Epilogue
EPILOGUE
THREE YEARS LATER
“ T his is fucking awful.”
Joan lay on her side on the couch, cradling a pillow and leaning over a trash can. She thought she’d gotten past the nausea, but her heartburn blazed so violently she’d still gotten sick. She was heavily pregnant with twins, a boy and a girl. Apparently twins ran in the family. Wyatt and Jenny had already offered some of their hand-me-downs.
“I know, babe. I’m sorry.” Lucas pushed her hair back.
“You don’t know, though,” she said. “I hate it so much. I’m never doing this again.”
“You don’t have to.” He moved down to her feet and lifted them into his lap. “This can be it. We’ll love these kids so much.” He started to massage her feet. “And just think, only a week left, hopefully.”
“I’ll be so glad to be done with this godforsaken process.” She rubbed her rounded belly. “I can’t wait to meet them, though. It’s the only positive thing here. That, and when we finally see them, they’ll no longer be taking up residence in my body.”
He grinned at her. She would never tire of that, she thought. It’s like he smiled with his whole body. It made her happy even in the depths of her misery.
“We’ll have words about how they’ve been making you feel. I plan to have a stern talk with them.” Lucas kept rubbing her feet and calves.
They’d taken their time getting pregnant. They’d had a huge wedding, of course, with all their friends and family present. It suited them, having a big party for everyone they knew. They only dated for a few months before getting engaged, because Lucas couldn’t wait any longer. He’d been down on one knee when she got out of the shower one day. They’d enjoyed being married for over a year before trying to have kids, and she was glad they’d had the time with just the two of them.
After moving to northern Kentucky for his coaching job, they’d ended up moving back to Louisville for a head coaching opportunity at another private college. She started working at her old job again, where they welcomed her. Addie had taken a charge nurse position there.
“What do you think they’ll be like?” She settled into her pillows, moaning softly when he hit a tender spot. They played this game a lot, trying to imagine their children, and it seemed surreal that the moment was almost upon them. They couldn’t prepare for everything, and she knew better than to have expectations—her brother Ben had taught her to understand how different individuals could be—but she had fun speculating.
“They’ll be perfect, no matter what.”
She lay there feeling sleepy, wondering if she might rest there for the rest of the day, when a distinct rush of liquid covered her pants.
“Hey, Lucas?”
“Hmm?”
“I’m pretty sure my water just broke.”
His eyes widened.
“What? You’re serious?” At her nod, he catapulted off the couch. He muttered to himself as he retrieved her bag from their room and she hauled herself off the sofa, which hopefully wasn’t ruined. It would have been comical if not for the seriousness of the situation.
“It’s okay,” she told him. “I’m okay.”
He raked his hands through his hair, one after the other.
“I’ll get the car.”
They made it to the hospital quickly. It was January and they were in the middle of a frigid stretch of weather, so it was only fifteen degrees out. Lucas covered her with a blanket before he walked around and opened her door.
“I can make it from here to the door without a blanket, babe.”
He wouldn’t stop hovering over her, though, so she decided to let him.
The twins were born at eight o’clock that evening. Joan felt like she’d been through battle, but now that it was over, she couldn’t believe what she’d done.
She and Lucas each held a twin. Tears streamed down Lucas’s face, enough that Joan asked him if he needed to set the baby down for a moment.
“No,” he said, sniffling. “I just can’t believe I’m a dad.” He stared at the bundle in his arms.
Their families waited outside, but for that time only the two of them and their children occupied the room. Lucas’s gaze flicked up to hers. His tears slowed, but his eyes remained red rimmed.
“You did great. Amazing.” He leaned over to kiss her, careful not to jostle the baby. “I love you so much.”
“I love you too,” she said. “I would not rate the whole pregnancy and birth experience highly, but I’m so glad they’re here.”
Lucas smiled at her. “Yeah, me too.”
The text she sent Maria, Gwen, and Kendall later was simple.
Welcome to the world Benjamin and Julia!
She knew long days lay ahead, but as she and Lucas settled in for the night at the hospital, she wasn’t thinking about that. She was thinking of their promises to each other and how, after all their time together, they loved one another without reservation, despite the messiness of life. She’d once worried about what romance would do to them, and she was happy to report that even though he was her husband, he was still her best friend.