Extended Epilogue
SIX YEARS LATER…
zofia
“We’re going to be late!” I shouted, standing at the garage door, waiting for the rest of my family to come down the stairs so we could head out. “Everyone almost ready to go?”
The bags were already packed in the car, including the presents we’d bought and wrapped last week.
Today was the twins’ eighth birthday party.
Angelina and Benjamin were throwing it at their house, and I was excited to see my girls.
We still hung out all the time—but nowadays, it was normally while our kids played together.
While our book club had changed, I didn’t think I would have made it through either of my pregnancies or parenthood without them.
It was nice knowing I had such a strong support system in all of them.
“Sorry, Mommy,” Bianca said, traipsing down the stairs as she smoothed her hand over her dark brown curls.
Her turquoise eyes—her dad’s color—were big as they met mine.
“Daddy was helping me look for my goggles.” She was wearing a ruffly sage green sundress, one we’d picked out together the night before.
Our daughter was six, and some days it still amazed me how Nic had been right all along about her being a girl. He loved our son, but watching him dote on our daughter was something else entirely. He was the best partner I could have ever asked for, and the best father to our two kids.
My husband followed behind her, holding up said swimming goggles. The Sullivans had put in a pool, and the kids loved swimming in it during the summer.
I sighed, knowing we’d told them to pack everything last night. “Where’s Xander?”
“Right here.” My nine year old was next, wearing a blue button up and jeans.
He was already well over five feet tall, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he ended up taller than his dad when he finished growing.
“Sorry, Amma. I told Zach I’d bring over my game to show him next time.
” He had a handheld console in his hand.
“Alright, in the car, everyone. Let’s go.”
“You’re excited,” Nic said, pressing his lips to my cheek before he headed into the garage.
“More like cooped up,” I muttered. Summer vacation with two kids who were way too smart for their own good was a constant challenge, especially when I had my own work to get done.
Nic helped Bee into the car before opening my door for me—same as he’d always done.
Chivalry was alive and well in the Larsen household.
He was even teaching Alexander to always hold the door open for us—with varying levels of success, depending on his level of attentiveness.
Our son was a good kid, but he was still only nine, and sometimes was more involved in his Pokémon game than in his mom or sister.
I cut him slack, considering he helped with the dishes and kept his room clean, and I never had to ask him to do his homework.
Our drive to the Sullivan’s house wasn’t too long, thankfully not running into too much traffic as we drove across town.
When we piled out of the car, the kids immediately took off towards the backyard as Nic and I grabbed the bags from the trunk.
Nic wrapped an arm around me, tugging me into his side as we walked in the front door, finding our friends all congregated in the kitchen.
“Hey.” I grinned. “Sorry we’re a little late.”
“Bianca couldn’t find her goggles,” Nicolas said, chuckling.
Hunter shook his head. “I know the feeling.” Their daughter, Quinlan, was almost a year older than ours, and she loved the outdoors. Maybe because her parents also loved adventures and hiking, but I’d never seen a kid so at home in the wilderness.
“It’s no biggie,” Angelina said, coming over to give me a hug. “We figured we’d let the kids all play outside for awhile before we do cake and presents.”
There was a hoard of kids running around the backyard, including a few I could see in the bounce house. Bianca was gathered with Ellie, Penelope and Quinlan. As the youngest girls, they were often all together, and it made me smile, feeling like we were growing a second generation of best friends.
This was our second family, and I never took for granted how they’d included me, or how loved I felt being a member of the group.
“So, they talked you into the bounce house, did they?” Nic asked Benjamin, who let out a long sigh.
Angelina smirked. “They knew they had him when they showed him the Batman one.” He was Benjamin’s favorite superhero, and they’d gone all out with the theme of the party, decorating it like Batman and Robin.
“Yup,” he agreed, kissing his wife’s cheek. “They love to gang up on me. That’s why this one has to play bad cop.” Angelina rolled her eyes, pulling out of his arms and going over to the fridge.
Because my husband was a total golden retriever, I totally understood it. I laughed.
“Everyone grab a drink, and we can hang outside,” Angelina said. “Then Hunt’s going to grill in a bit. The boys requested it.”
Gabbi patted him on the shoulder. “Uncle duties.”
He shrugged. “I’m better at it than Ben, so honestly, valid.”
“Hey.” His brother frowned.
Our gatherings were always like this—full of good natured teasing and riffing on each other. It was crazy to think I’d known them all for twelve years. Nic and I were celebrating our eleventh wedding anniversary in August, and I couldn’t believe how fast the time had gone.
We followed everyone outside, each grabbing a beverage from the fridge.
“How are we going to top this?” I muttered to my husband, looking around the yard as I sipped my drink.
Nic bent his head. “Yeah, especially since this is the big one-zero.”
“I can’t believe he’s almost ten,” I said, watching as Xander crossed the yard towards Abigail, Charlotte and Daniel’s oldest daughter. “It feels like I blinked. He’s so grown up.”
Charlotte, who was standing nearby, nodded. “I know. I miss when they were tiny.” They’d had three of their own—Abigail, followed by their son, Beau, and then their daughter, Ellie. “Now we’re dealing with three different schedules, and I feel like I’m losing my mind.”
I laughed. “Yeah. It’s only going to get worse, I think.” Alexander was more into academics than sports, but Bianca loved singing and spent a lot of hours in vocal lessons.”
We both watched as my son handed her oldest daughter a flower—where he’d found it, I wasn’t sure, but Abigail smiled, tucking it behind her ear.
We were too far away to hear their conversation, but it seemed sweet. They’d always been friends—especially since they were the two oldest.
“Aww.” Charlotte placed her hand over her heart. “They’re adorable.”
“They really are.”
Our kids were all staples in each other’s lives, thanks to our strong friendships.
We all helped each other with the kids, from hosting sleepovers and letting them hang out after school if one of us needed it.
It made this parenting thing a lot easier.
Plus, how many people could say that their friends’ parents were also friends?
If it hadn’t been for Nic being friends with Angelina since college, and me befriending the girls, I doubted we’d have this group of friends that felt more like a family.
Of course, my kids were close to their cousins, too. We spent a ton of time with both of my brothers and their kids, and I loved teaching them more about their background at their grandparents’ house.
Bianca came up to me, her hair already wild from being in the bounce house. “Amma, can I give Wesley his present now?”
I looked at Angelina, who nodded. “Sure, sweetie. It’s just inside in my bag, if you want to go grab it.”
She’d picked out Wes’s gift herself. Anytime the twins were together, they were troublemakers, but individually, Zachary was the jokester and the mastermind of pranks, while Wesley was the quieter one.
I’d often find Wes and Bianca in a quiet corner, reading books or playing on their handheld consoles.
My daughter went inside, coming back out holding the wrapped present.
“Hi,” Bianca said, holding out the present to Wesley. “This is for you. Happy Birthday.” She smiled at him, so shy and sweet, and my heart clenched.
“Thank you,” he said, a small blush blooming on his cheekbones. He looked at his mom. “Should I open it now?”
Angelina nodded. “If you want to, I’m okay with it.”
He gave an eager nod before turning back to my daughter, tearing into the wrapping paper.
“It’s a music player,” she said, beaming. “Since I know you love mine so much.”
“Oh, wow. This is so cool.”
“I picked it out,” Bianca admitted, looking a little shy. “Xander found the gift for Zach, so I got to choose yours.”
“Thanks, Bee,” Wesley said, grinning. “I can’t wait to play with it.” He handed it to Angelina. “Mom, can you keep it safe? I don’t want someone to break it out here.”
“Of course, bud. You go play now, and then we’ll bring out the cake, okay?”
She took it from him, and he hugged her, grinning. “Thanks, Mom. You’re the best.”
Angelina patted him on the back. “Glad someone thinks so,” she muttered, glaring at her husband.
He held up his hands in surrender.
There was a gaggle of kids gathered around the table that held the Batman themed cake, excited for Angelina to cut it. Though I loved cake, I wasn’t looking forward to the stains that would come from the black frosting.
I leaned on my husband’s shoulder, happy to just watch all the kids having a good time. Twisting my wedding ring on my finger, I looked up at him. “Do you ever think about how different our lives would be if we’d never signed that contract?”
“All the time,” he admitted, watching our two kids dive into their cake.
“Really?”
“Uh-huh. But not in the way you’re thinking.
” I frowned, and he kissed my forehead. “I think that even if we hadn’t, I still would have found a way to make you mine.
We were inevitable, Zo. One way or another, those two little ones would have come into our lives, changing everything for the better.
” He wrapped an arm around me, hugging me tight.
“You showed me I could have everything I wanted; I just needed to fight for it. That it didn’t have to be the way I always imagined it to have the life I’d always dreamed of.
” Nic tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.
“Losing my mom when I was younger and having my dad always working made me worry if I could be a good father, but from the moment I held Xander in my arms, I knew I’d do anything for him. ”
“You are,” I told him, wrapping my arms around his neck. “You’re the best dad.”
He grinned, his hands resting on my waist. “And you’re an amazing mother. Just like I knew you’d be.” He flicked my nose, and I wiggled it at him.
“I love you. Thank you for asking me to marry you.” I pressed my finger into the spot between his eyebrows, smoothing out the creases. “I’ve never regretted that, honey. Not for one moment.”
“Not even when you found out I’d gotten you pregnant, and you thought I didn’t want to have kids with you?”
Poking at his chest, I frowned. “Don’t remind me of that, husband.”
He just smiled. “I’ve loved you for a long time, wife, and I plan to love you for the rest of our lives.”
“You better,” I said, chuckling as he pressed a soft kiss to my lips.
He wagged his eyebrows. “Tonight, I’ll remind you just how much.”
Another promise—a lifetime full of ones he’d always kept.
“Ewww, Dad,” Xander said, catching us sharing another kiss. “Gross.”
Nicolas laughed. “It’s my job to remind your mom just how much I love her. Every single day.”
My heart filled with warmth as his eyes met mine, full of so much love.
“For better or for worse.”
I smiled. “But somehow, it’s always for better when we’re together.”
And that was why I’d fallen in love with him in the first place.
My coworker, who became my boss.
The boss who became my friend.
And the friend who became my husband.
My everything.
“Forever,” he promised me.
And I knew it was one he’d never break.
The End.