Atlas’s Epilogue
She’s so tiny.
So fragile.
So perfect.
I hold Everly against my chest, staring down at the little person who just wrecked me with a single cry.
Her fingers curl into my shirt, clutching at me like she already knows I’m hers, her face scrunching up before relaxing against my warmth.
I swear I stop breathing.
I wasn’t prepared for this.
Not for the overwhelming, suffocating, all-consuming love that crashes into me like a tidal wave, drowning me in something I’ll never recover from.
I should have known.
I should have fucking known.
Because from the moment I felt her kick, from the moment I saw her on that sonogram, she was mine.
And now—she’s here.
Real.
Breathing. Looking up at me like I’m already supposed to know how to be her father.
My throat burns. My chest feels like it’s caving in.
She’s not my blood. Not my DNA.
But she’s mine in every single way that matters.
I shift her gently in my arms, pressing my lips to her soft, warm forehead.
“Hey, baby girl,” I whisper, my voice breaking.
“You have no idea how much I love you.”
She makes a tiny sound—half a sigh, half a contented little noise that absolutely destroys me.
I exhale shakily, resting my forehead against hers for half a second, closing my eyes.
She’s mine.
Everly Louette Timberbridge is my daughter.
And I will burn this world to the fucking ground to keep her safe.
I glance up, finding Blythe watching me.
Her expression is so full of love, so full of something deep and certain it steals the last breath from my lungs.
“She’s our little girl,” I say, my voice raw.
Blythe smiles, tears slipping down her cheeks.
“Yeah, Atlas. She’s ours to love and protect.”
I look down at Everly, cupping her tiny head, holding her like she’s my entire universe.
“I’ll never let anything happen to you, baby girl,” I whisper.
A vow. A promise. A fucking truth carved into my bones.
“You’re mine. And I’m yours. Forever.”
Her tiny fist curls around my finger.
And just like that—I’m gone.
Fucking wrecked.
And I’ve never been happier in my entire life.
It’s been a week since Everly came to us.
Tonight, I stand in the nursery, rocking my daughter in my arms, staring at the stars on the wall.
The mural I painted for her—the lake where Blythe and I decided to build a foundation of our forever.
The night sky stretching across it, endless and full of promise.
The future I never thought I’d have.
Blythe is curled up in the lounge chair, watching us, exhaustion and love warring in her eyes.
“You’re staring,” she murmurs, her voice soft, sleepy.
I don’t look away from Everly.
“She’s beautiful.”
Blythe smiles, that sleepy, love-drunk look stealing the last of my breath.
“She has you wrapped around her tiny little finger already.”
I smirk, brushing my lips over Everly’s dark hair.
“Of course she does.”
My daughter is so small.
So fucking perfect.
And then I look at Blythe.
My wife. My love. The woman who changed everything.
I walk over to her, leaning down, pressing a soft, lingering kiss to her lips.
“You gave me everything,” I murmur against her mouth.
“A home. A family. A place to belong. You gave me her.”
Blythe touches my cheek, her love written all over her face.
“You gave me the same thing, Atlas.”
My heart slams against my ribs, too much, too full.
I sit beside her, cradling Everly between us, pressing my forehead to Blythe’s.
I never thought this would be my life.
Never thought I’d find a love this deep, a family this whole, a future this fucking perfect.
I was wrong.
So goddamn wrong.
And I’ve never been more grateful.
Everly stirs between us, making a soft, sleepy sound.
I grin against Blythe’s lips.
“Think she’s dreaming about that backyard with chickens yet?”
Blythe laughs, pressing her face into my neck.
“Maybe we should give her a sibling first—but not for another year.”
I groan.
Because fuck yes, I want more.
More of this. More of her.
More of us.
But that’s a conversation for another day.
Right now, I have everything I’ve ever wanted.
And I’m never letting go.
What’s next in The Timberbridge Brothers Series?
USA Today bestselling author Claudia Burgoa brings you a hauntingly-tender, slow-burn romance full of broken promises, buried secrets, and a love that always endures.
I thought I buried him with the rest of my past. The secrets.
The ache. The night everything fell apart.
But now Keir Timberbridge—the traitor, the boy I once loved more than life—is back.
Barely alive. In my care.
With no memory of who I am or what he did to me.
I should walk away. Hell, I tried .
But I’m the only one who can keep him hidden, keep him alive.
This town still thinks I’m the girl who let him go.
No one knows the truth—about the letters or what it cost me to survive.
Now we’re playing house in the ruins of what we once were: me, a doctor with too many scars, and him, the man who vanished without a goodbye.
We sleep in separate rooms. Share meals like strangers.
And every time I look at him, I remember the boy who made promises at midnight.
.. and the man who shattered them by morning.
Because loving Keir Timberbridge was always going to destroy me.
And I might let it again.