Page 41 of Proposed to By the Lumberjack

Gripping her hips I plunge into her, fucking her—no, loving her—into oblivion.

Epilogue

Zoe

I can’t believe this is my life now. I can’t believe we get a happily-ever-after. Sometimes it’s still a little hard for me to believe—that I can be this happy, that Zander and I get to keep Cole and start a new family. Family, that’s something Zander and I have never had before aside from each other and Connie.

Zander accepts all the new changes so easily. He’s always been that way, a happy-go-lucky kid who sees life as one big adventure. I’m glad that I’ve been able to shelter him from life’s harder realities so that he gets to be just a kid. I never had that growing up.

I smile as I watch Zander race Sunny and Everly in their life-size toy cars in the kids area we set up at the Tynam concert. They had so much fun riding in the one Zander made with Cole that they begged Cole to help them build their own. Of course each of them painted their cars in their favorite colors. Sunny painted hers sunshine yellow with pink roses and Everly painted hers sky blue with orange magnolias.

Words can’t describe how happy I am now that Zander has cousins to play with nor how elated I am that he’s an official Forester ever since Cole adopted him. Now we’re his legal guardians together with matching surnames, something not even Zander and I shared before. It’s so much more than a name. It’s a tie, weaving our new family together as we start a new chapter.

Sometimes I think this new life is too good to be true. That I’m going to wake up and discover it's all a dream and that I’m still working a dead-end job while shying away from a sexy lumberjack because I’m scared he’ll get tired of me someday. Because I’m petrified of ending up alone, used and heartbroken like Mom. Because I can’t open my heart wide enough to trust him and let him in.

But it's not a dream and now I have something else to tether me to this new reality. A new life. Literally. I’m about sixteen weeks pregnant and just starting to need maternity clothes.

Zander is beyond excited to be a big brother. He keeps putting his hand on my belly to ask when he can feel the baby move. It’s so stinking cute. He’s even talking about which of his toys he can share. He’s getting a bit impatient to find out whether he’s having a brother or a sister though. We won’t find out until our next checkup in a couple weeks when we have our first ultrasound.

Cole’s rushing to get the addition on our cabin done before the baby comes. It’s a good thing his family is able to help. We’re adding a couple more bedrooms and bathrooms and we’re creating a new master suite with, as Cole puts it, “a bath fit for a queen.” It’s ridiculous how much Cole spoils me sometimes.

I’m so lost in my thoughts that I startle when Cole joins me in my vendor’s booth and puts his arms around me. The booth is perfect and so is it’s spot because I can see everything! That aside, the booth is a huge success. I’ve already gotten orders to cater at other events and Connie let me add all my concert recipes to the diner menu. Finally.

Connie and Buckee are becoming fast friends and, thanks to his influence, Connie has mostly retired and left me to run the diner. I’m saving up to buy her out or to at least become a co-owner. It seems like every time we go over to the ranch, Connie is sitting out on the porch with Buckee. I wonder if there’s anything going on between them? I hope so. They both deserve happiness.

I remember how much I cried when Connie surprised me with a baby shower at the diner. That’s when she told me that she wants to transition into retirement. She’s too headstrong to retire all at once, but so far she’s been letting me make most of the changes I want, including those related to the decor. The Foresters helped me renovate so that even though it still has some of its vintage vibes, it’s now sturdy and belongs in this century. In the next few months we should actually be in the green.

I’m pulled from the memory as I hear Ash and Kai talking to the Twynam Twins, Aurora and Luna, by the side of the stage close the vendor booths. I’ve never heard them sound so awkward before. Is this them trying to be professional?

Ash keeps tripping over his words around Aurora to the point that I wonder if he has a stutter? No, I would have remembered that. Why is he... ohhh, he likes her! Damn, he’s going to need a lot of help to make anything happen between them.

Then there’s Kai... he seems so stoic and professional until he opens his mouth. Then he’s worse than Ash. Have these two never spoken to a girl before?

I hear Kai tell Luna, “I need to be inside you—your home. You need around the clock security until we can be sure you’re not in danger... I can take you home after every show. Let me give you a ride tonight—in my truck.”

Well, this should be interesting.

The End.

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