Epilogue

EPILOGUE

CASSIE

“ D on’t get too close to the edge. Devon, help your brother.”

Denver yelled that out from the grill, where he and his best buddy Bryce had been stationed for the better part of the last hour. They were grilling up burgers and hot dogs for our entire friend group to celebrate our first pool party of the year.

“They’re so good together,” Ashton said

She was seated beside me on one of the lounge chairs we’d bought from the pool place where Denver and I had made love the first time. We’d gone back there not long after getting married. Denver had joked about buying the lounge chairs, but in the end, we ended up putting a pool in the backyard of the cabin he’d owned since moving to town.

Now that we had kids, that pool got a lot of use. I looked at Devon and our youngest son, Christopher. Devon was seven now, while his younger brother was only four. They had their moments, but in the end, Devon always took care of Christopher.

“Did you ever imagine, when we came to town that day, this would be the result?” Ashton asked.

I shook my head and laughed. “We were looking for Jax.”

That idea was laughable now. Jax was a great guy, deep down, but the thought of sleeping with him seemed absurd. But once I met Denver, thoughts of ever sleeping with anyone else went out the window.

“I’m so glad we moved here together,” Ashton said.

“And started a business,” I pointed out.

Together, Ashton and I had started the town’s first flower shop eight months after moving here. We did a lot of business with the retreat center, but the growing population around here kept us pretty busy too.

“And best of all, our kids get to grow up together,” Ashton said.

Her son, Caleb, had been born around the same time as our oldest. Like Devon and his brother, Caleb and Devon had the occasional spat, but they were the best of friends. They were in second grade together at Rosewood Ridge Elementary School, where Caleb was a straight-A student and Devon was the kid everyone liked. I just hoped he’d develop more of an interest in his schoolwork as he got older.

“Lunch is almost ready!” Bryce called out, drawing our attention to the grill area.

No sign of Denver. He must have run inside to get some stuff. I looked at the couples in the various lounge chairs and seating areas around the pool. We had a thriving friend group, and I wouldn’t trade any of these people for all the money in the world.

“I’ll be right back,” I said, pushing up from the chair and glancing over at the kids in the pool one more time.

A couple of guys from Denver’s construction crew were in the water with the kids, and they were now leading a game of water volleyball. It would be hard to get everyone out in a few minutes, but at least the kids were safe and in good hands. I pushed open the patio door and stepped into the kitchen, where my husband stood alone, staring directly at me with a big smile.

“I knew you’d come in here,” he said.

“That predictable, huh?”

I closed the door behind me and looked around. We’d made some good memories in this kitchen, starting with some sexy ones before the kids were born. But I was just as happy to enter on Saturday mornings and see him making pancakes for the kids or putting together a bologna and pickle sandwich for Devon on a random weekday when he came home for lunch.

The squeals of kids seeped through the patio doors as I crossed the room to Denver. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me toward him.

“I’ve been wanting to do this for the past few hours,” he said.

He leaned down and gave me the same type of passionate kiss we’d shared on that those patio chairs in the pool store that first day eight years ago. I would have assumed the heat would have died down a little between us by now, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. If anything, I wanted my husband more with each day we were together.

“We have to take all this out there,” I said, nodding toward the assortment of chips and condiments I’d set out earlier.

“We can get help with that,” Denver said. “But first, count to ten.”

I frowned, but then he pulled me toward him again, holding me tight. I smiled as I counted to ten. I knew what he was doing. He loved hugs, but we had to make time for them with the constant chaos around here.

It was a good chaos, though. The kind of chaos that said we led a full, happy life. And it was a life I would have never had if I hadn’t come to town looking for the Cyclone Stud all those years ago.

It was weird how life worked out. It was almost as if I’d been born to spend my life in the most beautiful mountain town on Earth with a husband who was better than I could’ve ever imagined.