Unexpected Inheritance

14

A few weeks after the wedding, Miranda found herself sitting in her clinic, organizing her schedule for the week. She noticed a shift in the way people greeted her—where they once called her Dr. Bailey, now she was getting the occasional "Dr. Warren." At first, she thought it was a mistake or just one or two slip-ups, but it became more frequent.

It wasn't that she was upset by the name. After all, she had taken Ben's last name in her heart the moment they married. But she hadn't told anyone to call her Dr. Warren, and she certainly hadn't made any announcements about changing her professional name.

One day, after hearing it yet again at the general store, Miranda finally brought it up to Ben.

"Why does everyone keep calling me 'Dr. Warren'? I never told them that was my name."

Ben chuckled, leaning against the counter "That's just how folks are out here. Traditional. Woman marries a man, they assume she takes his name. You can correct them all you want, but they'll just keep at it."

"Well, I suppose I'll just have to get used to it."

Ben chuckled, walking over to kiss her cheek. "You're Dr. Bailey to you, to me, and to everyone outside of this town. But here? You're Dr. Warren now. So yeah, I'd say get used to it."

Ben couldn't help but grin as he went about his days. Married life had surprisingly given him a sense of peace and purpose he hadn't expected. He was used to the quiet, solitary life in his cabin, but now that he had Miranda—and Tuck—by his side, he felt like he was part of something bigger. Something he didn't know he was missing until it was right in front of him.

The mornings were different now. He no longer had to wake up to an empty kitchen, no longer had to make coffee in silence. He'd wake up to the sound of Miranda bustling around, her soft humming as she moved about the house, getting ready for the day. Sometimes Tuck would be up, already half-dressed and ready for school, his energy filling the house with a warmth Ben didn't know he needed.

And when Miranda would look over at him, sometimes with a tired smile, sometimes with one of those knowing glances that only she could give, it made his heart swell in a way he couldn't quite explain. She'd catch him staring at her, and instead of being irritated, she'd just give him a quick peck on the lips, like it was just another normal part of their routine.

Tuck would roll his eyes whenever Ben wrapped his arms around Miranda in the kitchen, teasing, "Y'all are worse than teenagers."

At work, things had settled into a rhythm as well. Helping out around the house and the land with Tuck, assisting with odd jobs in town, and still doing a few handyman projects for folks who needed it. But now, he wasn't just Ben the handyman. He was Ben, Miranda's husband. There was a certain pride in that.

Even Tuck had started to call him "Pop" more often, and Ben knew it wasn't just a slip of the tongue anymore. Tuck was starting to see him as more than just the guy his mom was married to. Ben felt like he had earned that spot—earned the place in Tuck's life where he mattered.

There was something about the new title—husband—that gave him a quiet confidence. He'd never thought of himself as the marrying type, yet here he was, feeling more alive than ever. He had a family. A partner. And a future with them.

Marriage hadn't changed who he was, but it had given him something he didn't realize he needed—a sense of permanence. A sense of belonging. A life where, no matter what the day brought, he knew at the end of it, he'd have her.

One evening Tucker pulled up to the house, the tires crunching on the gravel driveway. He was here to pick up Tuck, and Ben was outside, finishing up some work. As he walked over to the truck, Ben waved, nodding in greeting.