Epilogue

~McKenna~

“Girl, if you do not get your butt out of the kitchen, I’m gonna have to pick yo’ ass up and haul you out myself.”

I looked up from the veggie platter I was meticulously arranging to see Alisha standing in the doorway, dressed in a romper and with a glass of sparkling apple cider in her hand.

“What are you talking about?” I shot back cheekily. “I’ve only been in here for…” I looked to my cell phone. “Oh geeze, a whole hour. How did that happen?”

She shrugged. “Dunno. I thought walking around the daylight folks is supposed to be a whole lot less stressful than being with the night walkers, but you seem just as uptight as ever!”

“What? I was never uptight!”

“Honey, you went by a fake name for the entire first year I knew you. If that ain’t uptight, I don’t know what is.”

I stuck out my tongue at her. “That was special circumstances. You know I had one hell of a year.”

“You can say that again. Lemme see if I can recall in in order. You were on the run from your abusive ex, and then you ended up doing the horizontal mambo with the literal CEO of our company, then your ex found you again and you two had to beat him off. Then you found out you were preggo, pressed charged against you ex, fell in love with the man you were knocking boots with and that’s just the beginning.”

I held up my hands, laughing. “Alright, alright. We don’t need a recap of what we already know.”

“Well then get your booty out here. People are waiting for you!”

“Alright, alright. Grab the juices from the fridge for me, would you? I still haven’t grown that second set of arms my mother promised me.”

She wasn’t wrong. That day when we had moved in together, officially joining our lives as one had just been the beginning. From there it was several court dates with my ex, who was pressing charges against the both of us for assault. Because of course he would. But given our long, documented history of abuse, the judge took my side and slammed him with both probation and a retraining order practically the size of the state. I was had wished he had gotten jail time, to be honest, but I understood why he didn’t. I mean, I didn’t think it was right, but I understood.

But now that I was absolutely sure that he was gone from my life, it was time to reforge all the bridges that I had torched for my own safety. First had been my friends, who apparently had thought I was dead, probably murdered by Bradley in one of his jealous rages. They seemed to understand for the most part, with a majority of them wishing me the best.

My parents… well they were another matter. We never had the most supportive relationship as it was, with me always feeling like a disappointment or screw up, but when my mother burst into tears upon hearing my voice, I knew I was doing the right thing.

It was a difficult conversation, and a long one, but eventually we got on the same page. They even came down for a visit where they got to meet Rafael and Dom and touch my pregnant belly. It had been awkward, but emotional and certainly worth it.

“Hey there, jellybean!” Speak of the devil, my father came over to me, planting a kiss on my cheek. He looked as happy as could be and I certainly couldn’t blame him considering the occasion.

“Mama! You’re back!” Dom said, running over to me.

I laughed and caught him in my arms. He had taken to calling me that about three months after I moved in and I didn’t mind in the least. In fact, I loved it, and it seemed pretty appropriate considering that I was his full-time mom.

That particular victory hadn’t been easy to win either. Of course, I went to court to support Rafael, but it took three whole meeting with the judge where they interviewed everyone together, then one on one, before they finally revoked custody from her all together and gave her only visitation rights. I never thought I would see the day where Rafael cried, but he did just that when the judge told him that Dom was his responsibility 24/7. It had been a very happy day that day, and yet another change that made our lives that much better.

The only real downside of that was that Dom had seen how much his mother didn’t care that she was down to once a month visitation. In fact, she didn’t even raise a fuss until the judge ruled that, since she no longer had joint custody of Dominic, that she would no longer be receiving any child support for him. Her generous alimony was still intact, but it no longer made sense for her to get twenty grand a month for a child she wasn’t even watching.

She had really flipped it then. Yelling and screaming in court that they couldn’t take her money and that she had a right to that kind of income and so on and so forth. It had been terrible to watch, but I imagined it was that much worse for Dom.

He took it like a trouper, though, not even crying when I was sure that I would have been sobbing like a baby, as I was already tempted to do as a full-grown adult. In the end, the judge had her removed from his chambers and I wasn’t sure if she was held in contempt of court or not, but we never really heard from her again, even when Rafael called her to set up the visitation that she had a right to. It just further solidified that she never really cared about Dom and was only ever in it for the money.

“Come on!” My mother said, grabbing my hand and leading me over to the table where everyone had gathered. “I’ve already filled up three disposable cameras with pictures and I haven’t gotten any of you yet!”

I laughed at the short, slightly rotund woman and the red flush to her cheeks. It was easy to see where I got my coloring from, with my red hair coming from my dad.

We reached the large table that dominated the large gazebo we had rented from the local park. I felt happiness bubble up in me as I saw several familiar faces, including Davie, Alisha, one of Dom’s teachers, a couple of his friends from school, and of course, the star of the show, little Gabriella in daddy’s lap.

“There’s my Princess Potato!” I cried, making grabby hands at her. “And how are you doing on your very, very first birthday?”

Rafael laughed and handed her to me. “Wondering where her mommy is of course. I almost sent a search party out for you, you know.”

“Sorry, I said with a blush, peppering kisses all over her face until she let out that angelic giggle that always made my heart soar. “I got distracted by the vegetables, yes I did, yes I did!” I practically sand the last part to her, but I couldn’t help it. Even after a whole year together, she was still the most adorable thing in the world to me. Puppies, kittens, even baby pandas, none of them compared to my little Princess.

Her arrival into the world hadn’t exactly been easy. At nine and a half pounds, she had put me on bedrest for my last trimester. And I didn’t do well on bedrest. It drove me absolutely crazy, but hey, at least it gave me plenty of time to work on my resume.

Which certainly turned out to be a good thing, because I ended up landing a job as an online translator for HOH and deaf students in college. I got to work from home, but finally use the degree that I had poured so much of my life into. The same degree that I had thought I would have to give up because of Bradley.

“Do you mind holding her for a couple of minutes?” Rafael asked, placing a kiss on my own cheek. “I want to go grab the cake.”

“Of course, I want to hold her for a couple minutes!” I shot back, giving him a ‘you should know better’ type of look. “The hardest part will be fighting off everyone who wants to hold our little angel.” She let out a coo as I said that and my whole heart surged. She had inherited both Rafael’s dark hair and his strong features. But in a surprise, none of us had expected, she had been born with heterochromia, meaning one of her eyes was his intense, unyielding green, while the other was icy blue with golden flecks around her pupil. I swore I could just look into those eyes forever. She was the best gift that had ever been given to me, and I would always be grateful.

“Did I hear about holding my sister?” Dom said, popping out from where he had been crawling under the table. Although he was only six and a half, he had certainly grown in a year. He was taller, and leaner, and missing quite a few more teeth. He had asked to shave the sides of his head and keep his thick hair on top long, which was apparently the style all the kids were wearing nowadays. He had even managed to land some really genuine friends now that he wasn’t constantly shuttling between his mom and dad.

And he absolutely adored his sister. They hung out together all the time, with Dom reading to her or watching movies together or even insisting on learning to change her. Sure, he did bratty or annoying things occasionally, but he was a kid and that was what kids did. All in all, he was about as spectacular as they came.

“Yes, you can have a turn,” I said reluctantly, handing him Gabriella, but not before pulling my phone out and taking a picture of the two of them together.

“Finally!” He said, walking off to sit her down at her play mat with all of her toys.

“Perfect,” Rafael said, giving me a little squeeze. “I’ll be back in a bit.”

“But I just put the vegetables and the fruit tray out!” I objected, finally realizing what Rafael was saying. “We don’t want cake and present opening for at least a half hour or so.”

“Don’t worry, honey. I’ll make sure I don’t rush it.” He gave me a wink and then took off back inside the little building attached to the gazebo where the fridge, kitchenette and bathroom were. I watched him curiously, but I was quickly distracted as Gabriella let out a shrill laugh.

I looked to her playmat to see Dom was making funny faces at her, curling his tongue and crossing his eyes and the works. I swear, if there was ever a cure for cancer, it was my baby’s laugh. Granted, doctors didn’t seem to believe me, but that was because they just didn’t understand what a gift she was to the world.

I shook my head and laughed at myself. As much as I sounded like a crazy mom, I knew to take a grain of salt with how much I loved my little girl. I didn’t want to end up being one of those moms that put all sorts of pressure on their child to be perfect and they never felt they could live up to it. That was far too close to my own childhood for my comfort.

But still, how could I not be so head over heels in love with her? Considering how badly I had messed up my twenties and the rest of my college career, I never thought this would be a possibility. And yet it was, with my little baby girl and my loving adopted son and my incredibly handsome boyfriend, all of my dreams had come true. Even though they were dreams I had never known I had.

“You know, you almost make me wanna settle down and have something other than my fur and scale babies,” Alisha said, coming up beside me and looking at Dom as he entertained my little girl.

“Really, you?” I said, remembering all the times that she had sworn off dating as a waste of time in front of me. “I thought you were very anti-relationship.”

“I was. But if I recall right, you were once very anti-baby. Seeing you so happy has certainly given me enough pause to reconsider my stance.” She sighed and sat down next to me. “When you first showed up at work I could tell you were terrified. You rarely looked up, you always said ‘sir’ or ‘ma’am’ at the end of every sentence. You were so stiff that I thought your spine might break every time you bent over.

“And sure, you loosened up a little after training, but everyone does that with Davie. I could still tell that you were like a scared fawn about to make a run for it. But then, as time passed, I caught you smilin’ more. You started talking to us more often and opening up on the regular. I thought you were just getting to know us, but now I know the truth.

“Who’d have thought that love could have that effect on people. But it definitely has on you. So, can you really blame me for wondering if maybe a little bit of that mojo might work on me?”

Wow. I had never thought of it from that outside perspective. I guess I definitely had gone through a personal metamorphosis in the almost two years since I had arrived in the city. Would I even recognize my old self anymore? I had been so isolated, and scared, and distrusting. I had been on the look out for anyone and everyone to betray me. I had thought I was doomed to be alone and working as a facilities worker my entire life and would never use my degree again.

Thank God I had been so wrong. And to think, it was all because I had needed to blow off some steam and get my groove on while cleaning.

I placed my hand on Alisha’s shoulder and gave it a friendly squeeze. “It can be hard, but if you let your defenses down, you could find someone. You just have to be open to the idea.”

“Oh, it that all,” she said, scoffing. “You make it sound so easy.”

“Well, it’s anything but that,” I answered, laughing. “But trust me when I say it’s worth it in every way, shape and form.”

“Thanks, McKenna. I was sure that you would disappear from the face of the Earth that day you quit. I appreciate that you tried to stay friends with me.”

“Of course. You and Davie were the only ones with me in a really stressful part of my life. I’ll always be grateful for that.”

“It’s no problem. Really.”

She patted my thigh and it was a good feeling that passed between us. We exchanged smiles, but then I heard Gabriella let out a happy cry and all of my attention was on her. I think I had given Dom plenty of time for the past ten minutes and walked over to take her once again.

Dom, being the good brother that he was, didn’t complain, but ran over with his friends to eat some of the fruit, snacks and pizza that we had provided.

I held my Princess Potato, bouncing her on my hip as I looked over the crowd.

Everyone was eating and talking and playing games. Although I knew that Gabriella would probably never remember this, it would be burned into my mind forever. So much love, so much happiness. It really was a fairy tale come true. And I didn’t even need a glass slipper.

Smiling to myself, I continued to bounce Gabriella and took her over to the table, sitting right back in my seat and helping myself to a fresh strawberry. It was quite tasty, but I still dropped it when I heard a loud cheer from the small house and suddenly the door flew open.

It was Rafael, of course, because who else could it be? He was smiling broadly as he carried a massive cake on a platter, and so was Dom, who was trailing behind him with his own much smaller plate with a single mini-cupcake on it.

I laughed, clapping my hands, and so did everyone else, gathering around the table once more.

“Happy birthday to you!” Rafael started, and soon we all joined in, singing to Gabriella as we celebrated her first year on Earth.

She ate up the attention, of course. Giggling and clapping like the super star she was. Goodness, could she get any more adorable? Probably not. It seemed physically impossible.

The song ended, and Rafael placed the cake in front of me while Dom put the mini-cupcake next to it. I bounced Gabriella on my knee, her favorite motion, until everyone had their cameras and phones out.

“Alright, my little potato,” I said to her in sing-song. “Are you ready to blow out your candles and make a wish?”

She didn’t answer, of course, but there was only so much you could ask a one year old, no matter how smart and perfect she was.

“Mommy’s gonna help you, so take a big breath and-” I closed my eyes and exhaled, blowing out a stream of air. I could hear Gabriella laugh and clap, but then suddenly everyone gasped.

My eyes shot open, worried that someone was hurt, but I didn’t notice anything amiss.

That was, until I looked down, and saw both Rafael and Dom down on one knee before me.

I gasped, and I could already feel tears stinging my eyes. This couldn’t be happening… could it! No… but he was down on his knees in front of me and I couldn’t think of any other possible reason that he might be down there. But if what I thought was happening was happening, then why was Dom on the ground too?

“McKenna,” he said, pulling a small, red box from his pocket. I gasped again, and the sharp intake of air nearly made me hiccup. Oh my goodness! This couldn’t be happening! It couldn’t!

“Dom has something to say to you.”

Wait, Dom… what? But there was a red box in my face! Why were we talking about Dom. Not that I didn’t love him to pieces, but there was a time and a place after all.

I should have known better than to doubt them. If there was one the Barbos men knew how to do, it was present gifts with a flare of drama, and Dom proved to be just as adapt as he pulled a long, skinny, black velvet box from his pocket as well.

“You came into my life on accident, because my parents were in a fight and I just wanted to get away from it.” The little boy said, holding the box up to me. “For some reason you, a grown up, crawled under the table with me and started talking about all the things I liked. You didn’t think I was weird, you didn’t think that I needed to be more normal. You liked me just for me.

“Even though Daddy put you in a sort of scary situation, you still went to lunch with us. And then later, even though you were mad at Daddy, you still came over and hung out with me. You’ve been the best friend I could ever ask for, and a true mother.

“You’ve brought a little sister into my life and taught me how to be a better, smarter person. I never could have imagined my life could be so good. So please, would you officially be my mommy?”

He handed me the case and I took it, opening it hesitantly. My heart was already so full, I was afraid that it would burst at any moment.

The case finally opened, and I saw a beautiful necklace with the word mommy on it. But more importantly, it was wrapped around a tightly rolled packet of paper, and I gently lifted it from its place.

Unfurling them with shaking hands, I finally got to the first page and made out the first words.

“Adoption paperwork?” I breathed, hardly believing what was in front of me.

But Dom just nodded, looking at me with wide, uncertain eyes. He nodded slowly, as if he was scared of what I might say.

“Of course!” I cried, tears flowing for real now, unable to be contained behind my lids. “I will be your legal Mommy!”

He threw himself at me once more, his arms wrapping around my shoulders and cheers went up from all around us. It was hard not to break out into actual sobs, I was so moved by the love of my little boy. God, I really was blessed.

I was so swept away in the emotion, in the sheer joy, that I forgot about Rafael. I quickly remembered however as Dom stepped aside for him and I was once again looking at a red box.

It was so delicate, so red and velvety, and tied with a delicate silver bow. It was so pretty that I was almost afraid to touch it, even though I knew that it was for me.

“This past year and a half together has been amazing. Life changing. I knew from the moment I saw you in that uniform that you were incredibly, and that’s been proven over and over again. You are the mother to both of my children, and an amazing one at that. You’re my partner, thought thick and thin, and you’ve been with me through some of the most stressful court processes I’ve ever had t go through. I don’t want to live without you in my life for even a single second. “

He flicked open the box and then I was staring at the most beautiful ring I could ever imagine. It was two, winding bands, with a triad of jewels in the middle, all of them differently colored sapphires. I remember mentioning to him once that I thought diamonds were an overrated and ugly stone, but I never expected him to have remembered!

But of course, he did, because that was just like Dom. He was always so sweet, so thoughtful, and took legitimate pleasure in giving the best gifts he could.

“Miss McKenna O’Grady, will you do me the pleasure of being Mrs. McKenna Barbos?”

“Yes!” I cried, holding my hand out. “Oh God, yes, I do!”

More cheers all around and now I really was ugly crying. Someone took Gabriella from my arms and the next think I knew, Rafael was sweeping me up into a kiss, snot and all.

It was full of passion and love and all the things you could ever want, and when we finally broke me apart, he picked up all five ten of me and swung me around. I laughed, and I cried, and I laughed some more. Dom danced around us, shouting random variations of the word ‘awesome’ while I was sure that there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.

When Rafael finally set me down, we kissed again, and I realized that our fairy tale was really just beginning. I had thought I had the best that I could possibly have, but once again, Rafael was proving to me that I could anticipate so much more.

“I love you, Mr. Rafael Barbos.” I said, holding onto him with all of my might.

“And I love you, Mrs. McKenna Barbos. And I will continue to love you long after both of us are gone.”

“Good,” I said, pressing another kiss to his cheek that was already slick with my tears. “Because you’re stuck with me.”

“I couldn’t ask for a better fate.”

I laughed again, happiness literally permeating every cell of my body. Now all I had to worry about was our wedding colors.

…maybe I should just let myself rest for a bit first. After, all, I had my Prince charming, what was the rush?

The End

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