Epilogue

EPILOGUE

Clara

Ten years later….

It was a real pain in the ass to get twenty-six people to Scotland, but somehow Riggs made it happen.

Not that I'm surprised. That's Riggs.

Whatever I want, he gives it to me with a grin on his face.

Since the day I agreed to marry him, he has turned my life into an epic love story. I've had the pleasure of watching him coach and mold young minds. When it'd get hard being apart, I'd go on trips with him, and I even brought the boys since we all would miss him so much. I was able to watch him win the AHL Cup two more times before he decided to retire last year. He was tired of being away from me, and we wanted to add to our lives.

Which is what my sisters have been doing since the jump, it seems.

Once Elliot had Alejandro Jr., Alex married her a week later. He was pretty insistent on their son's parents being married. Elliot didn't fight it, nor did she fight getting pregnant again, because they then got pregnant back-to-back with Nicolas and Abram. At one point, she had three kids all under the age of three. She survived, though, and continues to work like the boss bitch she is. She is doing social media for not only the Bears, but for the Assassins since Alex was traded back to them. It's awesome because we've gotten three years with them so close, and I couldn't be happier.

Austen got pregnant before she and Dimitri got married. Now, she is the mom of four, and she is still kicking ass at stats for the Assassins. Dimitri is still playing for the Assassins, but he plans to retire soon to be a stay-at-home dad. I know I'll miss all the cute pictures of Erik, Ivan, Alexei, and Mila cheering on their daddy in their little Assassins jerseys. Though, Dimitri tells me now I'll have pictures of them in their own jerseys.

I can't wait.

Like the mom she has always been, Eliza ended up having five boys. I'm not sure if it was really a choice or if my brother-in-law couldn't keep his hands off her once he was healed. It took almost two years for Coleson to get back to the NHL, but he did it, and he brought home the Cup with the Panthers. He played for about five years before he was reinjured. By then, they had all the boys, so he figured it was time to be home with his family. They live in Knoxville and run Drippy Drip once more. I get to see my nephews, Noah, Leo, Caden, Marshall, and Ryker, daily since they come to help me with the dogs when their parents need to work together at the shop.

We didn't know at the time, but Louisa was pregnant with Lara at her wedding. As much as she and Ciaran like to tease that Riggs and Elliot hijacked their wedding, it was really Louisa puking in the bushes that hijacked it. Not that any of us knew; she hid it well. Apparently, we're good at hiding things, we McDavid sisters. Ciaran was traded a lot, but the good thing about it was that my sister was able to open seven more Dirty Pages all over America. She is thriving and somehow is still the greatest sister and mom. We all thought that Lara would be an only child, but Louisa popped out Clyde eight months ago. A surprise baby who is loved more than all the romance books in the world, as she likes to tell us. Though, I'm pretty sure she'd take an hour of uninterrupted reading time any time of the day. They're currently in North Carolina, but rumor is, Ciaran may be retiring next year and they plan to come back to Knoxville.

Which means all of us will be in the same place once more. Well, except Austen, but Nashville was always her home.

As I watch my family frolic through Riggs's family estate and get settled, I have one place I need to be. Ten years ago, I came to meet Riggs's family, and I have returned now for one reason. My heart is full, and my soul is singing for the man who holds my hand as we make our way toward his family plot. When we reach the beautiful headstones engraved with photos of his parents and him as a young man, my heart aches a bit. I never got to meet the people who gave me the love of my life, but there isn't a day that goes by that I don't silently thank them.

It's the little things—how Riggs will hold me or make me eat. How he'll clean out the bus for me even though I say I can do it on my own. How he makes me laugh and continues to promise me the world. Never once in the last ten years have I forgotten how important I am to him.

He reminds me daily.

And I remind him.

Riggs moves toward the graves, and I can't help but bask in all his silver fox glory. My man is aging like a fine-ass wine, and he is still as insatiable as he was when we met. Our love has gotten stronger, and I know my life wouldn't be the same without him. I watch as he crouches down and removes some leaves before gripping the headstone of his parents. "Ma, Da, the last time I introduced you to someone, I told you I'd love her forever. And while it's only been ten years, I've kept my word." I crouch down beside him, leaning into his side. "Now, I've come to introduce you to your grandkids."

I take Shepherd's chubby little hand in mine and whisper, "This is your grandson, Shepherd William, named after you, Mr. McCoy."

"This is wee Kennedi Rose, named after you, Ma." Riggs waves little Kennedi's hand, and my heart explodes when she grins widely at her dad.

We spent eight years just loving each other and traveling like we wanted, but we knew something was missing. A piece of him and me. So, we started the process, and once more, Riggs gave me the world. The twins look just like him but have Elliot's hazel eyes. Instead of asking Elliot to carry the twins, we had a gestational carrier since I didn't want to put my sister through another pregnancy. All four offered me their eggs, but Riggs felt that Elliot looked the most like me.

Once more, my sisters were there for me, and I know that will never change. We all went through something that had the potential to break a person, but together, we're strong. Nothing can touch us, especially when we're loved by such incredible men and our children.

The emotion is clogging my throat, and I see the tears gathering in my husband's eyes. There isn't a day I don't wish his parents were here to see what a gorgeous family he has made. Clearing my throat, I say, "I'm sorry we didn't bring your three granddogs, but we didn't want to put them through a trip on a plane at their age."

As I wanted, Riggs chuckles, and Shepherd squeals happily. He loves his brothers, probably a lot more than his sister. My husband's face breaks into a grin at the sound, and my heart soars. I never thought I could love this man more. He meets my gaze, and his grin widens. He leans in, and I cup his face with my free hand. "Always smiling so wide for me," I say, stroking his cheek, and he cups my hand as his eyes burn just for me.

"Always for you." He kisses the top of Kennedi's head, then Shepherd's. "You make me so damn happy, wife."

I was upgraded to wife after our wedding, and it's my favorite of all my pet names. Though, anything he calls me has the power to make me fall for him all over again.

I lean into his side, and he kisses my temple before laying his head on mine. "Same, snookums. Same."

The End.