Epilogue

EPILOGUE

ASHER

One Year Later

“Asher,this is perfect and just how I imagined it.”

Madelyn leans back against my chest, and I wrap my arms around her. She gave me this idea a year ago, and when I asked her about it, the way her eyes lit up when she talked about it and how she envisioned it, I knew I had to do it.

It was a good decision. The big porch off the back of the house has only been complete a few days, but now every night, we sit out here, catch up on the day, and Madelyn lets me hold her. I sigh as I rest my chin on the top of her head. “You’re right, this is perfect. I couldn’t imagine anything better.”

Madelyn is quiet for a few seconds, and then she shrugs. “I don’t know. There’s a few things that could make it more perfect.”

I kiss the side of her head. “Tell me what you want and I’ll make it happen.”

She turns in my arms. “You will, won’t you?”

I cup her face in my hand. “You sound surprised. I’m doing things wrong if you don’t know that I’ll do anything for you.”

“When did you first know that you loved me, Asher?”

I don’t even hesitate. I’ve learned to just go with the flow with Madelyn. She always jumps around topics, and I just keep up because I know she’ll eventually get to what she wants to talk about. “You’re probably not going to like this.”

She sits up straighter, her curiosity piqued. “Oooh, when was it?”

“The first time we had sex.”

Her forehead creases. “Really? Asher, that was like the second day we knew each other.”

I nod. “I know.”

She shakes her head in disbelief. “How? That doesn’t even make sense.”

I laugh. “You asked me when I knew. I know the exact moment.”

She laughs. “What? Why have you never told me this? When was the ‘exact moment’?”

“I told you I wanted to take you bare, and you said you were on the pill but it wasn’t a hundred percent effective.”

She’s searching her memory, and she frowns. “Then? That’s when you knew?”

I nod. “Yeah, because it made me think about getting you pregnant, and in that moment, I wanted you pregnant. I wanted you tied to me forever.”

“Oh, Asher.”

I shrug. “I know that’s not the most romantic thing—”

She cuts me off. “I don’t know. That sounds pretty romantic to me.”

I have to know now. “How about you? When did you know?”

I lean back on the bed swing. One of the things Madelyn asked for was a bed swing. She wanted one that would be big enough to hold us both, and it took me awhile to custom build it, but I have to admit it’s perfect. She lies across my torso, her fingers running circles across my chest. “You really want to know?”

I raise up to look at her, even more curious now. “I really want to know.”

She smiles. “When you started carrying one of my EpiPens with you.”

“What?” I ask her.

She nods. “Yeah, that’s when I knew.”

I shake my head. “But I started carrying an EpiPen like the third day you worked here.”

“Yep,” she says with a big smile.

I repeat her words back at her. “You knew then?”

“I did.”

She slides up my body and kisses me. When we pull apart, I ask her, “Are you glad you married me, Maddie?”

She rolls her eyes. “If you don’t know the answer to that, then I’m doing something wrong.” She playfully smacks my chest. “You know I love you, Asher Wild, and you know I’m proud to be your wife.”

I push her hair off her face. “I love you too, Mrs. Wild.” I pull her up beside me and turn to face her. “Talk to me. Tell me what I can do to make this better.”

Her forehead creases, and I remind her. “You said there’s something that could make this more perfect… What is it?” She hesitates. “Maddie, baby, tell me. If there’s something you want, you know I’ll do everything I can to make it happen. What is it?”

She points to a corner of the huge porch. “A baby swing would be perfect right there. And maybe a baby gate so no one falls down the steps…”

I follow her gaze until her words sink in. “Wait… a baby swing?”

She nods, smiling ear to ear. “You’re going to be a daddy, Asher.”

My hand goes to her belly. “You’re pregnant?”

She laughs and puts her hand over mine. “Yes.”

I pull her in for a hug and hold her tight. Emotion is welling inside me, and there’s no holding back the tear that escapes down my cheek. I kiss my wife, needing to show her what this news means to me, but I’m unable to put anything into words.

She pulls back and uses her hand to dry my eyes. “Oh Asher, tell me you’re happy about this.”

I laugh, and with my voice full of emotion, I reassure her. “You have made me the happiest man in the world, Maddie. I love you so damn much.”

She burrows into me. “I love you too.”

I hold my wife in my arms and look out at The Wild Peach. A year ago, I wouldn’t have known this kind of life was even possible. Every day with Madelyn is better than the day before, and I can’t wait to see what our future holds.