Total pages in book: 22
Estimated words: 21056 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 105(@200wpm)___ 84(@250wpm)___ 70(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 21056 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 105(@200wpm)___ 84(@250wpm)___ 70(@300wpm)
It felt like the beginning of something unbreakable. And we were in it together.
Epilogue
Marcus
The late-afternoon sun spilled gold across the five acres we’d been trying to tame for the last several years.
The meadow was knee-high with wildflowers now, the garden we planted together bursting with tomatoes, basil, and those ridiculous giant sunflowers Lila had insisted on. The scent of fresh-cut pine was thick in the air from the new barn we’d only just completed last week.
I smiled as I thought about making the baby’s crib with the same wood, sanding every edge until it was smooth enough for tiny hands, and then painting it white and adding a little blue flower Lila insisted go on the headboard.
I still couldn’t believe it was real.
Inside, I heard the soft hum of Lila’s voice drifting through the open window. I’d given her some privacy as she’d been on a video call with her team, laughing at something Elena said, her laptop balanced on the kitchen island.
But I’d stopped in the entryway and just watched her. God, she was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen in my entire fucking life.
She wore one of my old flannel shirts that she’d left unbuttoned just enough on the bottom to show the gentle swell of her pregnant belly. Her hair was up in that messy knot she always made when she was working from home.
Lila had been with the firm for a few couple years now and was thriving. I was so damn proud of her. I was just a simple man who made a living working with my hands, but I was mesmerized at how smart and quick she was with everything she put her mind to.
She lit up when she showed me her sketches and ideas, and I still got that same punch in the chest every time she looked at me like I was the best part of her day.
We’d gotten married six months ago, right here on the land with an archway I’d made by hand, and flowers Lila had decorated around it herself. It was a small, private ceremony with only our closest family and friends—the ones who accepted how unconventional relationship was, anyway.
Most did, but there were always the few that let us know how awful our situation was in their eyes.
Even now, months later, I still thought about that day. Lila had been barefoot in the grass with wildflowers in her hair and my ring on her finger. Sarah came, and she cried through the whole thing, hugged me afterward, and smiled when she saw Lila’s face.
“Take care of her,” she whispered to me. I promised I would. Of course I would. Lila was my whole fucking world.
And I made sure to keep that promise every damn day.
The screen door opened, and Lila stepped out, one hand resting on the curve of her stomach., the other hand holding a glass of ice water. She was glowing, and every time I saw her like this, growing my baby inside of her, knowing she loved me for me, it knocked the air out of my lungs.
“Hey,” she said, voice soft. “Meeting’s done. They loved the brewery pitch.”
I held out my hand, and she took it. I pulled her gently forward until she was sitting on my lap, legs draped across my thighs. She tucked herself against me as if she belonged there. She did.
“You still feel like this is a little boy?” I asked, rubbing her belly in slow circles. We still hadn’t found out only because Lila said she liked the mystery. I liked whatever made her smile.
She smiled and placed her hand over mine. “I swear I change my mind every day about whether it’s a little girl or a boy.” We both chuckled.
“And that’s alright, baby.”
“As long as the baby is healthy, I don’t care,” she murmured, resting her head on my shoulder. “But they’re already kicking like they’re trying to build something in there., so maybe it is a boy and will take after his daddy?”
I laughed low, and as if answering, a small thump answered against my palm. Feeling those little kicks was one of the most magical things I’d ever experienced.
I kissed the top of her head and breathed in that faint sweetness that was all Lila.
“Love you,” I said against her hair.
She tilted her face up, eyes shining. “I love you more.”
“Not possible, sweetheart.”
We sat like that as the sun dipped lower, painting the porch gold. The swing creaked as I rocked us back and forth gently.
This was it. Our life. It was simple but perfect in every single way. No more push and pull. No more fighting what was inevitable.
It was just me, her, and the little one on the way.
What a great happily ever after.