Epilogue #3
Ava didn’t hesitate to step back, so I could lift our girl in my arms and dance around the room with her. Our boys flocked to their mother, and Ava scooped them up. And the five of us spent the next ten minutes dancing to Christmas music in a mess of wrapping paper and toys.
I loved every minute of this wild, crazy life we’d built. And I knew one day, when the children were grown and everything was back in its rightful place, I’d miss these moments and be grateful I had these memories to look back on.
IVY - FOUR MONTHS LATER
It was the soft touch of tiny hands on my face that had my eyes fluttering open.
My girl.
My Kerrigan—or Kerri, as we called her—was staring at me with her blue eyes and her daddy’s smile. She was already three-and-a-half years old. Every time I looked at her, I wondered where the time had gone.
At the same time, one look at that precious face could have all my troubles melting away. Then again, these days, I found there weren’t many troubles to be had. Life felt as close to perfect as possible.
“Happy birthday, Mama.”
I smiled and reached up to wrap my arms around her. “Thank you, baby.”
A moment later, I felt movement on my opposite side. Twisting my neck to look behind me, I saw the man himself. My amazing husband, who had proven to be the world’s best father.
Marco leaned down and gave me a sweet kiss on the mouth. “Happy birthday, Princess.”
“Mmm. Thank you.” I belatedly noticed he had something in his hands. “What’s this?”
“Breakfast in bed!” Kerri declared proudly.
Sure enough, it seemed my two favorite people in the whole world had made me breakfast. I sat up, propping myself against a pile of pillows. “Did you do this, big girl?”
“Daddy helped.”
My eyes shot to Marco.
He chuckled. “She’s the ringleader in the kitchen, you know?”
I did know.
From the moment she was capable of being in that space, my daughter was constantly in the kitchen cooking. She’d scramble eggs in a pan, flip French toast, assemble sandwiches, and cook pasta. Obviously, we supervised her every step of the way, and the girl had yet to find anything she couldn’t do.
She reminded me so much of my sister. Only when Jules was this young, she preferred baking. Kerri, like her father, wanted meals.
“This looks so delicious. Are you going to share some with me?”
“And Daddy and Kobe.”
I glanced down at the spread. There was certainly enough food to feed all of us. My husband, my daughter, and my unborn son.
In just two more months, Kobe would be here. Kerri was beyond excited for a sibling. We’d been talking to her nonstop about her brother, and she was already such a great big sister.
“Of course. We can’t ever forget about our favorite boys, can we?”
She shook her head, and the two of us scooted over to give Marco enough room to slide in beside me after he placed the tray over my lap.
There were eggs, French toast, bacon, and fruit. My mouth was watering as the three of us dove in. “Oh, this might be my favorite breakfast you two have ever made for me. It has a little bit of everything.”
Marco had one arm draped over my shoulders. After giving me a squeeze, he said, “We wanted you to have some variety.”
“Well, I’m feeling very spoiled already, and the day has only just started.”
“You just wait to see what we have in store for you today.”
I cocked a brow. “What does that mean?”
“You’ll have to wait and see.”
“Oh, come on. Can’t I have one hint?” I batted my eyelashes for good measure.
Marco stared at me for several beats and acquiesced. “Fine. First thing this morning, I’m taking both of my girls for pedicures.”
My face lit up. At seven months pregnant, there was nothing that’d stop me from having someone rub my feet. “Did you hear that, Kerri? Daddy’s taking us to get our toes painted today.”
“Can I have yellow toes?”
Marco leaned forward to look past me at our daughter. “You can have whatever color you want, sweetheart.”
She smiled excitedly at him as she took a bite of her bacon. It must have been like looking in the mirror for him every time he looked at her. Except for her dark hair, that she’d gotten from me, Kerri looked just like her dad. I often wondered who Kobe would look like when he arrived.
“What else are we doing today?” I asked.
Marco shook his head. “Nope. That’s it. You just have to wait and see where the day leads us. But I promise it’ll be fun. And I will say that the pampering that happens this morning won’t be the only pampering that happens.”
My brows shot up. “Oh?”
He leaned closer, kissed my cheek, and whispered, “Following a day of fun together as a family, after Kerri is down for the night, I have a special present for you that only requires you to lay back and relax while I do everything else.”
A shiver of excitement ran along my spine. I hadn’t experienced it much when I was pregnant with Kerri, but this pregnancy had me feeling ravenous for sex. “Hmm. What will you be doing?”
“Let’s just say, I intend to use multiple parts of my body, mouth included, to make sure you have an unforgettable birthday.”
I licked my lips. “That sounds amazing.”
Marco picked up a strawberry and held it up to my lips. I took a bite, unable to miss the way he watched my mouth.
I loved it.
I loved that things were still like this between us.
I had thought we might lose some of the spark between us after having a baby—and especially with me being pregnant again—but it hadn’t dulled at all.
We were just as ravenous for one another as we had been all those years ago when we were sneaking around and meeting up in the empty rooms at the hotel.
As I sat there, sharing breakfast with my husband and our daughter, I couldn’t help but feel lucky. This was all I’d ever wanted, and now I had it. Loneliness was a distant memory.
And after we ate and spent a little bit of time being lazy in bed, Marco took us out to spend the entire day together. It was a long, exhausting day. But it had been wonderful.
Best of all, by the time we got home, showered, and got Kerri in bed, despite the long day, my husband didn’t slack.
He made sure my birthday ended with a private celebration for two.
LIAM - FIVE MONTHS LATER
Evidence of how quickly time passed was all around me.
It was obvious in the changing colors of the leaves and cooler temperatures that indicated summer had ended and fall had arrived.
It was apparent in the way the family business had changed and expanded and grown.
But it was in the little things that I noticed it most. In the dark curls that bounced as Eliza, my three-year-old daughter, ran through the park and the way her golden eyes—the ones that looked just like her mom’s—stared up at me with curiosity and wonder.
It was in Emmett’s newborn milestones, my six-month-old rolling over on the blanket.
It was in how I, somehow, managed to fall deeper in love with my wife. Layla and I had now spent more years together, including those from high school, than we had apart. Perhaps that was the biggest and best sign of the passing years.
As I sat here on the picnic blanket with Emmett while Layla and Eliza ran around and played in the park, I sank deeper into the feeling of peace that had settled over me right around the time Layla and I had officially worked things out between us.
This was all I had ever wanted.
A life and a family with her.
And now I had it. I needed nothing else. Whether we had more children, or it remained just the two we’d already been blessed with, I didn’t care. I’d happily welcome a third or fourth, but I’d be just as happy if it remained the four of us. I had all I needed.
“Daddy!”
Eliza’s shouts echoed through the park as she came my way, the sound startling her younger brother.
I lifted him in one arm and held out the other to catch her as she made her approach. Eliza’s body collided with mine, but I managed to keep her from accidentally hitting Emmett in the process.
“What’s up, baby girl?”
“Mommy won’t throw me.”
I glanced behind Eliza to see Layla making her way toward us, a bright smile on her face. “I don’t do death-defying stunts with our children. That’s all on you.”
I rolled my eyes. I’d never forget the first time I threw Eliza into the air above me.
Layla’s gasp had to have been heard at least two counties away.
As horrified as she’d initially been about it, Layla didn’t ever step in to stop me from doing it again.
She knew I’d never let anything happen to our daughter.
And Eliza loved it.
Looking at my little girl, I said, “Alright. Let’s let Mommy get Emmett, and I’ll throw you around. But only a few times because we need to have lunch, too.”
“Five times!”
Laughter spilled out of me. “Okay. Five times. That’s it.”
She wiggled out of my hold, allowing me to stand. As Eliza ran off the blanket to wait for me, I met Layla’s gaze. “Little man has been gnawing on his fists. I think he’s getting hungry.”
She frowned and reached to take him from my arms. “Oh, no. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“He wasn’t crying yet, and I was enjoying watching you and Eliza too much to stop you,” I explained.
“You’d still be able to watch me here, you know?”
Nodding, I insisted, “I know. But I wanted you to have your time with our girl, too.”
Layla kissed Emmett’s pudgy cheek and tucked him close to her. “Thank you for doing that, Liam. Sometimes, I feel like I’m so caught up in looking after him that I don’t give her nearly the attention she deserves.”
I slid my arm around the back of her waist and tugged her toward me, so I could kiss her properly. “I was just thinking about this place. About how you and I have been making memories at this park since we were in high school. I love that we’re doing it with our kids now.”
The corners of her mouth tipped up in a smile. “Me, too. It’s like it was always meant to be this way.”
I’d known that from the start. “Yeah, it is.”