Utah (Knights Corruption MC: Laredo #4)

Epilogue

EPILOGUE

“Fuck!” I shouted as the tile slipped through my fingers and smashed against the tub. I wasn’t paying attention to what I was doing because my mind was all over the place. From being thankful Will never pressed charges against me to worrying about Ria at this stage of her pregnancy. “You said a bad word,” a young voice said, startling me.

“Goddammit, you scared me.”

“That’s another one,” Colton said, grinning as he stood in the doorway of the bathroom, sipping on a juice box. “Dad doesn’t let me curse.”

I swore this kid looked more like Renner every time I saw him.

“Of course not. You’re a kid.”

“I’m gonna be ten in a few months.”

“Ooooo,” I teased. “A grown man.” He wrinkled his nose at me as I pointed toward the sink. “Hand me a tile from that box right there. What are you doing home from school already? ”

Spreading a thin layer of mortar on the back of the new tile, I pressed it into place on the shower wall, completing the look. Renner was great at working on cars but usually muddled through a renovation, which was why I agreed to help him out. For a fee, of course. I did have a little one on the way any day now.

“It’s three thirty. I come home this time every day.”

I’d been so wrapped up in trying to finish Renner’s bathroom so as not to leave him with a half-done project in case Ria went into labor that I completely lost track of time. Good thing the only task I had left to do was grout over the tile, but I had to give it close to forty-eight hours for everything to set first.

“You been practicing your game?” I stood up, slowly stretching my muscles because I’d been crouched for too long.

“Why do I have to practice? I beat you all the time.” He laughed.

The grin he wore was too damn cute, but he was right. The boy knew how to play pool well for someone his age.

“I let you win.”

“Uh-huh.” The way he rolled his eyes made me want to challenge him to a game right now, but I didn’t have time.

Renner used to bring Colton by the clubhouse a lot before he met Emmy, and we’d keep him occupied by playing pool while his dad worked in the garage. At first, we’d let him win, but the better the kid got, the more we tried to beat him and failed. Not all the time, though. Then the shit with the cartel went down, and Renner didn’t want his son at the club. He’d only just started coming around again a few months ago.

“Do you see my phone?” I asked, looking around the bathroom. I wanted to check on Ria. As of this morning, she was two days past her due date and as miserable as could be. I didn’t blame her, though. She waddled everywhere, peed all the time, and struggled to get comfortable in bed. All her tossing and turning kept me awake, but I never uttered a complaint. I wasn’t stupid.

“No. Where did you leave it?”

“If I knew that, it wouldn’t be lost.”

He shrugged. “That’s what my dad asks me whenever I lose something.”

“You’re no help.”

“There you are,” Emmy said, poking her head into the bathroom. She tucked a strand of her dark hair behind her ear as she focused on Colton. “Did you still want spaghetti for dinner?”

I remembered the day she came by the clubhouse to drop Colton off because his mother forgot to pick him up. It was the first time Renner had officially met her. As soon as he came into Chambers, we started teasing him about her. And once he warned all of us to stay away from her, we knew he was into her.

“Yes, please.”

She ruffled his ash-blond hair. “You got it. Let’s hope your dad remembers to stop for garlic bread this time.”

“Dad can be scatterbrained sometimes.”

“Scatterbrained? Where did you learn that word?” I asked.

“I told you, I’m almost ten.” He walked out of the room as if he’d given me all the explanation I needed.

“That kid.” I chuckled.

“He’s great, isn’t he?” Emmy’s dimples were on full display as she talked about Colton. I was happy the kid finally had a mother figure in his life, one who would do anything for him. Because God knew Maxine was a lost cause.

“He is. I hope my son is just as great.”

She gasped. “You found out the sex? It’s a boy?”

“No. Ria wants to be surprised. But it just has to be a boy. I can’t deal with a girl. ”

“Oh, you’ll be fine if you have a daughter. Us women are awesome.”

“And us men know that, which is the problem. One I don’t wanna deal with.”

Her smile was contagious, and I was so happy Renner had found a good woman.

“Did you wanna stay for dinner? We have plenty.”

“No, but thank you. I’m gonna clean up and get home to Ria.”

“Of course.”

I gathered my tools and shoved them into my bag. “You guys will have to shower in the other bathroom for now. I’ll be back in two days to grout.”

“Okay, I’ll let him know.” She looked like she was going to say something else, but Colton rushed into the bathroom.

“Here,” he said, shoving my phone at me. “It keeps ringing.”

“Thanks.” The screen lit up with Ria’s name a second later. “Hey, babe. I was just about to—”

“Utah, this is Evie.” Her words came out in a rush, instantly making me panic. “Where have you been? Never mind, just get to the hospital. I’m checking her in now.”

“What’s going on?” No answer. “What happened?” I tripped over my bag but caught my footing before I fell on my face. Still no answer. “Hello?” I looked at the screen only to discover that Evie had hung up on me. What the fuck?

“Is everything okay?” Emmy asked, stepping out of my way before she got trampled.

“Ria is at the hospital. I don’t know. I gotta go. Fuck, where’s my phone?”

“You’re holding it,” Emmy answered, pointing at my hand. “Do you want me to drive you?”

“No, I’m fine.”

I heard Colton saying something about how it’s not fair that he can’t curse every once in a while since everyone else does. I didn’t have time to be amused. I was too busy panicking, praying nothing was wrong and that Ria just went into labor. As if that thought alone wasn’t enough to give me a fucking heart attack.

I broke every traffic law on the way to Lakeland Memorial. And when I arrived, I scared the hell out of the nurse at the desk by practically shouting for her to tell me what room Ria was in.

No matter how many times I told myself to calm down, that my anxiousness would make any situation worse, I couldn’t stop my heart from thundering inside my chest. Or my head from spinning story after story of what I was going to walk into. I’d tried to call Ria’s phone several times on the way, but no one answered.

As I rushed down the hallway toward her room, my steps faltered when I was several feet away. Evie stood outside, speaking in a hushed voice. When she turned toward me, she was on her cell and had a smile on her face. Smiling was a universal good sign. My feet propelled me forward as I finally managed to get ahold of my nerves.

“Where the hell have you been? I’ve been calling you for like an hour.” Evie tucked her phone into her back pocket, the smile she wore seconds ago disappearing.

“I’m sorry. I thought I had my phone near me when I was at Renner’s, but I didn’t. Is she okay?”

“She’s fine.” Her cheeks puffed out on an exhale. “We were out to lunch, and she started getting contractions. She said she had some earlier today, but they went away. Then, when she stood up from the table, her water broke.”

“Her water broke? Fuck.”

“That’s a good sign, Dad . That means the baby is coming.” Evie’s smile returned full force. “Now get in there.” I took a step forward, but she grabbed my wrist. “Congratulations, Utah. ”

“Thanks.” I blew out the air from my lungs, sent up a silent prayer that mother and baby would be okay, and walked into my future.

Groaning through a contraction with my eyes sealed shut, I sensed Utah the second he walked into the room. I wanted to shout with joy that he was finally here to help me, but I also wanted to bitch at him for taking so damn long. I was grateful Evie was with me when my water broke, but I wanted him.

Once the contraction subsided, I pried my lids open, and his handsome face came into sight. But he looked like a mess, and even though I was the one suffering, I felt bad for him. Half of his strands had fallen out of his hair tie, his face was flushed, and his leather vest was lopsided.

“Are you okay?” I asked, reaching for his hand.

“I’m fine. Are you okay?”

“I am now that you’re here.”

“I’m sorry, baby.” He kissed me and stroked my cheek. “I thought I had my phone near me, but I didn’t.” He cursed under his breath, and the last thing I wanted was for him to get down on himself because he thought he failed me in some way. “I’m sorry,” he said once more.

“It’s okay. You’re here now, and that’s all that matters.” More words rested on my lips, but I couldn’t free them. I was too busy squeezing his hand and breathing through another contraction. “Ow, ow, ow,” I groaned, unable to release any other syllables.

“Breathe, baby. Just breathe. You got this.”

“Pl… please… sh… shut up,” I whisper-shouted, the sound of his voice making everything worse in that moment. Forty-five seconds later, I started to feel some relief. “I’m sorry. It’s just when I’m in pain, I—”

“Don’t apologize. Do whatever you have to. Say whatever you have to in order to get through it. I promise I won’t take anything personally. Okay?”

“Okay.” I lessened my grip on his hand. “I’m not hurting you, am I?”

“Not at all. Give me everything you got.”

“Can you have this baby for me?” I really wished that was an option right now.

“I would if I could.”

“Liar.”

He leaned in close. “If I could take away your pain, I would. I hate seeing you like this.”

“But there’s no way around it.” My head flopped back against my pillow. I’d only been in labor for an hour, and I was already exhausted.

After the next contraction passed, I pressed the button to call the nurse. A chubby blonde woman in her fifties appeared less than a minute later.

“What did you need, honey?”

“Can you find out when the doctor is coming to give me the epidural? I don’t want to miss my window.”

“I believe she’s on her way, but I’ll double-check. Did you need more ice chips?”

“Please.”

“Okay, I’ll be right back.” She smiled at Utah before she walked out of the room. She reentered moments later with fresh ice chips and some of the best news of my life. “The anesthesiologist will be here in less than twenty minutes.” I wanted to kiss the nurse I was so happy .

After the epidural was administered, I felt much better. I was still tired, but I could carry on a conversation with Utah. We were still trying to decide on baby names. He wasn’t keen on picking girls’ names because he didn’t want to jinx it. He really wanted a boy. He did admit that, of course, he would love his daughter to the moon and back, but he’d go crazy along the way.

Evie had popped in again, but I sent her home. I didn’t know how long it would be until the little one made an appearance. I told her I’d call her once her niece or nephew had arrived.

She’d converted my old bedroom into a nursery, complete with tons of outfits and toys. Besides me and Utah, she was the most excited about the baby.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to call Knox and have him bring your mom over? I really don’t mind if she’s in the room with us.”

“That’s sweet of you, but I just want the two of us here. Besides, she’s been having more pain recently, and I don’t want her to overexert herself. She’ll get plenty of time with the baby later.”

“If you’re sure.”

“I am.”

Five and a half hours after my water broke, I was finally dilated enough to start pushing.

“Okay, Ria. What do you say we have a baby?” Dr. Fulson smiled as she wheeled closer. “When I say, you can start pushing.”

I nodded, both terrified and excited about what was going to happen next. Utah stood by my shoulder, holding my hand and assisting in holding my left leg. A young brunette nurse was on my right, holding my other leg.

“Okay, push.”

I gave it my all until I couldn’t give any more. And this went on for over an hour. By the end, I was utterly drained and didn’t think I could push anymore.

“I can’t do it,” I cried. “I can’t.”

“You can,” Dr. Fulson said, “and you will. Your baby wants to meet you. You’re almost there.” She nodded, giving me the go-ahead to try again. “See? I told you. I can see the head.” Moments passed, and she said, “Push again. Great job, Ria. The baby’s coming.” She turned her attention to Utah. “Do you want to watch your baby come into the world, Dad?”

He looked like a deer in headlights, and it wasn’t until I let go of his hand and nudged him forward that he moved toward the doctor.

His eyes widened when I pushed again, and the look of pure amazement on his face made me jealous that I couldn’t witness the same thing he was right then.

“Ria, the head’s out, but don’t push.” Dr. Fulson’s voice dipped and immediately alarmed me.

“Why is he turning blue?” Utah asked, looking from between my legs to my face and back again.

“The umbilical cord is wrapped around the baby’s neck, cutting off the oxygen. Don’t push,” she said sternly. “I’m going to untangle it.”

Utah and I locked eyes. I’d never been so scared in my entire life. And even though he was just as worried, he softened his expression and nodded, silently telling me everything was going to be okay.

“Breathe, Ria. It’s untangled. You can push now.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure. Push.”

On the last push, the baby emerged but was quickly taken to the other side of the room.

Utah peered over the doctor’s and nurse’s shoulders before coming back to stand next to me. “They’re just making sure he’s okay. He turned a little blue but looked better when he came out.”

The longest minute of my life passed before they brought the baby back to me. Dr. Fulson laid the little one on my chest.

“Congratulations. It’s a boy.”

“Oh, thank God!” Utah exclaimed, dropping his head for a moment before smiling at me. “I knew it.”

“You did.” I gazed down at the tiny miracle and couldn’t believe how in love with him I already was. I caught the doctor’s eye when she took a step back. “He’s okay, though?”

“He’s perfect,” she said. “He gave us a small scare, but he’s okay. I promise.” I exhaled at the same time Utah did. “We’ll leave you alone for now. And congratulations again to you both.”

Once it was the three of us, Utah reached for our son. I reluctantly handed him over, not because I didn’t want him to bond with the baby but because my arms already ached with his absence.

“What are we gonna name the little guy?” he asked, stroking his tiny hand. “And please don’t say Westley because that name will get him beat up.”

“No.” I chuckled, remembering when I pleaded my case for the name, which was from my favorite movie, The Princess Bride . “Not Westley, although I still think that’s a great name. I’d like to name him after you. Paul.”

Utah’s eyes glassed over. “You want to name him after me?”

“Of course. You’re his father. And you’re the strongest, bravest man I know.”

“Paul.” He sat with it for several seconds before nodding. “Thank you.”

“And if you don’t mind, I’d love for his middle name to be Matthew, after my father.”

“Paul Matthew Kingsley,” he said. “That’s a great name. ”

“Kingsley?”

“Yeah, that’s my last name,” he replied, as if I’d forgotten.

“I know that, but I was gonna give him my last name, Grayson.”

“Why?” If he frowned any deeper, he’d have a permanent crease in the middle of his forehead.

“Because we’re not married. And I’d like to have the same name as my son.” Utah stared at me for a moment before he handed me the baby and walked toward the chair in the corner of the room. “Don’t be mad, I just think it would be easier—”

The rest of my words evaporated when he spun around to face me, opening a small black box. He was next to me before my lungs took in enough air to ask him what was happening, even though I already knew.

“How about we all have the same last name?” He slid a gorgeous square-shaped diamond ring on my finger. “I’ve been carrying this around for months, and the only reason I didn’t propose before today was because I thought you might think it was too soon. But I don’t want to waste another minute.” The love shining behind his eyes made my heart soar. “Will you marry me?”

There wasn’t a second of hesitation before I answered.

“Yes,” I said emphatically as my vision blurred. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”

As he leaned down to kiss me, sealing our destiny together, I wasn’t only saying yes to his proposal but to a life with a man whose strength inspired me.

Yes to a future with someone who cherished me as I did him.

Yes to the person I wanted to grow old with, raise our son with, and deal with life’s ups and downs.

My heart swelled with love as I looked from our baby to his father .

The man of my dreams.

My future husband.

I told you he’d do something that would make you love him more.

“Hey, buddy. You want me to break you out of there?” I moved toward my son’s crib with my arms outstretched.

The second he saw me, he spit out his pacifier and reached for me. “Dada.” I made a funny face, and he laughed. “Dada.” I’d never get tired of hearing him say that. The other word he was fond of was No , which disappointed Ria because she wanted him to say Mama . I was sure he’d say it soon, but for now, I’d reveled in the temporary special bond my son and I shared.

As soon as I picked him up, he rested his head on my shoulder and tugged on my beard.

“Do you know today’s your first birthday?” The inflection in my voice rose whenever I spoke to him. If anyone had asked me a year ago if I could see myself using baby talk and volunteering to change diapers, I would’ve told them they were crazy. That wasn’t me at all. I wasn’t sentimental. I wasn’t overly emotional, other than when it came to Ria. But ever since Paul was born, something inside me shifted, and I let go of a lot of my demons. Some still resided, but I’d buried them so deep, they didn’t bother me as much. I turned all my energy to my fiancée and my son. They were the two most important people in my life, and I’d waited for them forever, even when I didn’t realize it.

“There you are,” Ria said, rushing into the room. “Hi, baby.” At first, I thought she spoke to me, but then she kissed the top of Paul’s head. “Can you zip me up?”

She took the baby from me and turned around. She was ecstatic the pale blue sleeveless dress she had in her closet finally fit her again. After I finished, I playfully smacked her ass. She looked at me over her shoulder and winked.

“Does that mean what I think it does?”

Some weeks we struggled trying to find time for sex. Either she was exhausted from taking care of Paul or he was fussy. My one-year-old cockblocked me more times than I cared to count.

“As long as he goes down for his nap after the party, I’ll be good to go.”

“It’s been forever.”

“It’s been four days. Don’t be dramatic,” she teased.

“Like I said, forever.”

“Here,” she said, handing the baby back to me. “I have to finish getting dressed, then start setting out the food. Did you remember to pick up the candles for his cake?”

“Yep.”

“And the soda?”

“Yep,” I repeated.

“How about the—”

“I got everything on the list you gave me yesterday, and even a few extra items. It’s all good. Now go get ready before everyone gets here.”

“Love you,” she said as she hurried from the room.

“Mommy’s stressed, but Daddy’s gonna give her some relief later.” Paul looked up at me with the same shade of brown eyes I possessed and giggled. “Maybe I shouldn’t be telling you that, but you do want a sibling, right?” I talked to him as if he understood me.

Ria and I had talked about having another kid, but she said she wasn’t sure if she wanted more. While I’d been briefly disappointed, I didn’t push the issue. If Paul ended up being our only child, we were more than blessed.

After getting my son changed and ready for his party, I strolled into the kitchen. I’d just set him in his high chair when the doorbell rang.

“Hi, Melinda.” Ria’s mom pecked my cheek as she handed me a basket filled with baby clothes. This kid had more of a wardrobe than me and Ria combined.

“Where’s my grandson?” She moved past me and toward Paul. I’d gotten used to people directing their attention to my son and not me. And not only did I not care, but I also preferred it. I’d come out of my introverted shell a bit since becoming a dad, but I still wasn’t at the level of outgoing by any means.

As Melinda entertained him, I went to work setting up the trays of food, getting a jump start so my woman didn’t have to fuss as much.

“Thanks, babe.” Ria walked up next to me and gave me a sultry look. Or was that appreciation? I hadn’t been inside her in days, and the anticipation had me thinking about one thing only whenever she was near.

“When are you two gonna give me another grandbaby?”

Ria’s posture stiffened, but she tried to hide her uneasiness as she rifled through the cabinets.

“I think you should focus on him,” I said, smiling and pointing to the little boy in her lap.” I then turned my attention to Ria, who suddenly seemed to be on edge. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. ”

I closed the utensil drawer and pulled her into the corner so her mom couldn’t hear us. “Ria, tell me.”

Her shoulders deflated, and at first, her eyes were everywhere but on me. But when her gaze finally landed on mine, she said, “I’m pregnant.”

“What?” She spoke so low that I thought perhaps I misheard her.

“I’m pregnant. I just took a test. I’ve been feeling off the past two weeks, and when my period was late, I thought maybe I was. So, I took a test. I was right.” She smacked my chest. “Why are you smiling? This isn’t good. Paul’s only a year old. We’ll have two kids in diapers.”

“Are you kidding?” I said, lowering my voice when I realized how loud I’d been. “This is amazing.” I pulled her into me and gave her the biggest kiss.

“At least you’re happy,” she said.

“I’m thrilled. But be honest, isn’t there a part of you that’s a tiny bit excited?” I held my thumb and forefinger close. “Just a little?”

She slapped my hand away but smiled. “Maybe a little.” Her grin quickly disappeared. “But I don’t wanna tell anyone else yet. It’s early, and I don’t wanna jinx anything.”

“Okay. It’ll be our secret for now.”

“Well, if you don’t wipe that grin off your face, people are gonna start guessing. Keep it together.” She gently shoved at my shoulder. “Now go get the door. Someone just pulled into the driveway.” Before I walked away, she whispered, “Oh, I have a feeling this one is gonna be a girl.”

I whispered back, “That’s okay because now I have Paul on my side as backup to keep the boys away.”

There was a lightness in my step as I headed to the front door. Once more, I’d been given a gift I could never repay from the woman who’d become my world. Whatever I’d done to be worthy of Ria, I’d never know, but I was through with believing I didn’t deserve happiness.

Because she showed me every day that I was worthy.

I wasn’t prepared to share the news about the pregnancy with Utah just yet, but my mom inadvertently put me on the spot. I wouldn’t have waited a week to tell him, but I thought I’d have more time with the news before I shared. But now that the secret was out of the bag, so to speak, I was relieved he knew. I’d need reassurance whenever my panic kicked in over having a couple kids under the age of two.

The appearance of Renner, Emmy, and Colton pulled me out of my head, and not a second too soon. If allowed, I’d run through a million and one what-ifs, and today wasn’t the day to dwell in uncertainty. Today was a day for celebration. I couldn’t believe Paul was a year old already. Where did the time go?

“Hi, Ria,” Renner greeted, kissing my cheek. “Where’s the little guy?”

“My mom is hogging him.” I pointed toward the love seat in the corner of the room. He walked off toward them as Emmy approached.

“Hi.” She gave me a hug, the smile on her face larger than normal. We’d gotten to know each other pretty well over this past year, and while I viewed her as an upbeat person, full of positivity, there was something different about her I couldn’t quite pinpoint. Then again, there was something different about me too. “We bought Paul a couple outfits. I’m sure you have plenty, so I left a gift receipt in the bag in case you want something else. The leather Harley-Davidson vest is from Renner. There’s no gift receipt for that one.”

“We can never have enough clothes. Thank you. And Utah will really love the vest.” I gestured toward the food trays. “Please help yourself. I think we bought more than we should’ve.”

“Hi, Ria.” Colton gave me a side hug and handed me a gift. “I got Paul The Avengers movie. It’s my favorite. I know you can stream it, but I like to have a copy so I can watch it where I want, when I want.”

God, I loved this kid. We babysat him numerous times for Renner and Emmy, and each time he was delightful. Just a bundle of wit and kindness.

“I think Paul’s a little young for this movie, but as soon as he’s old enough, you can watch it with him. How does that sound?”

“Okay. Hey, guess what?” Excitement swirled through his question.

“What?”

“My dad and Emmy are getting married.” His enthusiastic smile lit up his handsome face.

“What?” I locked eyes on Emmy, then Renner. “You’re getting married? When did this happen?”

Renner narrowed his eyes at his son. “Colton, I told you to keep the news to yourself for now. Today is Paul’s day.”

“That doesn’t matter,” Utah said, clasping hands with his friend before embracing him. “We’d love to celebrate this news with you. Congrats, man.”

“Thanks.”

Utah hugged Emmy as well, and I was next in line.

“I’m so happy for you.” I reached for her hand. “Let me see. It’s gorgeous.”

The ring was similar in size to what Utah gave me, but the difference was that Emmy’s ring was round, whereas mine was square.

“Thank you. We were gonna tell people another day because we didn’t want to detract from his birthday party.”

“Don’t be silly,” I said. “Life flies by way too fast. We have to celebrate as much as we can.”

“I agree,” Emmy replied, her eyes shining brightly with happiness.

The front door opened, and moments later, Knox and Kyla appeared. Evie walked in right behind them.

“Hey, guys. You can drop your gifts over there and please help yourself.” I pointed toward the kitchen. “Just grab a plate.”

“Cute dress,” Kyla said as she wrapped her arms around me.

“Thanks. I’ve been waiting to get back into this for a while now.”

“You look great. Listen, before I forget, I wanted to let you know that Dr. Sanders said you have a job at the office whenever you decide you want to come back. The two girls he hired after you were a disaster.”

“Tell him I said thanks. But for now, I’m gonna stay home with Paul. If that changes, I’ll let you know.” I rested my hand over my belly, knowing I wouldn’t be going back to work anytime soon, which was fine with me because Paul was a full-time job. I couldn’t imagine what caring for two kids was going to be like. I was thankful every day that my fiancé was a hands-on dad.

“Hey, Knox. Guess what?” Colton was in front of my brother, yanking on his arm.

“What’s up, buddy?”

“My dad and Emmy are getting married.”

“They are?” Knox’s brow pulled downward as he searched for the couple in question. “Is that true?”

“Yeah,” Renner answered.

“When did that happen?” he asked .

“Last night,” Emmy replied. She turned to look at me. “He was so sweet. He made me a candlelit dinner with my favorite meal, which is chicken parm. I should’ve known something was up because Colton went to bed without a complaint. And he gave me a tighter hug than usual beforehand.”

“Get ready for people to start asking you when the date is,” I said. “Because that was all anyone asked me for months.”

“Colton already did. He told his dad to get a move on because he wants a brother or sister. To be fair, he’s been asking for a sibling since I moved in.”

“He’s something else, isn’t he?” We shared a laugh.

“He certainly is.” Her expression momentarily fell, and I wasn’t sure if I should pry or not. But I was a little concerned.

“Are you okay? Do you not want to get married?” I asked the last question under my breath.

“No, it’s not that at all. I’m thrilled. It’s just that when I called my friend Morgan to tell her, I got the feeling she wasn’t thrilled about coming back to Laredo for whenever the wedding will be.”

Utah had told me what happened with Morgan and the guy from the cartel. That he killed someone right in front of her. I couldn’t blame her for wanting to stay as far away as possible from where that happened.

“I can understand that, but I’m sure she’ll be there on your big day. Especially once more time has passed.”

“I think so too. Besides, she’s in Paris right now opening another art gallery, and between her job and planning her own wedding next year, she’s got a lot on her plate.”

“Paris? Wow. Is Tag with her?”

“Yeah. I’m sure he feels like a fish out of water.”

“Still… Paris.” I sighed. “One day.”

“We’ll all go together,” she said, sharing in my dream.

“Can you imagine those two in Paris?” I pointed toward Utah and Renner, who were entertaining Paul .

Emmy bumped my shoulder with hers and smiled. “Yes. We might have to leave them in the hotel room while we shop, though.”

“True.” I parted my lips to continue our conversation when Evie sidled next to me.

“Hey, sis.” She kissed my cheek. “Tell your man to stop hogging my nephew.”

“You’re gonna just have to steal him away.” I scoured the room quickly. “Ben didn’t come with you?”

“No. We broke up.”

“When?”

“Last week.”

“Last week? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because it’s not a big deal. Nothing bad happened. We really like each other, but he had to move back to Michigan to take care of his sick mom. He has no idea how long he’ll be gone. And it’s not like I was gonna ask him not to go.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

Emmy had walked away when Evie started talking, giving us some privacy. Although my sister wasn’t being secretive about what she said.

“It’s okay. If anything, Ben showed me there really are some nice guys in the world. Speaking of, are there any single men at the club?”

I barely inhaled a breath to answer when Utah and Knox simultaneously shouted, “No!”

Knox then added, “Get that thought right out of your head, Evie. Not gonna happen.” His face started to turn red.

“Oh, calm down,” Evie retorted.

The pout on her face would’ve made me feel a little bad for her had it not been for the wink she gave me before she walked away. She did that shit on purpose just to rile our brother. She just so happened to also rile Utah, which was a win in her book too .

As the festivities got underway, I took a seat on the couch next to my man. Renner sat in the chair next to us, beer in hand and a smile on his face. Emmy was in the kitchen with Colton, laughing about something he said, no doubt.

“I never thought I’d see the day when you became domesticated, brother,” Renner said. “Talk about a surprise.”

“After the life I’ve had, that’s a compliment. Believe me.” They clicked bottles and took a sip, and then Utah squeezed my hand and locked eyes with me. “The love of a good woman will change a man.”

I became overwhelmed with emotion, blaming my unshed tears on the pregnancy, but the truth of the matter was every second with Utah was a blessing. If he wasn’t saying something sweet, he was going out of his way to do things to make my life easier. He was a wonderful father and would be an amazing husband when we took the plunge next year sometime. Although, with a baby on the way, we might have to readjust the timeline.

“It sure will,” Knox added, circling his arm around Kyla’s waist and kissing her temple.

They really were cute together. I’d asked my brother if they ever talked about getting married, and he said they’d discussed it but were in no rush. He did, however, ask if I’d go with him to help him pick out a ring when that time came, which I would be honored to do.

Now all we had to do was find someone for Evie, but apparently, it wasn’t going to be anyone in the club, as was evident from the responses earlier. But she had time. She was only turning twenty-four next month.

“Mom, I can take the baby.” I reached for my son, but she held him close.

“He’s fine with me.” She kissed his head of blond curls. “I remember when you kids were this little. Cherish this time. He’ll be graduating high school before you know it. ”

“Let’s not jump that far ahead, Melinda.” Utah chuckled. “He just turned one.”

“Watch and see,” she said, snuggling our son close.

My mom’s words echoed in my ear, and as I cuddled next to Utah, surrounded by our friends and family, my heart swelled with the story that was still being written by us.