“It’s nice to meet you too,” he responds. His eyes are full of warmth when he sees Kellie with me. I nod my head. “Why don’t we make our way inside, get you settled in, and we can eat a late lunch?” I offer.
“Sounds good. Honey, doesn’t that sound good?” Ro nudges his shoulder, getting him to relax further.
“Yeah, it does. As long as it’s none of that fancy-pantsy food,” he gruffs. This guy, he’s going to be a tough nut to crack.
When he raises his arm to wrap around his wife, I see his tattoo, almost an exact replica of what I have tattooed on my upper chest. He gives me a look telling me he doesn’t understand why I’m looking.
“Oh, didn’t you know, Uncle Howie? Bridger is a former Army Ranger,” she tuts proudly. Damn, this woman, she’s full of surprises.
“Can’t say that I did. He’ll have to tell me more about it.” He loosens up his tight facial expression, and it looks like this won’t be such a shit show after all.
Epilogue
Kellie
TWO YEARS LATER
“Can you believe this?” Bridger says while holding our daughter, Sadie, in one arm—she’s now a year old—and me in his other arm. He doesn’t know the news I’m about to foist upon him. We’re about to have two in diapers under the age of three. I’m secretly hoping for a boy. One who looks just like his father. Sadie is my spitting image, and Bridger doesn’t seem to mind one bit.
“I can’t, but I have to say, I’m loving every minute of it. I don’t know how we’re able to balance it all. How are we going to do it with two babies?” I blurt out.
“What do you mean? When we have another one? We’ll do it the same way we have been this entire time.” There are perks to working for Nighthawk and marrying one of the co-owners to boot. I’ve cut down on my hours by only working in the office three days a week, but the three days I’m there, we set up a pack and play in Bridger’s office, and Little Bit runs the show. Not to mention it won’t be long before Slade and Taylor’s baby makes an appearance too.
“I mean when we have another baby in eight or so months.” I give up the pretense. He wasn’t getting my way of confessing.
“Really?” His hand comes around and holds my stomach, where our child is growing. The awe in his voice has me looking up into his eyes, praying that our next child has his. I wasn’t kidding when I said Sadie was my spitting image—she is me through and through, from her hair to her eyes.
“Yep,” I enunciate the p, and Sadie turns to look at me. Our girl is very observant. Her eyes follow our every movement, and when we make certain noises, her eyes light up, ready to listen to us.
“Fuck, if Sadie didn’t just wake up, I’d take you upstairs to show you how much I love you,” he whispers huskily in my ear, not allowing Sadie to hear any cuss words, something the whole office has had to make a change in. Bridger may be the jokester at times, but when it comes to Sadie, he doesn’t allow it. He was adamant her first word would not be shit, fuck, or damn. It was hard for the guys, especially Bridger himself. He pushed through though.
“I know, that’s why I told you after she woke up. If we went another round, I’m not sure I could move, let alone walk,” I joke, but we just went at it hot and heavy during Sadie’s nap time, and while I loved every moment of it, my poor vagina needs a break.
“I can kiss it, make it all better.” His voice causes me to rub my thighs together.
“That’s what got me in this condition to begin with.” I laugh at my own one-liner.
“Sunshine, you have to tell me if I’m too rough, especially now.” He is not helping me say no to him.
“I like everything you did to me and for me. Don’t you worry about that, Bridger Jennings.”
“You’re damn right you did, Kellie Jennings.” Bridger proposed to me two years ago this very day, with all our family and friends surrounding us. I was shocked to say the least. It caused my aunt and uncle to up and move from Arkansas though. Aunt Ro put her foot down and said she wasn’t going to miss out on her niece’s future anymore, and the few months I was gone, she felt like she was missing an extension of herself. Uncle Howie grumbled about it the entire time, but now both of them are settled in the other town over, not too far away but not too close either. After the introductions were stilted with Bridger and Uncle Howie, I was worried, but Bridger pulled out all the stops. Now the two of them get together, and he’s even pulled him into Nighthawk a few times to get his advice on something or other.