“Wow,” Hannah whispered, not sure what to think.
“Shep, can you give us a few minutes?” Wyatt requested.
“Of course,” Shep said, standing up. “Take all the time you need. You know where Luke is if you decide you want to go through with this type of adoption.”
Hannah continued to sit as Wyatt and Austin both rose to shake hands with Shep. She waited until he had closed the door behind him before she stood up on wobbly legs. Hannah needed something to do, so she started to pace while Wyatt and Austin leaned against the desk.
“Hannah, this isn’t a decision we need to make immediately,” Wyatt said. “We take all the time we need.”
“And what if she finds someone else while we’re figuring things out?”
“Is this what you want, baby doll?”
“I don’t know!” Hannah spun around for another trip across the room. “It’s so unexpected. I thought it’d be a few years down the road before we looked at our options. But this—”
“Sometimes, being handed something unexpected is a blessing,” Wyatt said, coming to stand in front of her. Taking her hands in his, he brought them up to his mouth and kissed her fingers. “Why don’t we head to the cabin, enjoy a couple days before heading back to your dad’s for Sunday dinner. We can take our time deciding what is right for us.”
Hannah looked up into Wyatt’s brown eyes, which had now softened to a cinnamon color, and knew that whatever decision they made would be the right one. She loved them so much. Hannah pulled her hands away and wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face against his skin.
“We love you, baby doll.”
Austin had come up behind Hannah, snuggling her in between the two of them. Nothing had ever felt so right. She took a moment and savored their embrace, knowing that with or without a child, she finally had the family she’d always dreamed of. Hannah wondered what she’d done that she’d been granted all her wishes, but knew one thing for certain—wishes weren’t made for just dreams.
Epilogue
Hannah slammed down the shot of tequila, her eyes watering as she swallowed. The room seemed a little fuzzy, so she focused on the prize in the middle of the table. Her story was by far the best, and she couldn’t wait to take home the sex-toy basket in honor of winning. She knew from experience that Wyatt and Austin would love to have a new set of nipple clamps to try out on her. They loved that her nipples were sensitive. The giggling and yells coming from her friends brought her around to the conversation.
“Violet wand?” Lana asked. “Wow, I want to try that! Casey, do you carry that in your store?”
“Hell yes!”
Hannah smirked confidently. “None of you can top my story, which means I win the basket of sex toys. And my guys and I know precisely what to do with them.”
“You think we don’t?” Selena rolled her eyes. “Honey, you’re an amateur.”
“Not so fast,” Casey shouted. “The rules are that we each tell how we met our men here in Spirit. Ellie and I haven’t taken our turns yet.”
“Well, if that means we get to have another round of drinks or six, who am I to complain?” Lana waved her empty glass at Mona.
“Waste of time,” Hannah said smugly. “Telling more stories, that is, not ordering more wine. I’m definitely the winner.”
“Don’t bet the farm on it,” Ellie said.
“Hey, our resident Brit is starting to talk like an American,” Casey said, raising her glass in salute.
“Why? What did I say?”
“You’re sounding more and more like us, babe, that’s all.”
“Thank you. I think.”
Selena provided Ellie with more wine, since it was her turn to tell her story. Hannah loved Ellie’s accent and couldn’t wait to hear about her and her men. Josh and Rex had been close friends of hers in high school, and she was glad they had finally found someone they could love. Ellie was perfect with them, her lively personality keeping them on their toes.
“Come on, Ellie,” Selena said. “Your turn. For you to stand a prayer of winning, we need to know all the intimate details of your relationship with Josh and Rex.”
Hannah laughed at the face Ellie made. “What, all of them? I’m an uptight Brit, as you keep reminding me. I can’t possibly tell all.”
“No, you’re not. You’re an honorary Yank,” Lana said.
Hannah looked around at her group of friends. Even though they teased each other, each knew that they would always have each other’s back. There was something to be said for such a small town as Spirit, being able to cultivate these types of relationships.
She was looking forward to raising their daughter here. It was a wonderful town, full of good people and good friends. They still had three months left before Kelly gave birth to their daughter, but already Wyatt and Austin were talking about which shotgun would scare off the boys. Hannah had decided to keep her part-time hours that she’d had over the summer instead of going back full-time. She couldn’t wait to bring their daughter home from the hospital and looked forward to the sleepless nights ahead. Even though she knew it would be exhausting, Hannah would cherish every waking moment.
She took a sip of wine that someone had placed in front of her, almost spitting it back out when Casey started whipping around a pink vibrator. Apparently, she was letting Ellie know what she’d be missing if she didn’t tell her story.
“Depends if you want to get your hands on these little babies,” Casey teased.
Oh my. With Casey flinging around the vibrator, it seemed as if they had everyone’s attention at the bar. Hannah giggled at seeing Doc Shep shaking his head, trying to line up a shot on the pool table. She blinked her eyes, counting more balls on the table than there should be. Hannah eyed her wine, contemplating if she’d had enough. Shrugging her shoulders, she took another sip. She’d stick with wine the rest of the evening, although maybe now was a good time to tell Shep she wouldn’t be in to work tomorrow.
“Well, in that case,” Ellie said, taking a large gulp of wine.
Hannah swung her head back around to the table, seeing that all eyes were on Ellie. She was smiling and starting her tale of hot sex. Seeing the devilish spark in her friend’s eyes, Hannah quickly took another sip of wine and leaned forward, not wanting to miss a word.
“I took a temporary job, working at Silver Lodge to help Josh and Rex plan their gala opening. Then I discovered that Josh was the guy who broke my best friend’s heart…”
TO BE CONTINUED…
WWW.PEYTONELIZABETHAUTHOR.COM
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
I currently live in the Midwest with my wonderful son and too many animals to count. I have a very supportive family, which came in handy when I decided to switch my financial career of seventeen years to writing. As most authors, I have been an avid reader all my life and have dabbled in writing since my early teens. We all have those times when reality becomes too much and we need something to lighten our hearts. The passing of my husband happened way before it should have, and I live to write the happy ending I didn’t get to have. Here’s to lightening our hearts!
For all titles by Peyton Elizabeth, please visit
www.bookstrand.com/peyton-elizabeth
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
Her Colorado Wishes [Spirit, Colorado 3] Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting Page 12
