Drilled by K.M. Neuhold
Epilogue
2 YEARS LATER
RIDGE
“Leave that, it’s fine,” Apollo says, plucking the pillow out of my hand that I’m in the middle of fluffing for the tenth time in the past twenty minutes.
“I just want everything to be perfect,” I huff at him.
“We built an entire house from the ground up. That’s impressive even if every pillow in the place is flat as a pancake.” He gives me a hard kiss, which manages to do a good job of convincing me of his point. Or maybe it’s just that even after two years of marriage, I’m still so stupidly in love with Apollo that I’ll let him convince me of just about anything.
Potato meows, rubbing up against my leg to get my attention.
“These cats are a bunch of cock-blockers,” Apollo complains, and I roll my eyes at him.
“Excuse me, but you’re the one who let Logs get into the habit of sleeping on your pillow,” I remind him.
He grumbles something that’s difficult to make out, and I just laugh, brushing one more kiss over his lips before slipping out of his grasp and fluffing the pillow just once more, ignoring his groan in the process.
“I hear the pitter-patter of little children,” I sing-song when the thunder of Anna’s kids' footsteps echoes up the front steps.
Apollo goes to answer the door, and I’m right behind him, excited to welcome our family into our newly built home for the first time.
Hugs are exchanged, and the kids immediately start testing out the bounce of the sofas while we give everyone else a tour of the place. We stop outside an empty room that’s right next to our bedroom that we haven’t managed to agree on yet. I’m pushing to build shelves and catwalks to make it a kitty retreat, while Apollo thinks we should do something boring like a home office. Boo. Stupid. We’re this close to compromising on a home theater, but I’m going to make him give me a couple more blowjobs before I cave on the negotiations.
Of course, we don’t share any of that with his family, giving them a quick peek and then moving on to the next stop on the tour.
“That empty room wouldn’t be for a nursery, would it?” his mom asks in a way that sounds like it’s meant to be subtle, but is anything but.
“We’re not planning on any kids,” Apollo says.
“Well, how am I supposed to know? You got married without telling anyone. For all I know, you’re planning to bring a baby home tomorrow and you’ll let me know in a year or so.”
I snicker, and Apollo sighs. She’s never going to let us live that one down.
“No kids, Mom,” I echo his answer. “But maybe another cat or two.”
“No,” Apollo says flatly, and I smile widely. “Fine, just one.”
“None,” he insists.
“We’ll talk about it.”
He grunts, and I ease off on the teasing. He’s too fun to rile up, and that’s more his fault than it is mine at this point.
When we finish the tour, he takes his family into the living room while I slip into the kitchen to check on the pot roast I have in the oven. I give Kevin a quick scritch behind the ears when I pass him, perched on the kitchen counter, and then grab my oven mitts to check on dinner.
I close the oven and reset the timer, turning around to find Apollo leaning against the kitchen doorframe, a subtle grin on his lips.
“Enjoying the view?” I ask with an arched eyebrow.
“Always.” He straightens up and strides into the kitchen, snagging me around the middle and yanking me close.
I wrap my arms around his neck and rest my forehead against his, just sharing the same air for a few heartbeats. I spent so many years imagining what it would be like to have Apollo back in my life, begging whatever deity or benevolent force in the universe might be willing to make it happen. And now that I have him in my bed every night, sharing a life, arguing over whose turn it is to scoop the litter box or make dinner, laughing and kissing and getting lost in each other as often as we can…it’s so much better than I ever managed to picture.
I love every scowl and growl, every hard-won smile and laugh, every touch of his hands and his mouth, every single second of our lives together.
“I love you,” he murmurs as if he’s reading my mind, pressing a quick kiss to my lips.
“I love you,” I say back, nibbling his bottom lip.
“We should jump in the car next weekend and just drive, see where we end up,” he suggests, and I nod, bumping our noses and foreheads together.
“Sounds perfect. Absolutely perfect.”
*****
THAT’S THE END, BUT YOU CAN CLICK HERE FOR A FULL SERIES EPILOGUE FOR ONE LAST VISIT WITH THE BEARS. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ENJOYING THE SERIES, AND KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR THE BIG BULL MECHANICS SERIES PLANNED TO START IN 2022!
