Epilogue 1
Karen
Nine months later
"Push!"
I screwed my eyes closed, sucking in a breath as I fought the pain.
"Again! One, two, three, push!"
With a last shove, Chrissy and I wrestled the new bed into place.
"Jesus," I muttered, wiping at the sweat on my brow. "We really should have waited for the guys to get home."
Chrissy waved a hand. "Why wait when we can get the job done?"
"'Cause I'm a month postpartum and shouldn't be doing this kind of strenuous work?" I said with an eyebrow raise.
"If our peasant foremothers could return to sowing potatoes in fields and running from marauding English after having babies, surely we can handle one little bed."
"I don't know how to answer that."
She grinned. "Anyway, Amy is gonna love it."
I looked around the little girl's room, grinning at the ballerina mice on the wall. "She really is."
Amy happened to be barely a year old but already acted like she was going on twenty-six. Chrissy had her hands full with her daughter.
My phone buzzed, interrupting my thoughts.
DaddyDogg
How's my baby?
MommyDogg
Me or your offspring?
DaddyDogg
You, of course. I already know my little girl is perfect.
I chuckled, loving Will's utter devotion to our children.
MommyDogg
We're both good. Probably another fifteen minutes, if you want to come pick us up?
DaddyDogg
I'm on my way. Love you.
MommyDogg
Love you too.
I made chit-chat with Chrissy, tossing around some ideas for the podcast as we watched our babies nap.
"Aren't they precious?" Chrissy whispered in a lull. "I never thought I'd love someone so fiercely. It's like I'm actually afraid I'll lock her up and never let her out of my sight."
I chuckled. "I get it."
Chrissy eyed me. "Are you happy, Karrie?"
I looked down at my precious daughter, thinking about the sleepless nights since Janeane's birth, the discomfort of pregnancy, the constant worry. I thought about the boys and the adjustment it'd taken for them, having a pregnant woman in their space.
Then I thought about my fiancé. I thought about Will's wrinkles and salt-and-pepper hair. I thought about his laugh and the way he held me close. I thought about his fingers as they rubbed my feet. And his cock as he fucked me until we both came.
And I thought about how full and wonderful my life had become. How I no longer lived in front of a computer screen or behind a microphone.
"Oh yes." I reached out, tracing a hand over my daughter's tiny cheek. "In my wildest dreams, I couldn't imagine this level of happy."
Chrissy sighed dreamily. "And to think, I started it all."
I stared at her for a beat then burst out laughing.