Epilogue 1
Knox-Three and a half years later
It’s another leap year birthday for my wife. I wonder what fresh and exciting adventure she plans to jump into this time. The last four years have been the best in my life. George, or “Orge” as our two-year-old daughter calls him, is hiding under the dining room table, hoping for some Christina-free time.
Speaking of which, I haven’t heard a peep out of her in a few minutes. When I do find my mischievous daughter, I realize Sloane is going to kill me. The whole family will suffer tonight. Christina is under the table feeding George Vanilla Sprinkle ice cream. Goodness. No telling what in the world we have in store for us after the Bulldog’s system digests the treat. “Baby girl, we can’t give George ice cream.”
My sweet blonde daughter turns and blinks. Her bright blue eyes twinkle, and her pigtails bob up and down as she shrugs. I barely make out some garble that sounds like, “But he wanted it.” That’s what I’m going to tell Sloane our little one said, anyway.
After bathing Christina and the dog, I shampoo the carpet. After convincing my stubborn daughter to nap with promises of a walk in the park later, I drop onto the sofa and rest. Sloane and Kelsey are shopping this afternoon, and I’ve got some quiet time. Kelsey is babysitting tonight, and I plan to take my wife on a date to celebrate her twenty-eighth birthday.
I’m changing Christina into her favorite unicorn pajamas while Sloane finishes dressing for our date. The front door opens, and I hear George rush across the hardwood floor and attack Kelsey as she punches in the alarm code. Kissing my daughter’s head, I whisper, “Here comes Aunt Kelsey, Love Bug. You be a good girl tonight.” My heart melts as her tiny arms wrap around my neck for a hug.
“Hey, Love Bug. Are you ready to have some fun? I brought my make-up kit and a new movie for us.” Kelsey smiles from the door. My eyes cross when Christina screeches and runs for her godmother.
I wander into the bedroom to search for my wife. “Sweetheart, we’re going to miss our reservations if we don’t leave soon.” Hearing the sound of gagging coming from our bathroom, I rush to see what’s happening and find Sloane hugging the toilet.
As I rub her back, she turns her sweaty face to the side and gives me a weak smile. “Surprise! I’m taking another big leap this leap year.” She drops to the floor and weakly announces, “I went to the doctor today, and it’s twins.”
When her words blast through my fuzzy mind, my knees turn to jelly, and I slowly sink down behind her. Wrapping my arms around her curvy waist, I lay my head against her back and ask her, “Is this sickness normal? Are you okay?” There are too many questions racing through my befuddled mind.
My heart resumes its normal rhythm when Sloane sighs and rests her head back against me. “Yes, unfortunately, we’re looking at many months of all-day sickness.”
I kiss the top of her head and assure her, “I hate the thought of you suffering, but I can’t wait to have two more little Sloanes running around this place.” Laughing a little as I think about what’s coming, I kiss her forehead. “Poor George. I’m not sure his delicate stomach can handle it.”
Epilogue 2
Sloane-Fourteen Years Later
“MOM! I can’t stand having brothers.” I look over at my husband and roll my eyes. I pause our movie and raise my eyebrow at Knox. It’s his turn to deal with whatever trouble his look-a-like twins have caused. Those two live to torture their sister.
Knox winks at me before turning to her and asking, “What have Brady and Tristan done now?”
“They’re yelling at their stupid video games, and I can’t study for my test tomorrow. I keep asking them to be quiet, but they ignore me.” She throws her hands up in the air and huffs before stomping away. Knox swears that she looks just like me, but when she glares and growls, our daughter is all him.
Knox kisses the tip of my nose as he stands and shakes his head. “I’m off to take care of the video warriors.”
Several minutes later, he returns and sits down next to me on the sofa. After laying my head on his shoulder, I look up and smile. “Did you get the two troublemakers to quiet things down a little?”
He smirks and kisses the top of my head. “They started yelling again before I was even out the door.” He sighs in disappointment, and I look up to see him holding back laughter. My husband shrugs. “I turned off the Wi-Fi to that part of the house and informed them they have to earn the password.” He grabs the remote and hits play before pulling me close again. “Right now, they’re washing your car. Then they can start on the rest of the list. I figure, by the time they get through all those chores, we’ll have a spotless house and Christine will be done studying.” I love my evil-minded husband. I lean over and kiss his cheek before he continues. “Next time I tell them to be quiet, I hope they remember this.” I’m not so sure. We had to take away the game console a few weeks ago when the genius boys were disturbing their sister. It’s hard having twins who don’t have to study to maintain straight A’s in school. They torture our poor daughter nonstop, so we have to find new and inventive ways to keep them occupied. I’m impressed that my husband has discovered another ingenious one.
A favor led to me finding the love of my life all those years ago. While helping my roommate out, I shocked him, and he fell for me. It led to me taking the greatest leap of all. Right into love.
Thank you very much for reading Knox’s Surprise. I hope you enjoyed it and will consider leaving a review. My next story, Trace’s Fire is coming soon to Amazon.
**Trace’s Fire is the sweet and clean version of Ignite my Heart by Loni Ree. The author has removed all bad language and sexual situations to give you a sweet and entirely wholesome read. The content has changed slightly and the book has been re-edited.**
It only takes a spark to ignite a fire…
Trace
I’m used to the quiet life a place like Juniper offers. As a fire captain, I save a cat from its own bad luck once or twice a week and, on occasion, deal with a real fire emergency.
But when a little firecracker named Paige Reilly moves in, her whirlwind energy wakes up our sleepy small town and sets my blood on fire right along with it.
Now all I want is a life filled with her…
Paige
There comes a point in everyone’s life when they decide it’s time to settle down. To me, the sleepy little town of Juniper, Colorado looked like the perfect place.
Turns out, Juniper is anything but sleepy. The moment I arrive, the hottest guy I’ve ever seen shows up to give me advice on how to fit into the town and neighborhood.
I appreciate the Fire Captain’s effort and we hit it off like a house on fire. Then an incident occurs that leaves me without a place to stay. Lucky for me, Trace is a kind neighbor. He opens his home, and his heart to me. I just hope he can deal with the trail of destruction that seems to follow me…
This over-the-top quick read is just what you're looking for if you like sweet, clean, insta-love romance with a little bit of humor.