Epilogue

Jenna

“NOLAN, HOLD YOUR BROTHER’S hand,” Ethan shouted as Nolan and Jacob ran ahead of us into the sunflower maze.

I looked up at the bright sunshine beaming down on the perfect fall afternoon, reflecting on the past three years of my life. I was now a mother to two very active little boys, and a wife to a man who was my everything. Sometimes I worried that maybe it wasn’t real, but every morning when I’d wake up to Ethan lying beside me and see the smiles on Nolan’s and Jacob’s faces, I knew it was. It was so hard for me to imagine that Nolan was now in kindergarten, and Jacob would be turning two in less than a month. I wanted my life to pause right where it was.

Ethan was back to being on top with his writing, but it no longer defined him. He stayed grounded and made sure the boys and I were his first priority. While I gave up my grandiose plans of becoming a business owner the day I decided to become Ethan’s wife, I got a better job title in return—wife and mother.

We had come to a compromise that worked in both our favors. Ethan wanted to be rid of his old life, which meant getting rid of the home he’d lived in with Darrah, and I wanted to keep my aunt’s home that had meant so much to me. So, we decided to live in the home that not only held the memories of my childhood, but also memories of when Ethan and I had first met, but instead of utilizing it as a bed-and-breakfast that we shared with strangers, it was now our home. I was more than happy with that decision, and I was pretty certain Ethan was too. He was happy again, finally free of his old ghosts. He was the Ethan I’d fallen in love with all the time.

That other person who’d come out every now and then, who I dreaded so much, no longer existed. He’d used his horrible childhood to become the best father he could be. He’d moved on from the past and never looked back, even though he wasn’t happy with the outcome of Edward’s and Marcus’ trial, both of them plea bargaining to a lesser charge and basically being given a slap on the wrist. He was able to move on.

Edward was blacklisted from the publishing world when word got out of his dirty dealings, and Marcus was publicly humiliated and fined for plagiarizing Ethan’s story.

My life was crazy busy with keeping up with the boys and attending events with Ethan, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. All three of them were my entire world. Ethan took my hand as Nolan and Jacob walked in front of us. I never tired of seeing how protective Nolan was of his little brother, holding on to his hand like a mother hen. He was such a great kid and had thankfully made it through the tragedy that had occurred in his young life unscathed.

“Let me take a picture of my three boys,” I shouted.

Nolan stopped, still gripping Jacob’s hand, waiting for Ethan to approach them. Ethan scooped them up in each arm, and all three of them smiled as I clicked the picture.

“How about a family photo?” an older woman who I immediately recognized as the owner of the farm asked.

I smiled, remembering her foretelling the last time Ethan and I were here, years ago. She was correct. Two boys.

“Oh, that would be great.” I handed off my phone and walked over to where they were standing. I stood next to Ethan and smiled as she snapped the picture.

“Gorgeous family,” she remarked, staring at the photo.

“You were right,” I said to her as she handed my phone back.

“Pardon?”

“My husband and I were here a few years back…we really weren’t even together. In fact, I was engaged to someone else at the time…”

“Oh.” She raised her eyebrow.

“No, it’s not like that. We—”

“Jenna,” Ethan coaxed, trying his best to curtail my rambling.

“Anyway, you did this thing where you looked at our hands, and you told us we were going to have two boys. At the time I thought you were crazy…well, no offense, but like I said, we weren’t even a couple.”

She chuckled, seeming to get amusement from my incessant chatter.

“But as you can see. You were correct in your prediction. This is my husband, Ethan, and our two little boys, Nolan and Jacob.”

She had a puzzled look upon her face, and I was afraid to ask her why for fear she saw something bad in our future. “Oh dear, it seems I was wrong.”

I shook my head. “I’m sorry…but how were you wrong?”

She placed her hand on my belly and closed her eyes, deep in thought once again, the same way she was the first time we’d met. Her eyes popped open and she smiled at Ethan and me. “That’s a little girl you’re carrying right now.”

I swallowed hard. I was a few days late with my period, but I hadn’t thought much of it.

“Spoil her.” She winked at us and walked away.

I stood there for a moment, dumbfounded. Could she be right again?

“Are you pregnant?” Ethan asked.

“I-I don’t know. I’m a couple days late, but—”

A slow, satisfying grin spread across his face. “A girl. We’re gonna have a girl!”

“Ethan, really. That could be nonsense.”

He shook his head. “No, I don’t think so.”

“Weren’t you the one who said the last time we were here that you don’t believe in that stuff?”

“Well, I’m believing in a lot of things I never used to, thanks to you.” He gripped my hand and kissed me on the forehead. “We’re gonna have a daughter.” He was beaming with happiness.

I looked up at him and smiled. “You don’t know that for—”

“You didn’t drink coffee two mornings in a row.”

I creased my eyebrows in confusion.

“Remember when you were pregnant with Jacob, you didn’t want coffee either?” He had a point, but I still didn’t want him getting his hopes up only to be let down.

“Daddy, look at this!” Nolan shouted.

“Autumn.”

“What?” I chuckled.

“Her name is going to be Autumn.” He bent down and kissed my belly then ran off to the boys.

Autumn Banks, I liked the sound of that. I rubbed my hands on my stomach, wondering if there really was a new life beginning to form in there. Even if there wasn’t already, I knew we’d have no problem making that become a reality—and we’d have Autumn every day, for the rest of our lives.

The End