EPILOGUE
EIGHTEEN MONTHS LATER
RHODES
“I still can’t believe how amazing you are,” I murmur to Daniel, my one-month-old son.
This life is wild sometimes. I wouldn’t change it. I’m more than happy to embrace the messiness of it all. Because then the sweet moments mean even more.
The soft weight of my son in my arms fills me with awe. I’ve gotten accustomed to finding reverence in my daily life.
Because I had the pleasure of watching my woman grow our son. I was amazed every single day and took pleasure in tracking every single change and every inch of growth of her perfect belly.
I lost track of the amount of time I laid with my head next to Helen’s round baby bump and murmured to our little one. I talked about my dreams, the vision I have of our future, and how excited I was about meeting him.
The day Daniel was born was even better than I ever imagined. I’m still amazed at the feat my wife accomplished that day. Talk about something truly spectacular.
I’ve never seen anything like it, and I don’t think I’ll see it again until we grow our family with another little one. And we most definitely will.
“I love you so much, Danny,” I keep my voice pitched low as I sit in the glider and gently move.
He relaxes against me, and my chest aches because of how my heart seems to keep growing as I spend time with my son.
“One day you’re going to come to me and tell me about meeting the person you know is the other half of your soul.
Your eyes will be bright, and it’ll feel like you can’t contain all of the excitement and possibility you’re feeling inside of you.
When it happens, I’ll give you a knowing smile, and I’ll remind you about how I felt when I met your mom. ”
Daniel’s face scrunches up and I pause waiting to see if he’s about to leave me a present.
It’s amazing the smell such a little thing can produce.
Don’t even get me started on the spit-up.
Needing to carry around an extra little towel, which is exactly what it is even if you dress it up and call it a burp cloth, to be able to clean up after a tiny being that projectile vomits is a new experience.
It’s not unwelcome, just new.
“Your mom is going to teach you how to show another person love because she loves you so much. She’ll also teach you to dance and laugh and dream. You are so lucky to have a mom like my Helen,” I whisper the words, knitting them within the fabric of him.
And I know my words are true. Because Helen was made to be his mom. She was made to nurture and raise and kiss boo-boos.
“I’m going to teach you how to be steady and strong, but I hope you always remember that strength doesn’t mean you aren’t allowed to feel. You are. You can cry. You can laugh. You can feel lost. You can feel bruised or even broken. You’ll also always have a home right here with your family.”
Daniel’s eyes flutter closed and I watch as his breathing deepens in a way that tells me he’s lost in dreamland.
“I can’t wait to see what you’re going to do in this life,” my voice is thick and I have to swallow hard past the lump in my throat. “I can’t wait to meet the person you fall in love with and the friends you have that last a lifetime. I can’t wait to read you books and play with blocks.”
I lean down and kiss the top of his head. When I take a deep breath, the baby scent of him has me grinning. Every movement I make to put him down in his crib is done slowly. Very fucking slowly.
When I walk through the door to our bedroom, my eyes land on Helen immediately. She’s propped up against the headboard with a mount of pillows behind her. Even though she’s not pregnant, my woman is still glowing.
My eyes snap toward the baby monitor where I can hear the soft lullaby playing, the same one I just left on in Daniel’s room. I let out a groan as I run a hand over my face.
“You just listened to all of that, didn’t you?”
Helen bites her lip and then looks at me from underneath her lashes. “You know I did. It was adorable, Rhodes.” She looks at me and her gaze locks with mine. “You’re an amazing father and I love you so much.”
I prowl closer to my woman until I’m able to grip her ankle and pull her until she’s flat on her back. “Rhodes,” there’s a warning in her voice, “you know I haven’t been medically cleared.”
One side of my mouth tips up as I smirk at my woman. I slide into bed and pull my woman into my arms. Her body molds to mine and I let out a contented sigh.
“All I want to do is hold you,” I rasp the words. “I never want to forget how this life would not be happening without you having taken a chance on me and letting me show you what was possible. You made me dream of a future, and now we’re living it.”
She turns her head and I can see how much love she has for me. It’s right there in her brown eyes.
“And,” I wiggle my eyebrows, “when you’re ready, I can definitely find a way to give you pleasure without being inside of you. It’s always my greatest joy to give you pleasure.”
“Tempting,” she murmurs.
Stella pushes the door open to our room and goes straight to her bed in the corner. After circling a few times, she lays down and lets out a gentle whuff which is comfortable contentment made into sound.
As I hear the gentle breaths coming through the baby monitor, while my arms are wrapped around my woman, I know this is everything I could have ever wanted in life and we’re only just beginning.