EPILOGUE
Wyatt waved at Avery as she took to the podium to give her valedictorian speech. She’d been nervous for weeks about speaking in front of the massive crowd, but he knew she could do it. She could do anything she put her mind to. Graduating a full year early and going to medical school was a testament to her determination and dedication.
Once she started talking into the microphone, she was grace under pressure, and her warm, soothing voice echoed over the field. She spoke of a hopeful future for the graduation class. Whether it be going into big business or a humanitarian pursuit, she told everyone to follow their hearts and make a difference in the world. When she finished, a thunderous applause erupted.
The procedure
of handing out the diplomas began. Wyatt took a deep breath when they called his name. As soon as he crossed that stage, it would be official. He’d be a college graduate. Well, actually he’d be the recipient of a blank piece of paper that was a good faith gesture until the real one arrived in the mail. He took to the stairs and waited for his cue. He looked out at the crowd. There was no mistaking
where his family was located. He thought it was miraculous how the Blakes and Jamisons were able to commandeer blocks of space wherever they went for an event. From school plays to Isabelle’s performances with the symphony, they’d be there in their glorious solidarity cheering a family member on. That’s what he loved about being in that wacky environment. When he’d reconciled with Bo, he’d become
a part of the Blake and Reed families. And being part of those families was what led him to Avery.
It was also nice to see his father, Buck, in the audience with his new girlfriend, Glynis. And they were sitting next to his mom and Bo Sr. He’d been uneasy for weeks about his dad coming to town and seeing Bo Sr. again with his mom. But the last week had been absolutely civil. When Buck and
Bo Sr. were finally in the same room together, the two men shook hands and had a long talk. Oddly, his mom had seemed perfectly comfortable being in the company of the two men she’d loved most in her life. Buck thanked him for taking good care of Wyatt and Corbett when they visited. Bo thanked Buck for always being so nice to Bo when he’d visited them as a child. The adults agreed that it was a
crazy situation, but the end result was that the three brothers had connected again. Buck and Bo Sr. shook hands on that.
“Wyatt Connelly.”
Hearing his name being called shook him out of his reverie. He walked across the stage to wild applause and cheers from his family in the audience. He shook the man’s hand and posed for the picture, then followed the yellow tape back down the stage.
That was easy enough. Now for the hard work to begin. The last half of the school year was a lot less stressful after he’d declared that he still needed time before settling down with a career. But he still wasn’t allowed to slack off. He’d be interning at Blake Enterprises while working at the Bright Star until he found something that grabbed his attention. He smiled, thinking about Avery’s
comment about being an odd duck. Teri-Lyn had told him that he and Tyler were diamonds in the rough. There was still some polishing to do before he shined.
“Avery Reed.”
The announcer called Avery’s name, and Wyatt stood and whistled. He knew it was against the rules, but he was so damn proud of her. They’d spent a lot of time together since they’d announced they were an item at her
birthday party. He thought that now that they were a couple, those jittery feelings he had whenever he saw her would abate, but they hadn’t. That sweet megawatt smile made his heart flutter. The touch of her hand in his made his body stir. Over the past few months, they’d redefined intimacy while waiting for the right time to make love. A wave of applause brought him out of his heady daydream. They’d
finally called the last name. As the students completed the ceremony with the placing of their tassels on the left side, commencement finally ended, and he was ecstatic. He waded through a crowd of excited fellow graduates and found her. He scooped her up into his arms and lifted her off the ground.
“We did it!”
“We sure did.” She giggled while she tried to adjust her cap.
“I
couldn’t have made it without you.”
She laughed. “Does this mean I get your degree when it arrives in the mail?”
“My mom has dibs on it.”
“I’m so proud of you, Wyatt.” She caressed his face.
“I’m proud of you too Dr. Reed.”
She rolled her eyes. “We have years before anyone calls me that.”
“I’ll be the first one to say the words.”
He could see the family
charging toward them in the distance. It was party time. There was going to be a huge celebration at the ranch.
* * *
Avery held her glass, waiting for her Uncle Channing to finish his toast. He was one of the many people who’d said a few words about her and Wyatt this afternoon. Her dad made a moving toast but couldn’t finish before bursting into tears. Her mom tried
to finish for him then she started crying too. Finally, Charisma stepped forward and completed the speech for them. She was the only Reed who’d been able to keep her composure that afternoon. And there were a lot of Reeds on the ranch, including Great-Grandma Reed.
She knew the family was thrilled for them. Like her mom said, it was an exciting time in their lives. Her dad had calmed down
tremendously since the bar fight incident. She’d been doing the community service and had been on her best behavior ever since. He’d even took the news about her and Wyatt pretty well. He’d had his own private talk with Wyatt one day during their visit to Philadelphia. They’d sat in the yard talking for hours, and she’d been dying to know what was said. Neither Wyatt nor her dad would say what they’d
talked about. After pleading with her dad, he did finally tell her that he and Wyatt had come to an understanding about what he expected from the man who was dating his daughter.
Pretty sure the final toast hadn’t been made, she couldn’t wait to make her announcement. She’d made her official gracious toast an hour ago. But this one was about independence and her new living arrangements.
Bo was next in line to make his speech, but she butted in before he could start.
“Bo. I’m so sorry. Can I say something really quick before your speech?”
“Sure, Avery. Go right ahead.”
“Everyone. Can I have your attention?”
The room quieted.
“I want to say again that I love everyone in this room and appreciate the support you’ve collectively given me. I know med school
will be tough, but I fully intend to immerse myself in my studies so I can one day be a fine doctor. In an ongoing effort to be a responsible adult, I’ve decided that, like college, I’ll need a place of my own. That’s why I’ve decided to get an apartment with Parker.”
“That’s a great idea,” Seth said. “Do you know where you want to live?”
“I don’t know.” She looked at Parker.
“We were going to look over the summer,” Parker added.
J.J. folded his arms like he did when he was negotiating a deal. “We want you to be safe. Why don’t you stay at one of the condos? The other unoccupied units on the floor are owned by the family.”
“J.J.,” Bo tried to interrupt.
“One second, Bubba,” J.J. replied. “You’d have your own place but would be living right down the
hall on a secured floor from family.”
Parker raised an eyebrow. “That depends. What’s the rent on a multi-million dollar condo? We don’t want any handouts.”
“We can work out a reasonable rent for you ladies.” J.J. smiled.
“Still.” Avery straightened up. “We’d like to pay a fair amount.”
“How about two dollars a month?”
“We’ll take it,” Parker blurted out.
“John
Jacob and Teri-Lyn, I hope you don’t mind if I keep my room,” Avery said. “I’ll still be coming to the ranch as much as I can when I’m not flying home to visit my parents.”
“Of course, sugar.” Teri-Lyn beamed. “I won’t change a thing.”
“Then it’s settled,” J.J. said, turning to Bo and patting him on the back. “Bubba, you have the floor.”
“I was just going to give Wyatt his graduation
present. It’s an investment in his future, and I hope he likes it.” Bo dug into his pocket and produced a shiny brass key. “Congratulations kid, you’re the owner of one of the condos down the hall.”
“Are you serious?” Wyatt’s mouth gaped open.
“I never lie about real estate. It’s our present to you.” Bo slipped his arm around Summer’s waist. “I think you’d make a respectable neighbor.”
“Sweet!” Wyatt grabbed the key and sauntered over to Avery. “Looks like we’re going to be neighbors.”
“There won’t be any sugar borrowing or anything else,” her father huffed.
“We could post a Regency staff member on the floor twenty-four hours a day,” Seth replied.
“What about motion detection and cameras? It would easy to—”
“Nobody’s putting any spying devices anywhere,”
Morgan chimed in. “We’re going to leave these two alone while they’re pursuing their dreams.”
“Morgan’s right,” Alicia said. “Or was all that stuff you said in your speeches a bunch of crap?”
Teri-Lyn cleared her throat. “I think someone else in here has some big news to share.”
Everyone looked around the room, waiting to see who had some exciting announcement to make to the
family.
When no one answered, John Jacob spoke up. “Teri, maybe this is enough news for today.”
“I don’t think so.” Teri-Lyn put her hand on her hip. “So nobody’s going to claim the pregnancy test I found in the bathroom?”
The expressions on the faces in the room ranged from stunned to thrilled. Avery tried to recall the last few days. Which one of the women in her life had been
acting out of character lately? She’d have to diagnose symptoms in the future, this was a good time to investigate. But when the eyes began to burn holes at them, Avery and Parker responded in kind.
“It’s not mine,” the two new roommates said at the same time.
When the commotion started around the room, Wyatt grabbed Avery’s hand and headed toward the kitchen. That
was their thing now. When things got too hot in the house, they’d ditch out and find a quiet place to talk. Avery took his hand, but she stopped and looked around the room. The kids were huddled in the corner like they were plotting something. It was time to get them some fresh air too. She went over and joined the group.
“What’s going on?” Avery said.
“Nothing.” The fact that they
all answered at the same time was a big red flag. From her years of babysitting them, she could read this brood like a book. Right now they just looked plain bored.
“Let’s go outside and get some fresh air.”
“Yeah!”
They ran for the patio door.
Wyatt held out his hand for high-fives as each little one burst outside like they’d been freed from jail. When it was Mackenzie’s
turn, she reached out for him instead, and he happily picked her up. Looked like she had competition for her boyfriend’s affection. But Avery didn’t mind. The kids loved him, which was a plus. Avery motioned for Parker to join them, so she went over and tried to wrangle toddlers Owen and Gabe from their moms. Once the kids were playing on the labyrinth of a jungle gym in their grandparent’s backyard,
she took a seat at the patio table with Wyatt.
He held up his key. “I can't believe it.”
“You’re a full-grown adult. You own real estate.” She giggled.
“It was an awesome gift. And also an investment in the future.” He looked into her eyes.
“I like that.” She ran her hand through his hair.
“What I don’t like is you living so close to Riley.” Wyatt put Mackenzie down
so she could run over to Parker and get fastened into a swing along with Gabe and Owen.
“Riley and I parted as friends. He knows how I feel about you. Besides, Riley kind of has the hots for Parker.”
“He does?”
“Yeah. When they’re in a room together, you can practically cut the tension with a knife.”
“That may explain why Parker always has her hand on her service weapon
when he’s around.” He glanced at her and raised his eyebrows. “I have to warn you. Corbett may be visiting often.”
“What’s been going on with him and Anna Beth?”
“I don’t know. He’s been pretty tight-lipped about the whole thing.”
“And I should warn
you
. My place is going to be a parade of people checking up on us for absolutely no reason.”
“Soon the condo squad will be
having their own babies. They’ll be too busy to butt into our business.”
“I love you, Wyatt.”
“I love you too, Princess.”
Teri-Lyn poked her head outside and said it was time to sit down for dinner. The kids stampeded back into the house with Parker’s help. Avery took Wyatt’s hand and led him back into the living room. The owner of the pregnancy test still hadn’t confessed. Maybe
there was something to Teri-Lyn’s theory about passing the baton of happiness at special occasions. She was sure whoever had bought the pregnancy test was thrilled about the possibility of bringing a new life into the world. Gabe and Owen were ambling around and Mackenzie was doing pretty well with keeping up with the other kids. The family was growing again.
Her mom and dad were having
a good time. She looked forward to taking a family vacation with them in the summer before she started school. The revelation that she’d almost had a sibling still lingered in her mind. She’d been grateful her mom had talked with her like an adult that day. It opened a line of communication that deepened their relationship. She’d loved being a daddy’s girl, but her relationship with her father was
evolving too. Still, there was nothing like the loving, reassuring embrace from Robert Reed. She was convinced he knew magic. Grandma Sydney said the magic was the unconditional love and devotion he had for his daughter.
She was embarking on a new adventure, and in the end she would be a doctor. She looked forward to buckling down and learning and spending time with Wyatt. He was talented
in so many ways, she knew it was only a matter of time before he found a profession that suited him. But it was important that he knew why he was doing it. She knew he’d thought about what she’d said about his natural knack for communicating and he was now considering public relations as a career.