Epilogue
Emily
FIVE YEARS LATER
L ife has been crazy, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
We finally got married on the beach in the Bahamas when Charlotte was almost two years old.
She was our flower girl, and we were so thrilled to have our little girl walk down the aisle with us.
The ceremony was small, with only immediate family and close friends.
It was perfect, and I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.
We made our vows as the sun set, and it was the most romantic moment of my life since Charlotte arrived.
I started a new job when Charlotte was about three years old. It’s at an outpatient clinic and less physically intensive, which I can appreciate as I get older.
It took me a lot longer than a few years to warm up to the idea of being pregnant again.
Ben and I talked about having another baby, and when we were both on the same page, I started physical therapy to help prepare my pelvic floor muscles for the added weight.
I also found a therapist who could meet with me virtually in case it became difficult to leave the house again.
I felt so much more prepared going into the second pregnancy, and though I was told each pregnancy was different, I was disappointed when I started having symptoms of SPD much sooner this time around.
The pain was also much worse, but I could manage working until the third trimester when my doctors had to take me out of work again.
Ben and I welcomed Jackson a few days after his due date in August this past summer. When the PPD hit, we were both prepared for it, and my doctor started me on medications again.
This New Year’s Eve is special. We’re spending it together as a family.
We had our own New Year’s Eve party with streamers and party hats.
Charlotte helped to decorate and set up the disco ball in our living room.
The four of us rang in the New Year early, equipped with last year’s countdown in Times Square.
When the ball dropped, Charlotte pulled the string connected to the disco ball, letting it drop to the floor in a shiny heap.
I scoop up Jackson while Ben gives Charlotte a bear hug.
Her excited giggles are music to my ears.
The kids are now in bed, and Ben and I snuggle on the couch with a bottle of pinot noir.
The live stream of Times Square plays in the background as the countdown begins.
Only this time, I’m lying in the arms of the love of my life, the father of my children, and my best friend and roommate for life.
Despite it all, I would not change a single thing.
Who knew I had to have my heart broken first to get to where I am today?
If this is a dream, I never want to wake up.