Epilogue

Isit on the porch chair and watch the sun peek through the clouds, casting a golden glow over the ranch. It’s been a crazy eighteen months since I found out I was pregnant.

I feel like I’ve lived a million lives since then. It’s gone by insanely fast but somehow it also feels like an eternity. It’s weird how time warps and twists. Part of that is pure exhaustion messing with my brain.

After the fundraiser, we got to work on updating the cabins and making everything ready to open as a vacation destination.

We hired some local teens to help us get it ready and to work for us when we have guests. They all idolize Ash and jumped at the chance to be around him.

Pregnancy-wise, it was a blur of screenings, tests, and ultrasounds as my belly grew larger.

Ash has barely left my side since he found out I was pregnant. He flew back and sat the team down and told them the news. They’ve been so supportive. It was very odd having an entire hockey team at my baby shower. Some of the pictures went viral on the internet, which was one of the strangest things to happen.

I did get some hate online from a few isolated fans — but I also got a lot of love. I was embraced by the hockey community, and a lot of them were proud of Ash for taking on the responsibility of being a dad.

Of course, the team missed Ash when he didn’t return for the current hockey season. That lasted for a whole minute.

He quickly became an advisor for the team, remotely helping and watching training and game-day footage to give a fresh perspective. A lot of the team have called me to tell me that he’s annoying them with his notes. I told them they can take it up with him when they visit in the off-season. They’ve got plans to visit and camp out. We’ve become the new place for them to come and blow off steam.

As much as they are all overwhelming in stature, they are all kind at their core. I call them my giant teddy bears. They’ve embraced me in every way, and I couldn’t be more grateful for their support.

I was worried they were going to resent me for taking Ash away from them. They all kept giving him crap for punching above his weight. They also gave Jack a lot of shit. Jack came with us and met everyone. They’ve all become close friends. They always tease Jack and make jokes about Ash getting me pregnant. I would roll my eyes at all the banter, but I didn’t mind the compliments.

We visited Minneapolis a few times before I was too far along to fly. Each trip, we packed up more of Ash’s things.

He was so excited to show me around the city and take me to all his favorite spots. It was weird having people stop us and ask for our picture. I’m grateful to the hockey community for embracing me, but I’ll never get used to people being interested in my life.

We talked to Natalie, and she ended up organizing a one-off interview in a magazine. Ash is terrified of Natalie, but I love her. We get along so well, and I think it scares Ash a little bit.

Natalie convinced me that it was a good idea to put our story out there. Otherwise, people will make up their own versions, she said, and they’re not always good. Even though most of the press about us has been positive, she warned me that it can turn on a dime.

We’re both very happy with how it turned out, and in return we got beautiful photos of us together. It was basically a free maternity photoshoot, except the whole world got to see it.

Instead of selling his apartment, Ash is renting it out to a current team member, but if we ever want to use it, it’s there. I remember walking into his apartment and laughing. It’s such a typical bachelor pad. I gave him so much crap for it.

Olivia calls out. I find her in the kitchen, cooking up a storm.

I look at Max clinging to her leg in his walker. “Everything okay?” I ask.

She laughs. “This little munchkin is getting a bit too close to the hot stove.”

I pick him up and kiss his nose. I can’t believe we made him, never mind that he’s already ten months old. It seems like just yesterday that we were bringing him home from the hospital.

The first few months were a complete blur. Ash has been so amazing throughout it all. I love our little family.

Jack has been a massive help, and of course he and Max are best buds. Izzy is obsessed with Max and is constantly spoiling him, and Olivia is always reading to him and wants to teach him how to bake when he’s a bit older. She’s been living in the main house with us since she and Jack decided to take their relationship to the next level, so it’s been crowded.

Ash walks in and smiles at Max and me. He engulfs us in a hug, and Max tries to climb over to him. He’s obsessed with his dad at the moment. Ash has been putting him in the body carrier Izzy got us and taking him everywhere with him.

“Okay, little man. Let’s help set the table.”

Ash leans down and kisses me lightly. He still makes me all tingly. I blush, and Olivia makes a gagging sound. I poke my tongue out at her and then look down at all the food.

“You know it’s just us, Izzy, and Nathan, right? This could feed the whole town.”

She laughs. “You know food is my love language.”

I nod. She kept us fed during the first few months of Max’s life when we were knee-deep in the newborn stage. Good food really helps fuel you through sleepless nights and endless days.

We all help set up lunch on our long wooden table. The guys built a few tables for the baby shower, and now we use one every day. The rest are in the shed, and we get them out when the hockey team come to visit.

I set up Max’s highchair at the end of the table, and Ash puts him in, patting him on the head.

“All set, king of the castle.”

I roll my eyes before sitting down at the end of the long wooden seat panel that stretches the length of the table. Ash sits opposite me so that we’re on either side of Max. He’s going through a clingy phase.

Olivia makes sure we’ve all got a drink and a plate of food. “A toast. To Kayla, Ash, and Max moving into their dream house. You won’t be far away, but we’ll miss you.”

We all laugh. The house is literally within view of where we’re sitting. We decided to build our dream home on the ranch.

It’s been a massive undertaking, but the town has helped where they can.

I was hesitant about using some of Ash’s contacts to help design and build the house, but they were so incredible. Ash kept telling me to embrace the boujie. Whatever that means.

Jack scoffs. “I will not miss Kayla leaving her stuff everywhere.”

I glare at him. “You can’t talk. I find your glasses, hats, and boots everywhere. You could open a store with the amount you own.”

Ash interjects before it gets ugly. “To the siblings finally getting their own space.”

We all say cheers. Max holds up his sippy cup to copy us, and my heart melts.

Izzy pokes her tongue out at Max, and he giggles. “Did you think we’d ever get to this point?”

I look down the table at Izzy, Nathan, Jack, and Olivia. Everyone is thriving. There have been promotions and career changes and relationship milestones. We’ve all grown so much, and we’ve all grown closer. I feel so lucky to be here with them.

I smile. “Not in my wildest dreams. I thought it would be you and me, single ladies forever.”

Izzy almost spits out her drink. “Oh, yes. I was certain we would be cat ladies together.”

Nathan leans forward so I can see him. “I heard cats. Please talk her out of it.”

We burst out laughing.

Nathan and Izzy live together now. Nathan has a dog, but Izzy keeps pestering him to get a cat. He says he’s allergic, but we’re skeptical.

I look across the table at Olivia. “How’s the franchise going?”

She smiles. “Good! I finally found someone to run the New York store. Do you remember Bibi?”

I gasp. “Really? I thought she fell off the face of the earth. I know she went backpacking around Europe and we hadn’t heard anything since.”

Olivia nods. “Well, she spent a lot of time in Paris learning from some of the best chefs in the world. She fell in love with baking, and when she saw my name, she jumped at the chance.”

She leans over and looks at Ash. “How’s the program coming?”

Ash chews on a piece of meat and squints. “Pretty good. I’ve got a young team from Florida, per Bill’s recommendation. Apparently they need an attitude adjustment and reality check.”

I let out a loud, obnoxious laugh and everyone looks at me. I smirk. “I’m sorry, Pretty Boy. It sounded like you were describing what you needed when I first met you.” I wink.

He opens his mouth and then closes it again.

Izzy points her fork at him. “Choose your words carefully.”

When Ash brought his team out here to visit, he put them to work, just like I did to him. One of the guys made a joke that this should be a training camp for hockey players. Ash loved the idea and tailored a program where certain tasks on the ranch help improve their hockey skills. It’s good for team bonding, leadership — and, yes, attitude adjustment.

Since word got out, there have been a lot of teams wanting to come and learn from the great Ash Northcross. This particular team was organized by my dad.

It didn’t take long for my dad to warm up to Ash. You could tell he really wanted to hate him, but Ash charmed him very quickly. They have their own text chain now. I love it so much.

Knowing Ash’s history with his father, it’s nice to see them bond. It’s also nice to see Ash impart his wisdom to teens. I feel like it’s healed a part of him.

Nathan pokes his head over Izzy. “Do you need any help setting the cabins up before the team arrives?”

I click my tongue. “No, Adam’s kid, Josh, is coming tomorrow to do it.”

Nathan nods. “No worries. Just let me know if you need any help.”

Izzy scooches closer to him and bats her eyelashes. She puts a hand dramatically to her forehead. “I’m just dying for a refreshment,” she says in a fake Southern accent.

“Yes, dear.” Nathan rolls his eyes. “Never a dull moment with her.”

Ash clears his throat. “Are you working on Dot tomorrow?”

I nod.

Olivia’s eyes go wide. “Another one? I feel like you’ve been helping a new horse each week.”

Ash nods. “She has. Since word got out that she has her own practice, business has been booming.”

While I was pregnant, when I wasn’t helping horses, I was studying them. I got my diploma in veterinary studies, and now I can legally rehabilitate horses. I opened a business and I do that as well as help run the ranch.

It’s everything I’ve ever wanted to do. Before, it was helping a few horses around town, but now people travel to come and see me. It’s truly heartwarming.

As lunch winds down, it’s time for us to go to our house. It’s our first night there and I must admit, I’m a little nervous. It’s a big change.

Max yawns and whines.

I pick him up. “Okay, we’re going to get Max home. It’s time for his nap.”

We say our goodbyes and Ash grabs Max from me. Max is curled up like a koala on his chest. Ash uses his free hand to hold mine.

I can’t believe I’ve got my dream man, my dream house, and a perfect little boy. The ranch is thriving, and we both love our jobs.

It’s been a crazy, chaotic, wonderful rollercoaster — and I wouldn’t change it for the world.

Walking into the house that we spent so much time perfecting takes my breath away. I can’t believe it’s here and it’s real.

Ash puts Max to bed, and I pour us celebratory drinks. I lay out a picnic blanket in front of our fireplace, just like the nights we had alone on the ranch. I sip on my drink and smile as I vaguely hear Ash talking to Max.

After a few minutes, Ash comes downstairs and sits down on the blanket next to me. “Cheers, babe.” He clinks his glass against mine and takes a sip.

We both look around us in awe. It’s finally here. We’re finally here.

He smiles at me, and it makes my heart flutter. “Can you believe how far we’ve come?”

I bite my lip. “Hardly. If I think about the day I took you to the festival, it feels like a different lifetime.”

He nods and looks at the picture on the wall of us line-dancing. It’s one of my favorites. Next to it is a picture from the photoshoot we did. It’s not one that ended up in the magazine; it was our favorite one, and we asked them not to print it but to give it to us instead.

My belly is exposed, and Ash is lying on it. Ash had told a dirty joke, and we’re both laughing.

The last picture we put up is of Max, Ash, and me. It’s us on the ranch on a random afternoon. We’ve each got a hand of Max’s, we’re leaning in for a kiss, and Max is looking up at us. Izzy snapped the picture. She said it was ridiculous that we looked like a postcard for country living.

I lean my head against his shoulder and smile. I’m so happy right now, my heart feels like it’s going to burst.

Ash leans forward and kisses me softly before his gaze flicks up to the photos.

I smirk. “I bet you miss being in the tabloids all the time. Whatever will you do without an ego boost?”

He leans in with a sudden unexpected intensity. “I only ever want to be photographed with you.”

My breath hitches. His eyes flicker to my lips and back to my eyes. The whole world stops.

He lightly kisses me and then gets up.

I groan. “Ugh, tease!”

I hear him chuckle and then the clanking of bottles.

I lie there and soak in our dream house. This is our home. This is where we’ll stay. I feel whole here. I’ve got my horses, my family, and my practice.

Ash is loving running his program and still helping the team from afar. It’s like all the pieces fell into place.

Ash comes back with a bottle of champagne. I let my eyes trail his body as he walks toward me. He catches me, and I’m pretty sure he’s blushing. I like that I still have that effect on him.

I stand up, ready to help him, but he pops the champagne himself. I cheer and he laughs.

I’m about to step forward and kiss him, when he drops to one knee.

Gasping, I bring my hands to my face. Is this really happening? My heart races and tears fill my eyes.

He takes a deep breath, his eyes glistening. “Kayla. I knew from the first time you insulted me that we were meant to be. You’re my dream girl. You’re the mother of my child. You’re my best friend. I can’t imagine my life without you, and I want you forever and always. Will you marry me?”

This feels like a fairy tale. He’s my dream man. He’s the best father and partner. I couldn’t be happier than I am at this moment.

I look down at the love of my life who’s holding a stunning ring in his hand.

“Yes! A thousand times, yes.”

Ash puts the ring on my finger, and I barely get a chance to admire it. He jumps up and lifts me in the air. I squeal and laugh as he spins me around.

I slide down his body, and he brings his lips to mine. My body ignites against his, and my heart bursts with happiness. Tears stream down my face. I can’t believe this is my life. I feel like I’m floating. It doesn’t feel real.

I know this is just the beginning of our happily ever after, but right now, it feels like all I’ll ever need.

The End