?”

“I don’t think, butterfly. I know.”

“So conceited.” He feeds me another bite, and I stare out at the lake from his Granny Mags’ deck. Speaking of crazy women, she’s a complete nut, but in a good way. She also despises Faye, which makes her a ten in my book.

She tells everyone that I’m having her great grandchild and, in the ways that matter, I guess I am. Woods wants to be the father and it’s not anyone’s business but ours.

“When are you and Gray going to pop out a baby?” Mags directs her attention to Willow.

“We’re not together.”

“Bullshit. I heard him sneaking out of here this morning.”

Woods’ gaze snaps to his sister and she glances away, not meeting his stare.

My man likes to act all big and bad, but deep down he knows they have a thing and if he really was that bothered by it, he’d put his foot down.

Dirty and Faye are another story. I think they love to pretend they hate each other or something.

I don’t know that we will ever be friends and I’m okay with that. Dirty and Woods seem to be getting along, mostly. But I guess that’s brothers for you.

He and Faye are here, but she’s keeping her distance, thankfully.

I don’t completely hate her. I also don’t understand her or trust her, but Dirty and Woods are twins and share a close bond that I never want to get in the way of.

If that means tolerating Faye, then that’s what I’m going to do.

Because family dynamics can be hard, but this is the one I’ve chosen, and that accepts me.

I’ve found my place.

My happy.

I smile big as Liv comes up the back deck stairs carrying a gift bag for my baby shower Mags insisted on hosting.

“Hey!” she beams at me, giving me a tiny wave as she places her gift on the designated table next to the diaper cake. I’ve been working part time at her bookstore helping pack online orders. The best perk is I get to drool over all the pretty and hot ass covers that come into the store.

“One of your husband’s buddies came into the store the other day.”

“Which one?”

“Cove or something another.”

“Caves or Cash?”

“I don’t know. He was asking if we had any baby books.”

“Weird.” I don’t share that I sent Cash there on a fool’s errand. I’ve been trying to set them up on a blind date, but the timing never works out. I figured it was time to take matters into my own hands.

“He asked me for my number.”

“Did you give it to him?”

“Maybe…”

Sometime much later

“It’s done.” Woods grins at me with his signature sexy smirk that’s all mine.

“Time to party. Daddy is finally a divorced man,” I tell my daughter as I kiss the bottoms of her feet.

The past few months since Lilianna was born have been a whirlwind. Woods moved out of the clubhouse and in with me at his house. He’s been so good to me and my baby girl. Our baby girl. He tells everyone she’s his and signed the birth certificate when she was born to give her his last name.

He wanted there to be no doubt in anyone’s mind.

Not that it matters. Thad is gone and he can’t hurt me or anyone else, for that matter, ever again. He can’t return form the grave to lay any claim on Lilianna.

Woods is the only father she will ever know.

I’ve got everything I could ever want.

Everything.

Well, almost...

Much, much later

“I think it’s time we try for a boy,” my husband says.

We’ve been married for two years now, and Lilianna is three. Life is good. Damn good.

“You sure that’s a good idea?”

“Dicking you down? Yeah, butterfly. Getting you naked and beneath me, making those sweet whimpers for me. Nothing better than that. Besides, I already threw out your birth control.”

“You did what?”

He flashes that sexy grin at me. The one he knows I can’t resist.

“I figured it’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission.”

I arch a brow at him, and he takes a step toward me. I drop the towel I’m folding into the basket and take off running through the house. “You’ll have to catch me first,” I call out, knowing not only is he faster than me, but my man always gets his way.