38. Epilogue
Epilogue
Tessa
Five years later
M y fingers fly over the keys of my MacBook as I sit in my favorite spot and type out the final chapter of my newest novel.
Anna’s reading nook has become my place of inspiration and seeing as she’s only home about three months out of the year these days, she doesn’t seem to mind my friendly takeover.
Anna has been accepted at UCLA, where she’s currently studying psychology. She’s dating a sweet young man Jake actually approves of and is well on her way to becoming the force of nature I always knew her to be.
Jude was offered a contract with an NFL team straight out of college and has a serious shot at winning his first Super Bowl this season.
Being the polar opposite of his sister, he still can’t make a relationship last to save his life.
Taking advantage of the perks of being a high-profile athlete, he brings home a different girl every time he comes to visit, which drives my husband up the wall.
He almost had a coronary the last time his little brother graced us with his presence, when we walked into our ensuite bathroom and got an eye full of Jude screwing his flavor of the month on our vanity. I can’t help but chuckle as I remember Jake’s outraged tirade.
“What the hell, Jude?! Are you serious? On my fucking vanity? You better disinfect every square inch of that counter. I swear to God, if I find even one pube anywhere near my toothbrush, I’ll shove it so far down your throat you’ll be shitting bristles.”
Jude and his lady friend seemed completely unfazed by his outburst and made little effort to cover themselves.
With his pants still wrapped around his ankles and his impressive bits on full display, Jude had the gall to tell my fuming husband that turnaround was fair play, claiming he still had recurring nightmares about our unfortunate kitchen encounter from years ago.
By that time, the vein on Jake’s forehead throbbed so hard, Jude’s girl and I had slowly backed out of the room and left the two brothers to bicker among themselves.
But no matter how hard Jude pushes his buttons or how much worry Anna’s move to LA has caused him over the years, one thing remains forever unchanged. My husband loves his siblings with a ferocity I can only admire.
Lifting my eyes off the screen, I take a moment to watch the man in question through the large bay window.
His smile is everything as he pushes our four-year-old son, Logan, on the swing set he custom-built for his second birthday.
Our fourteen-month-old daughter, Emma, sits in the sandbox close by, shoving a handful of sand into her mouth and scrunching up her chubby little face at the gritty texture.
Sometimes, I still can’t believe that this is my life.
Jake and I have been through some tough times together.
His difficult childhood. The sudden passing of his mother, and later, the death of the father he’d never reconciled with.
All the years we lost to the manipulations of others and our own failure to communicate, to my mother’s battle with breast cancer.
Fortunately, that one turned out in our favor, and she’s as healthy as a horse now.
I thank God every day for the opportunity to rebuild our relationship after I’d been the world’s worst daughter for so many years.
Jake catches Emma getting ready for a second serving and hurries over, dropping to one knee and wiping her face and tongue with the bottom of his shirt.
She’s not happy with his interference and makes her displeasure known, releasing an ear-splitting wail that can surely be heard on the other side of town.
It doesn’t faze my husband. Being the patient father he is, he simply flashes his daughter an indulgent smile and swings her into his arms before he tickles her round tummy.
Her cry instantly turns into a series of heart-warming giggles and the crisis is averted.
When I found out I was pregnant not two months after our wedding night, Jake was ecstatic.
He announced the news to everyone he came into contact with and talked about little else for weeks.
Then the self-doubt began to creep in and my heart aches as I remember his struggle.
Having grown up with a man like Robert Nelson left deep emotional scars, that had him terrified he wouldn’t know how to be a good father.
To say that his worries were unfounded would be an understatement.
Jake is a natural. He never shies away from getting his hands dirty and makes every effort to spend time with his children, no matter how tired he may be after a taxing day of work.
He juggles his responsibilities so effortlessly that I became the one left feeling inadequate.
As if he can feel my eyes on him, he turns and flashes me a warm smile through the tempered glass, crooking a finger and urging me to join them.
Deciding that the happy ending my main characters deserve can wait a little longer, I rise to my feet and stretch my achy neck.
Shrugging on a light sweater I go to join my husband and the perfect little blessings we created.
“Hey, beautiful,” Jake greets, handing Emma over to me when she dives for my outstretched arms.
“Hey there, handsome. Having fun?” I settle Emma more securely on my hip and lean in to steal a kiss from my man, who promptly delivers.
“This one seems to be hungry, so we’d best get her fed.
I promised Logan I’d take him to the park.
We may or may not have shared a bag of sour Skittles in the tree house earlier, and I may or may not regret that choice quite a bit now.
I’m hoping to tire him out before we drop them off at your parents’ house.
” I blow out a mock sigh while I watch my son run laps around the yard, obviously in the throes of a full-blown sugar rush, but I can’t even muster up the energy to be mad.
I’ve been working like a woman possessed these past couple of weeks, as the upcoming deadline of my book release hangs over my head like a cloud of doom, and I’m way overdue for a break.
Today is our wedding anniversary and Jake, being the amazing partner he is, has arranged a sleep-over for the kids, as well as a special outing for us.
I can’t wait to spend some quality one-on-one time with my husband.
I love our children dearly, but they sure have a way of sucking all the romance from our relationship.
“Well, I’ll take this little stinker inside to feed and bathe her, and you do whatever you have to do to get the sillies out of this one.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Jake kisses the top of both our heads, before he goes to catch our little troublemaker.
“Come on, you. Let’s head to the playground, so you don’t end up giving Mimi and Papaw a heart attack. Daddy wants to take Mommy on a date, so I really need you to be on your best behavior.”
“I always behave,” Logan replies, looking up at his father with an earnest expression. Jake barks out a laugh and tosses our son into the air so high he lets out a delighted squeal before he catches him again.
“Sure you do. Say goodbye to Mommy and your sister.”
“Bye, Emma. Bye, Mommy.”
“Bye, my handsome little man. Be good for your daddy,” I say, taking hold of the baby’s arm and shaking her tiny hand in a wave.
“See you soon, baby.” Jake throws me a wink while he effortlessly swings Logan over his head and onto his broad shoulders.
“Do me a favor?” he says, and I tilt my head as I wait for him to tell me what’s on his mind.
“Wear that yellow dress you bought on our honeymoon. You know I love the way it hugs your curves, and I love peeling you out of it even more.” His husky voice holds so much promise, I have to make a conscious effort not to jump him right there.
Jake’s eyes briefly drop to my mouth and his nostrils flare, before he releases a pained groan and forces himself to walk away.
“Six o’clock can’t come fast enough,” he mutters under his breath, and I smile softly as I watch my two favorite guys stroll down the road.
Glancing at my daughter, who’s pumping her chubby little legs excitedly, I head inside.
The faster I get the baby ready, and the overnight bags packed, the sooner I’ll be able to get my hands on my man.
Five years of marriage, and I’m still just as attracted to him as I ever was.
Still irrevocably and madly in love. Don’t get me wrong, our life together hasn’t always been rainbows and butterflies.
My husband is still the hot-headed, stubborn, and—at times—infuriating man I fell in love with all those years ago.
And sometimes I want to strangle him in his sleep and bury his body in the woods.
But he’s also incredibly loyal, kind-hearted, fiercely protective and funny, and I wouldn’t have him any other way.
Jake and I may have had to overcome a few challenges to get us to where we are today, but it’s only made us stronger in the end.
I don’t doubt that life still has a few more surprises in store for us, and that’s okay.
I don’t fear the unknown as much as I used to.
As long as I have him by my side, we can weather any storm, and I’ve never been more certain that Jake is my forever.
His whole life, he struggled with the belief that he’s enough.
That he’s wanted and worthy of love. The truth is, he was as worthy then as he is now.
It took time and a lot of nurturing on my part to get him to a point where he can finally see himself the way other’s do.
The dreaded voice of his father is getting fainter and fainter with each passing year, and I won’t rest until it’s gone for good.
Five years ago today, I stood in front of the altar and promised to love him until my dying day. And I intend on keeping that promise.