Page 67 of Forever After All

“That’s not exactly true, brother,” Carter says to Sawyer, pulling a small black velvet box from his pocket.

With confusion I furrow my eyebrows a little. “We decided not to exchange rings, Carter. What is this?”

“A surprise.” He smirks at me, opening the small box to reveal a rose gold and black diamond wedding band and engagement ring set.

I audibly gasp. The sparkling large black diamond of the solitaire engagement ring is framed by the wishbone style wedding ring, that has smaller black diamonds set all the way around the band.

“Carter what did you do that for?” I ask, trying incredibly hard to stifle my growing smile.

“I got you the wedding ring because it was like you. There’s nothing else like it and it stands out the most.” He reaches in to brush my cheek with the back of his fingers.

“Carter, it’s so beautiful,” I chirp.

“I got you the engagement ring because I never should have proposed without one. You deserve everything. Youareeverything, Alice.” As Carter speaks, I feel my bottom lip wobble just a little, and I take deep breaths to prevent myself from crying like a baby.

“But I didn’t get one for you, and now I feel guilty. I should’ve got you a ring.” I play with my hands a little as he frees the rings from the box, taking my hand to put them on to my finger, holding the rings steady at my fingertip.

“I don’t need a ring, princess. I’ve got you forever, so I wanted something permanent.” As Carter slides the rings over my finger, a small tattoo on his finger becomes visible. An intricate letterAis inked into the space on his finger where a ring would be with a tiny black diamond underneath it. “Besides, we’ve both got a black diamond now.”

I shake my head a little, but I cannot hold back the giant smile that cracks across my face.

“You’re fucking crazy,” I whisper loud enough for only Carter to hear.

“Fucking crazy about you? Yes.” He grins. “Can I kiss her now?” Carter asks his brother.

“You can kiss her,” Sawyer confirms with a huge smile.

My husband pulls me in to kiss me and reaches down to touch my stomach.

"I love you so much. You’ve given me everything I’ll ever need," he whispers into my mouth. "Thank you for making me a daddy."

Epilogue II

Alice - Five years later

It is a beautifully warm day in Autumn's yard, celebrating what wethinkis Jed's tenth birthday. Autumn didn't know how old he was when she adopted him but gave him a birthday and stuck to it.

Ten years of this sweet, little old man. He still chases people, still fervently gets the zoomies, and is still the most intuitive, loyal dog you've ever met. Jed now just comes with a powdered sugar muzzle, some achy bones, a little more sleep, and a lot more willingness to ignore you when you ask him to do something.

Jed and our daughter became inseparable immediately after she was born. The first time he met her, at three days old, it was love. He sniffed her tiny toes through her little booties as she rocked in her bouncer and rested his head at her feet. Never taking his eyes off her as she cooed. It set the tone for their bond.

It couldn't be any more fitting that they became their ownlittle duo. Our lives are now more or less theEmma and Jed Show. Carter, Autumn, Sawyer, and I are just along for the ride.

"No, Mummy!" Emma yells in her hybrid English-American accent. "Stop telling me what to do! That's mean." She backs away from me before giggling with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Emma Autumn Green, come here right now," I shout across the yard at my daughter, scowling at her, as she pokes her tongue out at me as she runs away, tearing after Jed. "That attitude is going to be the death of me," I say to my husband.

"Really?" Carter laughs, looking me up and down. "You're kidding?"

"What?" I ask with mocking bewilderment. My poor husband was shit out of luck when he met me, then had a kid with me who turned out to be…well…me. He had no hope in hell of having a quiet life ever again.

"Where do you think she gets that attitude from, princess? Because it ain't her daddy." He laughs again, and I feel personally attacked.

"He has a point, Ali," Autumn agrees. Her dark hair blowing in the breeze as she lines pupcakes up on the table for Jed and pulls a bowl of seasoned meats from the cooler ready for the crackling barbeque. She looks up to shoot a grin at me, and I frown at her in jest. "But I'm glad she's got an attitude like hermummy. She won't take shit from anyone."

"Excuse me, you'remybest friend, remember." I flip Autumn the bird and laugh. "Stop siding with him."

Watching Jed and Emma run around together fills my heart with so much happiness. Carter and I talked very often about getting our own dog. I've wanted a German Shepherd since I was a young kid and dreamed about having one. But Emma came along, and our priorities changed, so we stopped visiting the conversation. Jed feels like he is as much mine as he is Autumn's.

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