“You’re really happy?” she asked again.
“Happiest I’ve ever been,” I said. “And it’s all because you broke your momma’s rules and got in my truck.”
“Best decision I ever made.”
“Damn right it was.”
She curled into me, her head on my chest and I wrapped my arms around her, placing my large hand over her stomach where our future was waiting.
And I lay there thinking about the future. About the nursery we’d decorate. A crib I’d make. And whole new set of rules for our child.
EPILOGUE TWO
Roxie
I heard him before I saw him.
His voice, low and rumbling, singing some country song I’d heard him hum a thousand times while he worked.
I followed the sound down the hall to the nursery—the room we’d spent months decorating, every detail perfect, every piece of furniture he’d built himself. There was even a small bear with a butterfly on its nose in the corner.
I stopped in the doorway.
Bridger was standing by the crib, our daughter cradled in his arms. She looked impossibly small against his chest, her tiny fist wrapped around his finger.
He was swaying gently, still singing, completely absorbed in her.
My heart melted.
“Okay, sweet girl,” he said, his singing trailing off. “We need to talk about some rules.”
I bit my lip to keep from laughing.
“Rule #1,” he continued seriously, like she could understand him. “No dating until you’re thirty. At least. Maybe thirty-five. Forty sounds better.”
Our daughter made a small sound, and he nodded like she’d agreed.
“Rule #2: Any boy who wants to date you has to meet me first. And I’ll be cleaning my shotgun when he shows up. Just so we’re clear on expectations.”
I couldn’t help it. I laughed.
He looked up, catching sight of me in the doorway. “How long have you been standing there?”
“Long enough to hear about the shotgun.”
“She needs to know the rules early.”
“She’s three months old.”
“Never too early to start.”
I walked into the room and sat down in the rocker. He knelt beside me and put her in my arms.
She was so perfect. Dark hair like her father. My nose. His eyes.
“Rule number three,” I said, looking down at her. “Your daddy is a little crazy. But we love him anyway.”
“I heard that.”
