Epilogue

EPILOGUE

JESS

EIGHT-ISH MONTHS LATER

I stood back, admiring our handiwork on the new barn and loft. A lot of things had changed around here since the wedding and one of them was that we'd realized we needed a bunk house for the farm hands we'd hired over the past several months.

Giving up on my dream to convert the barn into a place for myself hadn't been as hard as I once might've thought it would be, but I'd still insisted on doing the work on it myself. All the work I could, anyway.

It'd been cathartic, giving me the opportunity to convert it after all. Just not into a place for myself. It was looking good though, and I was darn proud of the work we'd done here.

After we'd started moving barrels of oil off the property with Mira's operation, we'd soon begun turning a huge profit and we were now really reaping the benefits. While Slate and I had been on our honeymoon, he'd had a team come in to start building my parents' dream cottage.

His builders had worked carefully with them for the whole month that we'd been gone, taking note of every last detail they wanted and being sure to incorporate it all. By the time they'd left on their cruise, the construction had already started and they'd moved in the month after they'd returned.

The same team had also built a guesthouse for Austin, or Mira, Logan, and Beau to stay in when they visited and they'd been helping Slate with the maintenance and repairs on the house as well. All of which my husband had insisted on paying for—even if he hadn't ended up selling his house.

Long after the wedding, I'd learned he was better off financially than I'd ever have been able to comprehend, and thanks to his friend Jude's investment advice, he was getting richer practically by the day. I'd argued that we should use some of the proceeds of the oil on upgrading the farm and building the new houses, but he'd insisted we put my share of those proceeds straight back into the farming operations.

Eventually, I'd given in, holding my breath as I'd clicked order on state-of-the-art equipment I'd been lusting after for so long but had never imagined actually being able to afford. It'd all since been delivered and installed, and I was more than happy with the way Merrick Meadows was running at the moment.

I'd gotten a ton of new ideas during our time in Finland, who also happened to be a world leader in sustainable farming. Organic agriculture. So far, the way in which I'd adapted those ideas to fit into our way of doing things right here in Firefly Grove was working pretty darn well.

Mira and I had worked together on the environmentalists who had been concerned about the mining of oil on the farm as well, and thanks to her innovative technology and my knowledge of our land, we'd made even them happy. Things were running like clockwork, all the issues that had been so insurmountable once upon a time now a thing of the past.

As I left the barn, I stopped for a moment just to look around, feeling like Merrick Meadows was the same as it'd always been, but it was also new. It was full of life and vitality once more. I smiled, feeling like it was back to being magical the way it had been when I'd been a young girl and seeing it through a child's eyes.

Sighing happily, I left the chores to Slate and Dad, heading back to the house for a well-deserved break. I paused when I reached the porch, wondering why the door was open until my mom appeared in the doorway.

She smiled. "Sit down and let me bring you a cup of tea. You need to get off your feet for a while, darling. That baby needs you to take care of yourself too."

My hands moved instinctively to my massive belly and I rubbed it, bubbles of joy floating through my veins when I felt our baby nudge me from the inside. At six months pregnant, I was still in awe of the fact that there was a human being growing inside of me, but its movements were getting stronger by the day. Work on the nursery—my old bedroom—had already begun.

"Thank you," I said, returning my mom's smile as I carefully lowered myself into one of the chairs on the porch. "Gosh, I can't believe I still have an entire trimester left. How much bigger can I really get?"

Mom laughed. "You're gorgeous, sweetheart. Just relax and I'll bring the tea."

I nodded, kicking my feet up on the coffee table that had been moved by Slate for this very purpose. My entire family was of the opinion that putting one's feet up was very much literal during pregnancy, and Slate had made sure that there was some kind of furniture I could kick my feet up on everywhere in the house.

As I looked out at the property, I was still marveling about how much things had changed and yet somehow stayed the same since the wedding. The old country road was still there, as was the dirt drive in front of the house.

The forest still formed a horseshoe shape around the property but we'd planted some new trees between the house and the site in an effort to give ourselves a little more privacy. They weren't a solid line yet, but eventually, they would be.

Behind me, the house was also still the same as it used to be but also new. While doing the repairs and the maintenance, we'd renovated, keeping the basic aesthetic and the original features like the hardwood floors and Mom's farm-style kitchen, but we'd painted and redone almost everything else, bought new modern furniture and transformed some of the unused space into things like an entertainment center and a playroom.

Mom emerged with our tea, handing over mine before she sank down on the chair next to my own. "How are you feeling, honey?"

"I'm fine," I said, rubbing my belly with one hand and cradling the cup in the other. "Just swollen."

Mom giggled. "Well, that's to be expected, darling. You are growing a human. They do need space to be able to do that."

"Yeah, I know. I'm just feeling more and more like a whale every day." Since it was summer and Slate had also installed a pool and a patio at the back, we were spending a bunch of time in the water, which was great for breaking the heat, but I swore even my maternity bathing suits were getting too tight. "I don't even fit into my boots anymore, Mom. It's ridiculous."

She smiled, shaking her head at me. "No, baby. It's a miracle is what it is. It means our little peanut is healthy and happy in there."

As I glanced down at the beachball-size belly under my flowing skirt, I smiled and nodded my agreement. "I guess you're right. Don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining. I just didn't expect to be quite so big already."

Mom chuckled. "No one does, darling, but you're also not nearly as big as you think. Are you still taking weekly pictures?"

I rolled my eyes. "Of course. Slate insists on documenting every hour of this journey."

"He's just excited," she said, grinning when she spotted my husband and hers finally emerging from the barn.

They'd been finishing up in there and she stood, waving at them before glancing at me. "I'll get some water. They need a break too."

"How about you?" I countered. "I can get the water, Mom. You need to take it easy yourself."

She waved me off. "It was one scare a year ago. The stent is doing its job and all the doctors are completely happy with me. Besides, it's important to stay active. Walking is even part of my daily exercise plan from the hospital itself. Stop trying to come up with excuses and stay on your behind."

I sighed but did as I'd been told, amused but grateful for how excited and supportive everyone was. Dad and Slate reached the porch and my father grinned at me.

"How's my grandchild?"

"Better than your child," I joked, hugging him when he came over to me. "The baby is still fine, Daddy. Just like he or she was the last time you asked an hour ago."

Dad chuckled. "Well, you can't blame me. That's the first of the next generation of Merricks in there."

Slate groaned. "Merrick- Spieres ."

"Of course," Dad said offhandedly, winking at me before he glanced at the door. "Where'd your mother disappear to?"

"She's getting you some water," I said, inclining my head at the other chairs we'd placed on the porch to make sure there was enough sitting room for everyone out here. "You'd better get off your feet. She's on another rampage."

Dad laughed. "She's in her element, you know. Being able to take care of us all and having a grandchild on the way."

"I know." I smiled. "I love seeing her so happy."

Dad and I exchanged a look, and he returned my smile, as relaxed and at peace as I'd ever seen him. After all the stress last year, he and Mom had been enjoying the extra help on the farm, spending more time together at their cottage and going on spontaneous trips, and it was like the shadows that had clung to his eyes these last few years were finally completely gone.

As soon as my dad went to take a seat, Slate came to me, lowering himself down on his knees after pressing a quick kiss to my lips. His hands immediately went to my belly and he bent his head forward, kissing it as well before he started speaking to the baby.

"How are you holding up, kiddo?" he asked. "Did you miss me? I sure missed you. You haven't been kicking Mommy too much, right? I know movement is good for you, but do me a favor and ease up on her ribs and her bladder, would you? It makes her pretty uncomfortable when you squeeze your toes in there."

I laughed and Dad shot him an amused look, but we were pretty used to Slate having long, one-sided conversations with the baby at this point. As soon as I'd told him the child had developed a sense of hearing and that research suggested he or she would be able to recognize our voices, it'd started.

Slate spoke to the baby almost as much as he spoke to me these days, and incredibly, the child always seemed to react, nudging and wiggling whenever he or she heard his voice. It made me fall in love with my husband all over again every time I saw him like this, realizing how very naturally he'd fallen into his role as a father.

Over these last few months, I'd woken up loving him more every morning than I had the day before. I was truly madly in love with him, knowing with more certainty now than ever that we'd done the right thing, even if we had gotten married pretty fast.

Slate Spieres was the love of my life, and as I stared at him murmuring to the baby, his dark hair falling over his forehead and a smile crinkling the corners of his eyes, I felt like there was lava bubbling inside of me. But happy, loving lava that made me feel so warm I could barely stand it.

Sophie liked to joke that it was heartburn, but there was a definite difference. I hadn't told Slate or anyone else this yet, but I had a feeling we were having a son.

I wanted to give him my father's name as a middle name and Slate had a few ideas for a first name, whether it was a girl or a boy. Neither of us could wait to see my parents evolve into grandparents, and it once again dawned on me that I couldn't believe how lucky we all were.

The oil had brought us so much more than money. It'd brought with it the rest of the missing pieces of my family, and when my mom came out with the waters, there were tears brimming in my eyes once more. I'd become stupidly emotional, but I was just so happy that I didn't care.

I had everything I ever wanted and more, and this truly was the happiest ever after I could've asked for. It was almost impossible to believe sometimes that it really was mine.

***

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The last time I saw my new colleague, she was on top of me.

Literally. She's my best friend's sister.

It might have been a hot one-time fling at his wedding. Maybe.

And the preacher from the church might have been the one to wake me up with my pants around my ankles.

What? It was worth it.

Years later she's pissed that we're working together.

Personally, I like having her curvy figure around to keep things interesting.

But she's a boss in business—and a goddess in bed.

Lucky me.

We have six months to get a job done.

Our task?

Romance and architecture.

How hard can it be?

Turns out it's not that easy with a woman whose heart is cold as ice.

She doesn't believe in love.

Unfortunately for her, I do.

And I love a challenge.

She has her eyes on the deadline.

I have mine on the prize:

Her.