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“What?” I turn in circles, and sure enough, it’s the house next door to my brother’s that I loved so much. “What’s he talking about?” I ask Roman.
“I bought it. I knew you loved this place, and I knew what we had planned for our future. It was a gamble because I didn’t know if he would ever accept us, but I just figured if we were neighbors, we’d eventually wear him down.”
“You bought us a house? Before you knew about the baby?”
“I bought us a house because I was dreaming of us with the baby.” He winks.
“I love you.”
“I love you too, baby girl.”
Epilogue Roman
Roman
My eyes are glued to the back door of our house as I wait for my bride to appear. Emerson and I decided we didn’t want to wait to get married, so here we are, just four short weeks after asking her to marry me, getting ready to seal the deal with a kiss.
She’s minutes away from being my wife.
My. Wife.
With the help of my mom and Monroe, we pulled off a small, intimate backyard wedding. My girl says it’s everything she’s ever wanted, and that’s good enough for me.
Legend starts to play “Marry Me” by Train on the guitar and the back door opens. My breath stalls in my chest at the sight of her on her brother’s arm.
At thirteen weeks pregnant, she has a slight bump, which is completely hidden beneath the loose dress that she’s chosen. That’s okay because we all know it’s there. She started with morning sickness a few days after we got engaged, and it’s been taking a toll on her. I offered to postpone the wedding, but she refused.
When they reach me, my dad, who got ordained for the occasion, asks, “Who gives this woman away?”
“Not me. Nope. Not giving her away. He’s just borrowing her.” Forrest winks at me, and I swallow back the lump in my throat. This guy, he’s been my brother in my heart for years, and now, because I’m the lucky bastard his sister fell in love with, in the eyes of the law, he really is.
We all laugh, and Emerson kisses Forrest’s cheek and sends him to his chair.
“You look beautiful, baby girl,” I say, kissing her cheek.
“Hey, that’s after. He’s cheating,” Maddox calls out, and Emerson giggles.
I nod for my dad to get on with it, and he does.
The ceremony is short and sweet, and fifteen minutes later, I’m kissing my wife for the first time. We turn to face our guests and cheers erupt. I don’t know a moment where I’ve ever felt more fulfilled than I do right now.
Family and friends swarm us with hugs and handshakes of congratulations. The day couldn’t be more perfect. The guys start talking shit about who’s going to be the next victim to fall into the love trap, and I just grin.
It’s not a trap, not even close. I’ve never felt more free. I smile at my wife, who blows me a kiss.
Monroe pulls Emerson over to my mom, and hers, and they start talking I’m sure about the baby and the nursery. I’m glad Emerson has Monroe and her mom, and mine is over the moon to have a daughter-in-law. I’m glad she has the support system as we enter this next phase of life while learning to be parents.
I’m going to be a dad.
I’m fucking stoked and scared out of my mind, but knowing that my wife is going to be by my side learning to navigate keeping a tiny a human alive, well, that eases some of the fear.
Forrest is talking to my dad, while Maddox, Lachlan, Drake, Lisa, and Lyra are standing in a circle chatting with drinks already in their hands. I scan the yard looking for Legend and find him sitting on the back porch staring down at his phone. I head over to him and take a seat next to him.
“Everything all right?”
“Yeah, just got a text from my mom. Her mom passed away.”
“Oh, that’s the grandma you never met, right?”
