SWNOVELS Chapter Downpour: EPILOGUE
Seven Months Later
I smoothed my hands over Ray’s shoulders, working the baby oil over his muscles. “Are you excited?”
He gave me a sheepish smile in the reflection of the dressing room mirror. “A little nervous.” His eyes were soft. “You sure you’re okay with this?”
I slid onto his lap and laughed as I poured a little more oil into my hand to coat his chest. “Of course I’m okay with it.”
“Brooke—”
I rolled my eyes. “Remember that time we went out to Maren and I took my top off and rode that mechanical bull? You’re still clothed.” I glanced down at the snug pair of men’s briefs he had just put on. “Well, mostly clothed.”
His eyes dropped to my cleavage. “Trust me. I remember everything.”
The last six months had been filled with falling into a routine and figuring out our new lives together, but I wouldn’t have had it any other way.
“How’re you feeling?” he whispered as he slid his hand up my shirt and rested it on my stomach.
I let out a shaky breath. “A little nervous about tonight.”
Two pink lines had caught us both by surprise a few weeks ago. After the initial shock had worn off, excitement and anticipation set in.
Ray was going to be the best dad.
“Don’t be,” he said softly. “They’re gonna be fucking ecstatic for us. Have you eaten?”
I rolled my eyes. “Yes. I’ve eaten today and thrown it up.”
“You better watch your attitude, Sunnyside,” he teased. Ray tucked a curl behind my ear. “Want me to send Marty to get you something to snack on?”
“I’m good. I threw a granola bar in my bag before we left the house.”
Ray reached for his phone. “I’m gonna have him go get—”
“Babe, I’m fine. Today’s about you.” I eyed the stuffed thing on the dressing room vanity. “Are you really supposed to shove that thing in your underwear?”
He laughed. “Yeah. It’s no big deal. I’ve done it before.”
My baby daddy—the underwear model.
Ray stole one more kiss before wheeling away from the mirrored vanity with me on his lap. “But I don’t think I’ll need it today.”
I laughed and slid off of him. “You better think some cold shower thoughts, or you’ll be flashing everyone when your dick gets hard and pops out of those underwear.”
“I can keep it under control,” he promised.
“Really? Because you did this.” I pointed at my stomach.
Ray backed me up against the vanity with his wheelchair and slowly lifted the hem of my shirt. “Yeah I did.” Pride and satisfaction filled his voice as he dotted butterfly kisses across my stomach.
A knock sounded at the door, startling us both.
“Mr. Griffith, Andre is ready for you on set,” an underpaid yet chipper lackey said from the other side of the door.
I grabbed the robe that was hanging on the coat hook.
“Thank you,” Ray called out as he put the robe on backward so he didn’t have to lift out of his wheelchair.
Like everyone, Ray had good days and bad days. He still went to physical therapy a few times a month, but had started doing most of his exercises at home. He had outfitted his truck with hand controls and drove himself around most of the time. Therapy, both physical and mental, had helped.
There were still days filled with storms of anger, but sunshine always followed.
I followed Ray onto the photoshoot set and politely elbowed the assistant out of the way when she reached for his robe.
I held the fluffy fabric to my body to keep my heart from thumping out of my chest as lights flashed for test shots.
He was sinfully sexy with wet, tousled hair, neatly trimmed stubble, and a lazy smirk on his face.
Bree and Gracie had come down to the house that morning to color in his tattoos for luck. They had only colored a few, but it meant the world to all three of them to have their Uncle Ray back.
I chewed on my fingernail and clenched my thighs as Ray slumped casually in his wheelchair and draped his arm over the back of it, opening his body to be photographed for the ad campaign.
He flicked his eyes at me and licked his lips. I could read the devilish thoughts racing through his mind. I could still feel the ropes twisting and twining around my body.
The photographer called out for him to change poses. Everyone was patient as Ray readjusted his legs, lifting one off of the footrest to stretch out on the floor. He cupped the back of the opposite knee and drew it up so his foot was resting on the edge of the wheelchair seat.
Oh… That wasn’t a bad view.
My heart raced as he looked off into the distance and tangled his hand in his hair.
The camera shutter raced as the photoshoot flew by. I was fascinated by the computer screen off to the side that showed each black and white shot lining up in real-time.
It was incredible how the shift of Ray’s mouth or the flick of his gaze could change the mood of the photo. Some were casual and relaxed. Some were playful, with the corners of his eyes crinkling as he laughed.
Others were devilishly provocative.
When the shoot ended, I handed the robe to Ray and crossed my arms protectively over my stomach. I watched as the father of my child interacted with people with joy in his eyes.
He had never looked sexier.
“You know, we should probably think about getting you a bigger vehicle,” Ray said as we made our way to his truck. He opened the passenger door for me, then wheeled around to the driver’s side.
I put his wheelchair in the back while he got behind the wheel. “Why’s that?”
Ray shrugged as he cranked up and waited for me to get buckled. “Your car’s small. A carseat in my truck will be a pain in the ass. We should get a minivan.”
A bark of laughter escaped me. “A minivan?”
“Yeah. Why not?” He pulled out onto the highway. “We’re gonna have a baby. It just makes sense.”
“We’re just having one baby, unless you know something I don’t know.”
He snickered. “I’m serious, Brooke. We should go ahead and do it. We’ve talked about wanting a lot of kids.”
Those conversations had always been hypothetical until I missed my period.
“In the future. Not today or tomorrow or in nine months,” I pointed out.
“In the future,” he conceded.
I couldn’t help but stare at him as he drove us back to the ranch. “You’re excited about this aren’t you?”
His grin was infectious. “It’s the best thing that could have happened.”
Vehicles and animals were clustered around the front of Claire and Silas’s house when we pulled down the drive. We were a little early for dinner, but that had never stopped us before.
Besides, I was starving and I was certain Ray’s mom would have something sweet tucked away in a Tupperware container.
My stomach lurched as soon as my flip-flops hit the grass.
“Baby—” Ray looked at me from the driver’s seat with concern. “What’s the matter?”
I grabbed his wheelchair out of the back. “Just nerves.”
“I told you,” he said as he got down into his chair and shut the door. “They’re gonna be excited.”
“Easy for you to say. You’re one of them.”
As much as the Griffith family made me feel like one of their own, Ray and I were still dating. I wanted to believe that they would be excited, but the pregnancy hormones were making me insecure.
Especially when Ray didn’t say another word.
I was surprised to see everyone already piled into the kitchen when we went inside. Dinner wasn’t supposed to start for another half hour.
My stomach roiled as everyone said their hellos and asked how the photoshoot went. Ray kept me close with an arm around my hips or his hand holding mine.
Finally, when the food had been doled out and everyone was seated, he cleared his throat.
“Before we eat this delicious dinner Momma cooked, Brooke and I have something to tell y’all.”
He found my hand under the table and gave it a squeeze, just like I had done to him during the first family dinner we came to. A smile worked across his face as he looked at me.
“We’re having a baby. Brooke’s pregnant. I’m—” He choked up as tears welled in his eyes. “—I’m gonna be a dad.”
The simultaneous gasp must have sucked all the oxygen out of the room.
Then, a crash of cheers and congratulations spilled over like a dam breaking.
Ray’s mom bolted around the table and threw her arms around me. “Oh, honey. I’m so excited. You’re gonna be the best momma.”
I couldn’t stop the tears from falling. “Thank you,” I whispered into her shoulder.
Silas was next, squeezing me tight. “You’re gonna be great, little momma.”
I sobbed.
Nate, Christian, and CJ came around with gentle hugs, then rearranged all the seats around the table so they could pepper Ray with questions. Becks and Cassandra did the same to my side.
“I have tons of Charlotte’s baby stuff packed away in the attic,” Becks said. “We won’t be using it again, so it’s yours if you want it.”
Cassandra’s excitement was less effusive, but not lacking in sincerity. “I’ll organize all of Becks’s hand-me-downs and compile a spreadsheet of what’s available so we can reconcile the inventory with what you still need. Do you have a registry yet?”
I laughed and wiped my eyes. “No. We just found out. I’m not that far along.” It dawned on me that the table wasn’t full. “Where are the girls?”
“Mason took Bree and Gracie out to a movie,” Cassandra whispered, trying not to spook Christian. “They should be back soon.”
“That’s sweet that he took Gracie too,” I said.
And, speak of the devil, Bree and Gracie made their grand entrance, along with the boy Christian had begrudgingly come to accept.
Bree dipped behind my chair and slipped something into Ray’s hand.
A hush fell over the table like summer showers filled with sunshine. Ray turned and took my hand.
“I know we surprised them, but now I’ve got one more surprise. And before you ask, I had this planned well before we found out about the baby.”
Oh no. The tears were back.
“Brooke, you saved me. You brought me back to life in ways I will never be able to repay you for. You sat beside me at this table and you held my hand when I needed your strength. And I promise you, if you’ll let me, I will spend every last breath I have trying to give that back to you. You are gracious and good. You’re hardworking and optimistic. You’re kind and loving. And goddamn, you’re beautiful. And I can’t think of a better person to be the mother of my children. But more than that, I can’t think of a better person to be my wife.”
Nate pulled back Ray’s wheelchair while Christian and CJ helped brace his arms until he was down on one knee.
He had asked them to do this. To be a part of it.
The diamond ring was blurry through my tears, but I felt its weight as Ray slid it on my finger.
“Will you marry me?”
I was a blubbering mess as I nodded and wrapped my arms around his neck. “Yes, yes!” I kissed him again, though I couldn’t stop laughing or crying. “All of my yeses are yours.”