Epilogue

Amanda

Leo and I have been married for twelve weeks and a day. And I know everybody probably says it, but for me, it’s true. It’s perfect. Other than the fact he still tries to be super protective.

No matter what he’s in the middle of doing, he’ll stop to make sure he picks me up from the bookstore. He makes sure that someone is with me when I leave for work whether I drive or one of his brothers “just happened” to be going into town.

I’m sitting behind the counter at the bookstore during a lull and I’m thinking about what I want to have for lunch when my stomach doesn’t like that idea. At all.

I press my hand tightly against my abdomen. Maybe I’m queasy because I skipped breakfast.

Then it hits me like a thunderclap. Lately, I’m always queasy. I leap to my feet and the room spins. I reach out for the counter and grip it like a lifeline, waiting for the dizziness to stop.

The bell over the door chimes and I look up into Ruly’s surprised, then concerned gaze. I hear her say my name then the world starts going dark.

When I come too, I’m in a room at the town’s small hospital with Madison, one of the town doctors, and she’s checking my vitals. Ruly is beside the bed and smiles her relief when she sees I’m awake. “You scared the shit out of me,” she says.

“What happened?”

“You had a bout of low blood pressure because….” Madison beams at me. “Congratulations. You’re pregnant.”

Instantly, I put a hand on my abdomen. “I’m…” Then I laugh and cry at the same time because I’m so happy.

“Where is she? Get the fuck out of my way,” Leo bellows from the hallway outside the room.

The door flies open and Leo charges in breathing hard, fear written all over him. “Honey!”

He drops to his knees by the bed and takes my hand, clutching it to his chest. “I was in the pasture when River called babbling ninety miles an hour saying you were in the hospital.”

“I don’t know who told him.” I struggle to sit up. River has become a brother to me. I’m close to all Leo’s family but especially River because I found out I knew him from the Home as the quiet kid who protected animals from the staff.

“I told him,” Madison says. “His was the only number my assistant could recall from memory. I was out with my husband when I got word I was needed.”

“What happened?” Leo rubs my arm, then his face turns thunderous. “You’ve been crying. Did someone hurt you?”

“Honey, how could anyone possibly get through you or all your brothers to do that? Oh, and then there’s Fury and his crew who’ve all suddenly developed a daily addiction to reading. Or there’s Claudia who pops in to chat often. Then?—”

“I didn’t do that,” Leo protests then waves his hand. “That’s not important right now. What is important,” he glances at Madison. “Is that’s she’s working too hard? Under any stress? Needs to eat more? What do I need to do?”

Madison laughs and sends me a sympathetic glance. “Callan wasn’t as bad as your husband, but he was protective of me, too.”

Leo ignores that. “She needs food, right? I told her it’s not good to skip eating then go and work for several hours. I’ll bet you were lifting heavy boxes of books. Fury promised—” he stops.

“I knew it! I knew you were behind everyone coming in.”

“I can’t stand the thought of you needing something and there’s no one to help you.”

Putting my hands on his face, I say, “I know honey. You’re a good man the way you look out for me.”

“She fainted because she has a condition,” Ruly says with an impish grin.

“What condition?” Leo’s lips have lost all color.

“Don’t you pass out on us too,” Madison scolds.

“What condition?” he repeats.

“I’m fine, honey. I am. I’m just pregnant.”

“Oh…oka—pregnant! You’re gonna have a baby…a baby…”

“That’s usually what it means.”

And my big strong protect husband’s eyes fill with tears. He puts his hand down on the bed.

Madison and Ruly quietly slip from the room.

I put my hand on Leo’s shoulder. And he leans his forehead against mine.

He gets up and wraps his arms around me. “Our baby will know so much love, and I’ll be a good dad. I promise I’ll protect our kid.”

I have to laugh through my tears at that. “I know you’ll protect our baby. You have a protector gene in your DNA.”

Leo kisses me. “You’re in my DNA. You were grafted onto my soul from the first time we met. It took me a couple of days to work up the courage to approach you.”

“Smartest decision you ever made,” I tease.

“No, that’s the first smartest decision. The second was making you mine.”

He’s gazing deep into my eyes as Madison returns to the room talking about vitamins and appointments and an ultrasound. I’ll have to ask her to repeat the instructions again because the only person I can see is Leo.

I think it was that way from the day he first introduced himself. Because our love always was and always will be the center of my world.