Finding Her Strength (Sonoma #3)

Epilogue

EPILOGUE

HOPE

S creaming giggles filter up the stairs and into the library, disrupting the quiet moment I was enjoying. There are times when I miss getting to read for hours on a Saturday with no interruptions, but hearing those giggles makes the interrupted time completely worth it.

I look over at our oldest, Ryan, who sits in one of the wingback chairs next to mine. He grins at me when he hears his dad growling like a monster. He looks just like Levi with his light brown hair and hazel eyes, but he shares my personality. At six, he already enjoys reading with me, much to the annoyance of our youngest, Adalaide. She’s only four and is all Levi. An utter wild child who can make me laugh harder than her father sometimes.

“Should we go see what they’re up to?” I ask.

He nods his head, then puts his book on the table next to his chair so he can come back later. I do the same, then follow him out of the room to head downstairs.

We walk into utter chaos. Pillows are on the floor of the living room, dining room chairs are placed sporadically around the couch, and Addie is jumping from pillow to pillow screaming, “You won’t catch me, dragon!” Her brown, kinky curled hair bounces around her shoulders with each jump, making me laugh.

“What in the world is going on here?”

“Mommy! Daddy’s trying to eat me. If we step in the lava, we die!”

“Ooo. What have we here, more people to snack on?” Levi growls, turning toward Ryan.

“Run, Ry!” Addie screams, which makes Ryan jump into the fray before Levi can catch him.

Then Levi turns his attention to me. “Hmm. I see a delicious-looking mommy over there.” He wiggles his eyebrows, a salacious grin on his face saying he meant that to be dirty.

“Hurry, Mom! Before he catches you,” Ryan calls from his place on the couch. When Levi lunges, I jump onto the nearest pillow, hopping toward the kids. Levi attempts to catch us, sometimes pretending to miss the kids when they sneak by, other times, snatching them off the ground, blowing raspberries into their necks.

He catches me around the waist, biting into my neck as if he’s trying to eat me. It makes the kids laugh hysterically every time. When we’re all panting and exhausted, we fall to the floor on top of the pile of pillows to catch our breath.

“I need a drink of water,” Ryan says, jumping up from the floor and heading into the kitchen.

“Me, too!” Addie follows like she always does, leaving me and Levi lying next to each other.

Levi turns toward me. “Was that just a lot of exercise, or are we getting old?”

“Both.”

His look of indignation makes me laugh. I scoot closer to kiss him soundly. He’s still everything I ever wanted in a partner. He’s constantly showing me how much he loves me, and watching him be a dad is one of the greatest things I’ve ever experienced.

Over the last ten years, we’ve come a long way in our relationship. My trauma rarely rears its ugly head, but when it does, Levi still loves me through the panic. We’ve filled our beautiful Victorian home with so much love and laughter, I’m not sure it’ll hold it all sometimes. Our life is everything we ever dreamed it to be.

“What do you say, want to add to the brood?” he teases.

When I raise my eyebrows, a smile playing at my lips, his face drops in surprise. “I don’t think we have a choice this time.”

“Seriously?” He reaches out to place his hand on my stomach. “Are you really pregnant?”

The awe on his face has tears swimming in my eyes. All I can do is nod in confirmation.

Levi smashes his lips to mine, showing me how happy this news makes him.

“They’re doing it again!” Ryan grouses, his hands on his hips.

Levi and I both laugh at his annoyance. “And I’ll never stop, son, so you better get used to it.”

When he kisses me again, happiness fills my heart so full that it feels as if it will burst. I got incredibly lucky to find the one man willing to love me through my broken pieces. Through his love, I’ve found a strength in me I never knew I had. And with him by my side, I’ll never be stronger.

THE END

Want more from The Sonoma Series? One-click Sara’s book, Protecting Her Heart, here!

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