EPILOGUE
Eight years later.
“Sweetheart,” a voice whispered in my ear. A familiar voice that, even after all these years, had the power to tug my heartstrings and play it like he did his guitar.
“Hmm,” I mumbled, lulling back to sleep.
“You’re burning, beautiful. Let’s go inside.”
My hands rubbed over my swollen belly, and just then, a little kick punched through it.
I blinked my eyes open and was immediately blinded by the scorching sunlight, but a shadow formed over my face as Jay stood over me.
“Hey there.” He smiled, and damn, he still took my breath away. That man looked like he hadn’t aged a day over his twenties. If not for the faint creases in his eyes and slight graying of his hair on the sides, no one would’ve guessed. He was shirtless, looking absolutely delicious with beads of sweat dripping over his chiseled muscles as the sun shined over him. He must’ve just finished his workout.
“Hey.” I smiled brightly. “When did I fall asleep?” I yawned, stretching out in the soft grass. Strawberry looked up, nuzzling her nose at the side of my belly, and I petted her head—my baby had grown up so much over the years, but she was still my active little girl.
“A while ago,” Jay answered me. “I don’t want you burning. Come on, let’s move you to the shade.”
And before I could say anything, he swooped me off the ground, bridal style.
I’d been reading a book by the pool and had no clue when I fell asleep. But can you blame me? I was eight months pregnant, and my brain felt frayed most of the time.
“Jay, I weigh a whale, if not more,” I muttered, holding on tight to him.
“You’re carrying my child.” He gave me a look that left no room for argument.
I sighed. It wasn’t like he was going to listen anyway.
“There you go.” He settled me next to him in our favorite spot, under the willow tree in our backyard garden that stretched for acres before fading off into the woods. This property was magical, and I was sold the moment I saw this tree and the daisy fields toward the edge of the forest.
“Thank you.” I sighed, leaning over the tree as I placed my head on his shoulder.
“You good?” he asked, kissing my forehead.
“Yes,” I mumbled, looking over the view of the back of our house while Strawberry dropped to her belly down beside me, waggling her tail. She got a little too protective of me whenever I got pregnant.
We moved back to Bellevue a few years ago, wanting to settle down our roots here. As did the rest of the band. So we all purchased our very own area of paradise on the outskirts of our town and built our dream home .
And it was perfect for our family.
The French door at the back of the house burst open and a scurry of activity shuffled our way.
“There goes our moment of peace,” Jay muttered, but his eyes told a different story as they watched our kids run toward us.
Within seconds, we were swallowed up by a sea of tiny arms and legs.
Ewan, the quietest and our fourth, was the first to hug me, “Hey, Mommy,” he whispered, before squeezing himself beside Strawberry, and she moved, knowing he wasn’t going to leave anytime soon. He was Mommy’s favorite and never left my side.
“Hey, baby, did you have a good time with your cousins?” I asked, stroking his silky black hair. He and our eldest, Elijah, were the exact carbon copy of their daddy.
He nodded, rubbing my belly.
“Daddy,” a blur of pink and glitter screamed before she landed in her father’s arms. And Jay’s entire face transformed as he held our third, Jaelyn. We decided to keep the same initials within our family but named all our boys in ‘E’ and our girls in ‘J’ instead.
“Hey, princess.” He kissed her cheek, adjusting the lopsided crown on her head. “Did you miss Daddy?”
She nodded, grinning. “Yes.” She was the most dramatic one in our family, and her obsession with pink didn’t stand even close to mine. Her dad kept spoiling her despite my word, but she had him wrapped around her pretty little finger.
“Good, princess,” he told her before leaning over to ruffle Ewan’s head. “Hey, buddy. You good? ”
Ewan gave him a small smile. “Yes, Dad,” he said, cuddling closer to me. My Ewan was a man of few words. He was more intelligent and mature than the kids his age, hell, even me at times.
Through my side-eye, I watched Elijah and my second son, East, trudging our youngest, Jasmine, between them as they both held each of her hands. While their dad spoiled Jaelyn, the boys were a tad bit more protective toward our youngest. From her dark brown hair to her soft brown eyes and interest in picture books rather than toys, she was a mini-me.
“Hey, Dad, Mom.” Elijah hugged us both before stretching out on the lawn in front of us. My eldest was his father in every way when it came to his personality and looks, except for his musical talent. Instead, he was interested in art like his aunt Lily. It drove Jay crazy for months until East picked up his first guitar and learned to play in a matter of weeks. That seemed to satisfy Jay that at least one of our kids inherited his music genes. My second was a perfect mix of us both; he had my hair and nose, his father’s eyes and lips, my personality and heart, and his father’s talent and height.
East fist-bumped his dad before carefully setting Jasmine on my lap, who blubbered, “Momwie,” as she gave a toothy grin.
“Hey, beautiful.” I smiled, rubbing my thumb along her plump, rosy cheeks. She was so soft and adorable as I cuddled her close to me.
“Let me.” Jay’s eyes shined as he pulled her away from my lap. “Hey, little star,” he whispered, rocking her in his arms as his lips broke into a wide smile.
Jasmine’s eyes glowed upon seeing her daddy. “Dawie.” She laughed, slapping her tiny fist on his cheek. “I loub you. ”
Jay swallowed, his eyes brimming with adoration. “Well, Daddy loves his little star more.”
And that only made her giggle harder.
Their interaction made Jaelyn pout, and that brat switched tactics and finally made her way to me, but East got to me before her.
“You can’t do that,” she screamed, pointing an angry finger at him.
“Try me.” He poked his tongue out, hugging me tight, which only angered her more.
“It’s my mommy,” she shouted before latching onto his arm. Her tiny face scrunched as she tried to pull him away from me, but he wouldn’t budge.
Elijah started laughing as East held me tighter, and Ewan didn’t even bat an eye at them.
“East, stop,” Jay reprimanded, giving him a pointed look. “And you, princess, stop that. You’ll hurt your mom; she’s carrying a baby.”
Jaelyn folded her arms, tapping a finger. “Mom’s always carrying a baby, Dad. It’s all she does. It’s boring. I don’t want another sister or brother.”
I had to school my face to stifle the laughter waiting to spurt out of me. According to Jaelyn, she should’ve been the only daughter so she could have her father and me all to herself. I still had no clue from whom she inherited all that sass.
“Oh, don’t give me that attitude. You don’t get to speak to your mother like that,” Jay scolded, trying hard to keep a straight face. “You will apologize right this second, young lady. ”
All the fight left her as her little lips wobbled and her eyes glittered with unshed tears. Jay was her soft spot. One harsh word from him and she would cry.
And I didn’t even have to look at his face to know how much it broke his heart to see her cry because she was his soft spot too.
East moved aside as Jaelyn crashed into me, sobbing. “I’m sorry, Mommy.”
I soothed her, wiping away her wet cheeks. “I know baby. You’re my little princess, and we love you.”
“You promise?” She hiccuped.
“Yes.” I smiled, kissing her cute button nose.
“Okay,” she mumbled, burying her face in my neck as I brushed her sandy blond hair. To say I had a mini coronary when she came out of me with a tuft of blond hair was an understatement.
I smiled to myself as my mind drifted back to the day I gave birth to her.
“Fucking hell, Jay. I’m never giving birth again. You hear me?” I screamed in his face. “I can’t do this anymore,” I cried. I thought I would get used to the pain of giving birth after two children, but I was sorely mistaken. It only hurt worse this time.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart,” Jay whispered, pushing the sweaty strands of hair stuck to my face. “You can get through this. You’re so strong.” He held my hand. His face pinched in distress.
I sobbed as another wave of pain hit me, sending a shock through my spine. “I can’t, I’m so tired. This is all because of you.”
“That’s it, Evelyn, push, one more. Come on, you can do this.” The doctor encouraged from between my legs, and I did with all my might, but it still wasn’t enough.
“One more hard push.”
Jay’s lips pressed to my forehead, as I squeezed his hands panting hard. “You can do this.”
I took another deep breath and pushed with everything I had at the next contraction.
And I gasped as the intense pain dulled, and within seconds, I heard a cry fill the room.
My eyes rolled back in exhaustion; Jay held me tight, whispering how proud he was. My eyes blinked open and locked on his blues, and he smiled, brushing a kiss on my lips.
The cries in the room halted the minute the doctor handed Jay the baby. His eyes watered as he gazed at her before carefully laying her on my chest, and my baby blinked at me as I held her.
“Meet our daughter.”
My eyes widened as I took in the sandy blond hair stuck to her crown. She had my nose, his lips, and my eyes, but where the fuck did the blond hair come from?
I knew my paternal lineage was questionable, but everyone else in my family were brunettes and all the Jamesons had pitch-black hair. A new wave of anxiety thundered through my heart as I swiped my gaze to Jay was grinning at our girl who blinked at him curiously.
“Jay, I swear I didn’t cheat on you.” For some weird reason, that was the first thing that popped out of my mouth.
His grin dropped as he slanted his eyes toward me. “What?” He gaped.
The nurses gave me a weird look, and embarrassment spiked in my veins as my cheeks heated.
“She has blond hair,” I whisper-shouted, shooting a frantic gaze toward him. “How is that possible? I was with you the whole time, so I have no idea how this happened.” My eyes swam over her features again, and my heart melted when her browns met mine. God, she was so beautiful. I got lost in her for a second before snapping my gaze back to Jay, who still hadn’t answered me.
Jay’s lips twitched as if he was fighting hard not to laugh as his eyes filled with mirth.
“What?” I narrowed my eyes at him.
He scrubbed a hand over his face, laughing. “You,” he said, leaning in and stealing my lips in a long, hard kiss. “God, I love you. And yes, I know you didn’t cheat, Evelyn.” His gaze softened as he glanced at the bundle in my arms. “My uncle Stephen had blond hair. That exact shade.”
“Oh.” A sigh of relief whooshed through my body.
“Yeah.” He chuckled, offering a finger to our daughter, who curled it around her tiny fist, and tears rolled down my cheeks.
He smiled. “What do we call her?”
“How about Jaelyn Marie Jameson?” I asked softly. “It’s Jay and Evelyn together.”
“I love that.”
Jay tugging for my attention, brought me back to the present. He mouthed, “Help me” while gesturing to the sad little princess in my arms.
“Pony,” I mouthed back, and hope filled his eyes. He carefully handed Jasmine back to me, who was drooling over her tiny fist.
“Princess,” Jay mumbled, softly gripping Jaelyn by her shoulders. “Come here.”
“No, Daddy.” She pouted, shaking her head. “I’m mad at you.”
“I know, baby. How about I make it up to you? We’ll go see the ponies tomorrow. You can even pet your own. ”
“Really?” she squealed, all her previous sadness disappearing. “We can really go and see the ponies tomorrow?”
“Yes.” He grinned, holding out his arm. “But only if you give Daddy a kiss.”
“Yay.” She jumped into his arms, kissing his cheek.
I shook my head at those two, about now I was used to this. Every single day, Jaelyn would do something to upset her daddy, and he would get mad. They would have an argument, she would cry, and Jay would bribe and coax his way out of it.
A gentle breeze swayed through the air as I held my baby close to me.
I once had no one, nothing in my name, yet now I had a family.
A family that I created out of nothing but love.
It was late evening by the time we retired back to the house. Cleaning up after five kids was no joke, but I enjoyed every second of it, and I knew it was going to get more crowded when our sixth one arrived.
No feeling in the world could compare to when my children called me mom and ran around the house with their little giggles, filling it up with joy.
I was running on no fuel by the time we put them all to bed. It was Jay’s turn to read bedtime stories to the girls, so I kissed my boys to sleep, tucking them into bed. No bedtime stories for them because, according to them, they were cringe.
I softly shut their door and padded through the hallway upstairs. Our home was big enough to fit us all and had a few extra rooms, but it wasn’t large enough to feel like a mansion with more empty space than people .
I didn’t want that.
I wanted our home to feel like home, cozy and full of love, and my man gave me exactly what I asked for.
I walked through the bookcase filled with copies of all the books that I published throughout the years. My first book became a massive hit within a year of publishing and also charted a few bestseller lists.
I definitely slowed down after learning I was pregnant with Elijah, but I still managed to publish four more. The creative spark still burned alive within me, and I was currently working on my sixth novel, but I was in no rush. I wanted to savor every moment of my life because Jay and my children were a lot more important to me than my job.
Jay and the boys were no longer active in the industry. They still released albums but didn’t go on tours or attend events or shows. They only decided on that a year ago—the boys wanted to focus their time on their families and still make music leisurely.
“And then the princess kissed the prince, and they lived happily ever after,” Jay’s soft storytelling voice hushed through the room. Just hearing his voice sent tingles through my body. His deep, velvety-rich singing voice only became more pronounced and deeper as he aged, and I loved hearing his voice, especially when he got lost in pleasure, grunting, and moaning when he made love to me.
I leaned against the doorframe of our daughter’s very pink room. Little Jasmine was already asleep in her crib—Jaelyn, as much as she wanted to be our only child, secretly requested that Jasmine stay with her until she was old enough to take care of herself. She loved her sister even though she didn’t like to admit it.
“Daddy, when do I get to kiss the prince?”
I stifled a laugh as I watched Jay stiffen. He looked ridiculous like a large, looming monster in her frilly poster bed.
“You will do no such thing, princess,” he firmed.
“But, Daddy, I want to kiss Aaron. He’s my prince charming; I know it.”
Jay cursed under his breath, and I knew he was trying so hard to keep his cool. “Remember, boys are bad, and my princess is better than that, and that little brat doesn’t deserve you.”
Aaron was Katy’s eldest, who was as broody and as mysterious as his dad. My little princess took one glance at him and decided that he was her prince. And that didn’t sit well with her daddy, at all. And now he was mortal enemies with an eight-year-old who didn’t even spare a glance at my daughter.
I watched as Jay whispered something in her ear that made her giggle, and before he could read her another story, she dozed off. A warm look crossed his eyes, and he tucked her in, kissing her forehead before checking in on Jasmine, making sure she was doing okay.
At the end of the day, he walked toward me with the same smile he had all those years. He kept his promise. Every single moment of our life, he loved me unconditionally, and I never once doubted him.
He softly shut our daughter’s bedroom door and leaned toward me. “I swear I love our children, but I think they will be the death of me,” he groaned, gathering me in his arms, and I melted like a puddle under his touch.
“I think it’s just the one who gives you trouble.” My chin dug into his chest as I tilted to meet his eyes. “You spoil her too much.”
“I know.” He sighed, his gaze softening. “But can you blame me? That kid got her mommy’s eyes, and can I ever say no to that?”
I laughed. “But you do when she wants Aaron.”
He stiffened, glaring at me. “And she’ll never have Lan’s psychopathic spawn. Don’t you dare encourage that. My girl is not dating anyone till she is twenty-five or more, maybe thirty. But no man deserves my girls, so they can stay with me for life.”
I laughed harder, pinching his side. “Only if they knew all the dirty things their daddy used to do to me when I was sixteen. And our girls will fall in love. Don’t you want them to experience the most beautiful feeling in the world? Their mom did with the best man in the world.” I raised to my tiptoes, kissing his nose.
“Exactly.” His grip tightened around me. “Not every man can be their father,” he whispered against my lips.
I had to agree that was true. I was lucky. There was no one as devoted as my man on planet Earth. “Fine.” I kissed his lips, and just then, an angry kick fluttered through my stomach, and my eyes widened.
“Is that little strawberry?” he asked, his eyes round.
We decided not to find out the gender of this baby, so we called him/her little strawberry in the meantime .
“Yes,” I mumbled as I smoothed his hand over my belly, his palms splayed over, and the light caught the thin gold band around his finger. It was the only one I could afford back in the day, and after I had made a substantial amount of money, I wanted to get him a better one. But he outright rejected that idea, saying the ring meant a lot to him and he wasn’t trading it. He was very partial to the, ‘Your sweetheart, forever, Evelyn’ that I had engraved inside the ring.
“God.” His eyes looked up at me in wonderment as he felt little strawberry kick again. “I could never get used to that.”
“Me too.” I broke into a yawn. “Let’s go to bed.”
He laced his fingers with mine, and we walked to the end of the hall toward our room.
And it wasn’t long before we both ended up naked under the sheets, with me writhing and moaning under him. Sex during pregnancy required a little maneuvering, but my man took care of that. Although it was hard to find the time these days with five running children, we ended up naked almost every night with the same spirit as we were in our twenties.
The attraction and flame never died between us. Even after I gained weight and was riddled with stretch marks, Jay looked at me like I was the most desirable human on the planet.
He told me my pregnancies only made me more sexier, and he found it irresistible that my body changed because I gave birth to his children.
“You’re so beautiful.” He dragged his nose along the length of my neck. “And you smell incredible.”
I giggled, feeling his stubble brush along my skin, and another yawn escaped my lips. I stretched out on my back and groaned as the cloudy mattress smoothed over the small of my back.
Jay lay on his front beside me, watching me with a frown. “Is it your back?”
“Yeah.” I sighed. “Little Strawberry is curving my spine at an angle that my body can’t handle, and I’m old.”
“No, you aren’t.” He kissed my shoulder. “I was thinking of a seventh?” He wiggled his brow suggestively.
“Oh no, mister. I am done.” I shot him a hard glare.
“What?” He pouted. “I like making babies with you.”
“I do too, but I’m done. And we agreed on six, remember? Although I had no clue what I was thinking back in the day. That Evy would never have said that if only she knew the truth. But still.” I smiled. “I don’t regret one bit of it because I love my babies, but I’m done after this one, Jay. As much as you didn’t like what your daughter said today, she was right. I have been pregnant or sick for most of their lives, and I don’t want to miss seeing my kids growing up.”
He nodded, cuddling closer to me. His face warmed with a smile. “I’m grateful for every moment of my life with you and the beautiful children you have given me. But you’re right. You need to be their mom without worrying about the next one.”
“It wouldn’t have been possible without you.” I glided his soft waves over his head. “I love you, Jay.”
He softly bit my lower lip, smiling. “I love you more, sweetheart.”
And there it was, moments like this—the moments I cherished the most. The past was a distant memory, yet it shaped who I am today. And my future? I had nothing but hope for it .
Because the present, right here in his arms, warm, content, and happy, was all that mattered to me.
A smile sneaked its way up my lips as I asked my favorite question. “Jay, who is your favorite person in the whole wide world?”
His eyes shined with nothing but unconditional love as he whispered, “You, Evy. Always you.”
THE END