Epilogue
Ingrid
Two Years and Six Months Later
Darius walks into the office and stops short, his gaze locking on the piles of tissues scattered like evidence across the desk. “What’s wrong?”
The question slices through me, but I can’t bring myself to answer. My throat tightens. I don’t want to say it. We’ve had a plan—one we’ve clung to, refined, believed in. For nearly three years, it’s been solid. And now, what’s eating at me tears a hole straight through it.
First item on our list as newlyweds was me graduating.
I enrolled in one of Switzerland’s top universities, crushed it, and graduated just this summer.
Top of my class, might I add. My husband was so proud of me he whisked me away for five sun-soaked days where the only thing we studied was each other. It was perfect, exactly what we needed.
When we returned, I slid into my new role and began running his office.
Love the man, but he needed an office manager who took no crap—mainly from him.
Not a problem. I was already a pro at managing him.
And now that we work together, I get to see him every day.
Even travel with him, because the man travels a lot—part of the business he’s worked so hard at building.
The new plan was simple: get the business in order. Build solid teams. Lessen the travel. Shift Darius’s role from constant motion to steady leadership. All of this is expected to take a few years.
Great plan. Solid.
Except now I’m about to toss a wrench straight through it. Blow it out of the water with something neither of us saw coming. It’s not that I’m worried about whether we can do this; it’s more about timing. And if I’m being honest, our families.
Not just his mother—the queen of crazy—who’s gotten her way so far about us not producing children.
Trust me, if I’d been ready after the tantrum she threw at our wedding, I’d have tossed my birth control into the trash and dared Darius to knock me up.
But at twenty–almost twenty-one—I wasn’t ready.
Marriage was already a leap, but after almost losing him, there was no way I was turning him down when he’d asked.
Marrying him was the smartest and easiest decision I’d ever made.
Now I’m twenty-three and Darius is about to turn thirty. Even though we’re older, and not really ready, we had better get there soon.
“Ingrid?” His voice is low, his knees hitting the floor as he searches my face.
I pull out another tissue and blow, dab my eyes, and just spit it out. “I’m pregnant.”
His whole body stiffens. He swallows hard, like he might throw up, then pastes on the fakest of all smiles and lies through his damn teeth. “That’s… great.”
“No, it’s not.” I toss the tissue onto the growing pile and grab another. “The timing sucks. This wasn’t part of the plan. We had a solid one.”
Standing, he tugs me to my feet, sits in my chair, and settles me on his lap. His arms wrap around me, cradling me against his chest. We sit there in silence for several minutes.
Then his voice breaks the quiet, “You want the honest truth?”
“Yes. Even if it’s hard to hear.” I run my finger along his arm. “I can take it.”
“It’s unexpected. Terrible timing, really.
We just picked up five clients. Each one a nightmare who’s going to give me a headache.
” His lips land on the crown of my head, and he snickers.
“But on the bright side, this will royally piss off Mother. She’s been pleased with herself thinking I followed her advice about never reproducing.
I look forward to telling her. Can’t wait to see her face when she realizes I’ve gone rogue. ”
I close my eyes and imagine Geneva’s lips puckered up, frowning. “We should tell her right away. Can I call her? Break the news?”
Darius slips his phone from inside his suit pocket, scrolls to her name, and dials. As it rings, he sets it on his desk and puts it on FaceTime.
On the third ring his mother picks up and her face fills his screen. “Tell me you’ve come to your senses and left her.”
I roll my eyes and try not to scream. Better to let her choke on her own smugness first.
“Better.” Darius smiles as he looks over at me. “So much better than that. Would you like to try to guess?”
“Nothing can top that, son. Stop toying with me.”
“I’ll let Ingrid tell you.” Darius turns the phone so she can see me, as his palm spreads warm and protectively across my stomach.
“I can’t wait.” Geneva’s voice grows irritated. “Please, do tell. I’m on pins and needles.”
“First, you should know we didn’t plan this.” I clear my throat, trying not to squirm under his touch. “I’m not really even sure how it happened.”
His lips brush my ear, his whisper wicked. “I’ll be happy to jog your memory later. In detail.”
I choke out a laugh that melts into a soft moan when his cock swells against my hip. “But we’re thrilled about it, aren’t we, dear?”
“Beyond words.” Darius slips his hand under my shirt and reaches for the snap of my dress pants. “Which is why we called you. We wanted you to be the first to know.”
Geneva inhales sharply, her face pales before she snaps. “Oh, no. Not that. Anything but that.”
I smile for the first time since watching the test turn pink. “Oh, yes. We’re having a baby.”
“If luck is on our side, it will be a girl.” She mumbles into the phone.
Her words push me to lie and I hope I’m right. “It’s a boy. No doubt. Darius promised when he gave me a baby he’d give me a boy first. Isn’t that great.”
“Not really.”
“Mom, don’t be like that,” Darius scoffs. “You should be happy. You don’t have a grandson yet. Don’t you want a grandson? A boy to carry on the Falcon name?”
The screen goes black, and when I lean forward to look at his phone, I can’t help but laugh. “She hung up.”
“Should we call her back?” He picks up the phone and is about to, but I stop him.
“No. Let it fester for a few days.”
He tosses the phone aside and lifts me fully onto his lap, so I’m facing him. “A boy?”
I shrug. “Maybe. Don’t know yet. But I knew the thought would drive her mad.”
His gaze drops to my stomach, awe softening his features. “We’re having a baby?”
“We are.” My hands cup his face, my chest aching with joy. “We’re having a baby.”
He looks up at me, and I get lost in the tears that make his silver eyes sparkle. “I love you. And I can’t wait.”
Eight months later
Across the room, my husband cradles our newborn, his silver eyes locked on the tiny life we created.
For now, it’s just us. No family. No press.
No interruptions. We wanted this moment untouched.
No one knows we gave birth yet—let’s be honest, I gave birth, but Darius was a rockstar, so he gets some credit.
Our chance to revel in the rush of becoming parents.
This was our time. No one else’s. A chance for us to soak in all the joys before letting the outside world in.
“How are you feeling?” he asks softly, his smile full of pride. “You did so well. I’m so proud of you.”
“I couldn’t have done it without you. Literally.” I motion for him to join me.
He stands, and the little person in his arms squirms and fusses, not exactly thrilled Daddy’s moving. “Shh. It’s okay. Mommy’s awake. I bet you’re hungry.”
“I don’t know,” I sigh. “We already tried; it didn’t work, remember? Maybe we should just call the nurse and ask for a bottle.”
“Not yet.” Darius takes the spot next to me, his voice steady, reassuring. “That was earlier. You were both stressed. Now it’s quiet. Just us. Let’s try it one more time.”
“Fine.” I tug my nightgown down, still unsure but willing. I cradle the baby against me, heart pounding. “He still doesn’t have a name.”
“I’ve been thinking hard about this.” Darius runs his fingers along the light curls of our child’s head. “I hope you agree because I think it fits perfectly.”
“Don’t make me wait. Tell me.” I run the tip of my nipple along our son’s small mouth and watch him root.
“Israel Jae Falcon.”
The moment Darius says his name he latches on and starts feeding. Our son’s silver eyes peering up at me, as if he agrees.
“You don’t mind?” I try not to cry, but I’m a mess, hormonal, making that impossible. “You want to name our son after my brother?”
“I do.” Darius reaches up and cups my face. “Okay?”
I nod, unable to speak as I stare down at my son, who shares my brother’s name. And for the first time since I lost him, the other half of me heals a little more.
“Then it’s settled.” Darius leans back and rests his head against my shoulder.
All this started with an unexpected kiss. A kiss that healed two souls and opened our hearts to a world of endless possibilities.
My Duke is full of surprises. Maybe one day he’ll surprise me with a daughter, a little girl with his silver eyes and stubborn streak.
Just not yet—I’m not ready for that. Today belongs to the here and now.
I want to breathe in this moment, to hold on tight, to revel in the miracle of this tiny family we’ve built and the man who made me believe in love again.
Thank you for reading The Duke! I hope you loved it!