Reuniting with the Rancher (Silver Creek Ranch)

Epilogue

Lily was in the kitchen, brewing a cup of chamomile tea, when she heard the soft sound of footsteps approaching. Ivy wandered in; her expression closed and uncomfortable. Lily zeroed in on her daughter’s fingers twisting the ring Lily gave her made from ashes of her affable grandfather.

“Hey, Sweetheart,” she said, concern filling her voice. “What’s up?”

Ivy shuffled her feet, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. “Um, can I talk to you about something?”

Lily put down her mug, her heart racing. She would never take for granted these moments with her baby. She put a lock on her enthusiasm and focused on her girl. “Of course! You can tell me anything.” She motioned for Ivy to come closer, and the young girl sat at the kitchen island, her eyes downcast.

“I got my period,” Ivy said quietly, the words barely escaping her lips.

Lily felt a wave of empathy wash over her. This moment felt monumental. She remembered the awkwardness she’d felt at Ivy’s age, the blend of fear, dread with a touch of excitement. “Okay,” she replied gently, making her way to Ivy’s side. “That’s completely normal. It can be a little scary at first, but I promise it’s something every girl goes through.”

Ivy nodded, but her brow furrowed in concern. “This sucks. I’m the first girl I know to get it.”

Lily placed a reassuring hand on Ivy’s back, rubbing it softly. “I got mine kinda early too. At my eleventh birthday party wearing my brand new cute pink jeans and matching jacket. I got off my bike and left a stain on the seat.”

“Oh NO!”

“Oh. Yes.” I wanted to crawl under a rock, but it wasn’t long before I was the girl everyone came to when they got theirs instead of going to the nurse. Momma thought I was hemorrhaging, I was going through too many pads in a month!”

Ivy laughed hard and Lily reached out to cup her face. You’ll get the hang of it, and it’ll be days that it sucks more than others, but I can help you with that.”

“Dad is going to go overboard,” Ivy admitted, a hint of exasperation in her voice. “I got a slide deck on The Human Body and Procreation when I turned ten. It was like he was planning a mission.”

Lily chuckled softly and nodded. “That sounds like him, but know he goes all in because he loves you.”

Ivy nodded, her face relaxing a little. “Yeah, I know. Thanks Momma.”

Every time.

Every time her baby called her ‘Mom’ or ‘Momma’ or even ‘Mo-om’ in annoyance her heart stuttered a bit.

Every. Single. Time. And she’d take a thousand mini-heart attacks as long as she could keep hearing it.

“Thanks for not making it weird,” Ivy said softly.

“I’ll leave that up for your dad, and here he is now.”

Grey came around the corner looking from Lily to Ivy and a wide smile on his face. After forehead kisses for his girls, he waited for one of them to say something.

“Don’t make it weird,” Ivy said.

“Ivy got her period,” Lily said.

Grey stood frozen for a minute then blinked. “I’ve got it all ready for you.” He turned and took off toward the hallway closet.

“He’s going to make it weird.”

“Yep,” Lily said, taking her daughter’s hand with one and sipping her tea with the other.

Grey rushed back into the room with two boxes.

“Your first period pack and your go bag,” he announced.

The first box was sizeable and Lily busted out laughing. “Um… how many pads did you buy?!”

“And when did you do all this?” Ivy said as she looked horrified.

“When you turned ten,” Grey said with a mild attitude. “You stay ready so you don’t have to get ready.” He started pulling everything out of the big box and the more he pulled out the more she fell in love with him.

The man had thought of everything. He pulled out a selection of pads, tampons, period panties in various sizes, menstrual cups and caps so that Ivy could find what she was most comfortable with, he bought a heating pad, a warm fuzzy blanket that looked like a burrito tortilla, comfy sweats and thick, fuzzy socks. There were teas and giftcards for local restaurants, pain medicine, a couple journals, pretty pens, face masks and little stuffed uterus with a frowny face on one side and happy face on the other.

It was phenomenal and by the time he was finished Lily and Ivy were both bawling.

“Thank you, Daddy,” she said as she hugged him tight.

Lily followed right behind her, “That was amazing, you’re amazing.”

Caleb wandered into the kitchen, took in the teary women and the various menstrual cycle matter and groaned.

“Oh no…did they sync up?” He shook his head, grabbed an apple, and beat a hasty retreat out the back door.

Lily sat on the edge of her bed, the morning breeze filtering through the curtains giving her goosebumps. It had been six months since the surgery to repair her voice—a procedure that brought both hope and anxiety. She hadn’t spoken a word since the day she’d undergone the operation, choosing to communicate through American Sign Language or writing things down. Today she was going to find out if it worked.

As she wrapped her fingers around her belly, the realization of her pregnancy settled in—a beautiful sight that brought tears to her eyes. She felt a mixture of joy and fear; what if the surgery didn’t work? What if her child never heard her sing? What if she got her voice, but lost the baby? Her heartbeat sped up as anxiety coursed through her.

“Hey, Songbird,” Grey called softly, studying her like he always did.

“I’m scared,” she signed.

He knelt beside her. “I know,” he replied and signed back, his voice full of patience and understanding. “But you’re not alone in this. We’re in it together.”

Lily nodded, so grateful for him and their growing family in that moment, she allowed herself to hope.

“Wait here,” he said, standing up. He walked over to his phone, quickly pulling up old interviews of her singing and sharing her story. He connected it to a small speaker, a smile playing on his lips as he scrolled through the videos.

He placed the speaker gently against her belly. “This is still you,” he said, his tone serious but tender. “Whatever happens, we’ll make it through together.”

Lily felt the warmth of his hand against her skin, and the sound of her own voice filled the room. The familiar tune wrapped around her like a comforting blanket, easing her worries some.

As the last notes faded, Greyson leaned closer. “You’ll find your voice again. I believe in you. Plus, I threw six silver dollars into the fountain.”

She grinned a bit and signed a question, “What if I can’t?”

“Then we’ll sing for,” he responded, squeezing her hand reassuringly. “We’ll sing for you.”

Months later, Lily stood in the middle of a small club in Los Angeles, her heart racing as the spotlight illuminated her figure. She wore a simple black turtleneck, black miniskirt, and modified high heels.

Her leg would never be what it was, the human body was not meant to withstand the impact she experienced, but the fact that she could walk was a miracle. She glanced down at her leg and smiled. It looked like a horror show, still. And her team…bless them. They were shocked she wouldn’t cover it. They had whole lookbooks with fantastic one-legged outfits and mockups of what Hollywood movie magic could do to make her ‘appear whole.’

“I’m already whole,” she told a room full of record execs and handlers at the meeting. She laid out how the rest of her life as LaLa Fair would go, her modified and scaled back tour schedule, etc. They were tepidly on board until she refused to ‘prove’ her voice was back. She didn’t have to prove shit.

So, she went with plan B, bought out her contract, and went live on social media before the ink was dry to announce her Booked and Boozy Tour. A stripped down, small club tour designed to connect with her fans more intimately. It was the Hen House on a Friday night, but international.

It sold out within twenty minutes. She added additional days to each stop. They sold out even faster. Her former record company regretted their haste. They would have to learn to live with it.

And so now here she was. Glasses in place. Honey blond curls instead of a platinum blowout, breast pads sewn into her bra so she didn’t leak before she had time to pump after her set… Bits of Lily had always shown through LaLa’s facade, and someday maybe the world would know the real her, but let’s face it - LaLa was infinitely more fun. And she was ready to have fun.

Taking a deep breath, she gripped the microphone, the weight of it familiar, comforting.

Greyson stood off to the side, pride shining in his eyes as he nodded his support. She focused on Caleb and Ivy, who were standing stage right in the wings, anticipation etched on their faces, then closed her eyes and the world around her faded, leaving only love and music.

As she opened her mouth to sing, the first note erupted with a clarity she hadn’t known in years. It felt as if every moment of struggle had led her to this very instance—a reclamation of her identity, her voice, and her family.

The crowd swayed, caught up in the emotion behind her lyrics. Each word carried the weight of her journey, the pain and joy woven into a story only she could sing.

Lily was stronger, brighter, and ready to release the gift inside her.

As the last note lingered in the air, she glanced at Greyson, who was clearing the wet from his eyes and she felt a sense of peace settle within her. Whatever lay ahead, they would face it together, united by love, music, and the promise of new beginnings.

Miss Grey and Lily already?