AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"That's a 'yes' folks!" Millie, the day cook, bangs a spoon on a pan and shouts to the house, whether they were paying attention or not. "Now get out of the aisle, Jones."
Sage lets me slide back into the booth while I slip the ring on her finger.
"Are you guys going to be gross like that a lot?" Jackson asks, eyeing us suspiciously.
"Yeah," I answer honestly. “You better get used it, buddy.”
Epilogue 1
9 months later
Sage
Watching my men run down the beach, dragging a kite through the air, I can't help but feel emotional. Or maybe that's the hormones.
Rapid and I got married late last fall in a low-key courthouse ceremony in Slow River. Just me and him and Jackson, with a couple of court employees stepping in as witnesses.
We wanted to make it official quick and neither of us needed a big to-do. With two of Rapid's younger brothers also getting married this year, the Jones family has had plenty of other weddings to coordinate.
Although, Rapid's mom and grandmother-- Annie and Vera-- have come up with a plan to throw one collective reception for all three couples later this summer.
The boys are ribbing their youngest brother, River, that he only has a couple of months left to find his own woman so he can get in on the party too.
Rapid's foot catches in the sand out on the beach and he goes down hard, kite falling into the surf as Jackson runs out to rescue it from getting pulled out to sea.
I sip my virgin colada. It's not quite the same without the rum, but it definitely suits the sunshine and salt spray off the Pacific ocean while I lounge in a camp chair and watch the boys have their fun.
As soon as Rapid and I knew for sure, we checked the calendar and started working on our plan for this trip.
The ocean is a lot closer to Moonshine Ridge than it was to our landlocked state back in the city, but it's still a solid eight hours by car. So, we decided to catch a flight out of Slow River's sleepy, rural airport into SeaTac where we rented a car.
Jackson has now seen the Pacific from three different states along our drive down the west coast from Seattle to where we'll eventually fly back home from San Diego.
Rapid and I agreed we'll break the big news tonight, over fish and chips on the dock in this touristy California beach town.
"Hey Mom," Jackson runs up and squishes me with a big hug and plants a kiss on my cheek. "Hey baby joey." He plants a second kiss on my growing bump.
He started calling the baby "joey" when we told him I was pregnant and it's stuck, even after we found out last month that we're having a little girl.
"Hey mama," Rapid joins us, drenched kite in hand, and gives me a kiss of a much different sort, reminding me that I'm six months pregnant and horny as hell. Something I'd heard from friends and patients, but certainly never experienced with Jax. But maybe it has more to do with my sexy husband than with the baby hormones.
"You two ready to clean up and get some dinner?" I ask, prying myself out of my chair with a little help from my hubby's strong arm.
Seriously, I'm not even that big yet, but getting in and out of these folding chairs is already a chore.
Rapid collapses the chair I was sitting on and adds it to the hand with the kite, snaking his other arm protectively around my shoulders and drawing me close.
He's shirtless, in a pair of board shorts and sport sandals, with acres of those delicious muscles on display under what seems to be permanently tanned skin, making him blend in with the local surfer population.
I lean in and inhale the scent of the salt and sand mingling with his natural smell and I know we're going to need to get creative to sneak some alone time once we get back to the room.
* * *
It's a strange conversation to have with your nine-year-old child; trying to explain to them that their birth parent happily gave up his rights as a father at the offer to get off the hook for any further child support payments.
When Jackson's dad found out that Rapid and I were engaged, he hit me with a legal suit to change the amount he owed me, saying that my new husband should be able to provide for me and my son now.
After Rapid was done telling Arnold exactly what a piece of shit he is, I counter offered to drop all future financial obligations of him if he'd sign off his rights-- and the jackass took the offer on the spot.
