Page 115 of Discovering Lily

EPILOGUE

5 YEARS LATER

Brice

“Papa Brice! Papa Brice! I did it!”

“Yes you did, little man.” I told my son, Reed, after he jumped down off the horse he'd just ridden all by himself for the first time.

“I'm not little anymore, Papa I'm a man now, Uncle Mack says so.”

Chuckling, I picked him up and hugged him. “That you are. Hey, you want to go see what Papa Vance, Momma and I got for you?”

He instantly tried to wiggle out of my arms. “I want to see, put me down.” Setting him on the ground, he took off like a windup toy, towards the house with me closely on his heals. “Papa Vance! Momma! Papa Brice says you got me something!”

When he grabbed onto Vance’s leg, he bent down to pick him up. “Hello there, little man.”

“I'm not little anymore. Uncle Mack said that now I can ride by myself I’m a man now.”

“He did now, did he?”

Nodding his head like a bobble head doll, I couldn't help but crack up. “He told me he rode lightening all by himself today.”

“Way to go, high five!” Vance said to him as Lily strode in with Bella in her arms.

“All changed and cleaned up,” she said, handing her off to me.

Leaning down, I Kissed her chubby little cheeks and her tummy, causing her to giggle. “My little Bella loves her belly tickled, doesn't she? Yes she does.” I dote on her.

“Momma! Where's my gift? Papa Brice says you got me one.”

“Well in honor of your first day ridding all by yourself,” Lily said, walking over to the bag on the table and grabbing it before walking back over to kneel in front of Reed, “we got you your first very own cowboy hat!” She puts it on his head.

“Yay! I’m a cowboy! I'm a cowboy! Look Uncle Mack I'm a cowboy just like you!” Reed yelled, running into his arms as soon as Mack entered the house.

“Yes you are. What do you say we go out back and show your Momma and Papa’s how well you ride by yourself in that new cowboy hat?”

“Yay! Come on Papa’s and Momma, come see me ride!” Looking back at Bella, he said, “then I’ll be able to teach Bella how to ride, too, right Uncle Mack?”

“You sure will buddy, but not until Momma says so. Now let's go show them those skills of yours.”

As we all piled out of the house, I kissed my daughters forehead and then my beautiful wife's lips, so thankful for the way our lives had turned out and been blessed. I couldn't have asked for anything more.

Well... maybe two more things but that will be up to my beautiful wife. But if I know Vance and I, we’d get our way, we always did.

As long as our wife said we could that is.

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