Epilogue
Gina
Seven years later…
“Mind your sister,” Sean calls to the boys.
They’re on the trampoline, the three of them. The oldest, Kier at six, is the gentle one. He holds Niamh’s chubby hands while she stares up at him, her expression going from cautious to wonder.
My little girl’s only just learned to walk, and every time they bounce, she tumbles into her big brother. He catches her and she giggles at him, the same cocky grin as her father.
Liam, our five-year-old, bounces around them, oblivious to his little sister. He’s the complete opposite of Kier, as wild and cocky as his father.
It's been seven years since I let Sean back into my life. And I've not regretted a single moment.
We got married in a small ceremony, and I was pregnant before we even moved into our house. So much for declining fertility. Kier and Liam were born only twelve months apart. They used to call that Irish twins, which is quite fitting.
But it took almost four years after that to get pregnant with Niamh.
It's not for lack of trying. We haven't used contraception since the night Sean proposed to me. I'll be turning forty next month, and I don't know if fate has any more children in store for me.
We once dreamed about a big family, but if three is what we end up with, I am more than happy with that.
“You want another drink, love?”
Without waiting for an answer, Sean pours me a glass of wine.
I’ve been at the clubhouse for most of the day getting the accounts ready with Gage. The two boys are at school, so Niamh comes in with me and Valentine or Scarlett looks after her while I work. I must be the luckiest working mom around. I get to sneak out and give her cuddles anytime I want.
Sean was welcomed back as a member. We spend half our time there with our extended family. I love my club brother and sisters, but I've got my own little family to take care of now.
There's nothing nicer than coming back to our place at the end of the day. Sitting on the back deck with a glass of wine and the smell of barbeque in the air, the sound of the ocean and watching the kids play with Sean by my side.
It’s a life I never thought I’d have seven years ago. It's amazing the difference another seven years can make.
I have my cottage by the ocean. I have my three children. But best of all I have my husband.
Sean puts his hands on my shoulders and kisses the top of my head. His finger traces the line of my neck and I tilt my head, enjoying his touch.
“What are you doing later, Mrs. O’Leary?”
He kisses the back of my neck, making goosebumps appear on my arms.
“Probably just the dishes.”
He chuckles, and his breath against my skin makes my nipples pebble. “Not if I have anything to do with it.”
He straightens up. “Kids! Dinner's ready. And then it's straight to bed for you lot.”
Kier helps Niamh off the trampoline, but Liam lets out a long moan.
“I want to stay up.”
“You got school in the morning,” says Sean, “And your mother and I need some alone time,” he says so only I can hear.
The children come racing over, and Niamh opens her chubby arms to me.
“Momma, momma.”
I scoop her up, planting kisses on her soft cheeks. She smells like freshly cut grass and sunshine. The boys are so much like their father, but my little girl is all mine.
She takes a sausage in her chubby hand, and I plunk her down at the table and squirt a generous helping of ketchup on her plate. She smears it on her sausage and all over her summer dress.
The boys argue over who's got the biggest burger while Sean sings an Irish ditty to drown them out and make everyone laugh.
It’s noisy and it’s messy. But it’s my family life, and I love it.
It’s the life I never thought I'd have. And every day I'm so thankful for giving Sean a second chance.
Sometimes you've got to risk your heart. You might get hurt, or you might end up like me, with everything you ever wanted.