Third Epilogue

Slate–ten years later

The air is warm and thick with the scent of pine, the sun casting a golden glow over the Devil’s Peak Lodge and the clearing in front of it. Our boys’ laughter rings out, echoing off the evergreens as they chase each other through the tall grass, their voices rising and falling with the kind of joy that makes you believe in something bigger than yourself. I lean against the porch railing, a cold beer in my hand, watching them, letting it all sink in. It’s one of those days when everything just feels right, when the world finally slows down enough to let you appreciate what you’ve got.

Emma’s crouched by the edge of the clearing, showing our youngest son a butterfly that’s landed on her outstretched hand. Her red hair catches the light, turning it into a halo around her head, and her smile... God, that smile still knocks the breath out of me. I’ve seen her face a thousand different ways—angry, laughing, lost in concentration behind her camera—but this, with our boys surrounding her and that soft, unguarded look in her eyes, it’s something I never thought I’d get to see.

Behind me, my brothers are lounging on the porch, doing what they do best—teasing me whenever they think they can get a rise. Holt nudges me with his boot, his grin as lazy as ever. “Look at you, Slate,” he drawls, taking a long pull from his beer. “Mister Family Man, all domesticated and whatnot. Never thought I’d see the day.”

I roll my eyes, but I can’t help the smile that tugs at my mouth. “Yeah, well, things change, don’t they?” I shoot back, taking a sip of my own beer. The cool bite of it is a welcome relief against the heat, but my gaze drifts back to Emma, watching as she guides our middle son’s hands over the grass, showing him how to hold a frog without hurting it. My chest tightens with a warmth I never expected to feel again, something too big, too real to ignore.

Zane props his feet up on the porch railing, leaning back in his chair. “Who would’ve thought? Slate Warner, wrapped around three little fingers. And a fourth, if you count Emma.” He winks, and the other brothers chuckle, the sound rumbling through the air like distant thunder.

I shake my head, adjusting my grip on the beer bottle, my shoulders relaxing as I watch Emma with our kids. “You guys just don’t get it. Not until it happens to you,” I mutter, but there’s no real bite in my words. Maybe I’ve softened over the years, but when I look at them—my family, my life—I know I wouldn’t change a damn thing.

Colt raises his beer in a mock toast, smirking at me. “Yeah, yeah. We’ll believe it when we see it. But don’t think we’re letting you off easy, Slate. You still owe me from last time we went fishing.”

I snort, turning to shoot him a grin. “You keep dreaming, Colt. I’m the one who caught the biggest trout that day, and you know it.”

The banter flows easy between us, a rhythm we’ve had for years, but my mind keeps drifting back to Emma, to the life we’ve built here on Devil’s Peak. As the sun dips lower, stretching shadows over the clearing, I excuse myself from the porch and wander down to where she’s still kneeling in the grass, brushing dirt off our youngest’s jeans as he chatters about the butterfly that’s just flown away.

I stop a few feet away, just watching for a moment, letting the sight of her sink in. The way she moves, the way she smiles at the boys, the way she fits into this place like she was always meant to be here... It’s enough to make my heart stutter, even after all these years. The breeze catches a strand of her hair, lifting it, and she looks up, catching me staring.

A slow, playful smile tugs at her lips, her eyebrow arching in that way that always gets under my skin. “What, you just going to stand there staring at us, Slate Warner?” she teases, her voice light, but there’s an edge of something deeper in her eyes—something that makes my pulse jump.

I step closer, sliding an arm around her waist, pulling her against my side. Her body fits against mine like it was made to be there, warm and solid, the way it always has. “Can you blame me? Best view in the whole damn valley,” I murmur, my voice rough around the edges with everything I feel for her, everything I can’t put into words.

She laughs, the sound vibrating through me, and she leans into me, her hand slipping into my back pocket, giving a little tug that sends a shiver straight through me. “Flatterer. But don’t think that means you’re off the hook for bath time tonight.”

I grunt, pressing a kiss to the top of her head, my lips brushing against the soft scent of her hair. “Yeah, yeah. You know I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Our boys come barreling past us, racing each other back toward the lodge, their laughter trailing behind them like music. I watch them go, squeezing Emma’s waist, my voice dropping lower, more serious. “You know, sometimes I think about what would’ve happened if you hadn’t come back, if we hadn’t?—”

She cuts me off, pressing a finger to my lips, her expression softening, her eyes shining with that steady love I’ve come to depend on. “No more what-ifs, Slate. We made it through all that. And we’re here now. That’s what matters.”

I nod, swallowing back the emotion that rises in my throat, brushing my lips against her temple, feeling the steady beat of her heart against mine. “Yeah. Yeah, it is,” I agree, letting the truth of her words settle into my bones. Then I pull back, giving her a lopsided grin, letting a bit of the old mischief slip back into my tone. “But I still think I deserve some credit for convincing you to stick around. You know, after all those years of you thinking I was just a stubborn mountain man.”

She rolls her eyes, but her smile turns sly, her eyes twinkling with that spark that first drew me to her all those years ago. “You’re still a stubborn mountain man, Slate. But you’re my stubborn mountain man. And you know what? I wouldn’t trade that for anything.”

I laugh, the sound rumbling through my chest, and I lean down to kiss her, slow and deep, letting her feel everything I can’t quite say. Her mouth is soft and warm beneath mine, her hands curling into my shirt like she’s holding on for dear life, and I lose myself in the taste of her, in the feel of her body pressed against mine, in the promise that pulses between us.

When we finally pull back, breathless, the sun has dipped behind the mountains, casting the valley in shadow, but the warmth between us holds steady, a quiet, steady burn that’s only grown stronger over the years. I look back at the lodge, at our boys racing up the porch steps, the sound of my brothers’ laughter rolling across the clearing, and for the first time in my life, I feel like I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.

Emma tugs me toward the house, her smile bright, her hand warm in mine. “Come on, Slate. We’ve got a life to build, and I’m not letting you slack off.”

I follow her, my chest swelling with a fierce, quiet joy, knowing that whatever comes next, we’ll face it together—one wild, beautiful, impossible day at a time.

“Lord help us, boys,” my oldest son breathes at my side, his identical brother shaking his head.

“Well, no stopping them now.” I suck in a fortifying breath as the pack of women in my life huddle close together with excited grins on their faces.

Ten years of marriage with Emma, and every damn day I am still surprised.

Emma and I are on the ride of our lives, not a single day the same.

“This doesn’t seem like a very good idea.” One of my boys tips his head to one side, stripping out of his shorts and down to his swimming trunks anyway.

“Woohoo!” He runs shrieking off by his brothers, covering them in a splash when he cannonballs into the chilly pool.

“You’ve got a wild one there.” My mom pats my back, happy smile on her face.

“I’ve got a whole baseball team’s worth of wild ones, Mom.”

She shakes her head. “So were you, my son. So were you.”

She leans into my body, and I wrap her in my arm, thankful I can give my mom the kind of joy I see on her face on the daily when she spends time with my kids.

“There they go,” my oldest boy utters at my side.

The remaining kids launch off the stone and into the crisp water. The group of them splash and laugh, my wife at the center of all of that fun, just like she always is.

She brings so much love and life to my world. I am the luckiest guy on this earth to call her my wife.

“You’re not gonna let them show you up, are you?” My mom arches an eyebrow in question.

My eyes lock with Emma’s across the pool, my love and need to feel her against mine, drown myself in her in every way, stronger than even a cool pool can deter.

“Fuck it,” I whisper, launching myself into the pool and swimming underwater directly for my wife. When I finally reach her, I latch my arms around her waist, punishing her with deft strokes against the tiled wall and caging her against me.

“I want to slip inside that swimsuit and fuck you right here, right now,” I whisper before nipping at her ear.

“But your mom?—”

“Mom encouraged me to get in here,” I huff, grinding my cock against her soaked little pussy that calls to me every day of my life.

“I doubt that.” She giggles, and the movement against my dick makes me hornier than ever. “If you’re not careful, we’ll find ourselves with another little one.”

“Good.” I kiss at her neck, making sure I am blocking the booing kids behind me with my broad back.

“Come on, babies. Grammy’s got towels and some lunch. Give your mom and dad some alone time.”

The kids boo even louder, splashing water at my back as I persist.

“I love nothing more than seeing you pregnant with my baby, Emma,” I say, locking her fingers in mine and pushing her hands behind her back to rest on the edge of the sunken pool.

She laughs playfully. “I don’t know if I could handle another one of your babies.”

I gently nip at her lip, teasingly. “You’ll take as many as I want to give you, woman.”

She grins mischievously. “Is that so?”

My mother calls from halfway across the yard, signaling that pizza and snacks are ready inside. The wet trail of our offspring follow her obediently.

I kiss my way down Emma’s body, gradually moving lower and lower as the children disappear inside. By the time they reach the steps of the house, my hand is already inside her swimsuit and we are pressed into a corner, lost in each other's embrace as she reaches a fast and ragged orgasm.

She breathes heavily, legs wrapped around my waist as we share soft, tender kisses.

“My sweet little lamb,” I whisper between kisses, sliding my cock out of my shorts just enough to slip under the elastic of her suit and tease at her entrance. “You know I’d do anything to keep you safe, right?”

We move together rhythmically, caught up in the intense pleasure and pain that ripples through our bodies in that moment.

“I’d do anything to make you happy,” I continue. “Babies, puppies, sports cars... Anything you want, it’s yours.”

Her smile is gentle against mine as we catch our breath together, the cool water lapping at us adding to the sensations coursing through us.

“I don’t want any of that, Slate,” she says as her body shudders with pleasure. “I got my life back the day we met.”

I am at a loss for words, overwhelmed with gratitude for this incredible woman who has become my whole world.

“Peaches, you take my breath away,” I say huskily as I reach climax, waves of pleasure shooting through me like bolts of electricity before releasing in a rush through my shaft. I lean against her, savoring each moment as our bodies tremble and our world seems to crumble around us.

“Marrying you was the best day of my life.” I withdraw slowly from inside her, already missing the sensation. “And bringing home each of our babies... It only gets better.” I kiss my wife and readjust the elastic of her swimsuit before playfully squeezing her beautiful ass underwater. “I’d be the happiest man alive if we brought home a dozen more.”

“A dozen more?” She laughs, leaning into my embrace. “You’re asking for trouble now.”

I capture her lips in another kiss, whispering between pecks, “I’m down if you are, Peaches.”

“I’m so glad you rescued me that day on the mountain,” she murmurs.

“And you’ve been rescuing me every day since.” I hum, pressing her lips to mine in another kiss filled with all the love and passion she makes me feel every day.

The End.

Read the next book in the Rugged Hearts series here.