26. Epilogue

On a warm, spring Saturday, Jon was standing in the kitchen of the farmhouse doing dishes with a contented grin on his face. He remembered what had brought the family to that place and time, and he knew it would warm his heart for the rest of his life.

"I getta stay?" Megan had whispered to Jon as she, once again, sat next to him in family court on a bleak day in November. It had been three months since the temporary guardianship had been granted, and while Cece Wright wasn't exactly thrilled about having to make the trip to Dillwyn for home visits, it was only an hour ride, and she always brought a happy smile with her. Mickey made sure to have her favorite pineapple upside-down cupcakes and a nice pot of cinnamon tea ready when she arrived.

The months of surprise home visits by other social workers had been nerve-wracking, but Mickey and Jon had gotten through them. Jon's becoming a foster parent for Megan had been accepted by the court, bringing a collective sigh of relief from the family. They only had to get through Terry's guardianship now.

They'd entertained Audrey at the farm as often as she'd agree to come because they both felt Megan needed the female influence, and Audrey had never failed to provide it, taking Megan shopping or for mani-pedis. Megan always came home with purple nail polish to match her new purple glasses, and the three men at the farm had always oohed and ahhed .

"You get to stay, pretty girl," Jon had told Megan as he'd picked her up and held her in his arms. Mickey had been behind them with Terry, and they'd all hugged each other, unable to hold back the tears. The road had been long and unexpected, but it was worth it.

The judge had banged the gavel again and cleared his throat. "With regard to Terrence Reynolds, this court finds the guardianship by Jon Wells is showing positive results. This matter shall be scheduled for review in one year. Court is adjourned."

When they'd arrived at their new home that day, there had been many people at the Dillwyn farm, which had a new wooden plaque at the end of the driveway with the name, Wonderland Ranch, in brightly painted letters created carefully by a fourteen-year-old boy who had many artistic aspirations.

Everyone in the family loved the fact they'd rechristened the farm when the Wells-Warrens' had moved in. They'd had a Halloween party to celebrate the move and new name, and a lot of the contingent from the Circle C and Katydid Farm had attended in support.

There had been trail rides and bonfires over the weekend, and even the Stanford's from El Paso had come to join in the festivities. Most of the kids camped out in a little tent city the new hands at Wonderland helped set up in the back yard.

The weekend had been incredible, and they had loads of pictures on Mickey's new cell phone to prove it, along with the pictures of their first Christmas together as a family; the first snowfall at the farm where they all went out to build a snowman; and any other occasion they could dream up to celebrate being a family.

Jon watched the people move around him with a big grin on his face, wondering if he'd ever been so happy in his life. There was still a long road for the family, but he was ready to take on every demon trying to defeat them. God knew, he'd never anticipated any of it. While it was a new thing, he was damn sure going to be grateful for it and treasure it all the days of his life.

Jonathon Wells had a family—a son, Terrence; a daughter, Megan; and the love of his partner, the cowboy. The lawyer couldn't ask for anything more.

Mickey walked into the kitchen to see Tim Moran-Collins standing at the counter watching Ursula direct the catering company. "Everything okay, Ursula?" he asked as he grabbed two beers from the large, galvanized bucket next to the sink. He knew it was set to go on the large table outside on the patio, but while it was right there, he was definitely going to take advantage of the access.

"It's fine, Michael, dear. Please make sure they don't chip the serving dishes." Ursula left the two men alone in the kitchen.

Mickey handed a beer to Tim after he opened it, and they touched bottlenecks in a toast. He took a good swig and made an "ahhh" sound after he swallowed. He sat down on the stool at the island, pulling one out for Tim so the two of them could catch up. "So, how y'all doin' at the ranch?"

The handsome blond man sat down next to him and smiled. "I miss having you around. You were the one I could come to and bitch about the other hands because you and I, we trusted each other and didn't tell anyone the things we said during our heart-to-hearts. Now, I'm left to bitch at Matty, and he really gets tired of it.

"You've made yourself a good life, Mick, and I'm really proud of you. Do I miss you? Fuck yes, but would I stop you from your dreams? Fuck no. We finally found Nando. He got his ass in a lot of trouble with a DUI, and sadly, he jumped bail to go back to Mexico. Ethan's agreed to sign on part-time to look after Charlie, Chester, Mabel, and Sam, since he's not going to start college until the fall, and I do know how to take care of horses, thanks to Uncle Josh and you. I'm glad we fired you, though I really miss talking to you during the day, but we're all family. You won't get away from us too easily because we feel like we've just enlarged our family with the addition of all of you." Tim smiled when he finished. Mickey appreciated his kind words.

Mickey grinned as he pulled Tim forward and wrapped his arms around the smaller blond. "I don't want to get away from y'all either. Everything I learned about family came from you and Matt and everybody at Katydid and the Circle C. I'm afraid I can't carry forward without y'all." Mickey broke down, the emotions too big to keep inside.

He heard two men laughing behind them and turned to see Matt Collins and Jon Wells standing in the kitchen with smirks on their faces. "You get yours, and I'll get mine." Jon walked over to Mickey and pulled him into a hug.

"I love you, baby," the handsome lawyer whispered as he held Mickey close. In that embrace, Mickey knew his life was going to go in directions he never imagined. The possibilities were endless as he gazed into Jon's mesmerizing, sage-green eyes.

"I love you, too, Jonny."

They'd finally found the common ground Jon had spoken of several times, and it turned out to be love, understanding, loyalty, and family. Mickey didn't understand Jon's job, but Jon had confessed he didn't understand the way Mickey had with horses. They'd agreed to stand in awe of each other's achievements and remain supportive.

Every day was a new challenge with the life they were making because neither of them had much exposure to raising kids, but they were very committed to making a life for their new family where they could all be happy. Together they could conquer anything.

Mickey had a son, Terrence, a daughter, Megan, and a loving partner, because he was willing to do what it took… For the Love of The Lawyer.