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I send out some thanks to whoever was looking down at me this holiday season and thought I needed to find peace in my life. I have it now. With the two ladies who I never saw coming and now can’t live without.
I can’t wait to see how our family grows and what the future has in store for us.
EPILOUGE
SEVEN MONTHS LATER
JOURNEY
I’m a little nervous as we pull into the gates of the DSMC clubhouse in New Orleans. This is one of the last stops on our epic road trip and I don’t really want to go home to Christmas Falls. When I made the suggestion on Christmas morning, I didn’t think Tanner would go for it.
But he did. With gusto.
He had no problem trading in his two wheels for an RV we rented with my car hooked up to the back. We traveled all the way to Seattle, stopping along the way to see things that have made me regret not doing something like this sooner. Kind of.
I don’t think I could have appreciated it like I am now if I had done it before. Shiloh wouldn’t have either.
She’s the perfect age to explore more of the country and remember it. We’re making memories together as a family and I’m grateful for each one I get to tuck away.
Lane is meeting us in New Orleans, even though we just saw him while we rolled through Colorado. I’m excited to see him either way. I don’t get enough time with my brother.
When he came for a visit not long after Christmas, he said he wanted to see me and his niece. I think he really wanted to meet Tanner and make sure he was good enough for me. They hit it off right away and have created quite a little bromance.
Calliope and I laugh about it whenever we talk because I’m fairly sure my husband hears from my brother more than I do at this point. It’s adorable, though I’d never use that word within hearing distance of either of them.
Once I had the approval of my brother, something I didn’t even realize I needed, I didn’t see the need to wait before marrying Tanner. Our ceremony was small, but it was perfect. Everyone who matters to us was there and I wasn’t the only one who cried.
I swear my man has the softest heart of anyone I know. I vow to always protect it because he deserves nothing less.
When we stop in the parking lot of the clubhouse, the large double doors emblazoned with the devil’s skull emblem, which I’ve come to recognize since we’ve traveled to more than one chapter of the DSMC now, swing open. Lane is there with an excited smile on his face and Calliope is tucked under his arm.
Shiloh rushes out of the RV and I’m right behind her. Even though he braces, she hits her uncle with enough force that he takes a step back. Calliope laughs and we share a knowing smile.
Tanner’s arm wraps around my shoulders, and I wonder how long it’ll be before he and Lane wander off to talk about whatever guy stuff they talk about. With Shiloh in his arms, Lane offers my husband a hand to shake.
Tanner barks out a laugh and slaps my brother on the back in the way guys do. I roll my eyes and huff out a laugh.
“Before you two go off and find some trouble to get into, I have an announcement to make.”
Tanner’s dark eyes are intense and completely focused on me. His hands run over my upper arms and then down my sides. There’s a hint of worry in his voice, “Are you okay?”
“I’m pregnant,” I blurt and almost wince.
I had planned a whole speech about loving him and him being the best thing that’s ever happened to me. It all went flying out the window as he looked at me with so much concern in his eyes.
I think my speech was more about being a little afraid of his reaction than anything else. Sure, he was the one to suggest taking out my implant once we got married, but the last time I told someone I was pregnant it didn’t go well at all.
Tanner’s mouth drops open and then he whoops so loud that people start to come outside to see what is going on. I’m up and in his arms with his lips pressed against mine in a kiss which steals my breath and tells me exactly how happy my husband is.
“I’m going to be a big sister,” Shiloh’s excited shout has people I don’t even know cheering and celebrating around us.
I can only hope everyone has a chance to find the kind of peace I have.
