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“You know I’ve always got your back,” she replied. “I’m here for the good, the bad, and the ugly. Speaking of ugly, I don’t want to spend our time harping on him, but I thought you might want to know that I did a little digging to see what was happening with Tom and Aurora.”
My eyes widened. I felt nothing for the man, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t curious about where things might have gone for him—or more specifically, the baby that he and Aurora were having. “And?” I pressed Waverly for more information.
She took in a deep breath before she returned, “And, he’s not getting together with her, despite her multiple attempts to convince him.”
“Wow. Really? How do you know this?”
Nodding her head, she answered, “One of the teachers I work with actually knows Aurora’s sister. I don’t think they’re best friends or anything like that, but they are acquaintances. Anyway, he doesn’t want to be with her like that, and his family isn’t happy.”
Before she said it, I hadn’t even thought about how his family would react to the news. But now that Waverly had mentioned it, I had to admit I wasn’t surprised to hear that Tom’s family was upset. They loved Aurora. They had told me enough about her—far more than any reasonable wife would want to hear about her husband and his ex-girlfriend.
But there was something I found surprising about it all. “So, his family wants him to man up and be with her, and he’s not having it? I wonder where his backbone was the whole time we were together.”
“I thought the same exact thing, Dakota. But let’s be honest, it’s a good thing he didn’t have one then, because the man you’ve got now is so much better for you,” she pointed out.
I grinned at her. “I couldn’t agree with you more.”
I decided to let the conversation surrounding Tom to go. He was no longer part of my life. As much as I felt for the innocent baby being thrown into that mess, I was relatively certain that child would want for nothing. Between Aurora’s family and Tom’s, even if he wanted no part of it, the baby would never be in a trying situation. Sure, there could be some emotional wounds from having an absent father, but if I was anything to go by, it was completely possible to have a happy life.
“So, what’s going on with you? Go on any dates lately?” I asked.
Waverly shot me a devious look. “Actually, I have.”
My eyes widened in surprise. I held a hand up and said, “Hold on. I’m going to grab some dessert. I made a peach coffee cake for us, though Jack already had a slice. Let me grab us each a piece, and you can fill me in on everything.”
With that, I got up, made my way to the kitchen, and grabbed a piece of the cake for each of us. Waverly and I then went outside and sat down in the chairs I’d put on the porch. While we ate, she told me all about the new guy she’d been seeing.
I had the best time catching up with her, and when she had to leave and head back home, she definitely took a piece of my heart with her.
Fortunately, Jack and I were engaged, and if I had anything to say about it, my best friend and I would get plenty of time to talk with and see one another while she helped me plan my wedding.
Because one thing was for certain.
Neither Jack nor I wanted to waste a single moment, and the sooner we could get married, the happier we’d be.
EPILOGUE
Jack
Six months later
I stacked the last piece of firewood on top of the pile and put away the ax.
It was time to call it quits for the day.
Dakota and I were planning a quiet night in tonight, since we had a weekend filled with fun and festivities ahead of us.
Christmas was in two weeks, and I’d never seen anyone more excited about the upcoming holiday than my wife.
I smiled at the thought of her being that.
The two of us had decided we didn’t want to wait to be married, so we didn’t. And because we didn’t want a big wedding, it wasn’t difficult to make it happen.
So, we got married in a small ceremony on my family’s ranch at the end of September. The only people in attendance were my parents, siblings, and their significant others, as well as Waverly and her family.
The day was perfect, and Dakota was absolutely stunning.
With each day that passed, I thanked my lucky stars that she came into my life. We’d been married for three months now, and they’d been just as wonderful as the first six I’d had with her beforehand.
