by Caroline Lee
“Yeah, there’s three bedrooms,” she said with some enthusiasm. “Jeremiah is already talking about how his stuff would go in that back bedroom, and ever since you mentioned how well a trampoline would fit in the backyard, he’s been really excited.”
Tripp hummed as he pretended to consider it. “Oh yeah? Then what do we do with the other bedroom?”
In his arms, Alyssa shrugged. “In my family, it’s kind of a weird genetic quirk where everyone has five kids. I know we got started early, but it seems to me the smallest bedroom would work perfectly as a nursery.”
She was saying all the things he’d been daydreaming about for weeks.
“Would you be interested in having more babies with me?” His hand dropped to her belly, where she’d once cradled and nurtured his son. He vowed that, God willing, nothing would keep him from being beside her if she did it again.
She smiled a little shyly. “I thought about it more than once,” she confessed.
He nodded somberly, then lowered his voice and said, “I think I have some bad news for you, then.”
Her brows shot up. “Oh, yeah?”
He nodded. “You know how I once said I would never name my son Wilfred Weston the Fourth?”
“Pretty sure I have it in writing,” she agreed.
He shrugged. “Well, I changed my mind. I want to call him Wil. I want to pass on everything my parents tried to teach me. I want to raise him beside Jeremiah. I want to teach them both—and the next three, I guess—how to be good, safe adults. I want to raise them all to know how much they’re loved, without them ever having to compare themselves to others.”
Softly, she lifted her hand to cup his cheek. “Five kids is a pretty big commitment, Tripp. I’m a doula. I know how these things work.”
He rolled his eyes, then pressed his hand to hers, trapping it against his jawline. “You’ll never know how proud I am of you for everything you’ve accomplished, Lyssa. But if you’re willing to take me as your partner, you can go back to school like you’ve been talking about. You’ll have time and freedom. You could get your midwife certification and—”
“What did you say?” she asked breathlessly.
He hesitated at her intensity.
“I just said you could go back to school—”
“No, I mean about being your partner.”
His breath whooshed out of him with a laugh. “What did you think I was talking about? All this discussion about you moving in, about having more babies?”
She didn’t answer him, but continued to stare intently. He felt his lips twitch in amusement.
“I’m sorry I always do things backwards, Lyssa.” He took a deep breath. “Would you make me even happier? Would you become my partner, and allow me to tag along with you in this explosive adventure called parenting? Called life, I guess.” He stared into her eyes, willing her to believe his sincerity. “Would you possibly consider agreeing to become my wife?”
In the silence, as she stared up at him, a burst of laughter from the kitchen seemed impossibly loud. Tripp swallowed, suddenly nervous.
Finally, she smiled softly. “Tripp Weston,” she whispered, “it’s been seven years, so when I say this, I know what I’m talking about.” Her smile bloomed. “I thought you’d never ask.”
“Does that mean yes?”
“Of course it means yes, you silly man!”
He tugged her closer. “I love you, Lyssa,” he whispered right before their lips met.
“Mom! Mommy!”
The two of them didn’t have time for more than a quick peck, before Jeremiah barreled into their sides. Tripp twisted at the last minute to catch the boys’ momentum on his hip, but that didn’t stop him from letting loose a grunt.
“Mom! Tripp! Nana says I can have another piece of cake! Grandma says I can have some of her side, the purple side, just to taste to see if it’s any different. Do you think it tastes any different?”
The boy shook his head and continued without waiting for a response, “Nana says you have to say okay, though. Okay? Can I?”
Tripp was chuckling as he reached down to scoop up his son. He loved the trusting way the boy wrapped his arms around his neck, and locked his legs around Tripp’s waist.
“Can I?” the boy asked again, staring into Tripp’s identical eyes.
Tripp glanced over at Alyssa, who just raised one brow, as if she were waiting to see how he would respond.
He shrugged, glad she was letting him take the lead. “Well, you had a pretty good lunch, and you’ll have plenty of time to burn off the extra energy after dinner, because you’re going to help me set off those fireworks we bought to celebrate. So sure.” He shrugged again. “I’ll bet the purple tastes a lot more purpley.”
When Alyssa’s lips twitched and she nodded her approval, Tripp’s heart swelled. That little nod, even more so than her declarations of love or her agreement to marry him, made him confident about the future.
He was a father. A father to a six-year-old boy. And some days, dealing with Jeremiah felt as if he were trying to tap dance on quicksand. But other times, like this moment, he could look at the boy and see himself so clearly it was disconcerting.
I can do this.
And as Tripp reached out to gather Alyssa with his free arm, he knew the truth. He was holding the two loves of his life, and he would have the rest of his years here in Quinn Valley to live up to the trust they showed they had for him.
“I love you, Lyssa,” he whispered against her hair.
“I love you too, Tripp.” she said with a smile.
He placed a kiss on Jeremiah’s forehead. “I love you, Jer.”
“I love you too, Dad.”
You might remember the screw-up Tripp used to be from his brother Kenneth’s story, who found love with Alyssa’s sister Katie. Billionaire’s Bargain is the story of Kenneth learning to give up control as he said his goodbyes to his mother, but it’s also full of hope and faith and rebirth. Have you read it?
Tripp’s brother Coop found his Happily Ever After with Jackie and Kalli Jo in Stepdad Surprise, while Marybeth and Mack built a future in the adorable Yukon Yuletide. Both of those were in the River’s End Ranch series, but Alyssa’s other siblings have found their true loves in Fixing Forever (Andrew and Rachel) and Librarian’s Legend (Heather and Jonathan). Stay tuned for Dusty’s story!
If you’ve enjoyed Alyssa and Tripp’s romance, I urge you to friend me on Facebook or follow me on Instagram. I frequently post fun stories, links to great books, and cute photos of my toddler.
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If you love the world we’ve created in Quinn Valley, then come play with us in our Quinn Valley Ranch Readers Facebook group, where we chat about the books, behind-the-scenes fun, and contests! And if you’re a fan of contemporary western romance in general, we’ve got a Facebook group for that too!
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Back in May of 2016 I had the utter pleasure of meeting Kirsten Osbourne, Pamela Kelley, and Cindy Caldwell in Chicago during a conference. Soon after, they invited me to be part of this delightful world they were creating, and introduced me to the wonderful Amelia Adams. I was thrilled to join their team, and have had hours and hours of fun, playing via our imaginations at River’s End Ranch. Now we’ve added Liz Isaacson, Kay P. Dawson, and Melissa McClone, and are having just as much fun playing at Quinn Valley Ranch!
Thank you, ladies, for letting me be a part of the magic.
And thank you to Alyssa, to my beta readers and Cohort members, to Sonya, and to our continuity reader Amy.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Caroline Lee has been reading romance for so long that her fourth-grade teacher used to make her cover her books wi
th paper jackets. But it wasn't until she (mostly) grew up that she realized she could write it too. So she did.
Caroline is living her own little Happily Ever After in NC with her husband, sons, and new daughter, Princess Wiggles. And while she doesn't so much "suffer" from Pittakionophobia as think that all you people who enjoy touching Band-Aids and stickers are the real weirdos, she does adore rodents, and never met a wine she didn't like. Caroline was named Time Magazine's Person of the Year in 2006 and is really quite funny in person. Promise.
You can find her at www.CarolineLeeRomance.com.
Other works by Caroline Lee
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