Extended Epilogue
brYNN
Five Years Later
Inever believed in fairy tales.
Truthfully, I never really believed in that deep, abiding, soul-consuming love.
People talk about it, sure. But deep down, I always believed it was just something people said.
I mean, I’m not so cynical that I didn’t believe in love.
I just never really believed in that kind of love that sets your entire world on fire.
The kind of love that set off swarms of butterflies in your stomach whenever you saw that person—your person.
But more than anything, I never believed I’d be lucky enough to have that kind of love.
It’s something I am so incredibly happy and grateful to have been wrong about.
Every single day with Burke has felt like a fairy tale come to life. Every single day is better than the one before it. And the love I feel for this man has only deepened.
It’s as if there is no bottom to the love I feel for him. And yeah, when he walks into the room, I still feel the gossamer wings of butterflies brushing my heart and belly.
I never thought I could or would love somebody as deeply as I love Burke.
He likes to say that I’ve changed him, but in truth, he’s changed me just as much.
If not more. He’s turned my entire world upside down in the best way possible.
Without him and his encouragement, I don’t know that I would have had the courage to start my own practice.
But he pushed me toward it, so I took the leap.
I did it. And now I’ve got a thriving practice and have become one of the most sought-after child psychologists in the city.
We are so in tune with virtually everything. We rarely argue, and on those few occasions when we do, it’s over within minutes. Then we both apologize and talk things out rationally. And those conversations always end with a hug, a kiss, and a reminder of just how much we love each other.
Our relationship is solid. Steady. Reliable.
It’s like a cup of black coffee.
Today, though… today is going to be different.
I have something to tell Burke, and I’m not sure how he’s going to react.
I’ve become adept at knowing what he’s going to say or think about something.
I can usually predict it. But this is something we’ve never talked about, didn’t plan on, and I have absolutely no idea what he’s going to say.
Hell, I don’t even know what I’m going to say yet.
I’ve tried practising in the mirror, but haven’t been able to find the words.
The truth is, as much as I don’t know what he’s going to think about it, I don’t know what I even think about it yet.
Everything has happened so fast, and the implications are so far-reaching that I haven’t been able to pin down how I feel about it all just yet.
But it’s time we figure that out. Both of us.
Together. Waiting is only going to make it harder and more awkward.
Burke is sitting out on the back deck reviewing notes for his current case.
I step outside and breathe in the scent of the ocean, then turn my face up to the azure sky above, letting the sun’s rays warm my skin.
I lay my hand on his shoulder, and he turns to me, a warm smile on his face as he sets his tablet down on the table beside him.
I squeal, then laugh, as he pulls me down onto his lap, loops my arms around his shoulders, and gives me a soft kiss.
“Hey babe,” he says softly.
“Hey yourself.”
“I thought you were heading into the office?”
“I’ll do my paperwork here,” I reply, swallowing the lump in my throat.
As in tune with me as ever, he cocks his head and stares into my eyes like he’s trying to read my thoughts. My heart quivers, and my stomach churns.
“What is it?” he asks. “What’s wrong?”
“There’s nothing wrong, exactly,” I respond. “I just thought… hoped…”
My voice trails off, the words refusing to come. Burke watches me, his gaze patient but curious. Drawing a deep breath, I hold it for a five-count, then let it out slowly. This is a lot harder than I thought it would be.
“Brynn, what’s going on?” he asks.
“I just… I thought we needed to have a talk.”
“All right,” he says, sounding slightly uneasy. “What do we need to talk about? Did I leave the toilet seat up again?”
I laugh softly. “No. I think I’ve been able to train that out of you.”
“So? What is it?”
Letting out another breath, I swallow hard and lick my suddenly dry lips. “I wanted to talk to you about your workload,” I say. “You’ve been taking on a lot of cases lately.”
“I have,” he replies. “People need help, so I want to be there to do that.”
“I know. And I think that’s a beautiful thing.”
One of his eyebrows arches upward. “But?”
“I just… I think you need to hire some help.”
“Hire help?”
I nod. “Yeah.”
“And why do I need help?”
My heart is in my throat, and the words seem stuck behind it. I clear my throat then take a drink from his bottle of water, trying to steady my nerves.
“Brynn?”
“I think you need to hire some help because you’re going to want to spend more time at home,” I say. “At least, I hope you do.”
“And why is that?”
“Because you’re going to be a dad.”
I pull the test stick out of my pocket and hand it to him.
Burke takes it, his eyes fixed on the little blue plus sign in the window.
The air between us seems to stop. It grows thick and heavy, and Burke’s eyes widen as his mouth falls open.
He stares at me as if trying to figure out if I really said what he heard.
And when I give him a nod, silently telling him that I did indeed say it, his eyes widen, and his face reddens.
Laughing like a lunatic, Burke scoops me up as if I weigh nothing at all and jumps to his feet, spinning me around.
He sets me down and pulls me to him, crushing me in a tight embrace.
Surprised and overwhelmed by his reaction, I turn my face up to him, trying to figure out if he’s truly as happy as he seems to be. He is.
And that sets a wave of relief washing through me. My heart starts to beat again, and I smile… happy.
“You’re not going to be able to pick me up like that in a few months,” I say.
“Then I’ll buy a forklift.”
I squeal and slap his chest. “You’re a beast.”
“I am, and you love it.”
“Yes, I do,” I say. “So, you’re happy about this?”
“I am. I never knew I wanted to be a dad until you told me I’m going to be one,” he tells me. “And it just feels… right. It feels amazing. There is nothing I want more than to have a family with you. But are you okay with this?”
“I’m more than okay with it. I was just afraid you might not—”
He cuts me off with a warm but passionate kiss, and I melt into him. Burke holds me, and I slide my arms around his waist, and together, we sway to some music that only we can hear.
“You know, this is the second-best day of my life,” he says.
“Second best?” I ask. “What was the best?”
“The day you agreed to marry me,” he replies. “It was then I knew for a fact that dreams actually could come true.”
I turn my face up to him and feel the tears well in my eyes. “I love you so much.”
“And I love you,” he replies. “You belong to me.”
“And you belong to me, my lovable TIPCI”
Burke leans down and kisses me with a love and passion that overwhelms me. I never used to believe in fairy tales.
Not until I found myself living in one.
The End
Thank you for reading!