Epilogue #2
Taking a look around the house Annistyn has made a home, I take in all the pictures we’ve added over the last ten months.
She’s gotten more comfortable in front of a camera lens.
Roger actually did her maternity shoot and the pictures came out amazing as we knew they would.
My favorite hangs in our bedroom right next to one of me kissing her on my bike the day she became my ol’ lady.
Her hair hangs down her back in curls as she rests one hand on her stomach and lets her head drop back with her eyes closed.
I’m kneeling in front of her, pressing a kiss against her exposed stomach.
The dress she’s wearing is black and sheer.
The only parts of her body you can’t see are her tits and her lower body.
She wore a small, tight pair of black shorts over her panties that ended up looking as if they were part of her outfit.
My eyes are closed in the picture. Both of us are barefoot and I’m only wearing my cut and a pair of jeans in that particular photo. We both love it.
Over the last month since Ridge was born, our walls now hold a ton of pictures of him.
We have them from the hospital and almost every day since bringing him home.
There’s one on the wall heading upstairs with Tank holding my son in his arms. The look of pure love from the big man as he gently cradles Ridge against his body made Annistyn cry when she edited the image.
Tank and Maddie have the same picture in their home and Tank looks at it every day according to his wife.
The bond Annistyn and Tank have formed since he first met her won’t ever be broken and he’ll always be in her corner.
He’s the dad she never had and he treats her like the rest of his children.
“Thought I’d find you down here with Ridge,” Annistyn says as she walks up and rests a hand on my shoulder.
“He was fussy after I changed him. I wasn’t ready to put him down either. You need your sleep, Pixie,” I tell her as she moves around to sit at my side.
“I’m okay. He’ll be up again soon to eat and then I can go back to bed,” she assures me as I lift an arm so she can snuggle into my side.
“Mom will be here for dinner tonight,” I remind her as the aroma of the roast she started early this morning fills the house.
“I remember. All I have left to prepare are the mashed potatoes, the biscuits, and dessert. I’m not sure what I want to bake yet,” she says, mentally checking through what we have in the kitchen.
“I’ll help you, Pixie,” I tell her as she looks down at our son. “I’m surprised Dakota hasn’t been over here yet.”
Dakota has been here every day since we brought Ridge home.
She loves helping us take care of her baby.
She sings to him, holds him with our help, and follows us wherever we take him.
If Caleb and Cali can’t find her, they know to come to our house and nowhere else.
Kylan doesn’t know what to think of Ridge yet.
He can’t play or walk around so he’s uninterested in him.
Bryce and Rory have both come over to visit and always hold him when they’re here.
The second all the kids walk through the door, they head for the kitchen to wash their hands so they can hold him.
“She has a doctor’s appointment today. Cali told me about it yesterday because she knows her daughter well and realizes she wants to spend the day at our house instead of her own. Has Oreo been out lately?” she asks, reaching down to pet the puppy at my feet.
“Yeah. I took her out a little while ago. If she has to go out again, she’ll use her door and go in the backyard,” I tell her as Ridge starts to move in his sleep and I know he’ll be awake soon.
Ridge doesn’t cry very loud when he wakes up.
He whimpers more than anything until he’s in his mom’s arms, nursing.
He’s a little piggy and eats more often than I remember any of Cali and Caleb’s kids eating.
This means my wife has to eat more often so she has enough nutrients in her body for the two of them and she drinks way more water at this point.
We have two large tumblers in the refrigerator already filled and she has one with her at all times.
I hand my son over to Annistyn after she unclips her shirt so she can feed him.
Grabbing one of his blankets from the arm of the couch, I drape it over my son once he’s latched on.
Since we basically have an open door policy at all homes on the compound, we never know when someone will enter our home.
Annistyn is always covered when she nurses and leaves the room when he’s done eating.
“Are you happy, Pixie?” I ask her as we sit in silence with only the sounds of Ridge nursing filling the air around us.
“I’m happier than I ever dreamed possible, Kreed.
You’ve given me a life I never knew existed and fill every single day with the best memories.
You’ve battled all of my monsters and given me unwavering support and loyalty when it’s the last thing I feel I deserve.
We have a son and you’ve filled my heart with nothing but love.
There’s no way I couldn’t be happy with you in my life.
Thank you again for saving me that day and changing my life,” she answers without thought or hesitation.
“Are you truly happy knowing how often I might struggle with my past?”
“I am the happiest I’ve ever been, Pixie.
You’ve fulfilled every single dream I ever had growin’ up when I thought of love and the kind of relationship I wanted.
Every day with you in my life is better than the last and I can’t wait to wake up each mornin’ with you in my arms. My world is brighter and I can breathe easier knowin’ you’re at my side.
You’ve given me a son and have accepted everyone I consider family as your own.
While I battle your demons, you fight off the darkness that threatens to consume me when I can’t push away thoughts of my time spent in the military.
When Annistyn is done nursing our son, I carry him up to the nursery and change his diaper before laying him in his crib.
After making sure he remains asleep and doesn’t wake up again, I head for the bedroom where Annistyn is climbing in bed.
I join her and pull her on top of my chest until she gets comfortable and falls into a deep sleep lacking any nightmares.
She really hasn’t had any since the birth of Ridge.
During her pregnancy, they did get bad shortly before she went into labor, but Debbie helped her work through what was going on in her mind and heart.
Debbie is a life saver and I’m not sure where Annistyn would be without her.
As my wife sleeps in my arms and our son sleeps in the next room, I stare at the pictures of our life that have been added to our bedroom.
Some I’ve taken, some are Annistyn’s photos, and some are ones Roger took for us.
Annistyn is no longer camera shy and enjoys having her picture taken as long as it means embracing the memories she’s creating in that moment.
Life couldn’t get any more perfect than it is right now.