Calder slides over to be next to her and reaches for her other hand. “We’ll even wear suits.”
Elena’s smile is radiant, and her eyes are sparkling. “Oh, well, if you’re going to wear suits. I guess I need to see that.” Then, she pauses, thinking for a moment. “Or maybe you can wear your fire department t-shirts. The ones that show off all your muscles.” She lets go of our hands and reaches for Buck’s and Calder’s biceps to give them a squeeze.
“You like a man in uniform?” Buck teases.
“Apparently, I can’t resist.” She strokes a hand over my jaw and leans forward to kiss me before turning to Buck and Calder in turn. When I move in to hug her, she presses her face against my chest, and as I hold her, Buck and Calder wrap their arms around her, too.
We keep holding her and kissing her until we decide we can’t limit ourselves to the kind ofaffection that’s appropriate for a front porch in Moon Ridge, no matter how sleepy the town may be.
Someday soon, we’ll pick out a ring and discuss a date and a time and other details, but tonight we have other things to do. As I follow Elena into the house, I’m half wrecked with wanting her and half overwhelmed by how much I love this life.
EPILOGUE
ELENA
“You’re lucky I’m too pregnant to say I told you so.” Kira shifts in the restaurant chair, her belly so big she can no longer get comfortably close to the table.
I frown at her. “What did you tell me?”
“I told you you’d end up with those three hunky firemen.”
“Did you? I remember you telling me to stay open.”
She nods, satisfied. “And it’s a good thing you took my advice.”
I shake my head and laugh. “It was good advice.”
I don’t bother telling her that I didn’t intentionally try to stay open. Getting together with thosehunky firemenseemed inevitable, much as we all tried to get in our own way.
She reaches for my hand and squeezes it once. “I’m so glad it all worked out.”
“Me too.” I smile back at her, then take a sip of my coffee. “How are you feeling this week?”
Kira smooths her hand over her rounded midsection. “Ready to pop.”
“It could be any day now.”
“Sooner than later would be great,” she says.
“Are the guys all ready for the baby to arrive?”
Kira starts giggling. “A few days ago, I went downstairs when they were having one of their work meetings, discussing clients, who’s doing what, and so on. After they finished talking about a big project in the city, they brought up their next order of business, which was baby preparations.”
“They’re having meetings about it?”
“They’re treating it like a tactical mission. They’ve been plotting timelines, planning the delivery, and stocking supplies. I wouldn’t be surprised if Atlas made a PowerPoint of some sort.”
We’re still laughing when Ruth arrives with our lunch.
Our conversation goes quiet for a couple of minutes as we dig into the food. Meanwhile, I savor the everyday bit of Moon Ridge life that goes on around us.
Nearby, a trio of women are discussing their latest knitting projects, two older men are talking about car repairs, and back in the corner booth, Mae and Ed are sharing a milkshake.
It’s exactly this kind of peaceful normality that makes me so glad life is back to normal—no, actually, life is much better than normal these days.
Right now, T.J. is out on a hike with Buck, Weston, and Calder, and tonight, the five of us are going to curl up on the couch, watch a movie, and eat popcorn. Life is very good indeed.
“Who’s that?” Kira whispers, directing my attention to the restaurant’s entrance.
