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Epilogue
Birdie
Six years later…
The sound of laughter draws me to the nursery, my heart swells at the sight that greets me.
“Mommy, look!”
My five-year-old is standing on her bed in a little pink dress I have never seen before, and striking poses as her bunica takes photos of her with her big, fancy camera. Allie is a tiny replica of her father, with big blue eyes that look just like his, and the same intensity in everything she does. At this moment, it means she’s modeling for my mother in earnest, taking her job as seriously as any professional would.
“Shh, your baby brother is sleeping. We have to be quiet, remember?” Mama says with a fond smile, and Allie nods at her seriously as she strikes another pose, trying to imitate whatever she’s seen on magazine covers. Little Andrei just turned two, and it’s clear he takes after me a little more than his sister, even though they also look like they could be twins.
They’re both perfect in every way.
Suddenly, Baxter appears, looking sprier than ever as he hops up onto the bed. At a healthy eleven years old, his vet says he’s got years of life left in him still. He watches Allie and Mama for a moment before stretching out in a place behind my daughter that I’m sure he knows will ensure he’s included in pictures.
“Thanks for babysitting, Mama. Ethan and I will be back late tonight, but call either of us if you need anything at all.”
Mama flashes me a smirk and waves me off, assuring me that she’s got this handled. It’s been almost six years since we got her moved into a nice apartment a few floors down from Ethan’s penthouse. After so much time spent apart, we were inseparable for a time. Now, she watches the kids whenever she gets the chance, relishing the fact that I’m getting to live a life she never got to have but wanted for me all along.
Ethan said he would protect her and every day I thank my lucky stars that I him. He’s kept his promise and so much more.
“Go,” she says softly. “Alexandra and I will take little Andrei for a walk in the park. Maybe we’ll bake cookies later.”
Allie, always so earnest but still so sweet, bounces quietly in place with excitement as she listens, trying her best to behave and earn the chance to bake cookies with her bunica.
I nod, giving them each a kiss before making my way back to the master bedroom where I catch my husband buttoning his shirt. My gaze follows his long fingers as they expertly work. I sigh, thinking about the things those fingers have made me feel over the years.
“Are you just going to stand there and ogle me?” Ethan murmurs, his voice deep and rough.
“Maybe,” I tease him as I walk over to my dresser and pick out a pair of earrings.
Today, I’m being honored for a charitable contribution I made to a local children’s hospital. Even though my life has changed so much in the past few years, I still earn an income streaming myself playing videogames. Most of that money gets donated these days, because my expenses are more than covered byEthan’s income. When I’d offered to help him with bills years ago, he told me I could, but he also mentioned I didn’t have to, and that I could do whatever I wanted with the funds I was making from my job. After some more deliberation, I decided to donate it to the hospital, going so far as to have it earmarked for research into neonatal intensive care after Andrei came into the world a little earlier than we expected.
These days, my followers have come to expect the occasional kid wandering into the frame just like they expect Baxter to come and say high. They call them “chick” and “duckling,” in keeping with the fact that I go exclusively by Birdie online. I love that they respect their privacy and that I want to keep their names off the internet. And I’m grateful that they’ve all made it possible for me to help the tiniest patients in the hospital.
“I know how much you hate going to these things, but I appreciate you coming with me,” I whisper, to him as I walking up to take over buttoning his shirt.
“You know I would do anything for you, baby girl.”
My cheeks flush at his words and I know he sees it. Six years of marriage, two kids later, and this man still makes me blush like we’ve only been together for a few days.
“Don’t start,” I scold him, smacking his chest playfully.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he smirks at me.
Suddenly, Ethan wraps his arms around my waist and starts to walk me back into our walk-in closet. When we had kids, he’d renovated the space, going so far as to add some soundproofing for when we needed to have an intimate moment.
Now, he likes to use it to get away with being naughty, even when my mom’s around.
“Ethan, we’ll be late for the event,” I breathe as he leans down to brush his lips against mine. The touch raises goosebumps on my arms immediately.
“I’m not doing anything,” he rasps, brushing his mouth down to my throat. My body tightens with need as he kisses a path down my body. Before I know it, he’s on his knees, pushing the hem of my dress up my hips to expose my sex to him.
“Ethan, the party,” I protest.
“I’ll be quick,” the cruel man murmurs as his tongue begins to tease me over my panties.
