Bonus Epilogue
Seven years later…
I lean the surfboards up against the back of the house and open the sliding doors. Spencer, our four-year-old, the middle child, goes flying past me heading straight for his mother who’s standing by the sink rinsing dishes. He’s a momma’s boy, totally infatuated with her. Can’t say I blame the kid; I feel the same.
“Mommy, I missed you,” he says, throwing his tiny arms around her legs. “I missed you so much.” I chuckle at this, we’ve only been gone an hour tops.
“Hey, sweetie,” Carlee says. “I missed you too. How was the surf?”
“Epic,” he replies.
“Why don’t you run upstairs and get changed out of your wet clothes and I’ll make you some breakfast.”
“Okay, Mommy.” He places a chaste kiss on her hip because that’s as high as he can reach, before turning and fleeing the room.
“Dad-da,” my baby girl screams from her highchair, turning my heart into mush.
I smooth my hand over her soft blonde locks. “Morning, baby girl,” I say, leaning down to brush my lips against her forehead.
Paisley, our first daughter and the baby of the family, gives me the biggest grin and my smile grows when I see remnants of her breakfast smeared around her mouth and all over her chubby cheeks. The love I feel for my kids is indescribable. She’s a mini version of her mom and has me wrapped around her little finger.
I move toward my beautiful wife next, my arms slinking around her waist from behind as I place a lingering kiss on her neck.
“How’s my sunshine this beautiful morning?”
“Don’t touch me,” she grumbles.
My brows furrow. “Why not?” I ask, taken aback by her sass. She wasn’t saying that when I accosted her in bed before taking the boys surfing.
“This is why,” she snaps, drying her hands on the dish towel and retrieving something from the pocket of her shorts. When she turns to face me and holds up the white plastic stick, I grin like a fool. There’s nothing sexier than seeing my woman’s tight body swollen with my child.
“You’re pregnant again?”
“Again, being the operative word here. Jesus, Gray, I’ve only just stopped breastfeeding Paisley. You need to keep that monster in your pants for longer than a damn minute,” she says, gesturing down to my crotch.
I laugh at that because there’s no way she can stay away from my dick. She loves it too much. “No can do, sweetheart, I told you I was going to fill you up with all my babies… I’m a man of my word.”
She drops her chin to her chest and sighs. “Today, Em and I were going to get our drink on. We’ve spent the last few days organizing an impressive cocktail list, but then that thing of yours struck again. ”
“Thing?” I raise an eyebrow. “No hating on my dick. This is all your fault.”
Her eyes narrow into slits. “My fault?”
“You’re just too goddamn sexy, the poor guy doesn’t stand a chance when you’re around.”
She growls, literally growls at me. “Well, as of this moment, this body,” she says, pointing to herself, “is a dick-free zone.”
I throw my head back and bark out a laugh at her hollow threat. I’ve endured three pregnancies with this woman, and my cock barely made it out unscathed. She was insatiable, not that I’m complaining.
“Our monstrosity of a home is filling up nicely,” I say, puffing out my chest.
“The rate you’re going, we’ll need to add an extension.”
“Consider it done.” There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for my little family.
Sliding my arms around her, I lift my baby momma off the ground and place my lips against hers. “You may not be happy about this, but I’m ecstatic. You’re the best mom. Our kids are lucky to have you.”
“I’m not unhappy about being pregnant. You know how much I love our babies,” she says. “It just would’ve been nice if you’d given me a few months reprieve is all.”
I gently place her down on her feet. “Does that mean you’re not really on a dick strike?”
“I’m absolutely on a dick strike.” Then she lifts one shoulder and I have to bite back my smile. “Well for today anyway, who knows what tomorrow will bring.”
“Tomorrow? I’m betting you won’t even see out the day.”
She playfully slaps my chest. “Maybe I should think about booking you in for the snip. ”
I inwardly cringe at the mention of the word. “Don’t even joke about that, babe.”
“Who says I’m joking.” Grinning, she extends her pointer and middle finger, doing that damn fake scissor motion right in my face. “Chop, chop,” she teases as my balls shrivel up and retreat inside my body.
Dropping her arm, she reaches around me, slapping my ass. “Go shower and change, I’ll cook you some breakfast.”
“Cook?” After countless lessons from me, my wife still can’t cook to save her life.
“Placing bread in the toaster and browning it is technically cooking, asshole.” Fuck I love this woman. She turns her face, glancing toward the back sliding doors. “Where’s R.J.?”
I roll my eyes. “One guess.”
Our firstborn was named Robert after my father, it was Carlee’s idea. We call him R.J. for short. Ashton and Emma’s second child, Hudson, was also a boy. They only have the two. Our sons were born weeks apart and are the best of friends. They remind me so much of Ashton and I when we were growing up. They’re little shits, just like we were, and always getting into mischief. My mom calls it Karma.
R.J. recently developed a serious crush on Charlie, Ashton’s daughter. Despite the four-year age gap. The poor kid’s besotted.
“Remind me to pack him some clean clothes before we leave.”
We’re heading over to Ashton and Emma’s for a barbeque later. It’s become our Sunday ritual. Our families even vacation together.
Ashton and I still have our thriving business, and when Carlee isn’t busy being a kick-ass mom to our kids, she’s teaching self-defense and karate classes at the Torrance-South Bay YMCA. Our boys are next-generation ninjas.
Life’s pretty sweet.
They say your first love is temporary, a trial run, a stepping stone to the next. They’re supposed to burn bright and fade fast, but that was never us. That organ inside my chest continued to beat at a steady pace, patiently waiting for Carlee to come along. From that moment on, I was done for. She’s the first person I’ve ever given my heart to; she will also be the last.
The past is well and truly behind us. Although I’d never want to relive what we’ve been through, it has made us stronger… unbreakable . All the more reason to truly cherish what we have now. A man couldn’t ask for more. I have my girl by my side, two sons, a daughter, and another child on the way.
I feel like the luckiest man in the world.
THE END