36. EPILOGUE
KASON
TWO YEARS LATER
The house is dark and quiet when I walk inside. Seeing that it’s close to midnight and I’m getting home from my game, it’s not surprising. A game we won that has us moving closer to an undefeated season and a possible back-to-back Super Bowl ring.
No Super Bowl ring could compare to the happiness I have with my family that is currently sleeping within the walls of my home though. Everything I love and hold dear to me is here and within reach. Each day I strive to be the best father and husband I can be. Nothing like Simon, who did sign the divorce papers and afterward seems to have thankfully vanished from the face of the earth. I don’t know where he is and don’t care to know. Our relationship was over before it ever began .
Meegan has not made a reappearance either, nor have I seen her since we confronted her. I don’t know what happened to her, but I can imagine she latched onto some other man.
I’ve never seen Mom happier. She has a zest for life I’ve never witnessed before. Having Brook with her has helped, and she has become as close to a sister as I’ll ever have. She’s now a full-time college student and free from the life she was brought up in. Trevor was found guilty of assault on both Brook and Sierra. He’ll be sitting in a cell for years to come. Right where he belongs. Luckily for me, I never caught charges. That beat down would have been worse, and I may have murdered him had Sierra not moaned my name.
Climbing the steps to the second floor, I peek in Cooper’s room, or Coop for short, doing my best to stay quiet so the monitor doesn’t pick up noise and wake Sierra up. As usual, Coop has kicked off his blanket and lays starfish in his bed. His mouth hangs open, and I spot the drool that has slipped out. He’s a handsome little bugger, if I do say so myself. Dark hair and brown eyes just like his daddy. He’s also very much a daring free spirit. Nothing scares him, which in turn scares Sierra and me to death. He is quite the daredevil and once tried to ride his little toddler trike down the stairs before we caught him. There is now a gate at the top of the stairs, and the trike is safely locked up in the garage.
I kiss his forehead before leaving his room and entering Cassidy’s room, my little angel who is a mini-Sierra. She sleeps peacefully under her blanket with praying hands under her cheek. She’s the exact opposite of Coop. More analytical and watchful. She takes in her surroundings, and outside the family, she’s shy and passive. One day she’ll meet someone and have a family of her own, but even then, she’ll always be my little angel. Leaving her in her peaceful slumber, I kiss her forehead then head to the third floor where my wife is fast asleep and holding onto my pillow.
Removing my clothes down to my boxers, I climb into bed as gently as I can so I don’t wake her. She opens her eyes and then hands me my pillow before snuggling into my side, her head on my chest and her leg thrown over mine. Wrapping an arm around her back, I cuddle her closer to me.
“Congrats on your win, baby,” she mumbles, lids still closed.
“Thank you.” I kiss the top of her head. Her breathing steadies, and she quickly falls back to sleep. She’s been so exhausted lately.
I follow shortly after, with the knowledge I couldn’t have wished for a better life than the one I received.
SIERRA
I wake with a start. No, no, no, no no. I will my stomach to settle, but it has a mind of its own and wants to expel its contents. Trying to delicately remove myself from Kason’s arms, I rush to the bathroom. I have enough time to lift the lid before I vomit what little was in my stomach into the toilet bowl.
I feel my hair shift from my neck and the coolness helps to settle the clamminess I’m feeling. Seems I woke Kason up.
He helps me up and delivers me to the sink where I vigorously brush the acidic taste out of my mouth. Kason chuckles and his voice is rough when he jokingly asks, “Is there something you need to tell me?”
I turn to him with saucers as eyes and place my hand on my stomach. Yes, there’s something I need to tell him, but him catching me vomiting in a toilet was not the way I wanted to do it. His gaze is on my hand until he peaks up at my face. It tells him all he needs to know.
“Really?” he asks, a hint of excitement in his voice .
I smile up at him. “Yes, really. We’re pregnant.”
He grins big then picks me up, swinging me around. I groan, my stomach not yet settled completely, and he abruptly stops when he hears it.
He pulls me back from his chest, his face full of regret. “Sorry. Guess you’re still feeling sick.”
“Yeah, a little.”
“Do you want me to call and cancel for tonight?” My brothers and Charles are stopping by for dinner. Just the thought of food makes me want to throw up again.
“No. I’m sure I’ll be fine by then. If not, looks like you’ll be making cold omelets for everyone.” He laughs at my reference to the first meal he ever made for me.
He’s about to respond but the calls for mommy and daddy blares out through the monitor. Looks like the children are awake. Like it or not, I need to get my ass in gear.
“I’ll get the kids, take your time, and get dressed. I’ll start them on breakfast.” Kason kisses my hand then he’s out the bathroom door.
I slowly undress and climb into the shower. Maybe canceling wouldn’t be such a bad idea because I’m so tired, but honestly, I don’t want to. We have made great strides in building a relationship. Isaac is easygoing, and we connected quickly. Although I have gotten closer to Charles, calling him Dad doesn’t feel quite right yet. He doesn’t seem bothered by it. The children do call him Grandpa, and he loves that which is enough.
Brax took a little longer to come around, but we have built a strong relationship over the years. He’s different nowadays, but still a cutthroat agent. It seemed he only needed the right woman in his life. Like the ghosts of my past, he has managed to vanquish his own.
We get together often with Ky and Leo. Riley now has a brother named Liam, and last I heard, they were trying for a third. Nash and Sophie join sometimes as well. They welcomed a baby boy recently. Gone are the times of despair for all of us; there’s only love now.
Then there is Connor and Emma, Leo and Sophie’s parents. They’re now remarried. A surprise no one had anticipated. Except maybe Kason who caught them at Ky’s wedding.
Once finished with my shower, I dry off and put my hair into a ponytail before dressing in leggings and a Cougars T-shirt. Entering the kitchen, I’m greeted by my children calling out to me from their highchairs and waving their hands in the air. “Mommy, Mommy.”
“Good morning, my precious babies,” I greet, bending down and kissing the top of both their heads before getting a good look at them and Kason’s idea of breakfast.
Coop has dumped his yogurt onto the tray, smeared it around, and is placing cheerios throughout the mess. Cassie watches him, fascinated by whatever it is he’s creating. I look to Kason who gives me a wink with a sexy smile. God, this man only gets more handsome.
I blow him a kiss then turn to the fridge to grab the orange juice. I pour it into a glass and then feel strong arms wrap around me. “Feeling better?”
I turn into his embrace. “I am.”
He places a hand lovingly on my stomach. “I can’t believe we’re having another baby.”
“Neither can I.”
He peers down at me before repeating the words he first said on our wedding day. “I love you, Mrs. Morgan.”
“And I love you, Mr. Morgan.” Wrapping my arms around his neck, I lift on my toes and kiss his full lips.”
A family and children were a dream I wasn’t sure I would ever have. It took a strong man like Kason to break down my walls and show me that not only was love possible, but this life we’ve built is better than I could have ever wished for. Not a day passes that I don’t thank the Lord above for placing Kason in my life.
I took a chance on love with him, and it was the best decision I’ve ever made. There was no reason to fear what this man made me feel. After twenty-seven years I thought I was destined to be an old maid with a hundred cats, but that was never the plan. I was just waiting to meet the one man who was meant to be mine just like I was meant to be his.
A chance meeting in a bar turned into the love of a lifetime.
One night turned into forever.
And forever with this man is where I was always meant to be.
THE END