Page 34 of Crewe
“How about another subject because I don’t want to talk babies. Although I loved Mistletoe Canyon, I was thinking of maybe a more adult way to spend the holiday. Who is up for New Year’s Eve in Las Vegas with me?” Halligan asked, grinning and waggling his eyebrows.
“I’m in,” McClure said.
“Vegas, showgirls, gambling. I say yes!” Dillon said.
Crewe didn’t need to go to Las Vegas with the guys. He wanted to spend time with his family.
“I’m heading upstairs. Text me if anyone orders food,” Crewe said, picking up Ry’s dessert and heading upstairs.
Ry was sitting in one of the two rocking recliners they’d put in their suite. Poppy, who Ry was dressing in red for now to tell them apart, was lying in the crib. Wyatt was patting her leg through the crib rail. Freya was sitting in the rocker with Ry, holding Iris’ bottle.
“Well, look at you both taking care of your sisters,” Crewe said, handing Ry the plate and fork. He dropped a kiss on Freya’s head and slid his arm around Wyatt.
“They are sweet, aren’t they?” Crewe asked.
“Yep, they are, Daddy,” Wyatt said.
The kids had started calling him Daddy after the girls came home with them. It had been one of the hardest things he’d ever done to tell the kids that the babies would be their siblings forever because their mom had died.
But Freya and Wyatt had immediately kissed the babies and promised to always love them. It hadmade Crewe feel better knowing Freya and Wyatt didn’t see the babies as an inconvenience.
Crewe was a little surprised that Ry was getting to hold one of their daughters since his dad and uncles had been getting their baby fix as often as they could. Ry and he had even worked together last night while his dad and Bill watched the kids. Crewe smirked as his dad and Peck came in.
“You two get out of here for a little while. You’ve been having kids non-stop or rocking babies. It’s a beautiful evening. The sun will be up for at least another hour. Go on a bike ride,” Burt said.
“I’m supposed to be cooking,” Crewe said.
“Oh my gosh, Crewe. We survived before we allowed you in the kitchen. We’ve got it covered. Go.”
Crewe held out his hand to Ry and helped her up. His dad already had Iris in his arms, and Peck was chatting with Freya and Wyatt.
Ry slipped on boots and grabbed a jacket. He picked up his sweatshirt, and they headed to his bike. He and Ry didn’t talk as they headed to the bike. They were both comfortable with silenceand didn’t need to fill the air with nonsense. He waited until she was holding on and pulled out of the lot.
He knew exactly where he wanted to take her. He guided the bike down the road until he saw the rest area. He pulled in and helped Ry off. They walked over to the picnic area and sat down.
“This is what Whiskey built to show Vivi how much she meant to him,” Crewe said.
“Because this is where she wrecked her car and he rescued her. She told me the story.”
“I didn’t rescue you from the side of the road, but I wanted to bring you out into nature. Vivi mentioned that the blacksmith shop and the gallery in Mistletoe Canyon thought you should sell your work.”
Ry shook her head. “Crewe, I can wait. We have four children now, two of them infants.”
Crewe stood up and grabbed Ry’s hands, pulling her up. He turned her toward the field. The dirt had the rows in it from the disc being pulled behind a tractor. A lone tree toward theedge of the field stood with the sun starting its descent for the night.
“Look in front of you. I know that I see a field, but you see all the different ways you could photograph this and make people see something special. There’ll always be things to take care of or children who need us, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have your dream too. We will sit down and figure out what it will take for you to have your dream. I love you, Ry, and I want you to have everything you want,” Crewe said.
Ry turned around with tears pooling in her eyes. “Are you sure?”
“I’m sure that my soon-to-be wife will be one of the most sought-after artists in nature photography.”
Epilogue
Crewe walked down the street with his kids. They’d come for their annual trip to Mistletoe Canyon. He and Ry made the trip a little more often to bring her work, but with the kids getting older, they could only swing one trip a year.
Wyatt and Freya were both in their late twenties and pursuing the careers they’d fallen in love with. Poppy and Iris were graduating this year. Their other kids were in different stages too.
When he’d been pining over Ry so long ago, he’d never known how full his life could be. Now, it was overflowing with love from the life they’d built. A couple of his kids had taken after him, loving to cook. Freya had shown a passion for photography just like her mom. And then some of their kids had followed other dreams. Poppy was planning on taking over the kitchen after she attended a culinary school she had her eye on. They’d come a long way from having only men run the bar. He’d be forever thankful for Vivi pushing them to hire a female bartender. His life was forever changed.
