Epilogue
TEN YEARS LATER
Bright rays of sun warmed my body as I relaxed on the lounge chair and listened to the waves splash against the ship. The water off the coast of Menorca, Spain, was crystal blue and I was in heaven or close to it.
I set my morning coffee down on the small glass table next to me and basked in the delight of waking up on vacation in a beautiful place with my entire family.
“Mummy!” A little voice called. Before I could sit up, chubby hands wrapped themselves around my midsection and squeezed tight.
“Good morning, my beautiful girl. How’d you sleep?”
“Good,” she responded, her voice muffled as she climbed up my body and nestled into the crook of my neck for snuggles.
“I thought I heard tiny feet run by me when I was in the kitchen,” Oliver said as he walked over to sit beside us.
“Hi, Daddy.” Evie yawned.
“Good morning, sweetheart.” He brushed a fallen piece of hair out of her face. “Are you ready for breakfast?”
“Berries?” She popped up like a little prairie dog.
“Of course.” Oliver chuckled. “Let’s get you some berries and yogurt and let Mummy enjoy her coffee.”
He picked up Evie, placed a chaste kiss on my cheek, and headed inside to feed our little princess.
I smiled, my heart exploding as I watched them. I would relive every moment of the last several years, including the lowest lows, if it led us to our sweet Evelyn every time.
I finished my coffee and before I could place the empty mug onto the side table, a flute of orange juice replaced it in my hand and a clink sounded as another glass hit my own.
“Cheers!” Birdie smiled as she plonked into the chair next to me.
“Cheers?” I asked incredulously.
“Yeah. We’re on family vacation, in the middle of some of the most beautiful water on the planet, the kids are eating—which means no one is fighting—and we can enjoy a nice morning drink in peace.”
“Moooooom!” Holly, Knox and Birdie’s oldest, yelled from inside the boat.
“You know you jinxed us, right?” I giggled.
“Damn it.” Birdie rolled her eyes.
“Mom!” Holly ran out to the deck. “Tell Aiden to stop throwing blueberries at me!”
“Tell Holland to stop calling me Francis. That’s not even my name,” Aiden said imperiously from behind Holly.
“It’s your middle name!” Holly giggled.
“Oh my gosh you two, it’s too early for this.
” Birdie stood and grabbed her flute and walked inside the glassed-in dining area.
She kissed the tops of Aiden and Holly’s heads.
“I love you two so much, but if I have to listen to you squabble all day, I will lose my mind. Now sit down, eat breakfast, and stop pestering each other.”
As I followed them into the dining area, my heart filled with such happiness to see the table full of little Courtwrights and Hendersons.
We tried to make sure that we set time aside to take a family vacation each summer.
Yes, most of us saw each other almost daily, with Knox and Oliver still working together and the kids going to school together, but it was different when we spent a holiday together and were able to just be.
“Good morning, family,” Xavier said as he climbed the stairs from the lower level that held the bedroom suites. His red hair was in disarray and stuck out in every direction. He walked to the table where Aiden sat and ruffled his hair before placing a kiss on the top of his head.
“Good morning, darling,” Isobel greeted Xavier from her seat next to the window. “Where’s the rest of your family?” She scanned the room to make sure she wasn’t missing anyone.
“Those night owls are still asleep.” He chuckled and shook his head. “I’m sure they’ll be up by noon.”
Isobel laughed and went back to reading her book.
“So, what’s on the agenda today?” Knox asked from his seat next to Wren, his curly headed toddler, who was currently smashing each of her blueberries with her thumb before eating them.
“Leroy and I were wondering if we could take the kids into town with Rosie. There is going to be a small street festival, and we thought they might like to go and enjoy music and treats if that sounds all right to you parents?” Isobel asked.
Birdie, Knox, Xavier, Oliver, and I all looked at each other, and without a moment of hesitation we all burst out into a simultaneous “yes!”
We loved our children, but between school fundraisers, palace events, and royal engagements across the continent, it wasn’t very often where we all had time to just relax and enjoy some quiet time.
After breakfast, we got the kids ready for their day with the grandparents and Aunt Rosie, loaded them onto the small boat that would take them to the island, and set them off on their fun-filled day.
“I am going to go and take the longest nap!” Birdie said from the railing, as we waved the boat goodbye.
“Really? You’re going to waste a few hours on sleep?” Xavier goaded her.
“Don’t judge me on how I spend my time. No one is going to be asking me for a snack, and it’s going to be glorious. What are you guys going to do?”
“We’re going to go cliff jumping and then snorkeling."
“Of course you are.” Birdie rolled her eyes, laughing.
Large hands slid around my waist and dropped something heavy into the front pocket of my canvas shorts.
“I have an idea of what I would like to do while everyone is gone,” Oliver whispered into my ear.
“Say more,” I teased.
“Meet me in our bedroom in five minutes.”
I slid my hand inside my pocket to feel for what Oliver had sneakily put into my pocket.
The smooth coolness of the glass immediately gave it away and I quickly checked the time on my watch.
Hurriedly, I made my way to the small bathroom off the kitchen area and swished some mouthwash, fluffed my hair, and dabbed on a bit of perfume.
Oliver and I had been together for ten and a half years now, but I still got butterflies when it came to him and the filthy things he did to my body.
Time and life had not changed the way we still lit each other up.
Excitement coursed through my veins as I made my way down the narrow stairway to our bedroom suite.
I grabbed the handle and opened the door. The blackout curtains were drawn and the small lamp on the nightstand illuminated the room in a soft orange glow. I stepped inside and locked the door.
“So, what exactly do you have in mind?” I called into the room, looking around for Oliver, who was nowhere to be found.
“Hello?” I called.
The small door to the ensuite bathroom opened and Oliver walked out in tight black boxer briefs, his gorgeous honey-colored abs on full display. I moved my eyes down his body, following the soft blond trail of hair that disappeared into the waistband.
“Give me the toy.”
I did as he said and handed him the glass plug he had gifted me for my birthday those many years ago.
“Take off your clothes,” he said as he cupped his hardening cock.
As always, I did as he instructed, knowing that as long as I followed his directions, I would soon be filled to the brim and experiencing pure euphoria.
I slid my white canvas shorts down my tanned legs and kicked them to the side, then pulled the string at the top of my neck to untie the hot-pink bikini top.
It fell forward and I grazed my hands down my front to cup my breasts, pinching my pebbled nipples.
Two could play this teasing game, and luckily, after all these years, I knew what turned him on.
Oliver inhaled and I smiled, knowing that I was doing exactly to him as he was to me.
I pulled the second string at my back and let the top fall to the ground at my feet. I then slowly moved my hand to my bikini bottoms, pushing them down at a glacial pace. I caught the way that Oliver sucked in the corner of his lip and his breath quickened.
Stepping out of the bottoms, I threw them to Oliver who caught them and brought them to his face. He inhaled and I instantly grew wet at the thought of his mouth on my pussy. I ran my middle finger through my center and was met with slick moisture.
“Get on the bed. Ass up,” Oliver's deep gravelly voice commanded.
“Yes, Sir.” I winked before climbing up onto the bed and getting on all fours.
I heard Oliver walk back into the bathroom, open and close a drawer, before the bed dipped and I could feel him sidling up behind me.
A cool, wet sensation spread along my ass. I couldn’t help the gasp that left my body before Oliver’s fingers were rubbing the lubricant along me.
“God, I love you,” Oliver said.
“I love you.” I smiled, loving his praise.
“Spread your legs a little more, beautiful.”
“Yes, Sir.”
His fingers moved down to my front, where he rubbed the leftover lube around my sensitive clit. A moan escaped my lips, and I needed more.
“Oliver.”
“You want this?” he asked as he slid just one finger inside of me.
“God, yes.”
“Bend forward.”
I did as I was told and leaned on my forearms, displaying myself for him.
“Mmm, good girl. You’re so ready for me, aren’t you?”
“Yes. Please,” I moaned, knowing what was awaiting me. I wanted him inside me so badly. I needed him to fill me in every way he possibly could.
He ran the cold glass plug along my seam and pushed it slowly into my tight hole.
“More.”
He let out a soft chuckle. “So greedy.”
“Baby,” I moaned.
I didn’t have to beg again before he pushed his thick cock inside of me.
I saw stars as he thrusted into my weeping pussy.
My body was full of sensations. The cold plug, his hard, warm dick, the slickness filling me.
I wanted this to last all day. I was delighted when I felt the first of many orgasms start to build.
As if he could read my mind, Oliver spoke.
“Come on my cock. I want to hear you scream my name, Laidie.”
My body erupted as Oliver slapped my ass and then pulled the plug out, sending me over the edge into blissful ecstasy.
After a few hours, we finally made our way up to the sundeck of the yacht. Knox was reading on one of the couches, while Birdie laid stretched out with her head in his lap.
“Mind if we crash your space?” Oliver asked.
“Go ahead. I was just catching up on some reading before the kids get back. How have you two been enjoying your afternoon?”
“It’s been the best day of the trip so far.” Oliver smiled. “A nice little afternoon nap.”
“Yeah,” Birdie huffed. “I heard you…napping.”
Knox shook his head and laughed.
“Oops.” Oliver grinned like a Cheshire Cat.
Heat flooded my cheeks and I buried my face into Oliver's side.
A staff member approached with a tray of wine and finger foods. “Would you like some refreshments?”
“Yes, please. I’m famished,” Birdie answered. “Do you have anything other than wine?”
“Of course. What can I get you?”
“Hold on.” I sat up and narrowed my eyes on her. “Why don’t you want wine?”
She looked at Knox and then back to me.
“Well, we weren’t going to tell anyone yet, but I might have played my hand.” She shrugged, a grin spreading across her face.
“Again?!” I practically shouted.
She nodded. “I’m pregnant.”
I burst out laughing and leaped to my feet, wrapping my arms around her in a tight embrace. “Congratulations!”
“Thank you. It was a surprise. Like…a big surprise.” She chuckled.
“Congrats, brother.” Oliver hugged Knox, then turned to Birdie. “You know that you could have just said you weren’t in the mood for wine and we wouldn’t have thought anything of it,” Oliver teased her.
Knox playfully elbowed his wife in the side. “Don’t let her fool you, she’s been dying to tell you guys.”
“I’m so happy for you two. Seriously, I can’t wait for baby snuggles and to smell that newborn head.”
“If you want to schedule those between the hours of one and five in the morning, that would be great.” Birdie laughed.
I knew that Birdie had been a little nervous to tell me about each of her pregnancies, always wanting to be mindful of my infertility trauma. But I assured her each time that she had nothing to worry about. I was extremely happy for her and Knox. They were amazing parents.
I was extra happy for Evie to have another cousin and for Oliver and me to have a new niece or nephew to love on. Getting all the baby cuddles and then giving them back and getting a full night’s sleep was the peak auntie experience.
“Mummy! We back!” Evie’s voice called from below.
I looked over the rail and spied the staff helping everyone off the small boat one by one, kids’ hands clutching bags of God-knew-what.
Leroy was a massive sucker who could never tell his grandkids no, especially when Rosie was there to egg him on.
But the smiles that spread across each child’s face made it all worth it.
I sighed happily, leaning back into Oliver as he wrapped his arms around my waist. I didn’t think my heart could get fuller than this—living the life that had once felt like it would only ever be a dream.