Epilogue Two
JACKSON
TEN MONTHS LATER…
Walking into the house, I close the front door behind me with a smile.
I hang up my coat, slip out of my shoes, and follow the sound of happy giggles upstairs. As usual, I hurry upstairs to greet my beautiful family.
Matilda, our little girl, is in the playpen in our bedroom with her favorite toys.
“Hey, sweetheart,” I say, lifting her and kissing her cheek as I breathe in her scent. “Where’s Mommy?”
I joked to Ellie that it looks like we have her in a cage, but Tilly is always happy when she has all her dolls and toys close by, and Ellie can have a quick shower or use the bathroom without worrying about her getting into trouble.
With one thumb in her mouth, Tilly points a wet-looking finger toward the partially open bathroom door.
I grin at her. “Smart girl.”
When I come home from work, Ellie is usually outside in the backyard playing with Tilly or in the kitchen cooking dinner. It’s unusual for her to be upstairs like this, though.
“Can you come in here, Jackson?” Ellie calls out.
Concerned by the strange note in Ellie’s voice, I take Matilda with me, smiling as she rambles incoherently.
I push open the bathroom door and halt when I spot Ellie, face pale, sitting on the toilet with the seat down.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, rushing over to her.
She lifts up the object she had on her lap.
I stare at it and shake my head. “No.”
“Yes.”
“But we just had—”
“I know,” she cuts in, staring at me. “But it’s like the universe decided to unplug me or something.”
I can’t help but laugh. “Unplug you?”
“Yeah.” She gets to her feet and walks over to me.
Grinning, I kiss her. “You’re being surprisingly accepting of this. How many tests did you do?”
“Seven.”
I lift my brow. “A touch overkill, don’t you think?”
“I wanted to be sure.”
I wrap my arm around her. “I’ll make an appointment for a blood test and take the day off to go with you to see Dr. Jaegar.”
“Yeah?” She grins up at me.
“Absolutely.” I take in my beautiful wife and my baby girl. My life is so full. So perfect. “I don’t deserve this.”
She kisses me. “You do. We all do. I think it’ll be a boy this time.”
I chuckle at her confidence even though she was wrong before. “Don’t care. Boy, girl, green alien with giant eyes and antennae.” I raise my right hand, fingers extended, mimicking antennae for Tilly and making her giggle.
Ellie laughs. “Green alien?”
“Yup,” I grin. “How about I take two of my favorite people out for dinner? We’ll hit the diner where I fell in love, and Tilly can try her first shake.”
“A burger and shake with two of my favorite people?” Ellie beams at me. “Best. Idea. Ever.”
The End.