EPILOGUE

PAIGE

“We all love the chaos…”

Happy chatter resounds through the room as we gather for Sunday lunch at Serenity Ranch. Our group is large with each of the five Foster heirs and their partners, along with Baby Adriana, my brothers, and the close friends who are like family.

“It’s a madhouse in here,” Samantha says, removing another hot tray of cornbread from the oven.

The tang of spices permeate the air, wafting from three crock pots of chili lined up on the counter.

“It’s the same every week,” I point out. I’m used to the noise of so many people. Dealing with talkative second-graders isn’t for the weak, after all.

“And you love it.” Addie hip checks her sister-in-law while chopping vegetables for a massive salad.

Truthfully, we all love the chaos of coming together at least once a week. Addie, Hope, Derek, Brooke, and Ryan lost their parents in a terrible accident, leaving them to deal with wounds of abandonment and loneliness.

And the people who love them—Heath, Samuel, Samantha, Travis, and I—have had our fair share of hardship, too. Together we’ve found a home. A community that would do anything to help one another.

Ryan enters the kitchen and sneaks a kiss onto my cheek before grabbing a bottle of water and waving goodbye. The guys are busy building a swing set outside for when Adriana is old enough to play on it.

In my mind, though, I imagine all of our future children using the equipment as they bond with each other. It’s an idyllic dream that has a hand moving to my stomach.

Ryan and I are in love and have talked about kids. We both love them, and despite practically raising our siblings, we’re not burned out by the thought of raising our own children.

It excites us.

Everything about my life these days excites me. Before Ryan’s arrival in Guardian Valley, I kept to myself and the routine of work, home, taking care of the boys.

I was in a rut and didn’t even realize it until he appeared and reminded me how to have fun. How to embrace the fact that I’m a vibrant young woman in addition to being a responsible guardian for Levi and Gage.

I’m not alone anymore, though.

I’ve got my own Montana guardian, and he’s not going anywhere.

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