Page 44

EPILOGUE

S axon settled into the chair opposite her in the restaurant.

Opal smiled at him, then at baby Becca.

Yep, they’d finally decided on a name.

Rebecca Haven Saxon.

Renard had told her that the baby was named for Joel’s sister who had died a while ago as well as the town where they’d found happiness.

It was damn romantic. Renard had nearly choked when she’d told him that.

“Saxon,” Opal said. “Please, join me.”

He grinned. “Are you objecting to baby cuddles?”

“Hell no! Hand that baby over.” She held out her arms for the sleeping baby. “What a beautiful girl. Who is the world’s best baby?”

Saxon sat back with a stifled yawn.

“Not getting much sleep?” she asked.

Poor guy looked wiped.

“Not much.” His gaze landed on the baby. “I never wanted kids, you know.”

“No?” she asked, surprised at him offering that information. They didn’t know each other well. But with everything he’d done for them both, well, it was like he was family.

It seemed her circle of family and friends had grown a lot recently.

And she couldn’t say she was unhappy about that.

“No. Then I met Aspen and the boys. And I thought I’d just open my heart to those boys, no more. But then we found out we were pregnant with Becca.” He raised his gaze to Opal. “She’s named after my sister; did Renard tell you?”

“He did.”

Saxon nodded. “I’m not usually a person who believes in fate or whatever you want to call it. But I do think Becca was sent to us for a reason.”

“So all those sleepless nights? They’re worth it?”

“Totally worth it,” he whispered. The love on his face as he stared at his baby took her breath away.

Opal had never thought about children before. She’d always been fighting to survive. And taking care of Kye, keeping him safe, it had actually terrified her.

But she was no longer just surviving. She was thriving.

“Do you think Renard would want kids?” she asked.

“That’s probably a question you should ask him.”

“Yeah, probably.”

The door to the kitchen banged open and Renard stormed out, his face like a thundercloud.

Uh-oh.

“You sent back the steak?” he snarled at a man in a suit.

The man gaped up at him. “I wanted it cooked well done.”

“This is a piece of expensive steak. This cow did not die just so I could half-burn this piece of steak. The steak comes as the steak comes.”

Saxon sighed. “Christ. How do I have any customers left? Why can’t he just burn the steak?”

“He’s got integrity,” Opal defended him. “And the way that man cooks a steak is divine.”

Saxon shook his head.

“I . . . I . . . I’m the customer! You can’t speak to me like that!”

“Just did,” Renard replied. “And if you don’t want to be my customer, feel free to leave!”

He turned to stomp back into the kitchen.

“Hey, darlin’!” Opal called out.

He stilled, then turned, smiling. “Gem!”

“Do you want babies?”

“Huh. Hadn’t thought about that. Getting on, Gem.”

“So no?”

“You want them, Gem. We’ll make it happen.”

“Thanks.” She turned to Saxon as Renard walked into the kitchen again. “Seems like we’re having babies.”

Saxon was gaping at her. “That was it? That’s your conversation about it?”

“What? Is there meant to be more?” she asked, confused.

“Uh, generally, yes. Like you take some time to consider things. The advantages, disadvantages. Things like that.”

“Doesn’t seem to be many disadvantages to me,” she said. “Other than the sleepless nights, which I’m used to. Oh, and having to have quiet sex. We’ll have to soundproof our bedroom. But yeah. I want one. And Renard likes to give me what I want.”

“The two of you were definitely made for each other. If I didn’t believe in fate after meeting Aspen, I’m pretty sure I do now.”

Yeah.

Her too.

* * *

They settled into the rocking chair on their front porch.

They had two chairs, but most of the time she ended curled up in his lap, a blanket over her as they peered up at the stars.

They’d managed to find a piece of land for sale on the outskirts of town to build their cabin. It was surrounded by forest on all sides, but there were neighbors just a mile down the road.

It had taken eight months to build the four-bedroom, two-bathroom house. And she loved it. When you walked in, the living room ceiling was tall and peaked. There was a huge stone fireplace, and it was all open plan with a kitchen fit for a chef. The bedrooms were all upstairs and the view from the main bedroom was divine.

“Happy, Gem?” Renard asked as she snuggled into him.

“Had Sunday lunch with my family, where my man’s egg salad is in hot demand. My man just fucked me good, and now I’m curled up on his lap, under the stars, in a house we own that no one can take from us? Yeah, you could say I’m happy.”

“Fuck yeah, you are,” he muttered. Reaching out, he picked up the hot chocolate he’d made her. Which wasn’t just powder mixed with milk because this was Renard. Nope, it was made with real chocolate and had whipped cream and chocolate shavings on top. Oh, and a dash of gingerbread syrup.

It was divine.

He took a sip first to check the temperature before holding it to her mouth so she could have some.

She sighed as he set it back down. “I’m gonna get so fat.”

“Don’t want you saying that,” he growled. “For one, you’re not getting fat. You barely sit still. Two, don’t care if you do so long as you’re healthy. I was worried that you’ve lost weight.”

“I am going to get fat,” she told him.

“Why?”

“Because of this.” She grabbed his hand and placed it on her belly. They’d been trying for a few months now with nothing happening. She’d begun to think it wasn’t going to.

Until this morning.

“What the fuck?” he whispered.

“We’re pregnant, honey,” she whispered back.

“You’re fucking kidding,” he yelled.

“I’m not.”

“Gem.” He turned her in his lap and wrapped his hand behind her head, staring down at her. “We’re pregnant?”

“Uh-huh.”

“We’re fucking pregnant!” he screamed.

She giggled.

“Wait. Fuck. Shit. Why didn’t you tell me this before I fucked you like that?”

“Like what? Really, really well?”

“Really hard. Baby, I tied you up and slammed you into the mattress. I could have hurt you.”

“We’re all good. The baby is well protected.”

His hand hovered over her belly. “Nope. From now on, we have to be gentler. Not risking any harm to either of you.”

She sighed, shaking her head. He was nuts.

But he was her sort of crazy.

“God, baby,” he whispered, cradling her close. “Ever since I lost the guys, I’ve been lost. Been existing in the gray. Then I met you. The craziest, most colorful, most amazing woman I’d ever met. And it was like I was living again. Breathing. And now . . . now I’ve got you, this place, and a baby on the way.”

“You’re happy then?” she whispered.

“Living a dream, baby. Can’t get happier than that.”

The End.