Epilogue
Two years later
“Vaughn!” I called, chasing VJ as he darted around the kitchen with his tiny legs, giggling with delight.
Vaughn appeared from his office, dressed in his soccer uniform, his red socks pulled high, looking every bit the athlete. He slid across the hardwood floors, a playful grin on his face.
“Yes, sweetheart?” he asked, coming to a stop near the kitchen island.
I pointed at the dirt-caked cleats sitting conspicuously on the corner of the countertop. "What is this?"
He glanced at the offending shoes, his expression sheepish. “It was only for a minute.”
I sighed, my hands falling to my hips. “A minute too long. I told you to leave them in the box I put in the foyer. Orville was going to take care of them.”
Before Vaughn could respond, VJ barreled into his legs, his little arms stretching up toward his father. Vaughn swooped him into the air, spinning him around as the boy squealed in delight. He peppered kisses over VJ’s chubby cheeks, the sight almost making me forget my frustration.
Almost.
“Put him down, you’re full of dirt,” I said as VJ’s curious eyes zeroed in on the Christmas tree Vaughn had insisted on putting up right after Thanksgiving. The glimmering ornaments were practically begging for a toddler’s touch.
Vaughn set VJ down, and our son immediately toddled off toward the tree. Vaughn turned back to me, a sly smile creeping onto his lips. “By the way, we won.”
“I have no doubt,” I replied with a smirk, picking up the cleats and dropping them into a garbage bag. I wiped the counter with a disinfectant wipe, trying to ignore the way Vaughn’s eyes followed my every movement.
He stepped closer, his presence warm and magnetic. His lips pressed against mine, firm and insistent. “Isn’t it time for VJ’s nap?” he murmured, his breath hot against my skin.
I raised an eyebrow. “It is. Can I help you with something?”
His thumb grazed over my nipple through my shirt, sending an immediate jolt through my body. “I think it’s what I can help you with,” he said, his voice low, filled with a promise.
Heat flushed my cheeks. I playfully pushed him away. “Go shower, and I’ll get the little munchkin into bed.”
Vaughn smirked, giving me one last lingering glance before heading toward the upstairs.
I watched him go, my heart swelling with affection.
Marrying him just before Christmas two years ago had been the right decision.
He had resigned from his CEO ambitions, handing over control of Ashworth to Brian Lieberman, and took on the role of president—one that allowed him more time with us.
Since then, Vaughn had transformed into the man I always hoped he could be.
The birth of our son had softened him, made him nurturing in ways I never thought possible.
In return, I felt like I had blossomed too.
Together, we’d started a few charities, and I now ran them with some of the ladies of Windmere Haven.
The whispers around town about our marriage—about me marrying my stepson—still lingered, but I learned to hold my head high. Colson would always be a memory, a part of my past, but Vaughn was my present, my future.
Scooping VJ into my arms, I carried him upstairs, his eyelids already drooping as he nuzzled against my shoulder. By the time I laid him on his bed and slipped off his shoes, he was fast asleep. I smiled, turning on the baby monitor before heading back to our bedroom.
Steam billowed from the bathroom, and Vaughn emerged, droplets of water sliding down his sculpted chest. A towel hung loosely around his hips, and he ran a hand through his damp hair.
“Did you think about what we talked about?” he asked, his voice husky.
“Another baby?” I smiled, leaning against the doorframe.
His eyes darkened with desire. “Yes. I want a little girl.”
I laughed softly, shaking my head. “It’s a consideration, though I’m getting old.”
Vaughn chuckled, stepping closer, his fingers brushing over my bare arm. “You’re not getting old. You’ll be twenty-seven soon. That’s hardly ancient.”
“But Logan and Simone are ahead of us,” I teased. “She’s almost twenty-nine, and they already have two.”
He bent down, pressing his lips against my neck, sending a shiver down my spine. “That’s because they had them so close together.”
I smiled at the thought of our rambunctious nephews, imagining them running around with VJ and—maybe one day—our little girl.
Vaughn’s hands slipped under my shirt, his palms warm against my skin as he cupped my breasts, gently kneading them.
My breath hitched, my body responding instantly to his touch.
I had never expected anyone to excite me as Colson once had, but Vaughn…
Vaughn knew how to work my body in ways that left me breathless.
He tugged my shirt off and tossed it aside, his eyes dark with intent. "Let’s practice, then," he murmured, his voice rough with desire.
I laughed, but the sound turned into a gasp as he lifted me off the ground and threw me onto the bed. The towel dropped to the floor, and in the next moment, he was on me, his lips crashing against mine, his hands exploring every inch of my body.
There was no denying it. Vaughn had become everything I needed—and more.
Vaughn settled between my legs, his breath warm against my skin. Anticipation thrummed through me as I shifted my hips. “How much time do we have?” His voice was low, already laced with heat.
I glanced at the baby monitor on the nightstand. “He dropped off right after I put him to bed. We’ve got a couple of hours.”
A smirk tugged at the corner of Vaughn’s mouth, his eyes gleaming with mischief. “Just enough time.”
These days, sex was like solving a puzzle, squeezing in moments whenever VJ’s unpredictable schedule allowed.
I couldn’t count how many times I’d woken to tiny hands tugging at the covers, or how we’d snuck away during a dinner party to steal a quick, breathless moment in the bathroom.
Despite all of that, I’d refused to get a nanny for VJ.
I worked around him, balancing my charities with motherhood.
But if we had another child... maybe then, I’d reconsider.
Vaughn’s mouth hovered over my inner thighs, teasing me with slow, deliberate kisses. I shivered as he trailed his fingers up my skin, spreading my lips with the gentlest touch. A sharp breath escaped me when his tongue finally stroked me from my entrance to my clit.
I gasped, threading my fingers through his hair, tugging him closer. It wouldn’t take long. Since VJ’s birth, my body had been hyper-responsive—orgasms quick, and multiples were my new normal.
Vaughn latched onto my clit, the suction soft but devastating. He slipped two fingers inside me, curling them just right as his thumb grazed my sensitive nub. My breath hitched, and my back arched off the bed. He knew exactly what he was doing, ramping up his efforts with precision.
“Let go, Joey,” he rasped, his voice thick with desire. “Let me have it.”
I broke, a moan tearing from my throat as waves of pleasure shot up my spine. Vaughn didn’t give me time to recover, sliding inside me with one smooth thrust. The sensation of his length filling me made me gasp, and I met his gaze, my legs instinctively wrapping around his waist.
“I love you,” I whispered, my fingers tangled in his damp hair.
He chuckled, that maddeningly cocky sound. “I know.”
I swatted his shoulder, breathless. “Vaughn!”
His grin only widened as he set a steady, delicious rhythm. “How about we take a trip after Christmas? Simone said she’d take VJ.”
I raised an eyebrow, trying to concentrate as he sank deeper inside me, stealing my breath for a heartbeat. “Simone can’t handle three kids.”
“She’s got two nannies. She can handle three.” His mouth curved into a lazy smile as he pressed a kiss to my collarbone, changing the angle of his hips, hitting that spot that left me struggling to think.
“How long?” I murmured, biting my lip as pleasure built again, an undeniable pull drawing me closer to the edge.
“A week. Just us. Somewhere warm, with tropical drinks and sunshine.” He punctuated each word with a thrust that made me whimper. “We could use a break before you get pregnant again.”
“A week away from my baby?” I gasped, the idea of leaving VJ for that long unsettling me even as Vaughn coaxed me toward another climax.
“Joey, if you get pregnant, there won’t be much time for vacations. Just say the word, and I’ll handle everything. First-class flights, five-star everything.”
I couldn’t form a coherent response. Vaughn leaned in, capturing my mouth with his, and the intensity of his movements made me shudder. I clung to him, overwhelmed by how quickly I was spiraling. My orgasm slammed into me, my walls clenching around him as I moaned into his mouth.
“That’s my girl,” he growled, kissing me through my release. I ran my fingers along his jaw, watching the way his expression shifted, the strain in his muscles as he neared his own edge. His control was unraveling, and I squeezed around him, knowing it would push him over.
He groaned, burying himself deep inside me as he found his release. I could feel his warmth fill me, and I marveled at how we got here—how I, Josephine Ashworth, had ended up with this man, tied to him in every way that mattered.
As we lay there, catching our breath, Vaughn’s phone rang. Before I could stop him, he answered it, still inside me.
I stared at him, horrified, as he held an entire conversation. His eyes sparkled with amusement, clearly enjoying the absurdity of it all.
When he finally hung up, he grinned. “That was Easton. Priscilla’s pregnant.”
I blinked. “Oh my God, seriously?”
“Yeah. Looks like all the Ashworth cousins will be at Windmere Haven schools together in a few years.”
He slipped out of me, rolling onto his side as I snuggled into him, pressing a kiss to his chest. Silence settled over us for a moment, the intimacy of it all wrapping around us like a blanket.
“Thank you,” I whispered.