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“Yeah, not happening, sweetheart. We didn’t wait for it to go down like that.”
I make quick work of putting on my outfit, glad that both Mom and Mrs. Knox insisted. While it’s still spring, the weather’s been warm and I’ve been dancing, so I’m a hot, sweaty mess. In fact, I hope that I’m able to take a shower soon.
“Let’s head out, wife,” he says, taking my hand once I’m finally dressed.
Birdseed covers us both as we walk to his waiting car, which I see his brothers have decorated.
“Smartasses,” I mumble, seeing some of the things they wrote on the windows.
“Did you expect anything less?” he asks, helping me into the passenger side.
As we drive off, leaving our family and friends behind, I shake my head. “No, actually, I didn’t. But did they really have to put an industrial size box of condoms in the backseat?”
His laughter reverberates in the car as he takes my hand in his. “Here’s to us, Mrs. Knox. I love you and want to tell you just how stunning you were today.”
“You looked pretty spiffy in your tux, Mr. Knox,” I reply. “Here’s to forever, Jared.”
Epilogue
Cassidy
one year later
“I can’t believe this,” I mumble, looking down at the test with two lines, while bouncing my three-and-a-half-month-old daughter on my hip. “I don’t know if this will qualify as Irish twins or not, Sasha,” I tell my little girl. “But your daddy was obviously mistaken when he said I couldn’t get pregnant while breastfeeding.”
Giggles consume me because while the town talk was that we got married so quickly due to me being pregnant, I actually got pregnant on our honeymoon. We may have both been virgins, but we had absolutely no issues figuring out how it all worked. I snicker like a twelve-year-old boy for a second, then quickly sober.
“Your daddy is going to be puffed up like a peacock,” I state as I pick up the test and slide it into a baggie. I then set her in her carrier and strap her in before I wash my hands, then pick up the baggie and slip it into my pocket.
Jared has court today and the only reason I’m not in the office is because Sasha had a wellness check-up after her ear infection. His business is booming and I’m so glad I was able to graduate so I can help him with all of it now that he’s hired a receptionist. Thankfully, she’s nothing like Estella was and while I miss Wednesdays and Mrs. Walsh, she stops by the office every week and tells me how she did, then we go and get lunch. The best part is sometimes, Sascha comes to work with me, sometimes I work from home, and sometimes the grandmas babysit.
“Alright, sweet girl, let’s go see Daddy. He should be getting back to the office soon.”
Picking her carrier up, I head into the kitchen, grab the diaper bag which I already have packed, then scoop up my purse. Once we’re in the garage, I get her buckled into the base of her carseat and hear her start cooing. She loves to ride, which is a good thing, because on the weekends, we do a lot of short trips just spending time with each other. She already has her first fishing pole just waiting until she’s old enough to hold it.
After I back out, I close the garage door, then head toward town. I have a special onesie to pick up before I see my husband.
Jared
Sighing, I leave the courthouse. Some cases are just not winnable, regardless of the defense I put up. Unfortunately for my client, he has a long list of prior offenses, and there was video of this latest infraction, so he’s off to spend a few years courtesy of the county prison system. Since I practice family law, my cases run the gamut from divorces and custody arrangements, to estate planning, to DUIs and other crimes. Personally, while I’ll defend someone who got a DUI, I go in knowing that the likelihood they’ll get off is slim and none and I’m perfectly okay with that happening. I don’t like them, but the fees we charge to defend them are exorbitant, and I am, after all, raising a family now.
Sitting in the truck, I pull out my phone and power it up, grinning when I see a text from Cassidy.
Cassidy: Can you meet us for lunch at the diner?
Me: Absolutely. Just leaving court now. See y’all in a few?
Cassidy: We’ll go ahead and get a booth. Love you.
Me: Love you more.
Starting the truck, I put it in gear, my mind reflecting on the past year. By the time we reached the cabin for our honeymoon, we were both dead on our feet. Cassidy took a shower to get the birdseed out of her hair, then I took one and helped her, but before anything more could happen, we both fell asleep.
However, that next morning was another story. In fact, if it wasn’t for the fact we had to eat to keep up our strength, I don’t think we would’ve gotten out of bed that whole two weeks. Every day since, I’ve fallen even more in love with her, but never more so than the day she had our daughter.
“So fucking brave,” I murmur as I pull into the parking lot at the diner and park.
Her blood pressure spiked, putting both her and the baby in danger, yet instead of panicking, she pointed to the scrub top the nurse was wearing and smiled, telling me it was going to be okay. Why? Because the nurse’s shirt was covered in red cardinals. Within minutes, she had pushed out Sascha, and I realized that what my mom had been telling me was true; unconditional love exploded in my heart when I laid eyes on my little girl who looks so much like her mother it’s like watching Cassidy all over again only in miniature form.
