Epilogue
Brittany – Three Months Later
I gently chew my bottom lip as I lean against the counter, Max sitting at my feet, tilting his head at me but I don’t look at him. My eyes are focused on the stick in my hands.
“It’s going to be negative,” I murmur, “I mean, Bailey is only five months old, there is no way I’m pregnant this quickly, I’m just not, I can’t be.”
My heart pounds as I wait for the test results to come back negative.
Don’t get me wrong, I do want more kids with Asher, just not right now.
We’re still finding ourselves in this relationship.
After everything that happened, we’re still learning each other again.
I fall deeper and deeper every day – something I didn’t think was possible – I just don’t think we’re ready to expand our family, not yet, at least.
But I guess the universe has other ideas…
10 – 12 weeks pregnant
Oh no.
I suck in a breath as my body begins to tremble.
Crap, I can’t believe this is happening.
“Tinkerbell?” I hear through the house, and I look at the bathroom door and furrow my brows.
I thought he had meetings all day at the hospital?
Throwing the pregnancy test in the trash, I wash my hands before leaving the bathroom, Max running before me to greet his daddy.
“You’re home early,” I say as I walk into the kitchen and find him making a coffee.
He grins my way and says, “Yeah, the meeting wasn’t as long as I thought it would be. Millie has finally been sacked.”
I sigh with relief. Thank god for that, I was ready to kill the woman.
Last week, Asher went into his office and found the receptionist who absolutely hated me, naked, sprawled out on his desk, trying to get herself off, begging him to join her.
He’d left the door open and went to find one of the hospital administrators before showing him what he had walked in on.
Apparently, she even tried inviting the administrator, who has been happily married for thirty years, thinking it would save her job. She was suspended immediately pending investigation.
“The partners found plenty CCTV footage of her screwing patients and other doctors,” Asher admits as he hands me a coffee. I smile slightly at him before he asks, “Did you go to work today, or do you still feel sick?”
I swallow hard as I place my cup down on the counter.
He wanted to run tests a few days ago when I told him I didn’t feel well, his doctor self-showing up. I turned him down and mentioned it was probably just a bug.
Well, I was wrong.
“I uh, dropped Bailey off with Mama and Dad for the day. Pauline said I can have a few more days off now that the law suit is going through with Harper. Apparently it wasn’t looking good so Pauline had to press charges alongside the lawsuit and Harper is looking at time,” I admit.
He tilts his head as he leans against the counter, looking at me intently.
“Come here, Tinkerbell,” he whispers, and I go to him, instantly melting in his embrace as he wraps his arms around me. “What’s going on?” he asks quietly, “You didn’t steal another animal, did you?”
I snort as I grip his cut.
I may have brought another cat home last week who was left abandoned at the office.
Pauline is actually the one who encouraged me to bring Dizzy home, and yes, I named him Dizzy.
He likes to spin around trying to catch his tail, and Angel and Max love him.
Asher, however, did not, but he loves me, so…
“No, no more animals, at least not yet,” I admit, and he groans at the ‘not yet’, making me chuckle and accuse, “You love it.”
“No, I love you,” he admits, and I grin up at him before he pecks my lips.
He’s become so attentive since I returned, so loving.
My grin slowly dies, the test in the trash coming back to mind, and I ask, “Would you still love me when this house gets noisier?”
He raises a brow at me, and I take a deep breath before admitting, “I’m pregnant, the IUD failed.” His eyes race between mine before a smile spreads across his handsome face, and I ask, “You’re not mad?”
“Mad?” he questions as he cups my jaw, “Fuck no, Tinkerbell, I’m elated.”
Tears blur my vision and stutter, “But a-another baby, Asher? We’re just finding ourselves…”
“Tinkerbell,” he whispers, “my plan is to keep you knocked up all the time and then you can never leave me when I fuck up because let’s face it, I will fuck up.”
I choke out a shocked laugh as I wrap my arms around Asher's neck, and his hands go to my ass lifting me up, my legs automatically wrapping around his waist.
“I fucking love you, Tinkerbell, and every kid we have, I’ll love them just as much,” he whispers as he place my forehead against his, “It’s meant to be.”
He kisses me gently and I melt into him, his words echoing in my mind, ‘it’s meant to be’, and he’s right.
Just like he was right with the three other children we have with a house full of animals where he treats me like his queen.
Always putting me and his kids first, before his work, before his club, like he promised, centering me every single day.
It was all meant to be, just like we were, forever and always.
I will never come to regret giving him a chance, not the first time and not the second, because he and our family are all that matters.
What more could a girl want in life with kids, animals, and a man standing beside her?
Maybe a couple more dogs…