Epilogue

DALTON

Three Months Later

"All right boys, lunches are packed, all the papers your dad filled out are in your backpacks. I can't believe you're starting first grade today."

"Are you going to cry again?" Ethan asks.

"Yeah, no crying, Gia," Evan adds.

Gia waves at them. "You're just growing too fast, that's all. But I want to hear all about your first day when you get home. I'm planning a special dinner, and we're going to celebrate this big milestone."

I look at Gia, the woman that has my heart and soul, and when it looks like she's about to cry again, I tell the boys, "All right, go brush your teeth and put your clothes on."

The boys both run upstairs. Yesterday they were sad that summer was over, and this morning they're excited to go back to school and see all their friends. We had a good summer—the best—and I give all the credit to Gia. She has brought so much happiness and laughter to our lives. She's continued with her influencer job and went to three more conferences over the summer. One I attended with her, and I can see why she enjoys it so much. The boys attended camp, but more days than not they spent at home with Gia doing fun things together.

I pull her against me, surprised by how emotional she is. "Are you going to be okay?"

She nods her head, but before she can say anything, her eyes widen and she covers her mouth with her hands, jerks out of my arms, and takes off running down the hall to the bathroom.

I follow behind her, calling her name, and I find her upside down in the toilet. As soon as she's done, she stands up on unsteady legs, and I put my hands at her waist to steady her. She leans against the sink and puts toothpaste on her toothbrush, the whole time avoiding my eyes in the mirror.

Gia has spent every night in my bed, but she's kept all her things in the bedroom downstairs. She doesn't think the boys are ready for the next step, and she doesn't want to pressure them.

I finally catch her eye in the mirror. "You got something you want to tell me?"

She looks like she might cry again, and she finishes brushing her teeth and then turns to look at me. "I'm pregnant."

I smile and pull her into my arms, holding on to her tightly. "I knew it."

She smacks me on the chest and leans back to look up at me. "What do you mean you knew it?"

"Your body—"

She cuts me off. "Wait, my body—"

I nod. "Yeah, your breasts are definitely bigger… and you're more emotional. Tell me you're happy about this, Gia."

She sniffs. "I am happy, but I don't want you to think that I tried to trap you or anything."

"Trap me?" I exclaim.

She nods. "Yeah, I am on birth control—or I was—but I guess last month when I was on the antibiotics, it made the pill less effective. I don't know. I didn't do it on purpose, but I'm pregnant, and somehow we have to explain this to the boys, and I don't think they're ready."

Right at that moment, we hear the sound of the boys running down the steps, and Gia starts wiping at her eyes. She rushes out of the bathroom. "We'll talk about this later."

I follow behind her, and when we get to the hall, Ethan is the first one I see. "Hey bud… remember that thing we talked about a few weeks ago… that box in my room…. Can you go get it for me?"

His eyes get really big. "Really? Yes!" He takes off running, and Evan is right behind him.

Gia turns to look at me. "They're going to be late, Dalton."

I shrug. "We got time. They won't be late."

The boys come down running and jumping off the last few steps. They stop right in front of us and hand me the box. They both are so excited they're practically vibrating with it.

I turn to look at Gia, and she points at the box. "What is that?"

When I don't answer her, she repeats it. "Dalton, what is that?"

I get down on one knee. "Gianna, our Gia, we love you and have loved you since the first day we met you. You have filled our lives with love, laughter, and happiness. We want to spend the rest of our lives doing the same for you. Will you please do me the great honor of being my wife?"

She wants to say yes, I can see it in her eyes. She looks at the boys, wondering what they think about all this, but there's no way she can't see how happy they are. Ethan steps forward. "Please, Gia. Marry our dad so you can be our mom. We love you."

Evan nods and joins his brother. "We love you, Gia."

"Oh!" she exclaims as the tears start to roll down her face. "I love you three so much. Yes, yes, of course, I'll marry you."

I pull her into my arms and put the ring on her finger. The boys join us, and we have a big family hug. We'll celebrate together when the boys get on the bus for school, but right now, this is perfect. I feel whole again, and it's because of the love of a woman that was looking for a cowboy romance.