Epilogue Two

Epilogue Two

Kandy, Five more years later

F rom my spot in the diner's kitchen, I watch my husband guide our four children to a table in the middle of the room, calling out to several of our neighbors as they wind through the dining room.

I give a little wave through the service window.

Ryder has insisted on making upgrades to the diner and the garage. Those upgrades include new electrical, heating and cooling systems, new windows, and other touches around the place. Most recently, it included a makeover for the diner—new wallpaper, booths, stools, counters, the works. And of course, locks and security systems that are upgraded yearly.

I thought Ryder was overprotective before the kids, but that is nothing compared to how he is since our children arrived.

First our son, Bellamy and a year later, our twin boys, Matthew and Ben. And forget it since our last baby arrived. Since our little girl, Autumn, arrived he's been like papa bear the Hulk version. Named in honor of the season me and her daddy rekindled our love for one another, the little tike has her old man being a bit of a caveman.

Too often when some guy looks at me a little longer or harder than Ryder cares for, he does the Ryder equivalent of grabbing me by the hair and dragging me to his cave—he sweeps me off my feet and carries me to our house and buries himself in my body until he works out every last bit of jealousy from his system.

But the caveman act has hit a whole other level since Autumn was born. I swear some of the "executives" at his company are nothing more than glorified bodyguards. And nothing is more hilarious than watching our tiny, blonde daughter twist the bad-asses around her little finger.

Even as I watch now, one of the neighborhood boys—Pineville has a few more kids around these days since Ryder's company made it more appealing to families—walks up to Autumn and talks to her quite earnestly. Anger flashes across Ryder's face and he looks at me with an expression between bewilderment and panic.

I giggle. I am sure the little boy is asking Autumn something like if he could sit next to her during dinner or play with her at recess tomorrow. It isn't uncommon with our little girl who looks like a fairy princess and has the attitude of a queen. But my Ryder doesn't want even a harmless little boy near our girl. And now he has to squash the desire to toss a small child out the door.

God help me.

His eyes flash when he catches sight of my laughter. He maneuvers the kids into seats at a table and with a flick of his hand has Tommy coming to sit with them before he stalks to the kitchen door.

I turn from the window just as he barrels in.

"You think these little punks near our daughter are funny?" he asks, worry lines creasing his forehead.

I dissolve into laughter. "That little punk is eight years old, Ryder! And probably wants to know if she wants some of his pumpkin pie."

That makes him turn white as a ghost. "Oh hell no." He takes a deep breath and tries again. "I don't care. I don't want him near my little girl."

"At this rate, we're going to have to lock you up when Autumn hits her teenage years. You'll be a danger to every teenage boy in town," I offer through my breathless laughter.

"Babe, the only one in danger around here is you." He stalks over to me and tilts my face up to his with a finger under my chin. "Keep up laughing about this and you'll earn yourself a spanking when we get home tonight."

I laugh harder at his frustrated words. "Like that's a threat, Ry!" Even as I say it, I can feel my panties grow damp. "I'd love every minute of it."

Ryder leans down from his towering height and presses a hard and fast kiss on my lips. I can feel him grin against my mouth, and sure enough, when he pulls away, his annoyance is replaced with amusement, but now his expression holds some heat, too.

"Baby, if there weren't kids out in the dining room, I'd bend you over the counter right here and give you that spanking." He reaches down and rubs his hand over my ass.

I push my flesh into his hand and send him a flirtatious look from beneath my lashes. "Wouldn't be the first time you bent me over the nearest available surface."

His eyes turn fiery with banked desire, but saying that out loud reminds me of something. I hop away from his hand. "I almost forgot."

I bounce over to the shelves and fetch a bag from beneath the counter. "The diner looks so great with the makeover, but I feel like it is still missing something."

I hand him the bag and watch as he pulls out his gift. A wooden case with a glass hinged door on the front.

He stares at it blankly for a few seconds before his eyes hit mine. "Babe…I'm not sure what I'm looking at here."

I move to his side to look down at the object with him. "It's a shadow box. It's a way to hang things like memorabilia up on the wall like artwork. I thought this would be perfect for the empty spot over the counter."

He squints at it, then says slowly, "Okay. So you want to hang whatever this is up on the wall of the diner?"

"Don't you know what that is?"

He looks a bit longer at the case holding the metal object before finally shaking his head. "Sorry, Beautiful. I have no idea."

"It's the clutch from your Harley. The one that caused you to stop in Pineville instead of riding on through. I figured it was the perfect thing to hang here."

He stares at it for a full minute before he throws his beautiful head back and laughs.

I ease my shoulder under one of his arms. "You like it?"

"Baby, I love it." He puts the box down gently on the counter before pulling me close. "How could I not? At the time I thought I must have the absolute worst luck in the world, but turned out to be the opposite. My bike breaking down was the best thing to ever happen to me next to marrying you and watching you bring our babies into this world."

I look up at him. "Does that mean you'll lay off the eight-year-old boy who likes our daughter?"

He looks down at me earnestly. "I'm not making any promises, baby."

I dissolve into giggles and hug him tight, knowing it is me who is the lucky one. I got to spend the rest of my life sharing all of this laughter and love with a man I thought would never return. Then love, a cursed wedding dress and some pumpkin pie is all it took to turn the tables around and life give me everything I could ever dream of.

Thank you for reading Kandy and Ryder's story! Turn the page for High Heat Holiday Bodyguard—a grumpy/sunshine age gap romance.