Epilogue
Addison - A few months later…
Everything makes me sick these days.
Like the latex balloons at Buck’s one-year birthday party. Did they need to fill a thousand balloons? I’m seriously going to vomit.
Theo, sensing my unease, pulls me away from the chaos of the party and shoots me a concerned look. “You okay, baby?”
“Not really.”
He nods as if it’s written all over my face. “We’ll take a walk and get some fresh air. Step outside. I’ll let Owen know where we went.”
I nod and make my way to the back patio since that door is closest. Abby and Rhett’s townhouse is cute, and they have a great view of the pond at Moonlit Gables. Outside, the air is fresh and crisp. My sweater is thick and warm, so it saves me from the chilly air.
Theo always knows what I need.
A few minutes later, he joins me, wrapping an arm over my shoulders.
“Your dad is worried about you,” Theo murmurs.
“We’ll tell them soon,” I assure him. “He’s still butt-hurt that I moved in with you after only a month dating.”
“Oh, trust me, I know. I have to work with him all day and he doesn’t hold back his feelings.”
A giggle bubbles out of me. “He’s all bark and no bite.”
“Then why aren’t you telling him you’re pregnant?”
Touché.
“I honestly don’t want to hear about how unprepared I am. Your apartment has just the one bedroom. He’ll want to know where we’re putting the baby. It’ll be a whole thing and I’m just so tired lately.”
Theo hugs me to him and kisses the top of my head. “Well, I was going to wait until after the party to show you your surprise, but I guess the time is now.”
He takes hold of my hand, and we begin walking along the trail around the pond. We pass by Riko, Rhett’s best friend, and Riko’s husband, Derek’s place. Two kids kick around a soccer ball at the next unit and they wave to us. After that one, we pass by something that smells really, really good.
“That guy owns a food truck,” Theo tells me. “Heard he’s an amazing cook.”
I’m curious how Theo knows about Rhett’s neighbors, but they do work together, so it’s possible he told him about them. When we reach the next unit, Theo guides me to the patio steps.
“What are we doing?” I ask, frowning at him.
“Our baby needs their own room,” he says with a smirk as he pulls his keys from his pocket. “My short-term lease is up at the apartment. When Rhett mentioned this unit becoming available, I jumped on it.”
My heart patters happily in my chest. “Really?”
He laughs when I throw my arms around him and kiss him until we’re both breathless. It’s been such a huge worry of mine on where we’ll put our baby.
“And look,” I say, pointing across the pond to a patio with a Dr. Pepper can wall that’s been built to provide privacy. “Savvy lives there. We can hang out all the time now!”
Theo winks at me. “Glad this was a good surprise then.”
After he unlocks the door, we walk in and it smells blissfully like nothing. I’m so grateful, too. Morning sickness is a thing for me, and it seems to last all day some days. Smells trigger me. Sometimes, at the apartment, I swear I can smell the coolant in the refrigerator. Makes me feel insane.
The townhouse is cute and looks just like Rhett’s. I’m excited to get to decorate this place with Theo and make it ours. When we head upstairs and find the second bedroom that will be the baby’s, I start to cry. My emotions are so messy.
“Come here, beautiful,” Theo rumbles, hugging me to him. “We’re going to make so many good memories here.”
“Yeah?” I ask tearfully.
He nods and then pulls away. I gasp when he falls to one knee. “You’re my whole world, Addison Monahan. And that world is getting bigger by the day. Please marry me. Show me how true love and partnership is supposed to be. I want to spend the rest of my life raising babies with you by my side.”
I sob as he slides a simple diamond ring on my finger. It’s beautiful. “Yes. Forever yes.”
He stands back up and we kiss deeply. We’re already making great memories.
“If I thought Dad was upset before,” I say, half joking.
“Already took care of it when I asked for his blessing.” He rests his forehead to mine. “He knows about both this place and my intentions to marry you. To be honest, I think he was relieved. So now you don’t have to worry about telling him about the baby.”
I love this about Theo. He’s always taking care of everything, particularly me.
“You’re so good to me,” I murmur against his lips.
“You deserve all of it and more. I love you, angel.”
“Theo is going to build me some raised planters on that corner,” I say to Mindy, pointing through the sliding glass to one corner of our patio deck. “When it gets warm out.”
Mindy nods, smiling as if she can imagine what it will look like. “Let me know if you need help filling it up.”
We may have met through Greenhouse Club that lasted exactly forty-seven seconds, but our friendship has blossomed into something beautiful. Makes me realize those people who turned on me along with Lucy were never my friends. Real friends stand the test of time.
“I’ll bring iced coffee,” Savvy says from my other side, “but I’m not helping.”
We all giggle.
Having Savvy so close has been a godsend. She entertains me when Theo is at work. Plus, between her and Abby, I get to see what mothering looks like up close and firsthand, which encourages me on my own journey.
“Oh great,” Savvy grumbles. “What is that idiot doing? Why is he coming this way?”
Kevin, or one half of “the beer bros” who live between me and Savvy, is sauntering over to us.
When he gets close, he waves at us. I motion for him to come on in, as Savvy flips him off.
Mindy cracks up laughing. A few seconds later, Kevin, with his obnoxious cologne, enters the townhouse.
I’m grateful I’m past the phase of every smell making me sick.
“Hey, beautiful neighbors,” he says, amping up the charm. “Is it going to bother you if me and my brother have a few pals over for some beers tonight?”
“Yes,” Savvy says at the same time I say, “No.”
Mindy giggles some more.
Kevin, never losing his perpetual smirk, grins at Mindy. “You’re new. I’m Kevin. Wanna party?”
Mindy shoots me a look and I shrug. The guys seem pretty harmless despite Savvy’s grumbling.
Their yard is a mess, and they can be loud, but they bring peace offerings.
Last weekend, they brought Theo pot brownies “for getting a little rowdy” to which he promptly threw in the trash.
I even heard they try to pay the landlord in beer.
“Sure,” Mindy says to Kevin. “I’ll come. What should I wear?”
He waggles his brows. “For you, I’d say nothing.”
Savvy smacks him for that comment.
“Kidding,” he says quickly. “You’re perfect the way you are. See you at nine tonight.”
After playfully saluting Savvy and then winking at me, he saunters back over to his townhouse.
“I’m proud of you,” I tell Mindy. “You really have gotten braver since I’ve known you.”
She beams at me. “I’m trying to put myself out there. And Kevin is hot.”
“Kevin is not hot,” Savvy argues. “He’s a dude bro.”
“I beg to differ,” I say in Mindy’s defense. “He really is cute and sweet, too.”
Savvy shakes her head in annoyance, but she’s smiling. “On that note, I’m going home. I’ll see you two crazies later.”
Once she’s gone, Mindy refreshes our hot tea, and we make our way to the living room to get cozy. Savvy has a lot going on with being a new mom and having two lovers, so I try not to bug her with deep stuff. Mindy is my ride or die when Theo’s not around.
“So,” Mindy says once she’s dragged the blanket over her lap. “How are you doing since Lucy got out?”
I’m a bit unnerved, but I don’t think she’ll come after me now. To be safe, and to accommodate my pregnancy, I enrolled in online school last week.
“Fine,” I say and mean it. “If she violates the restraining order, she’ll just make more trouble for herself.”
“At least, here, you have a lot of friends and neighbors to keep an eye on you. Moving here was smart. One day I’ll get a man like Theo.” She sighs dreamily. “Maybe that man will be Kevin.”
We both crack up laughing and then spend the rest of the afternoon planning Mindy’s imaginary wedding.
By the time Theo gets home from work, my friend cup is filled for the day and I’m aching to spend time with my man.
Once she’s gone, Theo kicks off his shoes and then curls up on the couch with me.
“How are my two favorite people?” he murmurs as his hand caresses my growing belly.
“Better now that you’re here.”
“Oh,” he says as his palm inches up under my shirt to find my breast over my bra. “My attorney called.”
I frown at him. “Mary Ellen up to her crazy shit again?”
Not long after she tried to get him arrested, he learned the paternity results. He wasn’t the father just as he claimed. She then went on to harass the actual baby daddy, Richard, even following him to another state.
“Just to tell me he checked up on her as he does from time to time. She spent the night in jail for vandalizing Richard’s car. Now she has a restraining order placed against her from him too.” Theo shakes his head. “So glad I got away from that psycho.”
His lips meet mine and he kisses me deeply, as if to show me how much he appreciates me. What starts off sweet turns filthy quickly. Theo, a man always seemingly starved for my pussy, yanks off my pants and underwear to bury his face between my thighs.
I’ve barely come down from my high when my phone buzzes on the table. Theo reaches over to grab it for me. As he starts undressing, I read the text, making sure it’s not Rhett or Abby needing me to babysit. They told me they’d text this afternoon if date night was still on for them.
Cason: I’m about to blow some shit up.
With Cason, it’s always figurative blowing up.
Me: Should I be worried? Does this have something to do with Lucy getting out?
Cason: Tragically, no. I’ve got my eye on her, though. Nah, this is something new. It’s going to be my biggest story yet. My channel is going to fucking explode.
Theo arches a brow at me in question as he strokes his now naked cock.
“Cason, not Rhett.” I stare at my man’s dick for a moment longer and then quickly read another text he sent me.
Cason: For this one, I’m going undercover.
Me: That sounds terrible.
Cason: For them.
Me: Come see me soon and tell me all about it. Until then, bother someone else. I’m about to make love to my fiancé.
He sends me a bunch of vomiting emojis. I don’t respond to them, letting my phone fall to the carpet. Theo is inside me a second later.
I’m lowkey worried about what Cason is up to, but Theo distracts me with his fingers on my clit.
Theo kisses my mouth like he wants to eat me alive, driving into me rough and full of need. I love how intense our sex is. Always. And soon, he’ll be my husband. The father of my child. Life doesn’t get any better than this.
Until my next orgasm hits…
And then I remember it just keeps getting better and better.
The End