Epilogue

TESS

" T hose guys are kind of sexy in their aprons, aren't they?" Sloane asked, nudging me in the arm.

We were in line at the annual Rosewood Ridge Volunteer Fire Department pancake breakfast. It was the eighth one I'd attended as Jax's wife.

"Yeah, but Sloane likes her husband wearing nothing but the apron," Cassie said, leaning forward to speak to me over Sloane, who stood between us.

After glancing at Sloane to make sure she was okay with us ribbing her over it, we both laughed. We all four shared a lot as best friends. Always had.

But Cassie kept her voice down for a reason. What was said in our friend circle, stayed in our friend circle.

"Hey, what are you all talking about up there?" Ashton, obviously feeling left out, asked.

The line was long, but the four of us were close to the griddle. Jax and I had been among the first to show up here today, followed soon after by our friends. That meant we'd be the first besides all the kids to get pancakes. We'd made sure they were all settled before we even thought about waiting in line.

Our kids were with their grandparents—all seated at the same table toward the back. I didn't have parents in town, but Cassie's mom had relocated here, and Jax's mom was visiting. They'd volunteered to keep an eye on the kids to let us moms enjoy our breakfast for a change.

"There's my beautiful wife," Jax said, flashing me a big smile.

He was the official pancake flipper, a job all the other guys wanted. Now he handed the spatula over to Bryce.

"I'll be right back," Jax said. "I'm going to kiss my wife."

"Ugh," Bryce said, but he was smiling as he took over.

"You guys are so cheesy," Cassie said. But she and her husband, Denver, were just as bad.

As I waited for my husband to come around, I turned to look at the table full of our kids. Jax and I had a six-year-old boy named Hudson and a four-year-old girl named Lily. Our friends' kids were around the same age, and they were all either going to Rosewood Ridge Elementary or already there.

Our houses were in different areas of town, though, since we'd moved into our husbands' existing cabins. But we regularly had get-togethers at each other's houses, especially in the summertime.

In college, the four of us had discussed raising our kids together, but we'd never dreamed it would actually happen. And definitely not in a town as charming as Rosewood Ridge.

"The Cyclone Stud strikes again," Mac joked.

They were always teasing him, bringing up that name. He'd never live it down. The volunteer fire department was more of a fraternity than the sorority where I'd met my friends during college.

"Maybe the rest of us want to come around and kiss our wives," Bryce said as Jax arrived in front of me.

My husband looped one arm around my waist and tugged me toward him. His mouth landed on mine in a kiss that reminded me of our early days together. We still had a lot of those kisses, but we had to deliberately make time for them with the kids keeping us so busy.

When he released me, I was breathless. But I was just about the luckiest woman on Earth.

"You're not getting your spot back," Bryce said.

As Jax smiled down at me, it became clear he didn't mind one bit. In fact, he might have joined us for breakfast if someone hadn't specifically designated a table for the moms to get some time away from our kids.

Jax released me and started back around the table. "Perfectly fine with me," he said. "I'll help out with the drinks."

He made his way to the end of the table, where Denver stood dispensing coffee and orange juice. That was our cue to get a move on. I grabbed three pancakes, added some almonds and syrup, and made my way to Jax, who had my coffee prepared exactly the way I liked it.

He did that at home too. On weekends, he'd get up early with the kids and keep them quiet until I got up. I'd walk into the kitchen and there he'd stand, coffee in hand, with the kids playing quietly on the floor. Well, as quiet as they got these days.

"Thank you for supporting the Rosewood Ridge Volunteer Fire Department, ma'am," my husband said, giving me the rehearsed speech every woman in line would get.

I'd assumed he'd skip the wives, but when he gave me a wink, it told me he was putting on a show for the town's fire chief, who was frying up sausages next to him. I'd skipped that section. I preferred bacon with my pancakes, and that wasn't an option this morning.

"My pleasure." I gave him a wink back. "We appreciate all the hard work you do for us."

I turned and headed over to the table, settling in and waiting for my friends to join me. But I couldn't stop the smile that spread across my face as I watched the whole scene. This town was something special, and these guys were true heroes.

Their volunteer work wasn't usually dangerous, but every now and then there was a fire or a cat in a tree. Instead of waiting twenty minutes for the nearby town's fire engine to show up, we had someone on call at all times to keep us safe.

"They should do these pancake breakfasts more often," Cassie said as she settled in across from me.

She was right about that. The line was already stretching out the door, but I had a feeling these people would take money out of their own pockets and hand it directly to the volunteer firefighters, even if we didn't have pancakes.

"We'll come up with some more fundraising ideas," I said.

"How about one of those calendars?" Sloane asked as she settled in next to me. "A man for each month."

"I like that," Ashton said. "Starting with our four."

We'd never have a problem finding hunky guys to pose for the calendar. This town was full of them. And some of the hottest ones had joined the fire department over the years. They'd come to town, found their women eventually, and stayed.

It was what Rosewood Ridge was all about. But it was also about family and community. I was the town vet, having finally achieved my dream of opening a clinic in a small town. The kids kept me busy, but luckily, I was able to hire a second vet and some technicians so the business brought in money without me having to work full-time.