Epilogue

River

1 year later

"Hey, where is the little man?" Storm asks, walking in from the barn where he's been hauling firewood in to keep it dry all morning.

"He’s still napping. Though he should be waking up anytime now. With him teething, he fought sleep pretty hard."

As usual, whenever he can, he pulls me into a kiss. When Storm breaks away from the kiss, I look up into his eyes and smile.

It's been just over a year since we moved out to this remote part of Montana, and every day feels like a dream come true.

Unable to help myself, I run my hand through his hair before leaning in for another kiss. As our lips touch, his arms wrap around me, pulling me closer to his body.

Suddenly, we hear a sound coming from the bedroom. We break away from the kiss and go towards the room to find our son awake. He sees Storm and starts smiling.

Storm picks up our son and throws him up in the air, making him laugh even harder. I smile at the two of them, feeling my heart swell with love. I can't believe how blessed I am to have these two in my life.

When I went into labor, I was terrified. But Storm was calm, and our friends rallied around us. Surprisingly, when I didn't have the strength to keep going, I felt Jason there pushing me on. Our son came in to the world in the early hours kicking and screaming.

After some talk, we named him Jason George Owens and named Jason as the father on his birth certificate. Storm wanted to find a way to honor his stepdad, who has always been there for him, and I couldn't think of a better way to do so.

When his mom and stepdad came into the room to meet the baby, we told them the name. Until then, it had been a secret. That grown man cried so hard, there wasn't a dry eye in the room even from the nurse who was taking my vitals.

After we got home and settled, Storm started the process of adopting Jason officially. Thanks to the legal fees Jack buried Jason's parents under and the charges Evan placed on them, they not have the money to fight the adoption process. They couldn't even do anything from their jail cells. So, the adoption went through last month, and the judge asked why we didn't just name Storm the dad on the birth certificate. Storm had the perfect answer. He said that putting his name on the birth certificate would be erasing Jason’s father. He never wants to do that. Storm said his stepdad honored his father, and he wants to do the same.

That was all the judge needed because he granted the adoption with no further questions asked.

Storm looks at our son with so much love and adoration in his eyes that tears well up in my eyes. I never thought I could feel such love and happiness, but being here with my family makes every day feel like a blessing.

As Storm plays with Jason, I walk over to the window, gazing out at the stunning view of the Montana mountains. The snow-capped peaks shimmer in the sunlight, and the trees seem to dance in the gentle breeze. I take a deep breath of the fresh mountain air, feeling a familiar sense of peace settle over me.

This is the same view we had as the backdrop to our wedding this past spring. We were married in a small ceremony while the wildflowers were in bloom.

I turn around to find Storm watching me with a soft smile on his lips. "What are you thinking about?" he asks, walking over to me and wrapping his arm around my waist.

"I'm just thinking about how lucky we are," I answer, resting my head on his shoulder.

"I know, right?" he says, pressing a kiss to my temple. "I never thought I could be this happy."

"Me neither," I reply, feeling contentment wash over me.

"You need to get ready. My parents will be here any minute," Storm says.

Glancing at the time, I can see he's right. I need to start getting ready.

Normally I have lunch in town with his mom, but today we are having family dinner so they can see Jason.

Before we even announced we were engaged, both his parents took to me as if I was their own daughter. I couldn't ask for better in laws. Both of them are my friends, making our relationship perfect. I talk with Storm's mom all the time and we have lunch together once a week.

Usually, she comes to Whiskey River for lunch, but sometimes we go to see them for the day. Recently, his mom and stepdad talked to us as about the plans they are making for when George's term is over. It’s no surprise that they want to move to Whiskey River to be closer to their grandchild. Their words, they think of Jason as their grandchild, and that’s exactly how they treat him.

They gave this whole spiel on how they know Storm moved out here to be on his own and how they didn’t want to be a bother. They would live in town and wouldn't stop by unannounced. But Storm smiled through it and in the end said he'd love to have them so close.

Last month they bought a piece of land on the edge of town and will be building their forever home on it. It's a good half hour drive from our place to theirs, so plenty of buffer space, as his mom keeps saying.

While I get dinner ready, I’m thrilled and excited at the thought of having Storm's parents closer to us. It's always been a dream of mine to have a close-knit family, and it feels like we're slowly building that here in the Montana mountains.

I was just putting my hair up when Storm walks into the bathroom, dressed in his nicest flannel and a pair of jeans that fit him just right. He looks at me through the mirror, his eyes tracing over my figure. "You look beautiful," he says, giving me a soft smile.

Turning to face him, I feel a blush creep up my cheeks. "Thank you," I reply, warmth and happiness spreading through me.

He leans in, pressing a soft kiss to my lips. "Let's go meet my parents," he says, taking my hand and leading me out of the bathroom.

Jason is in his playpen, watching one of his cartoons and laughing at the TV. He doesn't even look up at the knock on the door or at the dogs all barking.

When we brought Jason home, Shadow took right to him and pretty much never leaves his side. So, while his ears perk up and he watches the door to see who it is, he doesn't move from his spot beside the playpen Jason is in.

The greetings for Storm and I are short and rushed because they want to get right over and see Jason. Storm's mom picks him up and I know she won't put him down again until she leaves.

"Oh, don't forget to light that candle you got. Mom you will love the scent. It's a perfect fall candle that we picked it up in town last week," Storm says.

Going to the fireplace, I light it before setting it back in the middle. On either side of the candle are photos. I’ve placed both mine and Jason's wedding photo there, along with Storm and my wedding photo. Several other photos adorn the mantle, including Jason, Storm, and me over the years, and the most recent is of our trip to Arlington.

Storm kept his promise, and when the doctor cleared me and Jason to fly, he took us to Arlington so Jason could meet his son. Then we told our son the amazing story of the man who did everything he could to protect him. We got some photos, and Storm made us a promise that day. We'd come out at least twice a year, one of them being for Jason's birth, which just happens to be a week after his son's.

The walls of our home are filled with our son's photo, but this mantle is dedicated to the man who brought us together and is the whole reason our little family exists at all.

As we sit down for dinner, Storm's mom starts to chat excitedly about the progress they've made on their new home. Mostly they just got the land cleared and are working on the floor plan drawings. "It's so exciting to finally be building our dream home," she says, taking a sip of her wine. "And we can't wait to be so close to you guys and little Jason."

George nods in agreement. "Plus, we'll finally have a good excuse to come visit more often." He winks at me, making me grin.

We spend the rest of the evening chatting about our plans for the future and reminiscing about old times. Storm's mom tells us about how she's already planning a big family Thanksgiving dinner at their new home next year. Not for the first time, I enjoy the warmth that spreads through me at the thought of having a big, close-knit family gathering.

After dinner, Storm's parents head back to their hotel, and we tuck Jason into bed. As I crawl into bed beside Storm, he turns to me with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "You know, now that my parents are going to be living so close, we might have a little more alone time," he says, his lips curling into a smirk.

I giggle, feeling a sense of excitement start to build within me. "Is that right?" I tease, feeling a shiver run down my spine as Storm's hand trails up my thigh. "Well, we wouldn't want to waste any opportunities for alone time," I say, flipping over to straddle him and lean down to capture his lips with mine.

After all, how else will we give Jason a brother or sister?

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