Epilogue
ANNELISA
ONE YEAR LATER
When Will and I set off on our impromptu trip around Europe for a month, we had no set plans, just deciding to hop on a train to Paris and see where we ended up after that.
It was the most amazing four weeks of our lives. With no one else around, we were able to reconnect, and when we returned to Australia, I moved straight into his place. We figured, if we could survive a month of living in small hotel rooms together, moving in together was the most logical step.
Before I’d left London one last time, I met with Danielle again, and she told me, with more than a small amount of surprise, that not only did the publisher love the concept of my book, they wanted to buy the rights to several of my other books I’d released myself.
Seems they’d finally found an appetite for second chance romance, after all.
When he saw how well the business had done without him, Will enrolled to do his engineering degree, and has just finished his second semester while juggling most of the managerial work.
His brother-in-law, Jon, has taken over the day-to-day operations for the most part, and it’s been so good to see Will throwing himself into his studies.
Because he’s studying online, he’s been able to get to the beach more often, and the difference in his mood on the days he goes tells me we are going to have to look for that beach shack sometime soon.
But for now, we’re happy with the life we’ve been rebuilding together. Just the two of us. And Alfie, who is currently curled up at my feet while I go over the latest round of changes my editor has sent through for my next book.
“Annie? You up?” Will’s voice carries down the hall, and I glance at the clock, surprised he’s home already.
“Yep, in here,” I call back.
He appears at the door, his hair still wet from surfing.
Even though I see him every day, it never ceases to amaze me just how incredibly attractive he is.
His skin has the healthy, sun-kissed glow that makes me want to kiss every inch of his body to see if he tastes as good as he looks.
And those abs… Let’s just say, the character descriptions for the heroes in my stories are almost always based on him.
“What are you doing back so early?” I ask, turning my chair to face him.
Alfie gets up and walks over sleepily to give Will a hello sniff.
“Did you forget what’s happening today?” he asks as he bends to scratch behind Alfie’s ears.
“Um… maybe?” I reply, mentally going through our calendar of events and drawing a complete blank.
“It’s the first performance of Piper’s play.” He smirks as I smack my forehead.
“Shit, I thought that was next week!” I jump out of the chair and race out of the room to get changed .
Piper has been going on about this for weeks, and had been practically bouncing off the walls with excitement when she stayed over two weeks ago.
She and Jordan have started spending a weekend with us once a month, and it’s been great having the extra time with them.
Between them, Brandie and Will’s nieces and nephews, our house is rarely empty, and it’s confirmed my feelings that this is exactly where I need to be.
I get ready in record time, and Will takes my keys when I go to climb in my car.
“Nope, I’m driving.”
“Seriously, I just didn’t see the pole when I was parking on Thursday. I can drive!”
“Annie, I’m not taking any chances. You’re thirty-five weeks pregnant and can barely see your toes anymore. I’m doing all the driving until the doctors give you the all clear after Savannah arrives.”
We’ve had to remind ourselves constantly not to use that name in front of our friends, wanting to keep something between ourselves before our daughter arrives.
But it’s becoming harder to keep secrets.
We’ve spent so many years doing just that, and now that a fun secret has come along, we have to resist the urge to blurt it out for anyone to hear.
I guess I’ll let him play the protector role for a little while longer.
Ever since we found out I was pregnant again, he has been waiting on me hand and foot, ever the provider.
While we hadn’t been trying, we’d stopped using protection, figuring if it happens, then it will be the right thing for us.
And the day that the doctors confirmed that all was okay, he got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife.
I hadn’t even hesitated before saying yes.
When Will slides into the driver’s seat, he lifts my hand and kisses the back of it, before setting it down on his thigh. He rests his hand against the back of my headrest and turns to reverse out of the driveway, shooting me a smirk as he does it.
“Still got it, Mr Anderson. ”
“You know it,” he replies with a wink, and I’ve never been more content in my life than I am in this moment.
We chat easily as Will drives through the back streets towards the girls’ school. But when he drives by the very empty parking lot, I get the sense that I’ve been duped.
“Wait a minute. Piper’s play is next weekend,” I say, looking at the calendar on my phone. I look over at my fiancé, whose only reply is a cheeky grin and a shrug.
He refuses to tell me what’s going on, and when he pulls up in front of Tara’s house, I consider refusing to get out of the car until he tells me what’s going on.
But I know how good he is at keeping me guessing, so I let him help me out of the car, cursing how hard it is for me to do anything with this crazy stomach.
Will leads the way inside, and once he pushes the door open, I gasp, taking in the large crowd of people in the lounge room.
They must have parked further away, because while there were no cars outside, everyone we know and love is in this room.
“Surprise!” they all yell in unison, while I hold a hand to my chest, overwhelmed.
“I’ll say! What is this?” I ask, looking at Will.
“Your baby shower,” he replies with a grin, tugging me over to stand with my back to his chest, circling my waist with his arms and resting his chin on top of my head while I stare around at everyone.
Even Kylie has made it, and I smile as she nods at me, raising a pink drink over her head from where she sits on Seth’s lap.
A lump forms in my throat as I look around the room, taking in all the smiling faces.
My mother sits with Jo, the pair of them seeming to be as thick as thieves as they drink their mimosas and giggle together.
I’ve finally started to work on getting to know Jo better, and I’m happy she’s here.
Jordan and Piper are entertaining the younger kids in the corner, while Tara, Bri and Morgan move towards me, ushering me over to the recliner they’ve set up like a throne in the middle of the room.
Jake comes in from the kitchen, with Chris and Aiden following behind, all three of them carrying plates laden with food.
“I can’t believe we managed to pull this off without you working it out,” Morgan says, grinning as she puts a crown on my head.
“Well, to be fair, I’ve kind of been distracted trying to get this book done before the baby arrives,” I reply, accepting the glass of pink lemonade that Bri presses into my hand.
“And I may have kept you a little occupied every night,” Will murmurs into my ear as he bends over the back of my chair to kiss the top of my head.
I feel my cheeks flush as I remember just how occupied he’s kept me. It seems he hasn’t been able to get enough of my body lately. And I am so here for it.
While I wish our story hadn’t been quite the rollercoaster it was, I’m so grateful that we got our second chance.
And I can’t wait to spend the rest of our lives together.