Epilogue I

Melissa

“Welcome home, kiddos,” I say as I walk through the front door.

Behind me, Colton and Ethan carry each of our newborn sons, while Mitch has his arm around my waist, keeping me close. It’s the sweetest haze, and I’ve been in it for the past couple of days since my boys came into this world.

“There they are!” Darla cheers as she and Sammy hurry out of the living room to greet us. They’re both crying tears of joy, positively overwhelmed by the view. Frankly, I’m close to weeping, too. “Oh, my gosh, look at those little angels.”

“Averys through and through,” Colton chuckles, beaming with pride as he shows the firstborn off with a huge, glimmering smile. “I’m just glad we were able to bring them home so quickly.”

I’m sore as hell. My whole body is recovering from a fast but insanely intense labor. It was the scariest and, at the same time, the most beautiful experience. I’m not going to tell the guys just yet, but I secretly can’t wait to do it all over again someday.

“You’re right, they look like angels,” I say with a laugh as I watch the boys sleeping in their fathers’ arms. Ethan and Colton have commandeered both armchairs, while Mitch joins me on the sofa. He hasn’t left my side, and I couldn’t love him more for this.

“Do we know who the daddy is, specifically?” Darla asks while Sammy pulls up a couple of stools for the two of them.

I shrug. “We do. Dr. Hartman did a test strictly to check the father’s medical history,” I tell Darla. “We’re keeping it to ourselves, though.”

“It doesn’t really matter,” Sammy replies. “They’re lucky little fellas. Coming into a big family like this. I can’t wait to teach them both how to ride.”

“Right now, we plan on taking advantage of a few days of quiet,” Colton quips. “Then we’ve got the shifts organized. Feeding, changing, the whole shebang.”

Ethan chuckles dryly. “Yeah, my boy Colt here set up an entire system.”

“I just want to make sure Melissa gets enough sleep,” Colton replies.

“I got lucky, what can I say?” I chime in, melting in Mitch’s embrace. He’s been such a comfort over this past couple of days. I’m truly blessed. “Three strapping fellas taking good care of us. You two and Jessie and Omar, too. One big, happy, unconventional family.”

“Add twins into the mix and brace yourselves,” Mitch laughs. “They’re going to be a handful. I hope you’re all fully aware of that particular nugget.”

Darla shoots him a cool grin. “Aren’t you the optimist.”

“Avery boys were never not troublemakers,” Sammy says. “Even Mitch. He came to us a tad later, but he grew into the name quickly. Didn’t you, Mitch?”

“And then some.”

“How are you feeling, Momma?” Darla asks me.

There’s water and coffee on the tray. I spring for the coffee, first. Decaf, of course, since I’m nursing. “I’m in need of a good cup of coffee and a lifetime’s worth of sleep, but other than that, I’m good,” I tell Darla. “Frankly, I’m both proud and humbled. I don’t know what I was expecting the labor to be like, but the way it unfolded, man, it was incredible.”

“Oh, I can only imagine,” Darla says.

Colton gives me a soft smile. “You were a veritable warrior, honey.”

“Have you picked out their names yet?” Sammy asks.

“Kyle,” Colton says, nodding at his little bundle of joy. “And that’s Jason over there.” He looks at Ethan’s charge. Both sleep soundly, wrapped in white and pink-nosed, still wrinkly and coming to terms with life outside the womb. “We figured it was the best way to make sure we’d honor their memory while giving our sons names they could be proud of.”

Darla tears up again. “That’s incredible. I swear, your momma and daddy are smiling down on you all from heaven.”

“Couldn’t have done any of this without you, without Sammy,” Ethan cuts in. “Wanna hold these two?”

“You don’t have to ask me twice,” Darla says.

Gingerly, Colton and Ethan give our sons to Darla and Sammy. The former gets Kyle and the latter has Jason, and they’re both over the moon, eyes shining with awe and joy as they get a closer look at the babies. I swoon over Kyle and Jason all the time, too. I can’t blame them. They’re beautiful and pure, innocent and sweet. They’re mine. Ours. And it fills my heart with the purest form of joy, knowing our children will grow up on this ranch, out in the open, surrounded by hills and forests and all of Nebraska’s splendiferous wilderness at their bare feet.

“Jason looks like he’s going to be the top troublemaker,” Sammy says, practically melting as he gazes at twin number two. “I got a feeling.”

“That’s ‘Imma teach this boy to piss everybody off’ in Sammy speak,” Darla grumbles, half-smiling. “And I’ll bet little Kyle here is going to be the leader of the pack. He’s got a certain poise.”

“Pretty sure that’s his pooping face,” Mitch chimes in.

Darla crinkles her nose. “I guess you’re right. The new medication didn’t just give me my taste back, it sharpened my sense of smell, too.”

We all laugh, but something feels different. I look around and notice the subtle glances Colton, Mitch, and Ethan exchange. I’m filled with love and golden sunlight when their eyes meet mine, yet this moment, right here… it’s a signal of change. I’m not sure how to put it into words, except that my instincts have yet to fail me.

“It’s time,” Colton says.

“Couldn’t agree more,” Mitch adds.

“What are you talking about?” I ask, my curiosity piqued, while Darla and Sammy shrug at each other in honest confusion.

“In between labor and diaper changes and feedings, we figured we’d make room for something really important,” Ethan tells me.

At the same time, he and his brothers get up and kneel before me. I’m glued to the sofa, unable to move as I quickly realize what’s coming. My heart is already racing, my whole body bracing for the explosion of overwhelming joy as Colton takes out a small, pale grey velvet box and opens it.

“We’ve been itching to do this for a while now,” he says. “But we could never find the right moment. Life here on the ranch has kept us busy. The events that led up to this moment were just as time and energy consuming. But rest assured, Melissa, we’ve given this every thought…”

“Oh, my God,” I gasp, covering my mouth with both hands at the sight of a superb diamond ring. Teardrop-shaped, brilliant cut, and mounted on a delicate crown of pink rubies. “Oh, my… Wow…”

“In the eyes of the law, only one of us will get to be your husband, but the three of us are asking you. With Darla and Sammy as our witnesses, with the heavens shining down on us and the rest of our lives unfolding ahead,” Colton says. I catch the slight tremble of his voice, the emotions surging through him.

“You’re the only woman we want or need,” Ethan adds. “You, Melissa. Our friend, our lover, our partner.”

“Our soulmate, through and through,” Mitch says. “Never did any of us imagine that a day like this would come, but here we are.”

“Marry us, Melissa. Let us make you our wife. In sickness and in health, for better or worse, ’til death do us part,” Colton says. “Marry us and give us the honor of spending every waking day and night making you the happiest woman on this earth.”

“I’ll marry you, all three of you,” I add, bursting into tears.

Colton slips the ring on my finger, then pulls me into a kiss. Ethan’s next, then Mitch, then next thing I know, I’m wrapped in their arms and showered with loving pecks. My lips, my cheeks, my closed, tearful eyes… they kiss me all over, they hug me and hold me tight, while Sammy and Darla hold on to our children and bear witness to one of the most beautiful memories I’ll have to look back on many years from now.

It will always be yes.