Epilogue
ODETTE
Five Years Late r
Christmas Day
The sound of Duncan’s soft breathing, combined with the weight of his arm draped protectively over my side, gently pulls me from a peaceful slumber. Plus, I can feel his hardness digging into my back, which makes me grin. Granted, I’m still not a morning person, but lately my body has had other ideas lately.
The winter morning light filters through the curtains, painting everything in a golden glow. I glance down at his hand, splayed across my swollen stomach, cradling the curve of our baby. Seven months along, and every moment still feels surreal.
My entire body aches from the workout he gave me last night, among other things, but I can’t seem to get enough of him. And since he’s right there, it seems like a waste to let an opportunity like this pass me by. Shimmying out of my panties without waking him up is feat in and of itself, but I get the job done. I take Duncan’s hardness in my hand and give him a few strokes, before his eyes flutter open.
“Merry Christmas,” he murmurs, his voice husky with sleep.
Moments later, I’m straddling him. We watch as his length disappears into my sopping core, sighing in unison once I’m fully seated. His hands guide my hips, and he watches me in awe as I ride him until I see stars. I try to keep quiet, biting on my lower lip as we chase our release together.
Spent, I collapse onto his chest and let out a small laugh. “Now it’s a Merry Christmas.”
He nuzzles against my neck, his lips finding the pulse point behind my ear. All the satiated parts of my pregnant body reawaken, my nipples pebbling to hard points against his chest.
“Wow,” he breathes. “Pregnancy really does make you extra horny.”
“I wonder whose fault that is.” I lift up slightly to meet his lips, our kiss slow and languid. “Take a shower with me?”
He knows I’m asking — no, telling — him this because I want to get fucked again, this time against the shower wall. He complies, then falls to his knees and drinks up every last drop of our cum as it gushes out of me. It’s impractical, yet it drives me wild, and we both know it. Still, I return the favor despite his protests because I can’t get enough of the guttural sounds he makes as he fucks my throat hard. I can’t get enough of him, period.
Eventually, we remember why we came in here in the first place and he washes every inch of my body, paying extra attention to my breasts and ass. Then he takes his time washing my hair and massaging my scalp, and if my eyes weren’t already closed, they’d roll in the back of my head. He refuses to let me return the favor, because he knows once I get my hands on him we’d be going for round five.
“Even old men have their limits,” he teases me as we dry off.
I roll my eyes, and a barely-suppressed yawn slips past my lips. “Sixty isn’t old.”
“It is, by society’s standards. And I saw that.” He grabs a bathrobe off the hook and feeds my arms through it, fastening the belt at my waist. “You need your rest. Our little princess or prince demands it.”
As he leads me back to bed, the baby monitor on the nightstand crackles, and then our other princess calls out. “Dada, up up!”
“Looks like Calli agrees.” Duncan chuckles, pressing one last kiss to my temple before he throws back the covers. “I got her. Get some rest.”
I should be offended that our two-year-old daughter, Calli — short for Callidora — already knows which one of us is the morning person, and who isn’t. And that she’s playing favorites already. Then I remember that I don’t do nighttime feedings or early mornings because Duncan does it all — he enjoys it, too — and I slide under the covers and I don’t make a fuss as he tucks me in.
To say Duncan stepped up would be an understatement. Like Aurora, Calli was a surprise. An engagement surprise, of all things. This pregnancy, however, was planned but we we’re waiting to be surprised on the baby’s gender. With his luck, it’s another girl. I think it’s the universe’s ultimate divine punishment for him, but he prefers to think of it as a blessing. Meanwhile Chloe just wants another sister, but Caleb disagrees since wants a baby brother to tip the scales in his favor.
Frankly, I thought they would be weirded out by me being with their Dad. Especially since, should they decide to have children, their kids would be the same age as their aunts or uncle. Guess I underestimated just how much they love Aurora and me, because they threatened to rain fire and brimstone on their father should he fuck this up like he did with their mom. Then Chloe and Alex — who happens to be Duncan’s best friend and business partner — got engaged, and that went about as well as anyone would expect. For a brief moment, it threatened their business partnership, but they found a way to work things out. After all, the best things in life are the things worth fighting for.
Things haven’t been smooth-sailing between us, though. It took Aurora a year to warm up to him. There were moments I thought he would give up and return to New York. In addition to being a child, I could tell there were times she sassed him just to get a rise out of him. To piss him off so he would leave, proving everyone was right about him. But he stayed strong, showing up for her despite the constant rejection. To his credit, he didn’t use his money to earn her trust, he did so through his actions. The first time she called him Dad was the day Calli was born, when she held her baby sister for the first time. He bawled like a baby, and Chloe has videos of it. For insurance purposes, she claimed.
More like blackmail. The best kind, though.
She played it at our wedding a year ago. There wasn’t a single dry eye left in the room.
I smile, watching Duncan as he pulls on his boxers, sweatpants, and t-shirt before heading for the door. Shortly after, I hear the door to Calli’s room creak open, followed by delighted giggles and his low, soothing voice.
Content, I let my eyes drift closed again, resting my hand over my stomach. Our little one kicks lightly, a reminder that this Christmas is the start of something even bigger for us. A warm, blissful haze settles over me, and I drift in and out of sleep until the scent of coffee brewing pulls me fully awake.
After discarding the robe into the laundry hamper, I change into a knee-length cozy sweater and head downstairs. The sound of laughter greets me before I even reach the kitchen. Duncan is at the stove, flipping pancakes with Calli perched on his hip. Her dark curls bounce as she giggles, waving a tiny spatula like it’s a wand.
“Mama!” she cries when she sees me, her little face lighting up as she practically falls out of his arms in an attempt to get to me.
My heart swells as I cross the room to kiss her soft cheek. Duncan leans down to steal a kiss of his own from me, his grin boyish and full of mischief.
“Dad’s hogging the baby again,” Aurora mumbles from her position at the island.
Her head’s down, long legs tucked under her, as she scribbles in her notebook. At fourteen, she’s all grace and quiet confidence and far too smart for her age, but she still has the same spark in her eyes that I’ve loved since she was little.
Oh, and she still hates Christmas. She practically scowls at Duncan as he wishes me a ‘Merry Christmas,’ hands me a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice before returning to the pancakes.
“This isn’t coffee,” I pout.
“Here, you can have mine.” Aurora pushes hers in my direction. “Then again, if you want my baby sister or brother doing jumping jacks on your bladder, have at it.”
I fake-gasp, feigning offense at the implication as I slide into a chair beside her. “What are you working on?”
“A new song,” she glances at my stomach, then reaches out to rub it, “for the baby. It’s just a rough draft, but it’ll be ready before they’re born.”
That’s her thing now. She wrote one for Calli too. And for Chloe and Caleb on their birthday last year, which she dubbed their do-over songs. Whatever that’s about.
“That’s beautiful,” I say, brushing her hair back. “You’re going to be an amazing big sister.”
She shrugs, but the smile that creeps onto her face says everything.
We started a ton of new traditions in the last five years. The biggest one being Aurora spends Christmas week with us, while Peyton and Azriel go on vacation. That way everyone gets what they want. We write music together, while Duncan plies us with sustenance and keeps our mess somewhat contained. It’s perfect. New Year’s Eve and New Year’s day are with the Sinclairs. Chloe and Alex, Caleb and his fiancée all come for it. We say goodbye to the old year, and usher in the new one together. No matter how big our family grows, it’s those traditions that keep us grounded.
Duncan joins us with plates of pancakes, setting them down before pulling Calli’s booster seat closer to the island. He makes it all look so effortless, completely in his element. Watching him with our daughters makes me marvel at how far we’ve come.
Breakfast is loud and messy and chaotic and perfect in every way. Calli smears syrupy fingers on everything, Aurora refuses to eat her pancakes because it’s shaped like a snowman, Duncan teases her about her new boy friend, and I can’t stop smiling.
This is my life now. It’s our version of Christmas. It’s not traditional, but it’s ours. And for someone like me, who hates Christmas, I really did end up with a winter wonderland after all. Just not in the way I envisioned.
It’s not snow bells, gaudy garlands, obnoxious trees, or Christmas carols. What it is, though, is chaotic and imperfect, and yet it’s everything I ever dreamed of.
And it’s perfect.