Epilogue
NINA
“Moooooom!”
Nina and Theo exchanged a smile at the call from the next room. They were working on dinner while Jack and baby Annabel, now nine months old, played in the living room.
“Coming!” Nina followed Jack’s voice and found him sitting on the floor in front of Annabel’s bouncer.
“She just said my name!” Jack said excitedly.
“That’s great.” Of course, at nine months old, chances were very low that Annabel had actually said Jack, but there was no way Nina would ruin their growing bond. Instead, she ruffled Jack’s hair, and he moved away indignantly.
“Hey! I’m seven now. You’ve gotta stop doing that.”
“Sorry,” Nina held up her hands with a smile, “but I’ll always remember when you were that small.”
“I must have been pretty cute.” Jack beamed as he picked up the chapter book he’d been reading aloud to Annabel. Annabel gave Nina a gummy smile.
“Aah!” She reached out to Nina, who kissed her baby-powder-scented forehead.
“Hi, sweetie.”
“Aah!” she said again.
“See! She said Jack!” Jack beamed. “I’m your favorite brother, aren’t I? Now, I was just telling you about how the boy traveled back in time…” He started to read from the book again, and Annabel bounced and opened and closed her hands as she listened.
Smiling fondly at the siblings, Nina went back into the kitchen.
“Apparently, Annabel said Jack’s name,” she said.
“Sure,” Theo raised his eyebrows, “I bet.”
They shared a smile, then Theo took the pot of pasta off the stove. The two of them had started cooking together, and Theo was getting to be a decent chef — at least when they cooked together, which was most of the time.
Since the night of the concert, Theo had changed his schedule to take more time at home, including a generous paternity leave.
The slack was easily taken up by his trusted employees and members of the C-suite and, to Theo’s joy, Epsilon could almost run independently.
He was only needed for the most high-level decisions and his favorite projects, not for every tiny detail that he’d previously tried to micromanage.
Now, both Theo and Nina worked a little, Theo at Epsilon and Nina on graphic design. Jack attended Holyoke Academy, and baby Annabel was almost always with one of her parents, being held and played with. It was the kind of dream life Nina wouldn’t even have been able to imagine two years ago.
“Smells great,” Theo kissed Nina on the cheek. One of his hands found her waist, and she leaned against his firm chest.
“Thanks,” she gestured to the sauce with her spoon, “it’s your mom’s recipe.”
They’d also made more effort to spend time with Theo’s mom and Nina’s parents.
Nina adored Theo’s mom, and her parents were overjoyed that she was able to make more frequent trips to Seattle now that money wasn’t an issue.
Plus, it was great for the kids to be able to get to know their grandparents.
“She’d be proud.” Theo kissed Nina’s cheek again. “You look beautiful.”
She waved him off with the spoon. “I don’t. I’m in yoga pants, my hair’s all messy, and I probably have spit-up on me somewhere…” She twisted to see if she could spot it, but Theo put his hand gently on her cheek.
“I mean it, Nina. You look more beautiful today than ever. I love you so much.”
“I love you, too.” Nina put the spoon down and turned fully towards him. “Can you believe this is really our life?”
“No,” Theo admitted, “and if you’d told me two years ago that I’d be with such an amazing woman and father to two children, I would have laughed you out of my office.”
“Same here. Except without the office,” Nina chuckled. “After Jack’s father left, I was sure I’d never trust any man again, yet here we are. And I’ve never been happier.”
“Me neither.” Theo kissed her cheek again, his lips warm and soft.
Nina turned to kiss him on the mouth, and for a few minutes, they were lost to the world as Theo wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer.
It was amazing that, even after more than eighteen months together, Theo could still make her sigh and weaken her knees with a simple kiss.
When he held her, she felt like a teenager having her first kiss, every single time.
“Hey, too much lovey-dovey stuff!” Jack complained as he entered the kitchen. Nina and Theo quickly stepped apart, Theo going back to chopping basil for a garnish and Nina stirring the sauce.
“Sorry,” Nina said teasingly.
“Just be careful,” Jack warned. “Annabel isn’t used to so much smooching.” But he was smiling. Deep down, Nina knew Jack barely minded seeing the occasional kiss, because he loved having Theo around.
Nina chuckled at his use of the word smooching. “We’ll be careful,” she promised. “I’ll go get Annabel now. Do you want to set the table?”
Jack started gathering placemats and plates as Nina went into the living room and scooped baby Annabel out of her bouncer.
Annabel looked up at her with big brown eyes that looked just like Theo’s, and grinned.
The baby was chunky and adorable, with wispy brown hair and soft skin.
Today, she wore a pink onesie covered in tiny dinosaurs that Jack had picked out for her.
Jack had moved on to dinosaurs from superheroes.
Nina had been a little sad to see all his capes and action figures go, but she was excited to watch him grow and change, too.
Soon, he’d probably be fascinated with something else, and she’d be ready for that, too.
It was one of the greatest privileges of her life to watch him grow up.
For now, Annabel was fascinated with little more than her brother and her parents, her planet mobile and her stuffed giraffe, but that would change eventually, too.
Soon, Nina would be watching her daughter fall in love with superheroes or dinosaurs or princesses or outer space, too. She couldn’t wait.
In the last eighteen months, Theo’s sterile mansion had changed so much, it was almost unrecognizable.
The living room was filled with Jack’s dinosaur figures and chapter books, and Annabel’s blocks and soft toys and board books.
The dining room featured a high chair with a bright purple and green print.
Upstairs, Theo’s final remaining guestroom had been made over into a nursery with stars painted on the ceiling and a planet mobile over the crib.
There were no longer any expensive and fragile vases or bright white couches.
Yet Theo hadn’t complained, not even for a moment. He’d been all too ready to discard his bachelor decorations to help Nina and Jack feel welcome.
And Nina did feel welcome. In fact, it was difficult to remember that this place had ever not been her home. Lazy Saturdays eating pancakes at the dining table, and school nights swapping stories over dinner, and waking up in Theo’s arms each morning — this was her life now.
“What are you thinking about?” Theo asked as Nina got Annabel settled in her high chair.
“Just how lucky I am,” she admitted.
“I’m the lucky one.” Theo kissed her cheek, then planted a kiss on Annabel’s wispy hair. “We’re all lucky to have you.”
The family got settled at the dinner table. Jack took a heaping plate of pasta — he’d been eating lots lately, as he was going through a growth spurt.
“Who wants to start today?” Theo asked as he poured them each a glass of water from the pitcher.
“Me!” Jack said, as always. “The best part of my day was when Annabel said my name. The other best was soccer practice. I scored a goal with Sam’s assist, and the coach said we’re starting to be a great team.
The worst part was lunch, because the cafeteria had mac and cheese again. Dad, you can go next.”
Jack had started calling Theo Dad almost a year ago. Now, it felt natural, as though he always had.
“The best part of my day is dinner with all of you,” Theo smiled around the table. “And the worst part was a long meeting at the office.”
“I’ll do Annabel’s,” Jack announced. “The best part of her day was reading with me, and the worst part was her nap.”
Everyone laughed. Annabel was famous for hating naps — she’d do almost anything not to sleep in the daytime.
“The best part of my day is that it’s Friday, which means tomorrow the weekend starts,” Nina smiled. “And the worst part… I don’t have one.”
There were other bests — waking up in Theo’s arms, him coming home early with a slice of cake from her favorite bakery, watching Jack at soccer practice, holding Annabel while she fell asleep — but Nina didn’t share those right now.
The family continued eating, chatting happily about their days, and Nina sat back, enjoying the happy hubbub.
When dinner ended, Theo and Jack cleaned the kitchen while Nina got Annabel ready for her bath.
The baby loved bathtime, and she smiled at Nina as she washed her chubby stomach and sang her a song.
Afterwards, Nina dressed Annabel in her pajamas and rocked her to sleep in the rocking chair, finally laying her gently in her crib.
She got back downstairs in time to play a game with Theo and Jack before Jack’s bedtime.
Theo and Jack had a giggling playfight as Theo tucked the boy into bed, and both parents stayed to read him a story.
They made an effort to both be there for bedtime, so that Jack would get more attention.
He was adjusting well to having a younger sister, but it was a big change, and they wanted him to know he was loved.
Once Jack was in bed, his eyelids heavy, Nina and Theo slipped out.
Exchanging smiles, they headed downstairs to the living room, where they sat on the couch together, Nina’s legs up on Theo’s lap.
This was how they often ended their evenings: sitting together, sharing memories from the day and laughing.
“Do you think Annabel really said Jack’s name?” Nina mused. Theo squeezed her calves, and Nina sighed with happiness.
“Probably not. But it’s sweet that Jack believes it,” Theo replied.
“Can you believe they’re really our kids?” Nina shook her head. “We’re so lucky.”
“We are.” Theo paused, his hands freezing over her legs. “You know the trip we’re taking to Cape Cod next weekend?”
“How could I forget?” Nina grinned. It would be their first weekend away since Annabel had been born. Theo’s mom was coming to watch the kids so that they could enjoy some time together.
“I wanted to take you to the beach,” Theo said, “and tell you how wonderful you are. But I can’t wait. Those adventures are our life, but this is our life, too — washing dishes and giggling with the kids, and sitting here on the couch when they’re asleep, and I don’t want to wait a moment more.”
“You can always tell me how wonderful I am,” Nina joked, “you don’t have to wait for our trip.”
“It’s more than that.” Theo gently slid her legs off his lap, turning to face her.
“Nina, since you came into my life, you’ve turned everything upside down.
I thought all I needed to be happy was Epsilon, but you showed me just how wrong I was.
You tease me. You challenge me. You make me a better man every single day.
I love every moment I spend with you, whether we’re traveling, or in bed together, or rocking Annabel to sleep at midnight.
I want to spend the rest of my life with you. ”
Nina bit her lip, her heart beginning to race. Was this really happening? Could it be what she thought it was? They’d been so wrapped up in becoming a family that they’d barely discussed marriage, though it always lingered in the back of Nina’s mind.
“Nina,” Theo said, and he slid onto one knee. From his pocket, a small black velvet box emerged, and he flipped the lid to reveal a diamond-studded ring. Nina gasped. It was gorgeous, with a gold band and a perfect stone in the center.
“Have you just been carrying that around?” she asked.
Theo chuckled. “Call it my arrogance. Now, will you let me finish?”
She nodded, already beaming.
“Will you—”
“Yes!”
Theo laughed, “I still haven’t finished.”
“Sorry, sorry.”
“Will you—”
“Yes!”
Theo laughed again, and now Nina was laughing, too. “What if I was asking you if you wanted to go for a walk tomorrow?” he asked.
“I’d say yes to that, too.” She smiled at him, “I’d say yes to almost anything with you. Okay. You can finish.”
“Nina, will you marry me?”
“Yes!”
Theo pulled her up from the couch and into his arms, spinning her around as he held her close.
“Oh, Nina,” he whispered. “You’ve just made me the happiest man alive.”
“I love you,” Nina said. “And I can’t wait to marry you.”
“I love you, too. Are you sad I didn’t propose on the beach?”
“No,” Nina pulled away and held out her hand so that he could slide the ring onto her finger. “This was perfect, because you’re right — this is our life.”
“Well, then. Let’s see if we can make it a little more perfect.”
And then Theo kissed her, long and slow and passionate, and Nina melted into him. For a long time, as the kids slept on, Nina and Theo slipped upstairs to the bedroom to celebrate their engagement in the best way they knew how.
I hope you’ve enjoyed Theo and Nina’s story!