Page 51 of Ice, Ice… Maybe?

“I love you, too.”

EPILOGUE

A few months later…

Life was a whirlwind lately, Becca smiled as she looked at her husband and Theo hollering back and forth at each other – with Matthew and Luke egging them on. How hard could it be to install a light fixture in the ceiling?

“Tu ne m'écoutes pas… I told you that wire ischaud!”

“Dude, the wire is for show? Are you sure about that?”

“Chaud! Chaud!It’s French – and means ‘Ot!” Theo shouted passionately, pointing at the wire that Travis was about to touch.

“We use ‘H’s’ in America…were you saying that the wire ishot?” Matthew goaded, elbowing Luke who was trying to smother a knowing laugh.

“Dis is what I said,tete du cochon…”

“Theo called you pig-headed,” Travis translated for Matthew, causing them all to laugh wildly as her brother, Matthew, frowned deeply.

“I thought we were friends, Theo. Y’all cut the power, right?”

“Yes!” Yeah, Becca was afraid of that - which is why she double-checked their progress. She interrupted as all four men got this wary look on their faces instantly, looking at each other as if to say, ‘You got it, right?’.

They were too busy talking, chatting, and goofing off this weekend to focus on much. She loved the help and spending time out here, but when they all got together somehow, all the instructions for everything suddenly disappeared and caution was thrown to the wind.

“I cut the power to the entire cabin.”

“Can I rent it for de’weekend?” Theo asked curiously, surprising her.

“You can borrow itfor free, my friend,” Becca smiled. “You can be our first guest and test out the entire system – from beginning to end – we need a candid voice that we can trust.”

“Heyyyy!” Matthew chimed in as Luke’s mouth dropped open. “What about us?”

“What about us?” Luke parroted.

“You two are supposed to be handing me the light fixture sometime this year?” Travis laughed, winking at her as she smiled in the dimly lit room illuminated by the sunlight streaming in through the miniblinds.

It was a joy to discover it wasn’t just the two-story farmhouse but three outbuildings that also came with the property. Each building had a theme to it that just begged for a little bit of TLC to make it habitable. It would give them a chance to have a home in the country – and to have her bed and breakfast as well.

The last few weeks had been full of changes and some extraordinarily hard work, but those moments would last an eternity. Uncle Davy had married his girlfriend during a weekend getaway to Las Vegas, and she had moved into the house. Lorraine was wonderful and adored Travis’ uncle to pieces, making them both exceedingly happy. With the addition to Davy’s life and household, the end of the NHL season, and purchasing the property – they had made a few more changes happily.

Travis gave Davy and his new wife some privacy by moving out - and Becca joined him. They were married at the courthouse before the paint was dry on the kitchen of their new home. Watching her beloved husband installthe new light fixture, she allowed those memories to wash over her.

“Hey Becca…” Travis had said in a strange voice, finishing up the wall he had been painting in the kitchen. She was focused on pulling the blue painter’s tape from the wall she’d just finished and was happily surprised to see that it didn’t bleed underneath but left a crisp line.

“Yeah?” she asked distractedly.

Her brother Jason was running into town to get a few supplies to help and insisted Becca stay on the farm until they were married – which suited her fine. Her things were here from her apartment, and she hadn’t been sad in the slightest about quitting her job. No, it would give her more time to get the website built and set up the business.

“Hey Becca, let’s put the lid on the paint and go get married?” Travis began again – and this time she turned to look at him in surprise. He was kneeling beside the can, about to pour some into his tray, when he’d obviously stopped. “We can paint tomorrow or the next day, but this place doesn’t feel like home without you. I completely understand your brother requesting that we get married first before moving in together, and I would never dishonor you like that, but I know we haven't discussed a venue yet either. Maybe we could discuss it now since we are finally alone for a few minutes. Do you want a big wedding?”

“Not necessarily.”

“Would you be okay saying our vows at the courthouse?”

“I just want you…” she whispered, smiling at him as he rose to his feet.

“And I just want you, Mrs. Giroux,” he replied, taking her paint-stained hand in his. “You are my heart, my soul, my everything – and I don’t need a fancy suit or ten groomsmen. It would be a lot less stress, plus we could surprise everyone and ditch the paparazzi, too.”

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