“Hammers and babies, as far as I can tell, don’t go together,” Kenzie said.
“But when they’re older, we’ll want nothing but a bit more privacy. Because I’m still going to be into you. In every way.” He winked at her. “Maybe even make a few more kids?”
“Let’s not talk about that now,” Kenzie said, laughing. “I’m too exhausted. And I’m too in love with all three of you. I don’t have space in my heart for anyone else.”
“Agreed,” Bryce whispered, leaning toward her and kissing her across the table. Kenzie felt overwhelmed with emotion, hardly able to believe the whirlwind of the last nine months. Now, safely tucked away in the mountains, she had a family, a man she could rely on, and a gorgeous view, ever at her disposal. How could she have been content with anything else?
EPILOGUE
Kenzie and Bryce stood on the porch with the early June light pouring over them. Both held a seven-month-old baby, bobbing them to keep them quiet and happy, and watched as Kenzie’s mother drove down the driveway and out of sight.
As their smiles faltered, Bryce leaned toward Kenzie, whispering into her ear. “That was eventful,” he said curtly.
“Yep,” Kenzie said. Her smile fell completely and she crumpled into the rocking chair on the porch, lifting Molly higher into her arms. “Did you hear what she said about the cabin? That it was ‘too rustic for a family’?”
“Oh, yeah. I definitely heard that. I also heard her trying to convince you to go home and marry someone in your hometown.”
“She just wants me to be around so I can run her errands for her, since she’s getting older, and lazier,” Kenzie said, laughing. “She’s always been a kidder.”
They sat in the silence that followed, gazing out at the summery mountains and trees. The babies collapsed, exhausted, on their shoulders, and—conscious that this was perhaps their last bit of quiet for the day—Kenzie and Bryce opted not to move.#p#分页标题#e#
The winter had been difficult. With two babies in tow, and constant snowstorms, Kenzie had often felt crazed, running in circles and wishing to herself that the babies would just stop crying. But in her moments of peace, when the snow glittered on the horizon and when Bryce played with the babies, making them giggle and spit, she knew she was the luckiest person on the planet.
Now that the babies were older, over seven months now, they had begun to sleep through the night. They’d also begun to show their unique personalities, with Molly being more serious and Carter being gigglier and more whimsical. He’d spend hours making faces at his father, waggling his tongue.
“I was thinking we could drive to town today,” Bryce said. “Larry has a lumber shipment for me, and I wouldn’t mind staying at the bed and breakfast. Marnie wants to see the babies again too.”
“So you’re going ahead with the add-on, then?” Kenzie asked, nodding toward the side of the cabin, where he planned to build two extra rooms.
“I am,” he said. “It’s a good summer project to prepare us for winter. I’ll also build another fireplace in one of the rooms to keep that side of the house warm.”
“What began as a simple cabin, with no decorations whatsoever, will now become a proper mansion,” Kenzie teased, rising from the rocking chair delicately. “I’ll get the babies’ things to go to Cambridge. We need groceries, anyway. And formula.”
Kenzie and Bryce scrambled to gather everything, loading up the truck and placing the babies in their car seats. Bryce played the familiar radio station quietly, humming along while the babies slept on in the back.
They arrived in Cambridge about 45 minutes later, parking near the Blue Boys Clubhouse. Bryce left Kenzie and the babies in the cool truck for a minute, walking inside to find Larry. As expected, Larry was awash with drink, but he instructed Bryce where to find the lumber, around back. Larry waved a sloppy hand toward Kenzie, who grinned back while lifting a now-crying Molly from her seat. She waved Molly’s hand as well, whispering, “Say hello to Uncle Larry!”
Bryce returned to the truck and drove around the back of the clubhouse, finding Larry’s truck in back with the load of lumber. He untied the logs and began to stack them in the back of his truck, whistling. As Kenzie fed Molly, she watched Bryce’s muscles pulse and flash. He was still the attractive, capable man she’d met a year and a half ago. He grinned at her, happy to build their family and their home.