FOUR YEARS LATER
“Kaitlyn Rose Bishop! You best not be playin’ in the mud in your brand-new dress!” I shout from the back door with my hands on my hips. “We have to leave in ten minutes!”
Knox and Kane are God knows where, and the party starts in twenty minutes.
“What’s a pretty woman like you doin’ out here screaming? The only time you should be screaming is when your legs are wrapped around my face.” Jackson snakes his arms around my waist and softly speaks into my ear. He instantly makes me smile.
“Would you contain your children? We have to go soon, and Kaitlyn’s out there in the dirt.” I frown. “Go figure, I have a girl, and she’s ninety-nine percent tomboy. I had to bribe her with three suckers, two popsicles, and she even got a five dollar bill out of me in order to get her to wear that dress.”
Jackson chuckles against my neck, pulling me tightly to his chest. “Are you really surprised? She’s just trying to catch up with her brothers. Not to mention, she’s been raised on a ranch and around horses her entire life.”
I turn around to face him, wrapping my arms around his neck. “Well, I know. I was never a girly girl either, but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t hoping to dress up my little girl in bows and tiaras and play Barbies. She won’t even let me braid her hair!” I stick my bottom lip out and fake a pout. “I do love that she’s adventurous, though. She’s a spitting image of you, too, of course.”
“Nah, she’s a perfect mixture of us. She has your gorgeous blonde hair and my blue eyes. She’s sweet and witty and knows how to throw a punch. She’s the exact replica of a future heartbreaker.” He looks over my shoulder, his eyes go wide, and then he sucks his lips into his mouth.
“What?” I furrow my brows.
“And she’s a total troublemaker.”
I turn around and see my little girl skipping toward the house in her cowboy boots and her pink dress covered in mud. There’s dirt in her hair and on her face, and she’s smiling wide as she makes her way to the back door.
“Excuse you, young lady. Who said you could leave the house and play in your new dress?” I place my hands on my hips and give her my best firm look.
She looks up at me with the most innocent smile that she’s mastered. “Daddy did.”
Jackson chokes behind me, and as soon as I look over my shoulder, I see him narrowing his eyes and shaking his head at her.
“Is that so?” I ask, directing my harsh tone toward my husband.
“To be fair, she put her little fingers under the door while I was trying to pee and then asked if she could come in. When I told her no and to wait, she then proceeded to ask me where the baby horses come from and how they’re made. I had no other choice.”
I want to laugh at how damn cute his scared tone sounds, but to contain my disapproval for Kaitlyn’s messy dress, I turn and give her a scowl. “March into the bathroom and clean your face and hands right now. I’ll find you a new dress.” I point my finger into the house, keeping the stern look on my face.
“Yes, Mama.” She bows her head and slowly pads her feet against the floor as she walks inside.
Once I’m sure she’s out of hearing distance, I turn and face Jackson who’s unsuccessfully holding back a laugh.
“Oh, c’mon, babe. She’s too damn cute to discipline.” He gives puppy dog eyes, and just like always, it works. “And she’s had me wrapped around her little finger since the day she came into this world, kicking and screaming. She’s a daddy’s girl,” he states proudly.
“Trust me, I know. That’s why our almost four-year-old has more horses than years she’s been alive.”
“Hey, you’re the one who said you wanted a hundred horses, a big fancy training facility, and a big pasture.” Jackson flashes his I-told-you-so grin and pulls me closer.
“Well you better go find your mini me’s so we can get going. It’s humiliating to always be the last ones to arrive.” I pat his chest before walking around him to make sure our daughter hasn’t somehow managed to make a mess in the bathroom.
Twenty minutes later, Knox, Kane, and Kaitlyn are fighting in the backseat as Jackson drives us over to his parents’ house. I turn around to scold them, but quickly stop myself as I look at the three of them. Three Bishop kids. And they’re all ours.
Finding out I was first pregnant the morning of our wedding took me by a happy surprise. We hadn’t been preventing, but Jackson and I wanted to start a family right away. Though it didn’t happen quickly, I now know it happened when it was meant to. It gave Jackson and me months to spend together with just the two of us and really transition our relationship from friendship to forever.
Looking at my children, I feel so blessed and happy how things turned out. At one point, I was certain I’d never get this, but as I listen to them bicker and poke each other, I’ve never been surer that this is the life I’d always wanted and more.
I slide my hand through Jackson’s arm and lean my head against his shoulder. He glances down at me with a smile.
“I love you,” I mouth, squeezing him.
“I love you too, Pippi.” He winks before bringing his eyes back to the road.
Today’s a huge occasion for the Bishop family, much like most of their parties, but especially since Jackson’s sister, Courtney, and her family are visiting. The triplets turned ten a few months ago, and Riley turned ten last month, so we’re having a huge birthday party for the four of them.
Ten years old.
I can hardly believe the oldest grandchildren are ten already.
Jackson parks the truck, and I’m quick to turn around and stop my kids from rushing out.
“Wait…” I hold a hand up, and the three of them freeze with their hands on their buckles. “I expect your best behavior today, ya hear me? There’s gonna be a lot of people here, and Grandma Bishop wants a nice party. Do you understand me?”
The three of them nod their little heads and chuckle as they nearly fly out of the truck. Kaitlyn can’t quite jump down on her own yet, so Kane lets her jump off onto his back and gives her a piggyback ride.
“Is it weird to say that I think your ‘mom’ voice is pretty sexy?” Jackson flashes a mischievous grin. “If I’m naughty, will you spank me?”
“You’re always naughty…”
“Now you know why.”
Laughing, I jump out of the truck and wait for Jackson. He takes my hand and presses a kiss to my knuckles. I still get butterflies whenever he does that.
“Life is sure an adventure with you,” I say, pulling him down so I can reach his lips. “Not that I ever doubted it wouldn’t be.”
“And to think I almost let you go.”
He’s smiling, but I see beneath it. It’s hard not to think about what would’ve happened and where we’d be if things hadn’t worked out the way they did.
“Think you’ll keep me?” He arches a brow with his infamous Jackson smirk, and it makes me laugh at how damn adorable he is. His blue eyes sparkle whenever he looks at me. After all these years, it still feels like we’re only fifteen years old and sneaking out to our spot. There’s never a dull moment.
I plant a sweet kiss on his lips, before we join the family. “I’m keeping you forever.”
…And they all lived happily ever after.
The end.