Epilogue 2 - Lucy #2
I wake slower than usual, disoriented for a second, until Julian’s arm tightens around my waist, anchoring me.
He’s awake, I can tell. He always wakes before me.
I roll over and find him watching me.
“Morning,” I murmur.
“Morning,” he echoes.
His eyes flick to the bassinet, then back. “She’s awake.”
“I heard,” I say, smiling faintly.
Julian’s mouth curves. “Do you want me to get her?”
The old version of me would’ve said no automatically.
I still feel the reflex rise.
But I swallow it down and breathe through it like I’m learning a new language.
“Yes,” I say simply. “Please.”
Julian’s expression shifts, so subtle most people wouldn’t catch it. Something like relief. Like pride. Like he’s grateful I let him.
He stands and crosses the room, scooping our daughter up with practiced ease. She makes a happy little sound and rubs her face into his chest like she’s claiming him.
He brings her back to the bed and sits beside me, handing her over carefully. She looks at me with serious eyes and then sneezes dramatically.
Julian freezes. “Was that...”
“It’s fine,” I say, laughing. “It’s normal.”
Julian narrows his eyes at our daughter like she’s been warned. “You’re not allowed to be sick. Understand?”
She stares at him like she’s unimpressed by his authority.
“Good,” Julian mutters. “We have an agreement.”
I arch an eyebrow. “An agreement.”
Julian’s gaze flicks to mine, amusement and something deeper threaded through it. “Too soon?”
I smile, shaking my head and lean into him.
The doorbell rings, and my body goes stiff.
Julian shifts, and Charlie starts to squirm, searching.
“It’s fine.”
I exhale slowly. “How do you know?”
“Because Rowan texted me ten minutes ago,” Julian says, glancing at his phone. “He said Theo was bringing food and Caleb was bringing ‘useful things’ and Elliot was coming to get his Charlie fix.”
As if summoned, the doorbell rings again, longer this time.
Theo.
I can almost hear his grin through the door.
Julian kisses my forehead and then Charlotte's and stands, grabbing his shirt from last night.
"Take your time feeding her, and I will keep them occupied until you are ready to come out."
He walks off down the hall. I hear Julian open the door, and then Theo.
“Good morning, family,” Theo announces. “I brought carbs. And coffee"
Then, not thirty seconds later, "Hey, where's my baby and my Luce?"
I laugh as I hear Julian explain to Theo, not for the first time, that he is not allowed to come in and hang out with his wife, while she nurses his daughter.
I finish nursing my baby girl and then place her in her bassinet while I quickly make myself look less bedraggled.
We make our way down the hall.
Caleb arrives next with a box. Rowan stands back slightly, hands in his pants pockets, posture neutral but eyes sharp. Elliot comes in last, grinning like he’s already planning to ruin Julian’s day.
Julian takes Charlotte from me and settles on the couch, Elliot following behind him, complaining that it's his time with baby North.
Then Emily arrives, in a pretty yellow sundress, hair uncharacteristically down, face tired but bright in that way she only gets when she’s riding purpose instead of fear.
And beside her...
My mother.
It still takes me a moment to center myself when I get to see her out of the facility like this.
She moves more slowly than she used to. Her shoulders are softer. Her face is thinner.
But her eyes are alive.
She steps into the penthouse, and Julian’s posture shifts subtly, respectful, careful, like he’s bracing himself for the moment that matters.
Mom’s gaze lands on him.
Then on the baby.
Then on me.
And her mouth trembles as she smiles.
“Oh,” she whispers. “There’s my girls.”
My chest tightens so hard it hurts. I cross the space to her before I can stop myself, wrapping my arms around her carefully, like she’s both fragile and unbreakable.
She smells like lavender, and the lotion Emily insists on using. She smells like home.
“You’re here,” I whisper.
“Wouldn’t miss it,” Mom murmurs, voice thin but steady.
Emily hovers beside her, one hand ready at her elbow, the other holding a tote bag that probably contains half a pharmacy.
Theo makes a dramatic choking sound. “I’m going to cry, and I hate it.”
Emily elbows him without looking. “Don’t make this about you.”
Theo clutches his chest. “It’s about the baby, Em. I’m an uncle now. I have feelings.”
Emily finally looks at him, deadpan. “You do not.”
Theo’s grin slips away.
Rowan clears his throat quietly. “We brought food.”
Caleb adds, “And supplies.”
Elliot sits beside Julian. “My turn with...”
Julian’s eyes narrow. “Don’t.”
Elliot smirks. “I wasn’t going to steal her.”
“You were thinking about it,” Julian says, instantly.
Elliot puts a hand to his chest. “I would never.”
Theo whispers loudly, “He would.”
Our daughter makes a happy little sound, completely unconcerned, and Julian shifts her higher against his chest with a practiced motion that makes my heart happy.
Mom moves toward Julian, and he elbows Elliot, who automatically jumps up, making room for her. Emily helps her sit. When Mom is comfortable, Julian leans closer, lowering our daughter into Mom’s arms with the kind of care that makes my heart ache.
Mom holds her like she’s holding proof that we survived.
Our daughter stares up at her, wide-eyed, then reaches one tiny hand toward Mom’s face and grabs her finger.
Mom’s breath catches.
A soft sound escapes her, half laugh, half sob.
Emily wipes her eyes quickly, like she’s annoyed at herself.
Mom has been doing better but has started a new treatment plan that Dr. Kohler created just for her. Her immune system wasn't in a place where she could leave the facility. So, this is the first time she gets to hold Charlotte, and my heart is both happy and aching all at once.
Theo leans in, watching Emily hold Mom steady while Mom holds the baby, and for a second, his expression changes.
Softens.
Something almost desperate flickers there, like he wants something he doesn’t know how to ask for.
Mom tires quickly, Julian stands, and Emily takes his place. Telling mom, it's her turn with Charlie, so mom doesn't have to say she can't hold her longer.
Theo's eyes never leave Emily, and not for the first time, I wonder what is going on with them.
He nudges Emily lightly. “You look good holding a mini-North.”
She doesn't react.
"You know we have the physical proof that we would make beautiful babies, right there in your arms."
Emily turns her head slowly, eyes like knives. “Try that sentence again, and I’ll throw you off the balcony.”
Theo’s grin is crooked. “Worth it.”
Emily’s face doesn’t change. “It wasn’t.”
Theo’s smile falters for half a beat, so quick you’d miss it if you didn’t know him.
But I see it.
And so does Julian, because his gaze flicks to Theo with a subtle warning that says don’t push her.
Theo backs off, hands lifting in surrender. “Okay, okay. I’m just a supportive friend.”
Elliot mutters, “You’re a menace.”
Theo points at him. “And you love me.”
I step closer to Julian without thinking, my hand finding his forearm. He looks down at me, and something quiet passes between us.
Trust rebuilt isn’t fireworks.
It’s this.
It’s my body choosing him without bracing for punishment.
It’s Julian letting me choose without demanding.
Mom coos softly at the baby, and Emily’s eyes are bright.
My sister looks… lighter.
She still carries so much. She always will.
But she’s not drowning today.
Julian’s mouth brushes my hair as he leans close. “She’s beautiful,” he murmurs.
I know he means our daughter.
But I also know, in the way his eyes flick toward Emily and my mom, that he means the whole picture.
My family.
My world.
He pulls me gently against his side, and I let myself sink into him.
In the living room, the guys spread food like they’re setting up camp. Theo is already unpacking containers like he lives here. Elliot is telling Julian he looks like hell. Rowan is quietly checking in with security because he can’t help himself.
And Julian... Julian presses his mouth to my temple, soft and steady, like he’s reminding me he’s real.
All the years of survival. All the nights I thought love was something you had to bargain for. All the moments I believed I was too much.
And now...
Now my mother is here.
In my home.
Holding my child.
Julian’s hand slips around my waist, grounding me.
He leans close and murmurs, like he’s sharing a secret, “I can’t wait for baby number two.”
I freeze.
Then I turn my head slowly. “Julian.”
His eyes are bright with something dangerous. “What?”
“We are three months postpartum.”
Julian’s mouth curves. “I’m aware.”
Emily overhears and lets out a disgusted sound. “Ew.”
Theo perks up instantly. “I’m sorry, are we discussing baby number two? Because I have opinions.”
“No,” I say automatically.
Julian ignores me. “I’m not joking,” he says, voice low and serious in a way that makes my stomach flip. “We need more good Norths in the world.”
Emily squints at him like she’s assessing for brain damage. “You just said a wholesome sentence. Who are you?”
Julian’s eyes flick to her. “A man who learned.”
Theo clutches his heart dramatically. “Stop, I’m going to cry again.”
Rowan mutters, “Don’t.”
Elliot smirks. “He’s domestic now.”
Julian’s gaze cuts to Elliot. “I will bury you.”
Elliot’s grin widens. “There he is.”
I laugh, real, surprised laughter, and Julian looks at me like he’s storing the sound in his bones.
I thought I gave up my last dream the day I signed that arrangement.
But Julian shows me, in a thousand quiet ways, that love was never a contract.
There were never terms to us.
Just a man who learned how to love, and a woman brave enough to stay.
And every day, we choose each other again.