Epilogue

Cheyenne

~Two Years Later~

The heavenly aroma of cinnamon permeated the air as I pulled a large tray of buns from the oven. I glanced out the floor-to-ceiling windows that occupied one wall of my kitchen.

Four cruise ships were expected in port that day, which meant thousands of tourists would wander past my bakery.

The sun crept up behind the vast mountains, offering hope for a beautiful summer day ahead. It was only four in the morning.

But it was Alaska. We didn’t have darkness in the summer, just a few hours of twilight.

After I completed my internship in Las Vegas, we’d moved to Juneau for a quiet life surrounded by mountains and trees. We built a spacious log home just outside of town on a large parcel of land.

I opened my own bakery. It was everything I’d ever dreamed of and more. Abe did freelance photography work and helped out with the business side of the bakery.

I braced my hand on the counter and rubbed my aching back. It was becoming a challenge to stand for hours in the kitchen and bake. But I would never admit that to Abe. He was an overprotective goofball.

I cried out when a sharp pain tore through my pelvis.

“Are you okay, Cheyenne?”

I glanced up at my assistant pastry chef. “I’m fine, Amelia. Just Braxton-Hicks contractions. Nothing to get excited about. Please don’t say anything to Abe. He freaks out about everything.”

“I know,” she laughed. “He’d package you up in bubble wrap if he thought he could get away with it.”

“Yes, he would.” I winced as another contraction sliced through my womb.

“Cheyenne, you’re not okay,” she said. “I’m getting your husband.”

“That’s probably a good idea,” I moaned as fluid poured down my legs. “I think my water just broke!”

“Oh my God!” she shrieked.

“Can you please find Abe?” I asked as I lowered myself onto a chair.

“Yes!”

I shook my head as she tore out of the kitchen. She reappeared a moment later with Abe on her tail. He rushed over to me. “Oh my God. Are you okay? Your water broke? How far apart are the contractions?”

“Yes, yes, and close together!” I cried, bracing for another contraction. “We should probably go to the hospital.”

***

“He’s adorable. Absolutely perfect.” I gazed down at my son as he slept peacefully in my arms. “Looks just like his daddy.”

“You think so?” Abe asked, peering into the blanket.

“Oh yeah. He’s all you.”

“Well, we better get started on making him a sister who looks like you.”

I snorted. “Very funny.”

“What?”

“I just pushed a nine-pound kid out of my vagina. Nothing is going in there for a while.”

“I didn’t mean right now, silly. I just ~watched~ you push a nine-pound kid out of there. Those images will need to fade considerably before I get reacquainted with that part of your body.”

“Abe!”

“I’m just joking, babe. Watching you give birth to my son was the most amazing thing I’ve ever witnessed.”

He slipped into the bed next to me, wrapping his arm around my shoulders as we watched our baby boy sleep. I rested my head on his shoulder.

“Thank you, Cheyenne.”

“For what?”

“For falling in love with me and showing me that I was capable of having something my parents never did: a happy marriage and a family.”

“I’m glad we got our happily ever after.”

“Me too.”

“The End”