Epilogue
Julia
Brent is standing in the middle of the stage, leaning into Ryker as he rocks out on the guitar for his solo, and Paige, our one year-old daughter, wiggles excitedly against my hip. He casts a glance to the side, locking eyes with Paige across the stage, and he blows her a quick kiss before strutting back up to the mic to finish his round of lyrics. Although she’s got noise canceling headphones on, which means she can’t hear much of anything, Paige smiles excitedly and does her version of a dance in my arms.
I smile down at her and place a quick kiss on the top of her, while simultaneously handing her over to Mallory who’s walking up to me with her arms out. The chords for my favorite song start echoing through the speakers and I take a deep breath, then nudge my head toward Mallory’s bag. “You didn’t forget it, did you?”
She rolls her eyes and smirks. “You’d never let me live it down if I did.” With Paige perched on her hip and tiny fingers twirling her aunt’s dark waves, Mallory digs into her bag for the box I asked her to grab for me and I take it nervously. Paige giggles as Mallory tickles her belly, her bright smile lighting up like a Christmas Tree and I smile at the two of them.
When I think back to the time before I got to know Brent, I never imagined where my future would end up. I was convinced I’d spend the rest of my life chasing after guys and being that awkward woman who could barely talk to them. Then Brent came into my life and brought out a side of me that I’d been missing, but a side that only he could bring out of me, and I couldn’t be more grateful for that.
I twirl the rings around my finger as I stare out at the stage and wait for my cue, like usual, to walk out onto it with Brent. A year ago, right before I had Paige, Brent and I got married with our closest friends alongside us. It was intimate, and took place in St. Croix at the botanical garden because that’s where Brent realized he was in love with me.
“Alright, we’re gonna slow it down now, everyone,” Brent rasps into the mic and flips the hair from in front of his eyes before looking over at me. “I’d like to invite my beautiful wife onto the stage.” This causes the audience to go wild, something I’ve become used to, and I quickly open the box that houses my surprise before shoving it behind my back. He chuckles into the mic as I take my time and says, “She gets a little shy sometimes, help out on welcoming her.”
The noise surrounding the stage grows ten times louder, lungs bursting to the point that voices are no doubt going to become hoarse at the end of the night, and my cheeks grow hot from nerves. I thought surprising Brent with this news was a good idea at first, but I’m starting to think it would’ve been better in private as I stare out at the thousands of strangers watching me walk along the stage.
Just like that moment three years ago, Brent lifts from the stool sitting in the center of the stage and waves a hand at it for me to sit down. He leans forward, brushing his lips delicately against mine, before pulling away and flashing his gleaming smile at the crowd. “Now that the woman of the hour is here,” he says sweetly, then points at Evan and Ryker behind us while continuing, “One, two, a one, two, three, four.”
I’ve still got the surprise clenched between my fist as Brent walks in circles around me as the words echo through the speakers, and I’m waiting for the perfect moment to pull it out to show him in front of everyone. When he gets to the part of the song that talks about our future and tiny little feet, I take a deep breath before pulling the onesie from behind my back and holding it in the air for everyone to see.
When I look over, my image is on the jumbo screen on either side of us, giving everyone a clear view of what the onesie says, and I smile when the crowd screeches in delight. Brent’s behind me with not a single clue why everyone is going crazy, then slowly comes to a stop in front of me. I hold my breath as he reads over the words and I sigh in relief at the smile that takes over his features.
Even though he’s in the middle of a song, Brent stops singing while Ryker and Evan take over with their instruments, then pulls me off the chair to twirl me around. As soon as he places me on my feet, he crashes his lips against mine, then jumps back as if forgetting he’s got a stadium full of people surrounding him. “Well,” he says into the mic, his eyes locked on mine as he smiles. “Looks like I’m going to be a dad again!”
I get it, how his attention drifted away from the audience, because while they scream from their seats the only thing I can focus on is the way he’s smiling at me. Everything around us fades away, including the screaming fans, and I fall into this moment with him in silence. He doesn’t have to say anything for me to know what he’s thinking, I can see the heat and love in his blue gaze as we stare into each other’s eyes.
This is a moment I’ll never forget and that I know we’ll always look back on.
Brent
Julia starts ahead of me as we make our way up the path toward our front door, while I keep an arm protectively over Paige’s back and wait for Julia to get the door open. Instead of kicking my shoes off as soon as I walk inside, I head toward the wooden staircase ahead and quietly stride toward Paige’s nursery. When I pull my daughter away from my chest, I smile at the puddle of drool she left there and press a kiss to her tiny forehead before placing her gently in the crib.
Once I turn the nightlight on that plays lullabies, I head back downstairs and find Julia already curled up on the back patio with a glass of what looks like orange juice. Now would be a time where we enjoy a glass of wine together, and I still can’t believe we’re having another baby. The last thing I had expected when walking around to face Julia tonight was for her to be holding up a onesie that said we’re due to have another baby in eight months.
I pull the sliding door open and Julia looks up at me with that precious smile that makes me weak in the knees. When I sink onto the couch with her, she leans against me and sighs while looking out at the many acres of land we now own. “Was that okay?”
“Was what okay, Buttercup?”
She leans away from me and looks into my eyes, nervously darting them over my features as she says, “Announcing it like that.”
“Why would you think there’s something wrong with that?”
Julia shrugs and curls back into me. “I just hope I didn’t make you uncomfortable.”
“Baby, you and Paige are my entire world. There’s also another part of my life that means alot to me, and that’s my fans. It meant the world for you to announce in front of thousands of people, but there’s also something special about having that moment to look back on as a family.” I pull her tighter against me and smile. “I’ve never been happier than I am with you, and I can’t wait to meet our son or daughter.”
“I think it’s a boy this time,” she whispers.
Don’t get me wrong, a boy would be great and everything, but I’d love to be a girl dad as well if that’s what’s in store for me. I’ve loved watching Paige grow up and spoiling her with all things princess, it wouldn’t hurt me to do it all again with another baby girl. I tuck my finger under Julia’s chin and angle her face toward me, then smile and say, “I just want our baby to be healthy,” before placing a tender kiss against her lips.
She pulls away and smirks. “Are we going to have a repeat of my pregnancy with Paige, or do you think you’ll tone it down this time?”
I roll my eyes. “I wasn’t that bad.”
Julia chuckles. “Brent, you wouldn’t even let me carry one grocery bag. I told you I was going to the gym, and you came with me, then refused to let me lift the weights.” She sideeyes me with a smile. “Even though the doctor told me I was still able to do those things.”
“Okay,” I state. “Maybe it was a little over the top, but that’s only because I love the two of you and didn’t want you getting hurt.” She arches a brow in silent question, and I sigh. “But I’ll do my best to back off a little more this time.” When she smiles I say, “But, no climbing on ladders or anything. That’s my only rule.”
“I’m perfectly capable of climbing ladders, Brent.”
“Yes, Buttercup, but you’ve got a perfectly capable husband as well who wants to take care of you.” I kiss the tip of her nose and pull away from her. “Let me do that for you, yeah?”
“You’re lucky I love you,” she mumbles.
“You’re right,” I say while splaying a hand over her flat stomach, an image of it growing with each passing month flashing in my head as I do. “I’m the luckiest man in the world to have you on my arm, and I’m never going to take that for granted.”
“Oh,” she says and flashes me an amusing grin. “Really? I thought all those songs were about someone else.”
I throw my head back and laugh, loving how comforting her presence has become. Three years ago, I almost decided to let her go and live a life without me, thinking that she would be just like the others who used me for my fame, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. I’ll never understand what I did to deserve this life with her, one filled with Paige’s giggles, but I’ll always be thankful that I took a chance on love.
THE END