Epilogue
A udra woke up, shifted, and checked the bassinet beside the bed. It was empty, and for a split second, she panicked before she saw movement out the corner of her eye.
She could just make out her husband’s shadowy form in the dark, seated in a chair in the corner and holding their son.
She moved again, wincing and making a sound in her throat when pain shot through her.
“You okay, baby? You need anything?” Damon asked.
She had given birth two days ago, and he was consistently attentive. “No, I’m fine. You’re holding Junior again?”
“He made a noise, so I checked on him. I didn’t want him to start crying and wake you up. He stopped whining when I picked him up.”
“He’s going to be so spoiled.”
“Nothing wrong with that,” Damon said. “Now I understand why you used to stare at Kerilyn. I can’t stop staring at this kid.”
With her eyes adjusted to the dark, Audra could see Damon better as he gazed down at the bundle in his arms.
“I’m never gonna hurt you,” he promised in a whisper.
Her heart seized with pain. Damon’s abusive upbringing often crossed her mind. She had grown up in a loving household, and her heart broke thinking about the trauma he had endured.
“What time are your parents coming in the morning?”
Dena and Chadwick were coming to see their grandson in person, though they had already been bombarded with plenty of photos and videos—courtesy of their doting son.
“Their flight lands at ten. I’m going to meet them at the airport.”
His parents were going to stay at a hotel nearby. With Audra, the baby, and Kerilyn in the condo, they didn’t have space for his parents, which prompted Damon to start looking for a bigger place. They discussed buying a property with a big yard for their future five kids to run around in.
He continued to hold their son for a little longer and then finally placed him in the bassinet on Audra’s side of the bed. A handmade teddy bear with a bejeweled bow sat on the table, one of several gifts from Monica, who was over the moon at becoming an aunt again. Her sister had playfully told her to keep the teddy bear nearby to watch over their son, and Audra adhered to her request.
Damon climbed in bed beside her. “Are you good?”
“Always, when I’m next to you.”
She closed her eyes, content in the knowledge that she was loved. Her parents didn’t kill her when she announced her second pregnancy, and Kerilyn had been excited about becoming a big sister. The first time she saw her little brother, she cried happy tears. The transition from the mansion to Damon’s condo had been a drastic change, but she was now fully adjusted with her stepfather loving her the way she’d always craved.
Audra had gotten everything she wanted, and she looked forward to a happy, magical future with the man she loved.
* * *
Read more about Audra and Damon and their family, years in the future, as they work toward their happily ever after in Audra (Family Ties, book 3).