Edible

Epilogue

Two Years Later

“Stop pacing. You will wear a hole in the floor.”

“I can’t help it. I’m nervous,” Rachel replied. As she looked over to her husband, she shrugged. “I don’t like hospitals.”

Cole lifted his denim-clad leg and rested his ankle on his knee.

Ever since they had arrived, a little more than thirty minutes ago, she hadn’t been able to sit still.

“Well, I’m not really fond of them either,” he pointed out, tracking her steps with steady eyes.

Rachel moved to his side and took a seat. Reaching out, she took his hand in hers and rested her head on his shoulder.

How can she be so insensitive?

It was only a little more than six months since Cole’s mother, Lydia, had passed away. While it had been peaceful, it was still such a difficult period to watch her slowly fade.

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”

Cole reached down and squeezed her thigh as she snuggled up against him.

“You have nothing to be sorry about. Today is a good day, Rachel. Today, you become an aunt.”

Rachel looked up at him as he leaned down and laid his lips against hers.

“And you become an uncle.”

Cole lifted his mouth from hers and patted his palm over his chest. “Yes, I do, and I’m ready.”

Rachel laughed, shaking her head. “Of course, you are armed with the celebratory cigars.”

“Well, Joshua was freaking out about getting the crib complete before the baby got here, so it seemed like the right thing for me to do. Mason has been so stressed out these last couple of weeks. It’s the least I can do.” Cole paused and chuckled. “Maybe I should have bought him a bottle of scotch?”

Rachel slid farther down into the waiting room chair as she took Cole’s hand. “He has been a little insane, hasn’t he?”

“I don’t think ‘a little’ covers it. Did you see the way his eyes were almost bugging out of his head when he wheeled Lena in here?”

Rachel let out a loud laugh, and when other people in the waiting room turned to look at her, she quickly covered her mouth. “The best part was when Lena told him if he didn’t quit asking her how she was, she’d order him out of the room.”

“Well, if anyone has Mason’s number, it’s Lena,” Cole said.

Rachel smiled fondly. “He worships the ground she walks on, and he acts like a lovesick dope the rest of the time.”

Cole’s eyebrow winged up as he turned his head toward her. “Is that how you talk about me when I’m not around?”

Rachel giggled and bit her bottom lip.

Two years.

She had now been Mrs. Madison for a little more than two years, and she had loved every crazy, sexy, happy, and sad moment of it.

“Nope. I tell everyone you’re obsessed with how sexy I am, and you have issues leaving the bed in the mornings because you are sooo in love with me.”

Cole slid his palm over her thigh and down between her knees, enjoying the smooth leather under his palm. “That seems accurate enough. Although, I would like to point out that it was you who would not leave our bed this morning. You were the one trying to persuade me with dirty tactics to take the day off of work.”

Leaning into him, Rachel reminded him on a sultry whisper, “You didn’t seem to mind my dirty tactics when you told me to wrap my lips around your—”

“Has it happened yet? Did we miss it?”

Rachel looked up at the interruption and stood as Shelly practically ran down the corridor toward them. Following behind his wife was Josh with their eighteen-month-old daughter, Savannah.

“Nope, not yet,” Rachel told her, moving past Shelly to reach the little girl in Josh’s arms.

Savannah was adorable in every way. With her platinum blonde curls and big brown eyes, it was obvious which part of each parent she had inherited.

“Hello, angel,” Rachel cooed as she reached out. She was happy to see Savannah give her a big, gappy smile as the toddler lunged toward her.

“Me go!” she announced, her chubby little arms reaching out to Rachel.

Josh passed her over and tapped his daughter on the rump. Rachel took her favorite little girl in her arms as she winked at Josh.

“Pwetty!” Savannah declared as she took a fistful of Rachel’s blue hair.

Josh reached out and flicked a piece of Rachel’s hair over her shoulder as he kissed his daughter’s cheek. “Pretty, for sure.”

Rachel leaned in and pressed sloppy kisses to Savannah’s cheek. “You’re the pretty one. Pretty, pretty, pretty.”

Savannah started giggling and squirming in her arms.

Josh made his way over and sat down beside Shelly, who was now currently tapping her foot incessantly beside Cole.

“How are you so damn calm?” she demanded, turning to face him.

Cole shrugged and pointed out logically, “I’m not the one giving birth.”

Rachel couldn’t help the snort that escaped her as Shelly narrowed her eyes on Cole and shook her head.

“Typical male answer delivered in a typical lawyer tone.”

Cole had become quite used to Shelly’s mouth, and instead of taking offense, he nodded and pointed out, “One could say yours is a typical woman’s reaction, but then one would be accused of being sexist.”

As Josh chuckled, Shelly turned her head quickly to pin him with narrowed eyes. “And I suppose you agree with that?”

Josh leaned back in the seat and stretched his long denim-clad legs in front of himself. He crossed his work boots over and stretched his arm out behind his wife. “Hey, I didn’t say that, Georgia. As far as I’m concerned, you have every right to be nervous for Lena. You’ve been through this all before.”

“And got an angel in return,” Shelly replied as she lovingly looked toward her daughter.

“Kiss ass,” Rachel piped up.

Josh looked over at her and let his eyes move to his daughter before bringing them back to Rachel’s. “Uh, do you mind not cursing around my little girl? I would prefer she grow up a lady.”

Rachel glared over at the man who was as much her brother as the one currently waiting for his first born to be delivered. “I’m a lady.”

Shelly scoffed, “Out of the bedroom?”

“Well, definitely not in it,” Cole added, giving Rachel a wicked smirk.

Standing, he made his way over to where she was swaying back and forth with Savannah, who had rested her head down on Rachel’s shoulder.

“Really, Madison? Keep that to yourself, would you?” Josh complained. “She’s practically my little sister.”

Cole ignored his friend as he reached Rachel and the gorgeous little girl in her arms. Rachel looked up into his eyes, and as he raised a hand to run it over Savannah’s hair, he gave Rachel a smile so warm that she felt it all the way down to her toes.

“I like how you look right now,” Cole admitted.

Rachel raised a brow in silent question.

“With a baby in your arms, you look very—”

“Very?” she pressed, feeling her heart start to beat a little harder.

He was about to answer when the waiting room door flung open, and a weary-looking Mason walked toward where they all stood and waited patiently.

His black hair was all over the place, like he had been running his hands through it several hundred times, and his shirt was buttoned incorrectly.

When he finally stopped in front of them, Rachel stood frozen, waiting for whatever news he was about to deliver.

Surely, if it were bad and something had happened to Lena, he would be crying and be unable to come out here.

What the hell is wrong with me? This is giving birth, not open heart surgery.

Just as that thought crossed her mind, Mason’s face finally broke into a smile so wide that it looked like it was going to fall right off his face.

Rachel felt Cole’s arm come around her waist as Mason continued beaming at them.

“Well, spit it out, Mase,” Shelly finally piped up.

“He’s speechless. Leave the man alone,” Josh joked as he hugged Shelly in close.

As Mason looked at them all, he nodded, and Rachel could see tears welling in his blue eyes.

“Lena and Catherine are both beautiful and perfect.”

There was silence for a moment, and then—

“Hell yeah! Another girl in the group!” Rachel hollered with a little wriggle, making Savannah sit up and pay attention.

Moving in close to her brother, Rachel leaned up and kissed the cheek he offered.

“I’m so very happy for you, Dad,” she told him with a wink as she pulled away. “Full name?”

“Catherine Carly Langley.”

Mason pulled Rachel and the baby in close and hugged them tightly as he kissed her on the head. He whispered, “I’m destined to be surrounded by women, and I’m so happy I can’t even think right now.”

When he let her go, Rachel took a step back and watched Josh step forward and offer his hand. Mason reached out, shook it, and pulled his best friend in for a hug.

“Pretty amazing feeling, huh?” Josh asked him.

As Mason let him go, he turned to Shelly and nodded. “Yep, have to say, you women are pretty damn incredible.”

Shelly stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing his cheek. “You better believe it. It helps that we have wonderful men in our lives. We can’t do it all on our own, you know.”

Mason chuckled as he let her go, and Josh pulled his wife in for a hug and kiss.

“Thank God for that. Half the fun is in the doing.”

As they all started to laugh, Mason turned to where Rachel was standing beside Cole.

Cole held out his hand to him in congratulations, and Mason took it in a strong shake before he tugged him in and hugged him, just as he had with Josh.

“Congratulations, Mason.”

As Mason thumped him on the back, Rachel’s heart warmed when she heard her brother reply, “Thanks, brother. I appreciate that.”

As they parted, Mason pushed his hands into his jeans. “So, how about it? You want to come and say hi to the new woman in my life?”

Everyone answered, “Of course.”

As Mason turned and started down the hall, Josh and Shelly followed behind, and Rachel turned to Cole as she hugged Savannah to her.

“I love you,” she told him, once again finding it incredible that she had almost overlooked him.

“I love you, too,” he replied. As he glanced at the child in her arms, his eyes took on a look of affection.

As they made their way down the hall and into Lena’s hospital room, Rachel couldn’t help but remember a moment years ago when Cole had told her that he was exactly what she needed. It was a relief to know that he had known what she couldn’t see, and as she stood in the hospital room, being introduced to her brand-new niece, she knew that this was home.

There would never be a moment where she would ever feel alone again because the people in this room, each and every one of them, were her family, and she was the luckiest person in the world to be loved so very well and so very much.

As she handed Savannah back to Shelly, she gave her a quick kiss and whispered, “I have to go and meet another little angel, but I’ll be back.”

Shelly and Josh smiled at Rachel as she turned and walked around the bed to where Lena was sitting up with baby Catherine in her arms. Mason was on the bed beside them, and when Rachel reached him, she felt tears gathering in her eyes. Stopping beside her brother, she placed a hand on Mason’s shoulder and looked over at the sweet pink bundle in Lena’s arm.

“Do you want to hold her?” Lena asked, offering her to Rachel. “Aunt Rach.”

Taking the swaddled baby into her arms, Rachel pulled her in close and looked down into the perfect little face, and somewhere deep inside her, she truly felt that her mother and father were in the room with them.

Turning to face the man standing in the corner of the room, Rachel rocked the baby as she moved toward him. She kept her eyes on the small bow lips and the black hair that was peeking out from under the pink hat.

When she reached Cole, she looked up at him with tears falling down her cheeks. “Isn’t she perfect?”

Cole reached out and brushed a tear from her cheek as he looked down at the tiny baby in her arms. “Yes, she’s absolutely perfect.”

Rachel blinked watery eyes and whispered, “I want one.”

Cole grinned and leaned down to kiss her quick. “Me, too.” He lifted his head and reminded her softly, “But you can’t keep that one.”

With that soft reminder, the entire room began to laugh. Rachel pouted and turned to face Lena and her brother, who were sitting on the bed watching her.

“Well, I don’t know about all of you, but I think it’s time to pass on a family tradition.”

Everyone stared at her as Rachel began to hum and then started to sing, “I’ve got sunshine, on a cloudy day—”

As everyone joined in, singing the ode to girls everywhere, Rachel felt the love in the room grow. That was the moment when she knew she would not have changed one thing on her journey to right now.

This was her life, this was her truth, and not one person could have ever convinced her how perfect it would all be.