Page 92 of Ready or Knot
Joy floods through me, wholly my own, and I press my heels into the small of Jude’s back, encouraging him over me again.
“I love you,” I tell them, and my heart is full when they murmur it back.
Epilogue
ONE YEAR LATER
FAEDRA
Doug’s all smiles where he stands at the trailhead, his pack already adjusted, his hand entwined with a smiling woman’s. Her eyes are bright blue, her dark brown hair pulled into a braid.
“You made it!” Doug says, waving at me as I round the back of our new SUV. The woman beside him waves, too, and they head towards us, crossing the parking lot before Carter and Jude manage to get out of the Jeep beside us. He offers me a quick side hug. “Everyone else is working on getting ready to go.”
I glance around the parking lot, my smile growing as I realize he’s right. Violet glances up at me from where she’s adjusting something in her pack, her lips pursed. Jasper steps in front of her before I can ask what’s bothering her, helping her into the pack and adjusting everything until she smacks his hands and kisses him.
“Faedra Rose, there you are.” My mom’s voice carries across the lot, and I turn towards it, smiling when I see her standing with Dad and Aiden, their packs already adjusted. She walks over to me, enveloping me in a hug as Logan opens the back of the SUV, his hand gentle where it runs across the small of my back.
The soft hiccuping cry from the SUV has me pulling away from her, twisting until I can see Jude holding Rose, her strawberry blonde hair peaking out from the top of the baby carrier. He looks up as he gets her settled against his chest, her small cries calming once he’s done finessing the straps. Heat blooms in my belly at the promise in his gaze. Logan hands him his pack, breaking the moment of tension, and he has it adjusted before I even grab mine from the back of the SUV.
Aiden is quiet beside me. “Congratulations, Faedra,” he murmurs. I glance up at him, and he smiles, pulling on one of my braids. “I hear you sold your entire portfolio from last semester. Good job.”
My grin is wide, and I murmur a thanks as I hug him. He helps me put on my backpack without further comment. Doug and my father start up a conversation as I focus on getting my pack comfortable, adjusting the waistband to accommodate the changes from having the girls. The last time I wore this pack, I was very pregnant.
“Faedra mentioned this is your first time,” Doug says, and my father offers an agreement. “It’s a good one to start with. Rocky Mountain National Park is gorgeous!”
Violet comes up next to me, her hand twisting the industrial piercing in her ear. “Do you have any extra studs? Mine apparently got left at the condo.” She rolls her eyes, and I laugh.
“I don’t, but I bet Ashlynn does,” I say, looking out over everyone. Ashlynn catches my gaze at just the right moment, and I wave her over, asking her the same question Violet asked me. She’s quick to pull a few from her car, offering them to Violet along with an alcohol pad.
“Damn it!” Gina curses from the other side of the car, and we all look over. My eyebrows furrow. She’s standing with Carter, her hands in the air as he shakes his head, a half smile on his lips.
“There’ll be plenty of time to pass the babies at camp tonight,” Carter says, his movements confident as he adjusts the baby carrier, and I smile. Gina pouts as she crosses her arms, and Ashlynn laughs, shaking her head.
“So insistent on baby cuddles,” she murmurs, quietly enough that only Violet and I hear her, “and yet she’s convinced she doesn’t want another one.”
I laugh and elbow Ashlynn in the side. “That’s because you told her she had to do the work this time and then offered to have her watch the twins be born. I’d be terrified too after that.”
I can still feel the contractions and the burn if I stop to think about it, so I don’t. If I do, I won’t be brave enough to try for a third, and that would result in my not having an exact replica of Carter, too. Violet cocks an eyebrow. Dominic comes up behind her, their height difference meaning that her backpack doesn’t get in the way of him pressing a kiss to the crown of her head.
“I’ll leave all the cuddles to you, then,” she murmurs after a moment. “No children for me.”
Ashlynn smiles. “Sounds great.”
Doug calls us all towards the trailhead, and Logan grabs my hand, pressing a kiss to his bond scar, his happiness a warm stream in my chest.
“Alright. So altogether it’s about a thirty mile loop. Should see some pretty great things, including Brianna’s favorite waterfall. Good luck trying to beat her to it.”
Everyone laughs as he winks, and I lean my head against Logan’s arm. Jude and Carter come up behind me, each resting a hand on my waist.
“Our goal for today is eight miles. If you’re feeling like you’re dragging, make sure you’ve had something to eat within the last half hour and that you’ve been actively drinking your water. Don’t be discouraged when the Bennetts outpace you despite having babies strapped to their chests. This is a warm-up trail for them.”
My dad looks over his shoulder, surprise written all over his face, and I blush. Mom grabs his hand, and he refocuses on Doug at the front. Jude grunts, and Carter chuckles, moving until he’s standing next to me. My gaze catches on my daughter’s bright green eyes, the exact same as Jude’s.
“For the love of all that is good, please don’t do anything stupid. The only doctor we have is a pediatrician. He’ll be great for the twins. Awful for the rest of us.”
Aiden laughs, shaking his head, and Doug grins. Violet twists so she can see me.
“Is thirty miles really a warm up for you guys?” she whispers.