EPILOGUE
DUKE
“Whose idea wasit to get them together?” I asked, gesturing toward the jukebox where Olivia was talking excitedly with Cleo and her sisters. Sawyer was behind the bar pouring a round of drinks. We’d closed the bar down tonight. Their whole family had flown in yesterday to help celebrate my girl and me as we grew our business.
Or so she thought.I may have had something else up my sleeve, too.
I’d met the Hayes family when I bought the business from Lincoln Carter. He worked this place directly under the bar’s namesake for years before Frank passed it on to him. Fortunately for me, as much as Lincoln loved this bar, he loved his wife, Josie, more. The two of them lived in Texas on Black Springs Ranch with their two kids, Stella and Poppy.
Cleo and Josie’s younger sister, Lennox, was also in tow, though she was sitting off to the side as she rubbed her very pregnant belly and laughed. Her husband, Bishop, had been standing behind her the whole night like a goddamn sentry until Lincoln and Grady dragged him over to the bar. It didn’tstop him from looking over his shoulder every time he heard her laugh.
“Yours,” Lukas said, pointing his beer my direction. “In fact, all of this is your idea.” He leaned forward, lowering his voice. “Brother.”
“It’s just a label,” I said, trying to hide my smile. I was failing miserably, but it was the thought that counted.
The ring, now hidden in my pocket, had been tucked away at the back of the closet for the past month. It wasn’t overly grand or flashy—just a single solitaire diamond on a gold band I’d been saving up to buy. Harper and Charlie had both helped me pick it out. They assured me Olivia would love it.
I hoped they were right.
Ever since I first held it in my hand, it was a struggle not to drop to one knee and ask her right then and there to be mine forever. Each morning when she was in the kitchen making breakfast, or when she’d slide beneath the covers after soaking in the bathtub every night.
But I wanted to do this right. I wanted to make sure she knew just how loved and cherished she was.
“You know, I thought it was going to be us bros forever,” Lukas grumbled. “But now, here you are, all moon-eyed over my sister. I can’t believe this.”
“One. Don’t ever say the word ‘bros’ again. You’re a forty-two-year-old man. Two. Your sister’s hotter than you are,” I countered. “It was an easy choice.”
Lukas placed his hand over his heart. “Okay, ouch. You didn’t need to cut me so deep.”
I just shrugged. “The truth hurts sometimes.”
“I’m telling you… This bar is magic. I proposed to Josie right there only two years ago, and look at us,” Lincoln said, gesturing toward the charcoal band on his left hand. “Happier than ever.”
“Yeah, suffocatingly so,” Bishop muttered. “I keep waiting for your honeymoon phase to go away, but it hasn’t yet.”
“Says the man who won’t let anyone even remotely close to Lennox. Tell me, has she threatened to castrate you yet?” Lincoln shot back.
Bishop shifted on the stool, adjusting himself. “She says I’m overbearing, but I just want to protect her. Not my fault she has a knack for getting herself into trouble. Gotta protect my woman and our babies.”
“I’ll give you this, old man. I wasn’t sure you still had it in you. Twins? At your age?” Grady shivered. “Keeping up with one kid that young was hard enough.”
“Yeah, well, I’m not a pussy,” Bishop snapped, taking a swig of his beer. “And my swimmers are very strong. Thank you very much.”
Lukas chuckled. “I’m glad I don’t have to worry about that shit.”
“Nah, I said that, too. Now look at me. Married to a woman I can barely keep up with two babies on the way. Life’s weird, man,” Bishop said.
“I’m not holding my breath,” Lukas chuckled, but it was hollow. He glanced down at his beer, fiddling with the label. “Don’t think any of that is in the cards for me.”
Lukas and I had this conversation more times than I could count. He truly believed there wasn’t a single woman out there capable of changing his mind, but I knew it was bullshit. I’d thought the same thing after Sarah left, and yet here I was preparing to propose.
“Hey,” I said, clapping him on the shoulder. “Somewhere out there is a woman who’s gonna knock you straight on your ass when you least expect it.”
“I think I’ll keep standing on my own two feet, thank you very much,” he said, settling back in his chair.
The lights overhead dimmed, causing all of us to turn around and glance toward where Lennox and Sawyer were standing off to the side. The latter held a makeshift spotlight toward the bar.
“What the hell?” Bishop muttered, pushing to his feet. The moment he stood, a familiar song sounded out from the jukebox, and I groaned as Cleo and Josie lifted Charlie and Harper onto the bar before following suit.