Epilogue

EPILOGUE

LUKA

Many years later

" T hat's so stupid." Mabel scrunches her nose when she sees that her twin sister, Faye, has braided a ribbon into the horse's hair.

"It's pretty." Faye pulls out another ribbon. This one is pink. "I can put one in your hair, too." She doesn't wait for her sister to give her a response.

Faye is already skipping over to Mabel, tying a bow to her ponytail. Mabel doesn't fight her on this. They can be as different as night and day and cause each other considerable annoyance, but they are an inseparable pair. If you mess with one, you get the wrath of the other.

Mabel is a copy of her mother in terms of appearance, with her long, dark hair and wide eyes that catch everything. She's fucking smart too. The girl was reading by the time she was three. Mabel always has her nose in a book and loves to cook.

Faye has blonde, wild hair, and my eyes. Faye's obsessions include horses, gossip, and anything that incorporates glitter or pink. She, however, will not be caught dead in the kitchen. It's safe to say that the girls embody a blend of both of us.

"Ta-da!" Faye singsongs when she is done. She spins around. "We match."

"I guess it's okay." Mabel shrugs, but I think she likes the bow. Faye smirks, and I'm pretty sure she's thinking the same as me.

I don't think Faye would force it on her sister unless she thought she wanted it. Even now, Mabel is in her normal jeans and shirt, but her nails are pink with a layer of sparkle. I'm sure Faye did them for her last night after she did my wife's.

"Think it's time to head in." I nod toward the house. It's June's birthday, so we left her in bed. Her little ass better still be there. Before we started breakfast, we went down to check on the horses and the ranch foreman. That way I knew everything would be handled for the day.

"I'm cooking!" Mabel hops up from the little bench she was sitting on, tucking her book under her arm.

"Well, duh." Faye grabs her sister's hand, pulling her out of the barn. "Can we do white chocolate chips?" I hear her ask her sister.

I can't help but smile as I follow after them. The sun is already high in the sky, making the pond sparkle. Not in a million years would I have ever thought this would be my life. It's so far removed from the life I once had in the city. I'm grateful to June every single day for teaching me how to really live. How to stop and appreciate the people and things around me.

I make my way up the porch stairs. I don't go in the front door. I slip around to the side of the deck, which wraps all the way around the house. Our master bedroom is on the bottom floor. All the other bedrooms are upstairs.

I step through the French doors to see my wife stretched out in the middle of the bed. A smile forms on her plump lips. "Morning, kitten." I sit down on the side of the bed, my hand going to her stomach while my mouth comes down on hers.

"Morning," she gets out between kisses. "You let me sleep too late," June says around a yawn.

"You need your rest." I might have kept her up late.

We have a full day today. I'm shocked people haven't started showing up already. June might as well be the mayor of Cottonwood. People will be coming and going all day to wish her a happy birthday. Not to mention our whole family will be here soon too. We're all always together.

"She is wearing me down." June places her hand over mine on her stomach. "I swear she's more active than the twins." To prove her mom right, our baby girl gives an impressive kick.

"So I take it this will be our last one, then." I suppress a smirk, knowing it won't be the last one.

"Never." June gives me a playful smack on the shoulder. I won't lie. I was freaked the fuck out when June came up pregnant with twins. I wasn't sure how to handle one baby, let alone two.

June makes being a mother look easy. It helped put me at ease. I wasn't half bad at parenting either. I even realized I wasn't a terrible cook. Once I slowed down with my work life, I had a chance to try things I had never done before. Sometimes you have no fucking clue what you're missing until you get a taste of it.

"You know how much I love you?" I brush my mouth against hers. I don't want to think where I would be in life right now if June hadn't come along.

"I do." She smiles up at me. That's all that matters.

The sound of a blender turning on with a small scream followed by giggles from our girls fills the house. My days of quiet are long gone. I wouldn't have it any other way.

I hope you enjoyed June and Luka's story. Curious about Paisley and Jackson? Keep scrolling to get a peek at their story, Catching the Heiress , available now.