Epilogue
Ihaven’t told Charlotte or Rachel about Laura, about the fact I had a twin sister and Emmanuel was in love with her first. I’m not sure if I will. I don’t want anyone else’s doubt creeping into my mind.
I’m probably clinically insane. Seeing my mother again has made me realize it’s also probably genetic. She’s worse than she was even back then. Or I’ve just been out of that inner circle for so long now I forgot how bad it was to be in it.
I know Emmanuel loves me. I believe him when he tells me it’s not her he sees.
He’s right. They were sixteen, puppy love.
What we have is different. It goes beyond looks, beyond money.
It’s real. I feel it right down to my core.
It terrifies me, because I don’t know what will happen to me if I lose him.
When the priest says, “You may now kiss the bride,” Emmanuel doesn’t waste any time. His lips are pressed against mine.
“Fucking finally,” he grunts. “I’ve been waiting for you to be my wife for weeks.”
“Me too,” I tell him.
“Let’s get out of here. The things I want to do to you are not very holy.” He smirks.
As soon as we’re enclosed in a car, alone, he’s on me.
“Fuck me, I need you now,” he says. The divider screen is up, separating us from the driver.
My dress is long, form-fitting silk. I inch it up my legs and straddle him. I’m not wearing panties. I didn’t want the lines to show. “I’m ready,” I tell him.
Emmanuel unbuckles his belt and then his pants. I take hold of his cock. He might need me right now, but I need him more.
I line him up with my entrance and slide down. “Oh god.”
“How?” he asks, his hands cupping my face. “How does it get better every fucking time?”
“I don’t know,” I moan as I move up and then fall back down on him. “But I’m going to spend a lifetime fucking you, E, so you better like it.”
“This lifetime and the next.” His hands move down to my hips, holding me still as he thrusts upwards, setting the pace as he fucks me. “Mrs. Lopez, I fucking love you.”
“I love you.” I moan as an orgasm rips through me. I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. “I love you,” I repeat.
“I know,” Emmanuel says, thrusting into me one, two, three more times.
THREE MONTHS LATER
“Are you ready?” Emmanuel asks.
“No.” I shake my head from side to side. How did I let myself get in this predicament? Then I look at my husband. That’s how. “This is your fault, you know. If you weren’t so damn sexy, I’d be able to keep my hands off you and we wouldn’t be here right now.”
He smirks. “Whatever it says, we are in this together. You aren’t alone, Evie.”
“I know.” I take a huge breath. “Okay.” Picking up the stick on the counter, I turn it over. The word pregnant flashes back at me.
Emmanuel smiles. “We’re pregnant,” he says in awe.
“How?”
“Really, Evie, I think you know how. It’s because you can’t keep your hands off me.” He grins.
I laugh. “No, I mean. How am I going to do this, E?”
“We are going to do this together. We’ve got this, mi alma.” He kisses my forehead.
“I wasn’t enough to keep a child safe before. What if something happens? What if I fall asleep and, I don’t know, someone takes them away from me again?” I ask him.
“I will increase security. I will stay awake whenever you’re asleep, Evie. I’m not going to let anything happen to you… or him.” He places a hand over my still-flat stomach.
“It could be a her, you know.”
“It’s a him,” he says. “We need sons before a daughter.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m going to need all the help I can get killing any boys who dare sniff around our daughter. And they’re will be a lot of them,” Emmanuel groans.
“You don’t know that.”
“With us as their parents, our children are going to be attractive, Evie. Trust me, when we have a daughter, she is going to need big brothers.”
“Just how many kids do you think we’re having?” I quirk a brow at him.
“We’ll start with one and go from there.” He smiles at me.
TEN YEARS LATER
If he touches me again, I’m going to kill him. We’ll start with one and go from there. That was five pregnancies ago. Every time, I ask myself how did this happen? And every time, I know how. My husband and I like sex.
“You need to push,” the midwife says.
“E, I need a gun.” I hold out my hand to my husband.
“Why?” he asks.
“Because I’m going to shoot everyone in this fucking room!” I scream as a contraction hits me full force.
“Push,” the midwife repeats.
I push down. Emmanuel stays silent, right beside me. He learned quickly the safest thing for him to do is not to say anything. A few more pushes and then I hear it, a tiny cry. Tears fill my eyes.
“It’s a girl,” the midwife tells me right before she places the most precious little bundle on my chest.
“It’s a girl,” Emmanuel whispers.
I glance over at him. He looks… scared. “Are you okay?” I ask.
“We don’t have enough boys yet, Evie,” he says.
“We have four,” I remind him. “I’m not doing this again, E. You are getting fixed.”
He screws up his face. “We can talk about that later.” His hand covers the baby’s back. “She’s so precious,” he whispers as he kisses my forehead.
“She is. Eliana Laura Lopez,” I utter the name I’ve had picked for a girl through all five pregnancies.
“Eliana, you are going to be loved beyond measure.” Emmanuel leans down and kisses her tiny head.
An hour later, a herd of elephants comes running into the room. Okay, a herd of Lopez boys. There’s Elias; he’s just turned nine. Then there is Esterio, who is seven. We have Ezekiel, who is five, and Emilio, who is three. And now that we have our little princess, Eliana, our family is complete.
Still need more of Emmanuel and Evie? Download the bonus scene here…