Epilogue
AMELIA
I pushed open the doors to my new lab with Ethan balanced on my hip, his tiny hands gripping my shirt as he babbled excitedly.
The building was stunning—state-of-the-art, sleek, and everything I’d ever dreamed of.
It was hard to believe this was mine.
Ours. Jared and I had named it after my parents.
The research I planned to do here was a tribute to them, too.
It felt like a full-circle moment, one that made my chest ache with gratitude and pride.
Clair was right behind me, her hand resting on her still-flat stomach.
She and Shawn had gotten married six months ago, and life was moving fast for all of us.
She was in the first trimester of her pregnancy, and though she wasn’t showing yet, there was a glow about her that made me smile.
“This place is incredible,” Clair said, her eyes wide as she took in the high ceilings and gleaming equipment.
“I can’t believe it’s finally finished.”
“Me neither,” I said, shifting Ethan to my other hip.
“It’s surreal. I keep expecting to wake up and realize it’s all a dream.”
Clair laughed, shaking her head.
“Trust me, it’s real. And it’s all yours. Well, yours and Jared’s.”
I smiled, my heart swelling at the mention of Jared.
He’d been my biggest supporter through all of this, even when I doubted myself.
He’d pushed for this lab, for the funding, for everything.
And now, here we were.
Ethan squirmed with a burst of energy, his giggles echoing off the pristine walls.
I adjusted him to my other side and took in the sight before me.
I still couldn’t wrap my head around it.
“Oh my God,” Clair said, peering into a room lined with microscopes and workstations.
“Is this a fusion reactor, or is NASA just getting really generous?”
I laughed, feeling a surge of pride.
“Jared pulled out all the stops. He wanted every advantage for this research.”
“Shawn would lose it if he saw this.” She placed her hand on her stomach and grinned.
“He’s going to lose his sh—stuff,” she quickly corrected.
I smiled back at her.
It was hard to believe how things had changed so quickly.
Two years ago, I was on a plane to Florida with my ailing mother.
I had thought my life was meaningless.
I had hope, but I couldn’t have dreamed this would be where life led me.
Clair wandered over to a sleek computer setup and raised an eyebrow at me.
“You know, it’s not too late to name one of these after me. Like maybe, ‘The Clair’—only the most important piece of equipment.”
“Only if we can call the coffee machine ‘The Jared.’”
“Deal!”
We both cracked up, and Ethan joined in with a little squeal of his own.
I set him down on the floor, watching carefully as he stumbled a few feet.
He was walking, but it wasn’t exactly graceful.
“No, no, buddy,” I said when he tried to pull at a cord.
“You can’t touch that.”
Claire grinned.
“He’s got your curiosity, that’s for sure. You guys have created a little mad scientist. He’s got your brains.”
“And Jared’s stubbornness,” I added, rolling my eyes.
“He’s already a handful.”
We spent the next hour exploring the lab, making plans for the research we’d start here.
It was exciting, but by the time we left, I was ready to get home.
Ethan was getting fussy, and I knew he needed a nap.
When we got back to the house, Jared was waiting for us in the kitchen, his tie loosened, and his sleeves rolled up.
He looked up as we walked in, his face lighting up when he saw Ethan.
“There’s my little man,” he said, crossing the room to take him from me.
Ethan squealed with delight, reaching for Jared’s face with his chubby hands.
“Dada!”
Jared laughed, kissing Ethan’s cheek before turning to me.
“How was the lab?”
“Amazing,” I said, leaning in to kiss him.
“It’s perfect. Thank you.”
He smiled, his eyes soft.
“You deserve it. And I can’t wait to see what you do there.”
I nodded, my heart swelling with love for this man.
He’d given me so much—not just the lab, but a family, a home, a life I’d never dared to dream of.
I watched Jared and Ethan together, my heart a puddle at my feet.
I never imagined I’d get to see something like this, to feel so full and content.
It was almost terrifying how deeply I loved them—how much I had to lose.
But with every day that passed, those fears faded a little more.
I’d been going through some emotions I never realized were suppressed.
I thought about my mom and dad.
The father that never got to see me grow up.
He never got to see me take my first steps.
And my mom didn’t get to share the love of watching their child accomplish all those little things with him.
I never realized how much she missed out on.
It gave me a new understanding of her.
And her sadness. She was coherent enough to know she was missing something big.
“Clair loved it too,” I said, slipping off my shoes and sitting down at the kitchen table.
“We decided we’re naming all the equipment after ourselves.”
Jared chuckled, bouncing Ethan in his arms. “So long as I get the most essential piece.”
“You mean the coffee machine?”
“Obviously.”
Ethan reached for my hair, making happy noises as he stretched his little fingers toward me.
I held out my hands and Jared passed him over, then plopped down next to us, looking at me with a grin.
“And how’s she feeling?” he asked.
“Good. No morning sickness yet.”
“I still can’t believe they finally managed to figure their…stuff out.”
We were all trying to curb our cursing.
It didn’t always work, but it was the effort that counted.
Jared laughed and pushed his hair back from his forehead.
There was a time when he was all work—when every ounce of his intensity was channeled into closing deals and climbing ladders.
Now he managed to balance it all with such ease, making space for us no matter what.
“Are you going to put him down for a nap?” he asked.
I gave him a look. “Yes, did you have something in mind?”
He laughed.
“I always have something in mind, but no. I have to go pick up my family from the airport.”
“Oh, that’s right! How did I forget?”
“You’re raising a baby and have been putting together a state-of-the-art lab,” he said.
“Do you want to come with me or stay here?”
I looked at Ethan.
It was his nap time, but this was a big deal.
“Of course,” I said, smiling.
“I wouldn’t miss it. Ethan will sleep on the way. He might be a little cranky, but maybe that means he’ll go down to sleep early and we can have a little adult time.”
“I like the sound of that,” Jared grinned.
We loaded Ethan into the car and headed to the airport, Jared’s hand resting on my thigh as he drove.
It was a small gesture, but it made me feel grounded, connected to him in a way that still took my breath away.
It was still so hard to believe this was my life.
I wished my mom could see this.
Could see my son. She would have made a good grandma.
“I love you,” he said suddenly, his voice soft.
I turned to look at him, my heart skipping a beat.
“I love you too.”
He smiled, his eyes never leaving the road.
“I still can’t believe this is my life. You, Ethan, the lab… it’s more than I ever thought I’d have.”
I reached over, squeezing his hand.
“Me neither. But I’m so glad it’s ours.”
It was crazy that we often had the same thoughts.
We were bonded in a way I never thought possible.
I would love to study it.
Did this kind of connection happen to everyone or were we really just that lucky.
When we got to the airport, Jared’s family was already waiting for us.
His parents, his brother Michael, his sister-in-law, and their two little girls were all there, their faces lighting up when they saw us.
“Jared!” his mom exclaimed, pulling him into a tight hug.
“It’s so good to see you.”
“You too, Mom,” Jared said, his voice filled with happiness.
“This is Amelia, in person, and this little guy is Ethan.”
I had met his brother, but his parents and I had only met over video chat.
His mom turned to me, her eyes shining as she pulled me into a hug.
“It’s so nice to finally meet you, Amelia. Jared’s told us so much about you.”
“All good things, I hope,” I said, laughing.
“Of course,” she said, smiling.
“And Ethan! Oh, he’s just precious.”
Ethan, ever the charmer, grinned up at her, his little hands reaching for her face.
She laughed, scooping him up and peppering his cheeks with kisses.
We loaded everyone into the SUV.
That was a new thing as well.
Jared’s little sports car was long gone.
He bought us each an SUV with plenty of room and all the safety features.
The girls were chattering excitedly in the back seat.
Jared’s dad was quiet, but I could see the pride in his eyes as he looked at Jared.
It was clear how much he loved his son, and it made my heart ache in the best way.
Over the last year, I watched Jared’s relationship with his family grow.
Unfortunately, we were all so busy and it had been next to impossible to get everyone in the same state let alone in the same room.
As we drove back to the house, Jared reached over and took my hand, his thumb brushing over my knuckles.
“Thank you,” he said, his voice soft.
“For what?” I asked, turning to look at him.
“For this,” he said, gesturing to the car full of his family.
“For giving me a reason to bring them all together. For giving me a family.”
Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes.
I squeezed his hand.
“You’ve given me just as much, Jared. More, even.”
He smiled, his eyes soft.
“I love you, Amelia.”
“I love you too,” I said, my voice breaking.
When we got back to the house, Jared’s family settled in, the girls running around the backyard with Ethan while the adults sat on the porch, sipping iced tea and catching up.
It was chaotic, but it was perfect.
This was my family now—big, loud, and full of love.
As I sat there, watching Jared play with Ethan and his nieces, I couldn’t help but think back to the first time we’d met.
He’d been so arrogant, so sure of himself, and I’d been so determined to hate him.
But now, looking at him, I couldn’t imagine my life without him.
I’d won the lottery, even if my husband still had a bit of an ego.
He was still the most talented man I’d ever met, and he was mine.
“I still can’t believe you didn’t tell us,” Jared’s mom said, flipping to the next page in our photo album.
Jared and I exchanged a look.
We’d heard that a lot.
“Trust me, none of this was planned,” Jared said.
“We felt the moment and decided to just go for it.”
I watched his mom smile at a picture of us on the beach, Jared in khakis and an unbuttoned white shirt, sand dusting his bare feet; me in a casual dress, hair wind-swept and wild.
It was one of the happiest days of my life.
I could still feel the warmth of that day on my skin—the sun drenching us with light as we stood under an arch woven from wild flowers Clair had collected from the dunes.
“It’s so beautiful,” his mom said, her eyes softening as she traced the edge of a photo where we kissed, Shawn holding Ethan in the background with a goofy grin.
Michael snorted. “Looks like you guys just laid on a beach for a weekend and decided to go for it.”
“That night we did just lay on the beach,” Jared said with a smirk.
“Ew!” his nieces chorused together.
Clair had taken most of the pictures, capturing everything from our giggling vows to the makeshift bouquet I’d thrown at Ethan, ending with champagne under sunset skies.
Truthfully, nothing about it was extravagant—not even close—but that suited us perfectly.
Ethan had only been two months old.
I was a little self-conscious about the baby weight, but the idea of marrying Jared made it unimportant.
I didn’t care that I wasn’t a size two.
I never had been and never would be.
I wasn’t going to let my weight keep me from being happy.
Jared didn’t care and that’s all that mattered.
“We couldn’t have asked for more,” I said, remembering how free it felt to choose each other without expectations or fuss.
“I’m sorry you all weren’t there though.”
“We’ll forgive you eventually,” Michael joked.
“Jared promised us a big reception later,” his mother said.
“We’ll hold you to that.”
“We’re happy to do that,” I said.
“We’re looking forward to it. Any excuse to put Ethan in a little tuxedo.”
***
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