Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 81718 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 409(@200wpm)___ 327(@250wpm)___ 272(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81718 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 409(@200wpm)___ 327(@250wpm)___ 272(@300wpm)
“I love your house.” I hate to think of leaving Brogan alone, but she’s not alone anymore. We have a huge group of friends and a support system, and I’ll just be on the other side of town. I know what Brogan would tell me. I can also hear my therapist telling me to fight for myself and what I want. I want us to be a family. I want to go to sleep and wake up with him every day. I want to have dinner together, and help the girls with their homework, and yeah, more kids when we get to that point. “Okay.”
“Okay? Okay, you’ll move in with me?”
I nod. “Me and the girls.”
“Really?” I don’t think I’ve ever seen his eyes this bright. Even with the swelling and bruising, it's easy to see.
“Yes. I’m ready.”
“I love you.”
“I love you too.”
“Lie with me. I need to hold you.”
I do as he asks and lie with him until the nurse comes into the room to tell us that he can go home. I help him get dressed into clothes that someone brought for him. It doesn’t matter who, because I know they all were willing, no matter who it was lying in this bed from our family.
“Where are we headed?” Legend asks when he sees the nurse wheeling him into the lobby.
Forrest looks up at me. “Home. Take me and my girls home.”
“Our home?” River asks. My nosey girl.
“How would you feel about you, your momma, and your sister moving in with me? You would live at my house?” Forrest asks her.
The girls gasp. “What about Aunt Brogan?” Rayne questions.
“Rayne, sweetheart, I’m a big girl,” Brogan tells her. “I’ll still see you all the time, and we can have sleepovers at my place.”
“Won’t you be lonely?”
“Nah, we won’t let her be lonely,” Maddox says, dropping his arm around my sister's shoulder.
River looks at Rayne, and something passes between them.
“You can bring all of your things and share a room or have your own rooms. Whatever you want,” Forrest tells them.
Another look passes, and then they cheer. “Okay!”
Everyone laughs, including the nurse who is still pushing the wheelchair. Forrest pulls the girls up on his lap, and Roman takes over pushing duties as we all follow them out of the emergency room.
Brogan links her arm with mine. “And they lived happily ever after,” she whispers.
“Your day is coming, Brogan. I can feel it.”
“Well, at least I won’t have to sneak him in the house past the girls.”
We both toss our heads back in laughter.
This is our new life, and we’re more than ready for what’s yet to come.
EPILOGUE FORREST
Forrest
The last six weeks have been the best of my life. The day of my accident, Briar and the girls came home with me, and they never left. This is now their home, and this big old house is no longer quiet and lonely.
Now, it’s filled with the pitter-patter of little feet, lots of giggles, and love. So much fucking love. Those girls are mine. I couldn’t love them more if it were my blood running through their veins. And their momma, that woman snuck in and stole my heart, and I have a strict no-returns policy.
Today is Thanksgiving, and it looks a little different. It used to be just Emerson and me today, and then tomorrow would be our Friendsgiving, but my little sister is married and a momma, and as for me, I’m a dad now. Sure, the girls don’t call me that, but in my eyes, that’s who I am to them, and no one will ever be able to tell me differently.
Emerson and I sat down a few weeks ago, and together we formed a new tradition. She has Roman’s family to have Thanksgiving with now, not just me, and I have my girls, and Brogan. Roman’s parents eat a late Thanksgiving dinner, so we’re having our own at my place for lunch. That means I was up at the ass crack of dawn cooking. Briar joined me around seven. She made the girls breakfast and jumped right into helping me with the side dishes.
“Forrest, can I help?” Rayne asks.
I look down at her where she’s tugging on my jeans. “Of course you can,” I tell her.
“Me too?” River asks.
“You bet. Let’s wash your hands and pull your hair back.”
“I can do that,” Briar tells me.
“Nah, I got it.” I lead the girls to the bathroom and help them wash up, before pulling their hair up into ponytails. I practically raised my little sister, so this was a skill I learned long ago. Although, I’m better than I used to be. The girls should thank Emerson for that.
Back in the kitchen, I lift the girls to the island so they can help. “Okay, this is a really important job. Are you ready?” I ask them.