Epilogue
Epilogue
Serenity Forever
Emma
“Your godson is a handful. Sandy, I honestly do not know whom he takes after, ”cause neither Jack nor myself are so hyperactive like he is,” I complained over the phone to Sandy.
“He took after his godmother. That whole energy you see there, it”s from me. I can”t wait to get a vacation and come spend some time with him.”
“It would be nice to have you. I get so stressed these days that I can”t even handle him. I don”t know what I would do without Jack.”
“You know, you guys are an inspiration to me. I can”t wait to be walking down the aisle with my prince charming.”
“I can”t wait to see you either. How”s my mom?” I asked, emerging from the store.
“They”re all fine. Girlfriend, I”ll have to call you back. There”s an emergency I need to attend to. Say hi to my godson and his dad.”
“Take care, Sandy.” The line went dead.
Jack was squatting on the lawn as a little boy of about three stood between his thighs, a complete replica of him. They giggled together for some obscure reason.
“Mommy!!” the tiny creature screamed at the sight of me. He was running quickly across the lawn to meet me.
I caught up with him, raising him in the air playfully. “How”s my baby doing?” I kissed his neck. He giggled boyishly at the tickling sensation it sent through him.
“Hey, babe.” Jack approached, covering both mother and son in an embrace.
“I just spoke to Sandy; she”ll be here when she gets her vacation days.”
“That”s good news. At least then we can get an extra hand in taming this little rascal.”
“Don”t call him that,” I warned.
“Woah, I”m sorry.” He raised his hands in surrender.
“How”s the little one doing?” He rubbed my belly.
“Fine, I guess. I might need a massage later tonight though.”
“At your beck and call, ma”am,” he teased, taking our son off my hands.
“Hey, boy, why don”t you go finish that painting and give Mom some time to relax, okay?”
“Is Mommy sick?” he asked innocently.
“No, Andrew, Mom is just stressed out,” Jack told him.
“Why is Mom stressed out?”
“Er… Because she is carrying your little sister in her belly,” he tried explaining to our curious son.
“My little sister is in Mommy”s belly? How did she get there? Did Mommy swallow her?” he kept asking.
Jack turned to me and his eyes seemed to beg for my help.
“Andrew!” Zain voiced as she moved towards us from her car.
The little boy was running off to her before we could blink. I was more than grateful for her timely intervention. Andrew was undoubtedly one of a kind.
I’d had him a year after our wedding, which was six months after the engagement. Lady Catherine had taken care of literally all the wedding expenses. She had also fulfilled her promise of stocking the antique store, so that by the time the building was completed and the exhibition date was scheduled, there were so many pieces of art to show to our guests, ranging from sculptures to paintings and ancient pieces of jewelry. We bought whatever held great value and age.
Serenity Springs recorded the highest number of tourists among other neighboring towns in the summers that followed after the exhibition, as so many people trooped in to check out the now-famous antique store.
Jack insisted I take a break from painting after I gave birth to our second child. He had been nothing but a supportive husband and a caring dad. My dad had offered to build a clinic at Serenity Springs as a wedding gift to us, although I had initially refused. But on a second thought, I thought the people of Serenity Springs deserved it. It would be my donation to the community for making my life a happily ever after.
“The moment I stepped into Serenity Springs, I knew it was the perfect place….”