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He leans down and lays a tender kiss against the fabric of my dress.
“And you, little man or lady. I love you too.”
I place my hand on his head, staring down at him, as love flows endlessly through me.
Extended Epilogue
Over One Year Later
Roman
The sound of the applauding crowd is quieter up here, in the private booth, but no less magical and life-affirming as it echoes around the theater.
I hold little Liam in my arms, close to my chest, peering over his head as I look down at the stage. I chose this booth specifically for how much quieter it is than the rest of the theater – to protect little Liam’s ears – but the view is a welcome advantage.
Rayla stands at the front of the group of actors, taking a short bow, filling my whole body – my whole being – with starlight and love like I never could’ve felt before I met my woman.
It’s the first performance of the play she was working on when we met. Well, the play she said she was working on.
It turned out it was all still in the ideas stage, but as the pregnancy wore on, amidst college and wedding planning and the craziness of our wonderful new lives, my special miracle somehow found a way.
I was so proud of her when she rushed into my office, the finished play in her hand, waving it around like a prize.
Reaching down, I softly take Liam’s hand and clasp it against the other. He murmurs in his sleep. I kiss him tenderly on the forehead and then reach down and tickle Tanker behind the ear, letting him know I haven’t forgotten him.
“What do you think, guys?” I whisper. “Shall we go wait for Mommy?”
I head out to the parking lot, walking to the very rear where I’ve parked my sedan. Tanker hops up into the passenger seat and then I drop into the driver’s seat, handling Liam carefully. It took me a month of being a father before I believed Rayla when she told me I wouldn’t hurt him.
Now I hug him closer, content to wait here as my mind drifts back over this past year.
Keeping my hands off Rayla as we stood at the altar was one hell of a challenge, her wedding dress was so sexy and magnificent it made me want to tear it off. That’s the thing with my woman.
She’s always appealing to the two halves of me – to the lover and the beast, in each and every moment.
She’s doing so well at college. She’s done so well with her play. I can’t wait to see what she achieves next.
“You’ve done a lot too,” she murmured to me last night. “What about your book deal, huh? The return of Roman Robinson is a reality.”
“What about the long awaited debut of Rayla Robinson, hmm?” I’d whispered, kissing the nape of her neck.
Now I’d seen what her writing debut entailed, and I couldn’t be more impressed.
“Aunt Millie is doing amazingly well too, isn’t she?” I murmur, rocking Liam softly.
My daughter has had several short stories published and she’s well on her way to completing her first novel, after lots of hair-pulling and rewriting and stressing.
Pride blossoms inside of me when I think about how well my daughter and my wife are doing, and then the crowd parts and Rayla is walking toward us.
I study her, my gorgeous wife, changed into jeans and a baggy T-shirt out of her play gear. She’s tied her wild dark hair back in a ponytail, draped over her shoulder and jostling around as she approaches us.
I can’t help but smile as my gaze consumes her, the way I always smile when I lay eyes on her.
Every inch, every gesture, every moment with my woman is something I savor, reminding myself how lucky I am that the storm chose then to strike – sealing us in, helping us to fall in love.
I lean across and push open the car door for her.
She smiles as she slides into the seat next to me, reaching over and brushing her hand along my jaw before giving Liam a soft stroke on the head.
“How was I?” she asks.
“Amazing,” I tell her, and I’m not just talking about the play, though she was amazing in that.
I’m talking about our wedding day.
I’m talking about how dedicated she is to her craft, even whilst being the most loving mother I’ve ever seen in my life.
I’m talking about the way her curvy body calls to me even more now that she’s had a child, captivating me with more carnal hunger every single day.
“You’re amazing, Rayla.”
She smiles, her eyes hazy and tired. But tired or not, nothing could stop her from softly taking Liam from my arms, leaning down, and gently kissing him on his forehead.
“I missed you both so much,” she whispers.
