Bonus Epilogue #2
I don’t even bother defending myself. Just offer a sheepish smile as she waltzes back out to the party.
Sebastian leans in to whisper, “Still got it.”
“You’re so full of yourself.” A smirk pulls at my lips as I add, “One pantry orgasm and suddenly you think you’re twenty-five again.”
“Twenty-five had nothing on now. Back then, I didn’t have you.”
“So cheesy.” I snort, just as he wraps his arm around my waist, pulling me flush to his side.
“Only for you,” he says, brushing a kiss to my lips. “I love you, Trouble.”
“I love you too, Bash,” I murmur through a grin, fingers brushing his jaw.
He winks, grabs the lighter off the bench, and heads for the cake, where I’ve already jabbed four candles into the centre.
It’s two tiers of pink explosion and sparkles, and exactly what Lillian asked for.
He lights each flame carefully, his big hands surprisingly gentle, and I grab the cake platter just as he steadies me with a palm to my lower back.
“Alright!” Sebastian calls out, loud enough to cut through the outside noise, two fingers in his mouth as he lets out a sharp whistle. “Cake time!”
The response is instant. Squeals. Screams. Stomping feet. Lillian sprints ahead of the chaos and skids to a stop in front of me, her face paint already cracking in the corners from smiling too hard all day. “Where’s Teddy?” she demands, looking left and right for her big brother.
I glance around just as he jogs up, tugging his Crocs back on with one hand, face flushed from playing tips in the grass.
She beams and grabs his hand the second he’s within reach, dragging him forward.
He stands tall behind her, eleven now, all long limbs and attitude, but still soft around the edges when it comes to his sister.
I press a quick kiss to his cheek as he passes.
“Mum,” he groans, wiping his face, but I catch the way his lips twitch.
He loves it. He always has. Everyone gathers under the arbour where the balloons hang heavy and the “Happy Birthday” banner flaps gently in the breeze.
With everyone all gathered, the whole yard echoes with the sound of singing—completely off-key, loud, and joyful.
Lillian giggles through it, staring at the flames like they’re magic.
When the song ends, she claps her hands and leans in.
“Make a wish,” Teddy says beside her. She does, before blowing out all four candles in one breath.
Sebastian carefully lifts the knife for Lillian as they cut it together, all the way to the bottom.
Teddy doesn’t miss a beat. He leans down to smack a kiss on Lillian’s cheek, drawing a collective “Awww!” from the crowd.
Sebastian and I both lean in from either side and kiss her head, our voices overlapping.
“Happy birthday, baby girl.”
“Four already?” I whisper against her hair. “How?”
She pulls back, squinting up at me with all the sass a glitter-covered four-year-old can muster. “Because that’s what comes after three, Mum.”
I laugh, and Sebastian smothers his snort beside me.
Of course. What a silly question. I study her face as she licks frosting off her finger.
Big blue eyes like mine. That crooked little smirk—pure Sebastian.
She’s part him, part me, and somehow, all her own.
And I’ll never stop being amazed that two people can make something like this. Someone.
That love can become a person. And in the same way, Teddy’s the same.
He may not be mine by blood, but over the years, it’s like he’s morphed into part of me.
The way he looks at me when he’s hurt. The way he rolls his eyes at my jokes.
The way he still lets me kiss his cheek when he thinks no one’s watching.
They’re both mine. In every way that matters.
And I’ll never stop being in awe of that.
Before I get too weepy, I wipe my cheek, straighten, and lift my voice over the chaos.
“Alright, old man’s turn!”
The crowd stirs with laughter just as Amelia walks out, holding the second cake I made—this one chocolate with piping, and a big, golden 5 and 0.
Bradley freezes mid-laugh as the tray gets placed on the table in front of him.
“Who the hell put fifty on my cake?”
Sebastian grins beside me, already wrapping an arm around my waist again. “Isn’t that how old you are?”
Bradley mouths something across the table. Fuck you.
Laughter breaks out. Harrison hoots. “You’re only upset ‘cause it’s believable!”
Michael shrugs. “It’s the knees, man. They scream fifty.”
My brother just sighs, pretending to be wounded as Amelia hands him the knife. “Let’s just sing and get it over with before you all throw me into retirement.”
We do. Another round of ‘Happy Birthday’, this one louder, rowdier.
Cake slices are passed out while drinks clink, and kids dart through the crowd.
I glance around as it all presses into me—the fullness, the noise, the love.
Zoe leans into Michael with Hazel on her hip, her laughter soft into his shoulder.
Isla twirls Callie by both hands while Xavier bounces Gracie on his shoulders.
Imogen makes her way over and squeezes my shoulders from behind. “Great job with everything, Mumma.”
I turn and smile, my chest aching in the best way. It still feels surreal… watching this life we’ve all built. These people I’ve loved forever, now with families of their own. And somehow, still mine. Stephanie appears at my side with Sandra, both beaming with soft pride.
“Incredible afternoon, sweetheart,” Stephanie says, cupping my elbow like she always does.
Sandra winks. “The cakes were great! You’ve outdone yourself.”
As they both peel away, Sandra is already in search of her kids before something explodes or gets eaten. I barely have a second to breathe before Bradley wraps me up in a strong, brotherly hug.
“Happy birthday,” I mumble against his chest.
He squeezes tighter. “I’m damn proud of you.”
I blink up at him. “Even with the 5-0 cake?”
He chuckles. “Especially because of it.” Then, quieter, “Don’t tell him I told you this, but you’ve always been Dad’s favourite.”
My throat tightens. “Bradley…”
“Saw him crying earlier.” He shrugs. “When it comes to you, he’s a damn sap.”
I bump his shoulder. “Takes one to know one.”
Xavier joins us, arms open wide. “Alright, where’s my hug?”
I laugh, hugging him too. Somehow, these big, scary, overprotective men I grew up with—who once swore no guy would ever be good enough for me—have turned into the softest ones in the room.
They leave me be just as Sebastian comes up beside me, sliding his palm against mine like he always does.
We stand there for a long moment, watching our little world dance and shout and bounce all around us.
“Daddy!” Lillian’s curls bounce as she runs up to us, her pink cupcake slightly squashed in one hand. “Guess what?”
Sebastian bends down to her level, grinning. “What, baby?”
“I made a wish. But I can’t tell you, or it won’t come true,” she says, beaming so wide her cheeks practically puff.
Sebastian feigns a gasp. “Not even a hint?”
“Nope. But it’s a big one.”
“Well,” I say, brushing icing from the corner of her mouth, “if anyone deserves a big wish, it’s you, birthday girl.”
She beams before skipping off again, just as Teddy saunters over. “Can I have another slice of cake, or is that against your party rules?”
“Didn’t you already have two?” I raise a brow.
“Technically… one and a half.” He shrugs, unbothered.
Sebastian laughs and ruffles his hair, the stubborn curls at the nape of his neck damp from running around. “You’re lucky it’s your sister’s birthday.”
He grins, eyes bright and teasing, so different from the quiet, closed-off boy I met all those years ago.
Sometimes, I still catch glimpses of that guardedness, the old self-protection that lived in the way he used to flinch at too much noise or struggle with the chaos of change.
But over the years—with his incredible paediatrician, school support, and us learning right alongside him—he’s found what works for him.
He’s learned how to regulate, to advocate, to trust.
He’s come out of his shell slowly, and now? Now, he’s this clever, witty eleven-year-old with a heart big enough to carry us all. Sebastian’s hand slips into mine again, his thumb brushing the edge of my wedding band, and I glance up to find him already watching me.
His smile is soft, so damn full of love, it nearly knocks the breath from my chest. “You good, Trouble?”
I nod, pressing my shoulder into his. “More than good.”
He bends, pressing a kiss to the crown of my head, and I close my eyes for just a second, breathing him in. This is the forever I never dreamed I’d get, but I did, because he gave it to me.
Every promise he ever made me, he’s kept. Every wall I built; he tore down. Every fear I clung to, he faced with me, without flinching.
And now, a new promise grows inside me. One we’ll meet soon enough.
But for now, with him beside me, and our children running wild just a few feet away, laughter and love spinning all around us… I’ve never felt fuller.