Epilogue

EPILOGUE

TORI

M y husband was up to something. He and his buddy Walker had gone into the house while the rest of us sat near the above-ground pool in our backyard. Eight families, each having multiple kids, meant our pool was filled to capacity. But half the kids were playing in the sandbox set up next to it, so it worked out fine.

"Who wants a Hurricane?" Dyson called out, grabbing the attention of everyone seated around the table closest to the pool.

The guys were sitting in a circle off to the right, while the women enjoyed the comforts of having a table in front of us. We had so many friends now, we definitely needed a bigger table. Maybe multiple tables.

"You made a pitcher of Hurricanes?" Brynn asked, ripping her watchful gaze off of the kids in the pool.

It had been eight years since I met Dyson in the Rosewood Ridge Retreat Center bar. We had a seven-year-old and a five-year-old, with another baby on the way. That meant I couldn't enjoy the pitcher my husband had just set on the table in front of us.

"We have a virgin option too," Walker announced.

Brynn and I exchanged a look. We'd gotten closer than the other women since we lived next door to each other. We'd discussed over the years how we were both virgins when we'd met our husbands. It seemed like such a rare thing, it helped us form a bond.

But now the word "virgin" took on an all-new meaning. I was pregnant, and Brynn and Jeremy were trying for their third, so nonalcoholic beverages were a must. But nobody else knew our situation, so we had to play it off.

"I say we all try both versions," Kelsey said.

"I'll just take this one." Brynn leaned forward and snatched up the pitcher Walker had set down. "I've had too much alcohol lately. I need a cleanse."

Nobody questioned that. Nor did they question me when I poured a glass of the nonalcoholic option.

As our guys settled in with the other husbands, I sat back and enjoyed my girl time. We were planning an all-girls' cruise for the fall, and by then I'd be showing. I couldn't wait.

But midway through Maya's description of a particularly grueling class she was taking, Dyson moved toward the pool. He stood alone, watching all the kids play while holding his bottle of beer. I saw a chance for a few minutes of one-on-one time with my husband, and I couldn't pass it up.

"Excuse me," I said, already pushing my chair back with my legs as I stood. "I'll be right back."

"Go get your man," Sydney joked.

Everyone laughed.

His face lit up when he saw me approaching, reminding me just how in love we both still were. No matter how many days passed or how many trials life put us through, my love for this man would never fade.

Nor would my desire for him. But I had to hold that back right now.

"Best fifty bucks I ever spent," Dyson said as I moved to stand next to him.

Together, we watched the kids splash and play. Some were younger than others, but the older kids looked out for the younger ones. It helped having everyone in a group like this because there were so many eyes on the kids at all times.

"We could put in an in-ground pool," I said.

He put his arm around me and pulled me closer. "Yeah, but then we'd never get rid of these people."

I laughed. We both loved having such a big friend group. They'd become family, really. The guys still worked as volunteer rescuers, but the town now had a paid park ranger too, so they weren't called unless the full-time guy needed help.

"We don't have room for another add-on," I said.

We'd talked about moving, but we loved this cabin. So instead, we'd built two bedrooms onto the back and expanded the patio. Between that and the above-ground pool, we didn't have much back yard, but we didn't mind. If the kids needed room to run, friends lived on either side, and the kids were always playing in each other's yards, anyway.

"This is what I always dreamed home would be," I said. "Not just family but feeling like I belonged somewhere."

"Rosewood Ridge will do that to you," Dyson said, leaning away a little so he could look down at me. "But as much as I love this town, you're my home. You and the kids. We could live anywhere, and I'd be fine."

"True, but this town is part of you," I said. "And now it's part of me. I couldn't imagine making a home anywhere else."

A smile slowly spread across his face, then he pulled me close again. Together, we stared at the pool full of children as we sipped our drinks.

Yes, I'd definitely come home. And I'd never leave again.

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