Epilogue
AVA
I walked into the living room just as Maisie launched herself onto Cole’s back with a shout. “Caught you, Daddy!”
“Oh no. How will I escape?” Cole fell to his knees, pretending he couldn’t move under Maisie’s weight. “I’m trapped.”
Bella, the puppy he brought home one day—surprising both Maisie and me—barked and ran around them. She was our daughter’s constant companion, and despite Cole’s initial insistence that she sleep in a dog bed at night, one look at Maisie’s pleading eyes changed his mind.
“Time for bed.”
Two gazes swung my way, both disappointed. I bit back a laugh. Other than the summers Cole spent here with his Gramps, he hadn’t had much of a childhood, and sometimes he was like a big kid. He turned hopeful eyes my way. “Five more minutes?”
I raised a brow at him. We’d had the conversation before about not making me the bad guy. It was too easy for us to fall into the roles of him giving her everything to make up for the time he lost with her, and me setting the rules.
He cleared his throat. “Right. It’s bedtime. Go brush your teeth, kiddo. Then we’ll read you a story.”
“We can do story time on the porch tonight, sweetie.” I smiled as Maisie’s eyes lit. She loved sitting outside with the sounds of nature surrounding her and the stars overhead. She raced for the bathroom, Bella right behind her.
“Sorry. I got caught up.” Cole dropped a kiss on my forehead and rested his palm on the curve of my belly. “How are you doing? Little one still restless?”
“He’s settled down for now.” I covered Cole’s hand with mine. “Hopefully he lets me sleep tonight.”
“Wake me if he doesn’t. I’ll get you tea and keep you company.” He rubbed my lower back, digging lightly into the tired muscles. “Only one week to go.”
“Then we’ll have two. And if this one is as active after he comes out as he is in, we may never sleep again.”
“We’ve got this.” Cole’s words were confident, but an edge of worry lingered in his eyes.
He’d been reading all about what to expect during my pregnancy and watching videos online about how to care for a baby, but I knew he worried he wouldn’t be able to handle it.
He still struggled sometimes with the years he missed out on with Maisie.
“We do.” I cupped his cheek. “You can do this, Cole. You’re already an amazing father to Maisie. You may not have changed her diapers, but you’ll be there for her in every way that matters.”
He turned his face into my hand, kissing my palm. “Thank you.”
I grinned at him. “And if it makes you feel any better, you can change all the diapers with this baby. It’s a sacrifice on my part, but I’m willing to make it.”
“That’s very generous of you.” He huffed out a laugh, turning away from me just in time to catch Maisie, who was sneaking up behind him. He grabbed her and threw her in the air, catching her and holding her in his arms. “Story time.”
The three of us lay under a blanket on the oversized outdoor couch Cole had built while Bella curled up at Maisie’s feet.
Cole and I took turns reading as our daughter snuggled between us, yawning.
Her eyes slowly drooped, though she fought it as long as possible.
We kept reading, knowing she was still awake.
Finally, her breathing evened out, and Cole closed the book and laid it next to him.
His voice was low as he spoke. “Before you came back into my life, I figured I would always be alone because I’d walked away from the only woman I’d ever loved. Instead, fate gave me a second chance, and now I have you, and Maisie, and our soon-to-be little man. I even have a dog.”
“Do you ever miss your hermit lifestyle?” I asked him without judgment. “We’ve certainly turned it all upside down.”
His thoughtful gaze stared into the dark. “I never knew to look for what we have now, because what I had growing up was far from this. Despite that, I found everything I could ever want. So, do I miss what I had before?”
He turned to me, conviction burning brightly. “Never. You and our family are my world, and I will continue to choose it every minute of every day. No matter how many dirty diapers you send my way.”
I smiled and leaned my head on his shoulder. “You say that now.”
“Always.”
“I love you, Cole.”
“I love you, too, Ava.”
Maisie and I would have survived without Cole. We had for six years. But we thrived with him. He completed our family in a way I never thought we’d get. He’d fought for a second chance, and I would forever be grateful he had.
Just like Cole talked about in his best man’s speech—and later, his wedding vows—we had learned to hold nothing back and to never let go. Our family had a love that grew every day, binding us together and filling our home with a joy I never thought possible.
And just like Cole, I would choose it. Always.