Epilogue
EIGHTEEN MONTHS LATER: EMMA
“ Bah, bah, bah,” cries Lily, stretching her little hands up towards Liam. “Beh.”
Liam wastes no time in obeying our daughter’s command. He scoops her up into his chest and spins around in a big circle, making them both laugh until they’re dizzy.
Lily just turned one, and I couldn’t love her more if I tried. Neither could Liam, and seeing him with her makes my heart want to explode. Turns out, he’s a great dad, after all.
Ever since that day that he came to find me at the hospital, we’ve been seeing each other seriously, really committing to our relationship. And though neither of us is perfect at it, we’ve both been trying to be better about taking time for each other.
It’s been easier since Lily was born. She’s brought us together more than anything else, and a baby is an excellent reason to take a little time off work every now and then. I’ve spent my life worrying about what people would think if I worked a little less hard, but it turns out they haven’t been judgmental in the slightest.
In fact, they’ve been happy for me.
Liam feels the same, I think. He’s becoming an exceptional father, and he’s done more than I could ever have wanted from him. Any of his fears of what would happen to him if he worked slightly less haven’t come true, and it’s bringing us both round to the idea of time off now and again.
Not only did we take all the parental leave we were owed, but we’ve also nearly used our entire quota of vacation days for the year. For two people who have never taken a sick day in their lives, that’s impressive.
It really has been helping too. I couldn’t have done all this without rest and support.
Much as I hate to say it, but Phoebe was right. Taking days off does make you feel better.
Despite all the vacation days, this is our first real vacation together as a family. We’re back in Saint Lucia, and it’s just as wonderful here as I remember.
“Say ‘Night night, Daddy,’” I say to Lily.
She babbles back at me, squirming in Liam’s arms.
“Who’s my cutest little snowflake?” he says, kissing her cheek. She grabs at the side of his face, her tiny fingers leaving mini imprints in his skin next to the dimples he gets when he smiles. “Come on, then, honey. Bedtime, or Mommy is going to get really grumpy because she wants to go to bed too.”
“What I actually want,” I say, pretending to be grumpier than I feel to go along with the act, “is a glass of wine. And then sleep.”
“I’m sure that can be arranged.”
He moves over to kiss me, and I sink again into the softness of his lips. It doesn’t matter how many times we kiss; it doesn’t feel less special or thrilling.
Together, we bring our daughter through to the bedroom and set her down in her crib. She stares up at Liam as he tucks her in and starts telling her a story.
I love that he does this. He just tells her stories. It’s like he spent hours memorizing every children’s book ever, except he doesn’t tell any stories from any books I’ve read. He comes up with his own new versions, and they’re just as good as anything you would read in a book.
Fortunately, Lily falls asleep easily, so Liam doesn’t get to the conclusion of his tale about frogs and squirrels. As we slip out of the room, I whisper, “Then what happens?”
“Isn’t it obvious? They fall in love and live happily ever after.”
“You soft dummy,” I scoff, grinning at him.
With that, Liam takes my hand and leads me out onto the balcony, stopping only for a moment to grab a bottle of champagne on the way.
“Champagne?” I say, puzzled. “You’re pulling out all the stops, then?”
“I hope so,” he says cryptically.
We slip out onto the balcony and look out at the forest before us. We’re in the same suite that we stayed in during the training course, the time that we fell in love. It’s sweet that Liam remembered what number the room was, and even sweeter that he asked specifically for it.
He was right when he said he wasn’t the perfect man, but when he tries, he’s thoughtful and kind, and despite the fact he does still have a tendency to work too hard, he’s putting the effort into our family. Together, we’re making a life that we want to live. We’re working it out as we go.
I can’t ask for more than this.
We take a seat and watch the stars as they twinkle above us. “Do you remember,” he asks, “the first time we sat here together?”
“Of course, I do,” I say. “You were a total ass.”
“You’re right, I probably was.” He grins. “And now?”
I narrow my eyes at him. “Now I think you’re okay, kid. Why?”
“I’m glad,” he says, not answering my question. He stares at me for a long second, then slides off the chair onto his knees.
“Liam, what are you doing?” I say. “Get up.” Then I realize exactly what he’s doing, and my hand flies to my mouth in a gasp. “Liam…”
My breath is suddenly as shaky as my hands. We’ve talked about getting married plenty of times. For Lily’s sake, we’ve decided that it’s probably for the best, and I can’t deny that the selfish reason of wanting to call Liam my husband isn’t a part of it too. It’s the next step for us, and we’ve both agreed to it.
I just wasn’t expecting this now.
“Emma Rodriguez,” he says, showing me the ring he’s been hiding in his pocket. “You have changed my life more than I could ever have imagined. Thanks to you, I’m a father. Thanks to you, I understand what I want my life to look like. I want it to look like you. Marry me?”
“You know I will.” I grin, tears welling in my eyes. I hold out my hand, and he slips on the diamond ring. It sparkles like the stars.
It’s perfect.
It’s everything I’ve ever wanted.
“I love you,” I breathe, reaching out for him.
“I love you too,” he says, standing back up and sweeping me into his arms.
He kisses me, and just for this moment, under the stars, I’m with the most wonderful, ridiculous man I know, and everything is perfect.
The End