Epilogue - Christian
CHRISTIAN
Two Years Later
I stop at the foot of the tree house nestled high in the top of the old oak tree behind our house.
“You know you can’t stay up there forever, right?”
Slowly, a blonde head with bright blue eyes peeks out over the edge at me, the rest of her face hidden behind the shelter of the tree hut.
“Says who?”
I cock a brow at her. One thing having kids teaches you is patience. And how to limit your use of the word fuck.
“Says your mother.”
She shakes her head, leaning out further. There’s a split second of panic in my gut when I think about her tumbling over the side, but it quickly dissipates.
Kid’s a fucking spider monkey.
“That’s a lie,” Lily points out with a cheeky grin. “Mom wouldn’t say that.”
“Then, I said it.” I take hold of the rope ladder, holding it steady. “How about I make you a deal? You come out for an hour, and if you aren’t happy, you can come back here.”
She stares at me for a beat as if she’s trying to pick out the catch in my statement. There isn’t one. I know my wife and daughter well enough to know sometimes shit gets overwhelming, and they need a moment to themselves.
“Did Mom make chocolate cake?”
I smirk.
“She did, though, I did see Uncle Levi eating a big piece before I came out here. It might be all gone.”
In a flash, she scrambles towards the ladder, swinging down until she falls flat on her feet in front of me.
She’s getting bigger. Healthier. She’s always been small for her age and still is, but at least now, there’s a new light behind her eyes.
After a year in our family, she’s come a long way. When we first adopted her, there were some difficult moments. We worked through them as a family, and now, it’s like she’s been here her entire life.
Except for those times when she needs to hide.
“Going to be getting colder soon. We’ll have to cover this place up.”
Lily frowns, following me back towards the lodge.
After everything happened, we turned it from a socialite’s dream mountain venue to a family lodge with more affordable prices. Surprisingly, it was Mila’s idea, and Bella’s been far happier now that she’s not running herself rampant to organize the finest caterers and decorators.
I like the lodge now. Fuck, it’s home. I like being able to raise my family here without worrying about what kind of life they’re growing up in.
Now, instead of formal banquets and expensive garden parties, we’re having slip-n-slide contests with the other families and scavenger hunts.
It feels . . . real, now.
Something I can leave behind for Lily and whatever other kids Mila and I have.
This will be my legacy. Not wealth.
“What’s wrong, Lily?”
“Nothing,” she lies.
I side-eye her.
“You’re quiet.”
“Do you think they’ll like me?” she asks after a long pause.
“Why wouldn’t they?”
“I’m different,” she points out.
Another part of being a father I never expected? This infinite urge to not only protect but to let life happen. Learning to control your overbearing tendencies fucking sucks.
I pull Lily to a stop at the edge of the party.
Mila’s entire family is here. Mine too. The last time we were all in one place was when Mila and I had a real wedding over a year ago. Once everything died down, I wanted to give her the choice. A real choice to marry me and spend the rest of her life with me.
Luckily, she accepted. I’m not sure what I would have done if she hadn’t.
Kneeling down to her level, I force her to look at me and not the people milling about, getting ready to sit down to dinner.
“Everyone’s different. It’s what makes life exciting. If we were all the same, there would be no love. No joy. Nothing. Just emptiness.”
“You think?” she asks, biting her lip.
Sometimes she’s so much like Mila it scares the shit out of me.
“I know so,” I correct, and she looks back at the party. Across the way, I see Mila watching us, her brows furrowed together. “Remember our deal?”
“One hour.”
“Yep.”
“When does the clock start?”
I chuckle under my breath and stand. “As soon as you sit down to eat.”
I steer her towards the party, and Monica opens her arms for a hug. Of everyone, Monica’s the last person I expected to be so open to Mila and my decision to adopt Lily. She takes her role as grandmother seriously, and she’s already spoiled her.
Lily beams and runs into her arms while I join my wife on the opposite side of the table. I lean into her, wrapping my arms around her stomach, and press a kiss to her cheek.
“Everything okay?” she asks quietly, turning to face me.
My chest tightens at the look in her eyes. That mother bear instinct is firing on all cylinders.
“As long as there’s chocolate cake.”
Mila laughs. “Then, I guess you’re lucky I made two . . . do you think they’re okay?” she asks, her brows knitting together in worry.
“They’ll be fine,” I murmur, pulling her towards our seats. “We pay them to handle it. They’ll handle it.”
She still looks worried, so I stop her and pull her to me, pressing my lips to her forehead.
“I’ll text Baxter and make sure when we’re done eating.”
She breathes out a sigh of relief and finally takes her seat.
Mila had spoken about opening her own bakery for years. When we decided to change the lodge into a more family-friendly resort, we made that dream come true. Today’s their first day since it opened a month ago without her, and I’m glad she’s finally getting a break.
With the addition of the bakery, the spa Bella added, and a few new upgrades, everything is finally coming together.
Looking around the table at our family and friends, it seems surreal to think about where we were two years ago. My family, with Levi and his wife. Bella and her new fiancé, Sam. Paulina and Rudy, though they’d never admit there’s something between them. On the other side is Mila’s family, with Monica and Bob. Savannah and Logan fawning over her pregnant stomach. Charlie and Bailey with their two kids. Bailey’s best friend, Andi, her husband, Jake, and their son. Mason, Hannah, and Luke.
Shipwreck Island feels like it’s across the world and not an hour away, nestled into a forgotten corner of the world. We’ve hired a young couple to look after the place now that it’s served its purpose.
Looking at Mila, I know those four walls brought her back to me. I’ll forever be grateful for the magic that place holds, and maybe it can do the same for someone else.
“What are you looking at?” she asks, smiling coyly while passing me the mashed potatoes.
My hand slips up her bare leg under the table, and she almost drops the bowl in her hand.
“I’ll show you later.”
She blushes but doesn’t swat my hand away.
“I think you need to focus on your mashed potatoes, Mr. Cross.”
“I’d much rather focus on yours.”
“Nana, what is the mile-high club?” Lily asks out of nowhere, and both Mila and I freeze, our heads snapping to look at Monica. Monica handles it in stride without missing a beat.
“It’s for people who use the bathroom on a plane.”
“Why is there a club?”
“Because I suppose they feel important about it.” She winks at me and continues onto a new topic while Mila hides her laugh behind her drink.
Over her head, Levi catches my eye, nodding once, his wife completely oblivious beside him. I nod back, something unspoken passing between us.
We’ve come a long fucking way from losing our mother. From our father to Sebastian, all the way down to this very lodge where our family is having its first-ever combined cookout in the front yard of Mila and I’s house.
Life may have taken a turn neither of us ever expected, but when Mila lays her hand down over mine, I know I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Her eyes meet mine, pretty gray glinting like silver in the sunlight overhead.
Fuck . . . those eyes. Even after three years married and eight years in each other’s lives, she’s still got me wrapped around her fucking finger.
“Keep looking at me like that, Mrs. Cross,” I warn quietly in her ear, and a shiver rolls through her.
“I love you,” she whispers, her fingers tightening around mine.
“I love you, too,” I murmur, pressing a kiss to her cheek. “Always.”
I’d once wondered what God did to men who stole angels from the heavens.
Now I know we’ll never find out.
Mila made me the man I was meant to be. I may not deserve this life, but who cares? I’m never giving it up. I’ll spend eternity chasing after her, and somehow, I know it’ll never be enough.
She was made for me, and in the end, the devil better be prepared to pry her from my hands because there’s no way in hell, I’m ever giving her up.