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"We'll have to tell Mitch to invite her. If he hasn't already..." Chase snickered.
"Why do you say that?" I asked.
"I think he's looking for a way to ask her out."
"What? I thought he had a girlfriend in Vail!"
"Easy come, easy go." Chase rolled his eyes.
"Well, then call him to see if she's coming. If not, I'll get Ariel to help. But that means I would have to tell her...."
".... and she can't keep a secret from Guy," Chase added, telling Siri to text Mitch with his suggestion.
I smiled dreamily and threw my arms around him from the passenger seat. "I can't wait!" I exclaimed, "It'll be so much fun?"
Chase chuckled softly. "Exactly – you know how much I love to throw a good party, and I think this one will be the best yet."
"This will be your second one without it being something around sports." I giggled as Chase shot me the bird — teasing.
When we pulled up into the garage and parked, Chase winked at me as if reading my thoughts before adding with a mischievous glint in his eye, "Plus, I'm going to need another Escalade after all – one with all the bells and whistles — video players in the seats to keep the kids busy. It will have to accommodate five passengers…or should I say six?"
"Six?"
"You never know...."
"I love you with all my heart, Chase," I told him, admiring my engagement ring.
“I love you too, Megs!”
Epilogue
Chase
Nine Months Later
It's been exactly nine months to the day since Megs and I sat terrified, waiting for her first ultrasound. Since then, we haven't stopped. I have never been so busy in my life, and neither has my wife.
Yep! Meagan is now Mrs. Stratford.
The celebration started during that weekend at Vail. But, instead of it being a weekend, it unexpectedly stretched into a week of merrymaking after our team found out that Rosedale had been awarded the grant. Even though none of us had seen any cold hard cash at that point, my friends and I felt like kings, and we made certain our ladies were treated like queens! After so much hard work crafting the software and composing the application for the grant, we believed we deserved it.
To make a long story short, Meagan and I got hitched at the ski resort with our loved ones celebrating together in a beautifully intimate ceremony. But then, as if that weren't exciting enough, we also broke the news about twins! It was an unforgettable week filled with joyous mayhem — wild is undoubtedly the word for it!
A few months ago, worry struck again, though, when Meagan went into labor earlier than expected. Thankfully, Dr. Rodriguez swiftly identified the source of her growing distress — no surprise there! She had been preoccupied with choosing cabinets and curtains for our new cabin while simultaneously dealing with the stress of carrying two babies in her growing belly. We were immensely thankful for his diagnosis. However, after a short stay in the hospital to control her blood pressure, including some aid from Joyce to manage her panic attacks, she quickly returned home — all settled in the man cave again! Despite Megs' attempts to remain stoic, the atmosphere between us was often strained as we still occupied my apartment. In addition, I had to oversee all of the renovations, leaving me little time to pamper my beautiful wife.
We were also incredibly fortunate in other ways. Meagan was able to wrap up her grant writing class before the pregnancy rendered it too much for her. Her instructors must have been very impressed when they heard Rosedale had secured the Golden Key Project with a successful grant because they invited Meagan to present budgeting strategies to the rest of their students. The first installment of funding from the project allowed us our desired home remodel and even enabled an additional story while preserving its rustic appeal.
Meagan's patience was tested as she attempted to continue her work while growing more and more uncomfortable, ultimately resulting in the premature birth of Liam and Lily. Finally, we brought our newborns home from the NICU just a few days before the contractor completed their work and gave us the green light to move in — which was what we were currently doing!
"Surprise!" A chorus of voices greeted us as we pulled up with the last carload of boxes to our newly-renovated and enlarged two-story cabin.
I couldn't believe it — my friends had actually done it. A big, colorful banner hung over the porch proclaiming, "Welcome Stratfords!" The house was adorned with streamers, balloons, and garlands of flowers that smelled like they were freshly cut from the garden.
"Oh my gosh!" Megs exclaimed as she stepped out of our new Escalade, her face lighting up like a Christmas tree.
"We wanted to make sure you two had plenty of help settling in," Courtney said, taking Meagan in for a hug, "let me help you with Liam."
Martha praised Meagan, commenting on her stellar qualities. "You truly are an amazing mom," she said admiringly, extracting Lily from her infant seat.
