Love Rents A Room
Chapter 240: Epilogue (II)

Chapter 240: Epilogue (II)

It was summer, and Joanne was in the kitchen, preparing lemonade for the children. The house buzzed with life, filled with laughter, squeals, and the occasional chaos that came with a home full of kids. Jeffrey’s efforts had certainly paid off—they now had five children, the youngest a boy too.

Unfortunately for Joanne, no amount of wishful thinking could override their genes. Each child was a different shade of redhead, from fiery copper to soft strawberry blonde. Even little Frederick, just over a year old, had a crown of ginger curls and a temper to match.

She had built the house of her dreams on the meadow where the old pond used to be. Sprawling over an acre, the McMansion reflected her every aesthetic desire, with touches of Jeffrey’s input woven in thoughtfully. Their bedroom was her favorite—designed so that they could wake each morning to the view of the old oak trees, standing like sentinels beyond the balcony.

That day was unusually hectic. Frederick had a mild cold, which, for a one-year-old, was enough to keep him fussy and sleepless. Meanwhile, their other children were outside, running wild with their cousins. Robert’s sons were in for their annual summer stay, as they loved the freedom of the farm. Liam’s children had joined them too—his eldest boy, a pair of twin daughters, and another little son. Between the lot of them, the estate echoed with noise and delight.

To an outsider, it might’ve looked overwhelming. But for Joanne, this was joy. Every summer, her spirit lifted with the sound of sticky feet on hardwood, the scent of sun-warmed hair, and the music of pure, unfiltered childhood. Her home wasn’t just walls and rooms. It was alive—with memory, with laughter, with legacy.

As she stirred the lemonade, she glanced out the window. Philip was in his usual chair on the porch, his eyes twinkling with mirth. Jeffrey sat beside Liam, sipping whiskey, and Robert leaned back with a smile, the four men watching the chaos unfold in the yard.

The boys, when together, were pure menace. Turn your eyes for a second, and they’d find themselves in danger no adult could have imagined. Still, Philip adored watching them, especially from that spot on the porch. Age had slowed him down, and his health had its challenges, but nothing lifted his spirits like being surrounded by generations that came after him.

That afternoon, Robert was animatedly recounting one of Joanne’s latest exploits—how she had shown up unannounced at a company office, posing as a client instead of the CEO’s wife. She inspected, questioned, and by the time she left, heads were rolling.

"She didn’t say who she was," Robert laughed, shaking his head. "The operations manager was stammering like a schoolboy. She left them trembling."

Jeffrey just smirked, pride glowing beneath his cool demeanor. "She never liked excuses."

Liam chuckled. "That’s why she gets things done."

Robert leaned back, still shaking his head in disbelief. "Five kids. And she still has time to run circles around the entire management. Honestly, she scares people more than either of us."

And it was true. Joanne had a presence—a quiet regality that demanded respect without raising her voice. She could command a room in heels and a fascinator or command a kitchen in an apron and bare feet. There was no version of her that wasn’t powerful.

Robert glanced at Jeffrey, admiration etched into his face. Only a truly strong man could stand beside a woman like that. And Jeffrey didn’t just stand beside her—he celebrated her. Their love was a partnership, a power shared, not one dominated. They were equals in strength, different in form.

And looking at them, Robert thought—yes, they were the perfect match.

Jeffrey noticed Joanne’s phone ringing on the counter. He called out to her, but she didn’t hear him—too focused in the kitchen, pouring lemonade for the children with that soft hum she always carried when her heart was full.

He picked up the phone.

And then... he froze.

"Is something wrong?" Philip asked, immediately reading the shift in his grandson’s expression.

Jeffrey’s voice dropped, heavy and grim. "It’s Sam’s wife... Gina. She’s been in an accident. It’s serious."

Philip’s face darkened with concern, but he only nodded and gestured toward the kitchen. "Go. Tell her."

Jeffrey walked to her slowly, her phone still in his hand, the weight of what he had to say anchoring his steps.

Years ago, Sam had taken Joanne to court, questioning the legitimacy of her inheritance. But she had stood tall, proving the truth with grace and unshakable integrity. And though Sam wasn’t pleased then, time softened him. He met Gina—a kind, grounded woman—and through her, he began to change. He worked, he loved, and in time, he returned to Joanne, remorseful and raw.

When he married Gina, Joanne gifted them a house in town. A symbol of forgiveness. Of moving forward.

Then came the diagnosis—an aneurysm, silent and cruel. Joanne spared no effort in trying to save him, seeking the best doctors, the rarest chances. But fate didn’t bend. He passed away when their daughter, Ava, was barely a year old.

And now... Gina too was gone. A hit-and-run. A drunk driver. A tragedy that came too soon, too harshly, for a little girl who had already lost too much.

Joanne rushed to the hospital with Jeffrey by her side, but despite everything they did, Gina succumbed to her injuries. The funeral was quiet, overcast with grief. Joanne stood in the cemetery, her arms wrapped around the crying child—Ava, who clung to her without truly understanding the depth of her loss.

Jeffrey watched as tears streamed down his wife’s face. He knew this sorrow intimately. Joanne had once been that little girl—alone, bewildered, without parents. And he knew... in that moment, she had already decided.

She looked at him, her eyes wordless but certain.

And he nodded.

They would raise Ava. Not out of duty. But out of love.

A few weeks later, when they signed the adoption papers, Joanne turned to thank him. Jeffrey shook his head gently.

"You never have to thank me," he said. "This is who you are. And I love who you are."

Joanne hadn’t changed—not through war, not through motherhood, not through empire-building. She had always given more than she received. She gave knowledge, safety, second chances. She had turned pain into purpose. Wealth into legacy. And now, she’d turned grief into family.

And Jeffrey? He was proud. Proud to stand beside her. Proud of the life they built. Proud of the love that never faded.

They had five children by blood, and now one more by heart.

And as the sun dipped low behind the oak trees beyond their bedroom balcony, laughter echoed from the yard again. The children were playing barefoot in the grass, the wind lifting the sound like a song.

Joanne stepped outside, holding Ava’s hand. Jeffrey kissed her. He knew their kids would accept Ava as they shared their mother’s kindness.

And they did. Joanne got the daughter she wanted, and their kids got a little sister.

-----

On their twentieth anniversary, Jeffrey woke up to find the other side of the bed empty. She was already awake. Of course, she was.

With his old camera slung around his neck—the one that had followed them through decades—he stepped into the morning light and walked toward the barn. And there she was.

Always there, where she found peace.

And just like that, he remembered the first time he met her—her red hair catching the sun, wild and radiant, her smile confident and untamed. That fire-red hair had softened with time, tinged now with streaks of silver. But to Jeffrey, she looked the same. Her body had changed over the years, sure, but she remained, in every glance and every kiss, the most beautiful woman in the universe to him.

Every time they made love, he thanked the stars for the miracle of loving her and being loved by her.

His eyes drifted toward a patch of clover near the fence line. And there it was.

A four-leaf clover.

Somehow, whenever he needed one for her, he always found it. She never did. And perhaps that was the secret—she didn’t need one. Joanne Smith didn’t need a lucky charm. She was the luck. The Midas in his life who turned everything she touched to gold.

He walked to her, lifted the camera, and clicked.

She turned at the sound, and her smile, after all these years, still stole his breath.

"For my Lady Luck," he said, handing her the four-leaf clover.

She took it in her fingers, delicate as ever. It was just a leaf, but to her, it meant everything. His gift.

She remembered the first one he gave her—the day they met, when he arrived as a paying guest, lost and uncertain. That man had needed help. She had offered him shelter.

And yet, somehow, he had become her home.

He had helped her in ways she never dared to dream.

Because the first thing he helped her find... was love.

She once believed she didn’t need a man’s love. Worse, she thought she didn’t deserve it. But Jeffrey Winchester proved her wrong.

She thought a "useless" Jeffrey had rented a room in her house for the summer.

But in truth?

Love rented a room... in her heart.

And it never left.

"She gave birth," she said, nodding toward the mother goat resting in the hay.

Jeffrey tilted his head, impressed. "Did you help her?"

Joanne simply smiled, that serene smile of hers. "Yes," she said, stepping into his arms. She rose on her toes and kissed him. "Happy anniversary, babe."

"Happy anniversary," he whispered, and deepened the kiss.

When they finally pulled apart, their eyes soft with laughter and years of history, Joanne started to speak. "I need help with—"

But he didn’t let her finish.

Just like that day long ago when they were barely more than kids, he responded instantly:

"As you wish."

That had always been their rhythm—she, who rarely asked anyone for help, could ask him for anything. And he, once an irresponsible drifter, had found purpose in loving her and doing everything he could for her.

This was their love story.

A story that never truly ended. A legacy passed down through their children, through the numerous lives they touched, through the kindness they sowed and the strength they shared.

This is the story of Joanne and Jeffrey—two souls who weren’t supposed to find each other, but did. Who fell in love at first sight. Who built an empire, a family, and a lifetime together.

A story that began the day love knocked on the door...

And rented a room.