EPILOGUE

Beth

4 months later…

"'Goodnight, little man," I say, planting a soft kiss on Jonah's forehead.

"'Nigh-nigh."

His eyes are closing before I turn on the lullaby music. I will never not marvel at how he's able to do that.

I get up and leave the door slightly open.

Milo and Josie are in the living room, but before I join them, I take a look around the house—our house. Because, yes, I've moved in. I was practically living here anyway, so it made sense, but it was nice when Milo asked me during one of our weekday dates.

I've kept my place, and we're discussing whether to rent it out or keep both houses, merge the blocks, and build a bigger home. I'm veering toward that option. I love Milo and the kids more than anything, but a girl's gotta have her bathroom space.

I join Milo and Josie on the couch, and we chill in front of the TV until it's her bedtime. It's amazing how such a simple act as sitting and watching something together can feel so good.

Reading as many romance novels as I do, it can skew your perception of love a little. It's not all grand gestures and moments of emotional intensity. Real love is just as much about the simple, even mundane, everyday moment as it is all the big stuff.

The best thing is that I know that I'm safe and loved with Milo. Underneath his slightly grumpy demeanor, he's warm and kind and funny and smart…all the things I've ever wanted in a guy.

All the things my exes never were.

It's taken being with a real man to help me heal the last of the damage they did. But I have. I refuse to let what happened to me in the past get in the way of the amazing future I have with Milo and the kids.

When Josie starts yawning, I take her to bed and read her a bedtime story. Milo and I take turns, and I love how naturally he's allowed me to blend in with the kids. Like he has with our entire relationship, he's let me take control and be in charge of the pace at which things happen.

Although, with how quickly I fell for Josie and Jonah, everything has felt so natural. I have no intention of ever replacing their mom, but I can love them with all my heart and be there for them whenever they need me.

When I leave Josie's room, Milo's already in the shower, so I get ready for bed.

Another simple, mundane thing that I love?

Spending hours reading in bed at night.

It's my favorite way to spend an evening, and I'm so glad I don't have to give it up, that I've found a guy who enjoys it as much as I do. There's nothing better than snuggling up with a good book with the man you love right by your side.

Milo enters the room and I glance up from my book. He's wearing only his pajama bottoms, his sexy chest and muscular arms on full display. He may have joked about dad bod being imminent, but I ain't seeing it yet.

His hair is growing out, and I look forward to the day it's long enough so that he can tie it into a man bun.

Yep. For real.

Wild that I'd ever think that, huh?

"What?" he says, when he notices me staring. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"No reason," I say as he climbs into bed. "I was just thinking it'll be good once your hair is a little longer and you'll be able to tie it up."

He chuckles to himself as he reaches for his book off the nightstand. "And to think, it's one of the things you used to dislike about me."

"That's before I realized you're a real softie underneath."

"Well." His eyes meet mine, and I recognize the familiar fire burning in them. "I'm not entirely soft."

I let out a small giggle. "That's very true."

Okay. So maybe reading in bed has been relegated to my second favorite bedtime activity.

I love being intimate with Milo. He makes me feel so safe, so loved, so beautiful. For a girl who used to be chubby and insecure about her appearance, it's an intoxicating feeling I never want to give up.

A little while later, once we're back to reading again, I notice Milo resting his book in his lap. "I've been thinking," he says.

I put my book down, too, and give him my full attention. "What's up?"

He turns on an angle so he's facing me. "Well, since we're seeing your sister tomorrow…"

I smile. "And her growing bump."

"Exactly. It's got me thinking. You're so great with Josie and Jonah, and I know they absolutely adore you…"

I have no idea where he's going with this. "Yeah?"

He curls his fingers around mine. "I'm not saying we have to rush into anything, but I do want to put it out there."

"Put what out there?"

He pauses for a moment. "I'm open to…more."

I squint. "More what?"

"Kids. Down the track. Way down the track."

"Oh."

"Yeah. I just wanted you to know that." He studies my face for a moment. "You seem surprised."

"I guess I am a little. I…I love the kids so much that I guess…they're enough, you know? Like, I know they're not biologically mine, but my love for them is as real and strong as if they were."

"I know exactly what you mean." He squeezes my hand. "I don't feel any difference in how I love Josie and Jonah."

"So, I'm not saying no to more kids. It just wasn't something that's on my mind."

"Fair enough."

"To be honest, I'm looking forward to becoming an aunt."

After finding out Schapelle was pregnant at her book launch, she went up the mountain to stay with Mom and Dad while she figured stuff out. Her ex is a real jerk who dumped her the moment she told him she was pregnant and said he wanted nothing to do with her and the baby.

It turns out she's figured stuff out, even if it's one of the wildest stories I've ever heard. I can totally see her putting this in a book one day. Hers is a meet-cute for the ages, that's for sure.

"It'll be nice to see your sister," Milo says.

"And her mountain man husband," I say with a tone.

Schapelle may be five years older than me, but she's got a lot going on at the moment. My sisterly instincts are on high alert

"I thought you liked the guy."

"Give me more time, and I'll find something wrong with him. I'm sure I will."

Milo chuckles. "Give the man a chance."

"I suppose I should." I make a noncommittal sound. "I just don't get it. She's seven months pregnant. Now is the worst time to be starting a relationship. She's a romance author, she knows better than that."

Milo chuckles again. "I don't think that has anything to do with it. Love happens when it happens."

Our eyes meet, and I smile. "Yeah. I guess it does." Milo doesn't return to his book straight away, so I ask, "Anything else on your mind?"

"Nope."

His neck has turned red, so I know he's lying. "Come on. Spit it out."

"What? There's nothing to spit," he says. I make a slight throat-clearing noise that always gets Milo to talk. "Okay. Fine. I was just thinking that every time we drive up that mountain, something good happens to us."

"Like getting caught in a snowstorm on our first trip and then surviving an earthquake on our second?"

"Exactly," he says with a grin. "Both things brought us closer, right? It's like that mountain is our good luck charm or something."

I let out a giggle. "But Evie and Fraser aren't getting married this time, so even if I believed your crazy theory—which, for the record, I do not—maybe our good luck has run out?"

"Nah, babe." He leans over and gives me a quick kiss. "Our good luck is just beginning."

"What was that you said last night about our good luck just beginning?"

Milo brushes off my question, letting out a grunt as he crouches by the car. Our road trip up the mountain is currently delayed by a flat tire. Granted, it's not as bad as what we've encountered before, but if anything, I'm starting to think this mountain might be a bad luck charm.

I glance inside the car. Josie is engrossed in her book, and Jonah is happily watching "Bluey" on a tablet.

"Can I do anything to help?" I ask.

"Nope. I got this."

I watch him calmly handle the tire, every movement smooth and confident, like he's done this a hundred times before. There's something reassuring about the way he works, focused but relaxed, making me feel at ease even by the side of the road. He tightens the last lug nut, then hoists the spare, fitting it neatly into the back. He shuts the trunk with a satisfying thud.

I hand him a wipe, and he quickly cleans his hands.

"There. All done. Ready to keep going?" he asks.

"One thing."

"What?"

"This."

I step closer, feeling the cool mountain breeze as I rise onto my toes to meet his lips. My heart races a little as I lean in, wrapping my arms around his neck. His hands gently settle on my waist, and when our lips finally touch, everything feels so right.

When we pull apart, I realize we have an audience. Josie lowers the window. "Did you give Beth the ring, Dad?"

The ring?

Milo tries to disguise his panic—and fails—forcing a smile that takes me back in time to when his smiles were enough to scare small children.

"What ring?" I ask, looking up into his eyes.

"I had it all planned out," he mutters, shaking his head. "I've been in touch with Schapelle, and she helped me plan out a big romantic proposal in the mountains."

My heart stops.

I'm so overwhelmed I can't help the tears from falling down my face.

"What's wrong, Beth?" Josie asks.

I start wiping them away, not to worry her. "Nothing. I'm fine, sweetie. These are good tears. Happy tears."

"Like when Dad watches The Lion King?"

"Hey. That was meant to be our little secret." Milo frowns, pretending to be upset, but I can tell he's not.

At least not about the movie.

"The ring?" I hedge.

He lets out a deep breath. "Well, I suppose we are in the mountains. And I am doing this in front of the three people I love more than anything in the world. Wait here."

He goes to the car and when he returns a moment later, he drops down on one knee. Looking up at me, he says, "I don't know what it is about you, but you captivated me from the moment I met you. I've opened up to you more than I have to anyone else in my life. You bring out the best in me, and I hope I make you feel safe and protected and loved and cherished because you deserve that, Beth. You deserve to be treated like a queen."

He takes another deep breath. "Beth Anne Moore, will you do me the honor of being my wife?"

"Yes. Of course."

He slips the ring onto my finger, his hand a little shaky, and my heart feels like it might burst. The ring sparkles in the mountain sunlight, delicate and perfect, just like this moment. I glance over and see the kids watching from the car, their wide eyes making everything feel even more real, and all I can think is, this is my forever.

He rises from his bent knee, his eyes never leaving mine, and before I can catch my breath, his hands are on my waist, pulling me gently toward him. The kiss is soft at first but filled with so much emotion it makes my knees weak. The mountains, the kids watching—it all fades away as his lips meet mine.

"I just realized something," I pull back as it dawns on me.

"What?"

If I do the hyphenated thing and keep my maiden name, my new surname will be Moore-Payne."

He lets out a chuckle, skimming the backs of his fingers down the side of my face. "Fitting, wouldn't you say?"

I slap him across the chest and huff. "I hope it's not an omen."

"It isn't," he says, his voice deep and filled with emotion. "You make me happier than I've ever been, Beth. We're going to have a great life together."

"Can I come out and give you hugs?" Josie asks.

"Of course, sweetie," Milo answers.

The car door flies open, and Josie leaps into her father's arms before launching into mine. We go over to Jonah in the backseat to give him high-fives but he's more interested in "Bluey" than in joining our celebration.

It's funny. I've read thousands of romance novels with epic proposals on a beautiful beach at sunset, or in a historical castle, or during a hot air balloon ride. But nothing I've ever read comes close to the proposal I got. The one by the side of the road. It might not be the most romantic setting, but it sure is the perfect one.

Milo wraps his arms around me, and I have this incredible warmth and certainty wash over me. It's not shock, it's pure happiness. Everything feels so right, like this is exactly where I'm meant to be. My heart is so full, and I can't stop smiling, knowing we're starting something beautiful together.

The other funny thing about romance novels is that they always end on the cusp of forever. The couple have all their setbacks—they go from being friends, or enemies, or just plain clueless to lovers—and then, after getting through all the obstacles thrown their way, they end up together and it's The End.

But the thing about Milo and me is, the happily-ever-after isn't the end—it's only the beginning.

Okay, so this is kinda the end since it's the final book in the Hockeymances series.

But don't worry, I have PLENTY more books in mind for my Ashmances universe, starting with…

I'll be revealing my next book in my newsletter in early December!