Epilogue
“Did you find Sophie’s teddy bear? I swear that thing walks on its own. It’s never where I put it.”
Walker’s head poked around the doorway. “I’ve got Mr. Huggles and she’s all strapped in to the stroller ready to go. Where’s Hunter?”
Right on cue, the sounds of feet pounding on the stairs rang out. Grabbing her bag, Clara strode into the hall just in time to see a flash of blonde hair followed by an exhausted looking Emily.
“Hunter, come back here,” Clara called.
Her son screeched to a halt, obediently retracing his steps until he stood in front of her.
“Did you get dressed like a big boy for Emily?” she asked.
“Yes, Mama.”
“That’s my angel. Go give Sophie a kiss. We’re almost ready to leave.”
The five-year-old raced to his little sister, looking down at her with mixed emotions before he dutifully dropped a kiss gently on the baby’s head.
Walker ruffled the light curls before Emily appeared behind him with Hunter’s shoes in hand.
“Come here, little man,” she said. “Let’s get you ready.”
“Still think it was a good idea to take the kids on a picnic?” Walker asked when she moved to his side.
“Veronica was insistent. She just got back from a photoshoot in Paris and missed the kids.”
“Maybe she’ll take them both for a few days.”
She whacked him with her hand.
“Just a couple,” he whispered in her ear. “Think of what we could do with a few child-free days.”
A shiver ran down her spine. Oh, the things we could do…
“Mama, let’s go!” Hunter exclaimed impatiently, standing by the stroller with his shoes on.
“Yes, darling. We’re coming.”
She started for the door before realizing she’d forgotten the emergency snacks. “Just a second, I need to grab the food.”
“Emily, could you take the kids down to the lobby, and we’ll meet you in five minutes?” Walker asked.
“No problem. Come on, guys. Out we go,” she said, pushing the stroller after an excited Hunter.
Grateful for the silence, Clara raced into the kitchen and tossed the bag of waiting snacks into her purse. “Okay, I’m all set. Let’s go.”
“Wait.” Walker caught her hand and pulled her back into the kitchen.
“What?”
“I just won us five uninterrupted minutes of silence.”
With a happy sigh, she stopped resisting. “That’s not very fair to Emily.”
“We’ll make it up in her Christmas bonus.”
“You say that every week.”
“Just think how large it’s getting then.”
Rolling her eyes, she stepped into his arms. “Five minutes, huh?”
“A tiny bit of peace.”
“Away from our own children.”
“Tiny monsters, I like to call them.”
“Only if you want to sleep on the couch.”
A salacious gleam lit his eyes. “Oh, definitely not.”
“Good,” she said, raising her hand to cup his jaw. “I don’t sleep well when you’re not beside me.”
The sparkle of her diamond ring caught her eye as her grin widened. Even after all these years the sight of the ring on her left hand still gave her butterflies.
“What if we really planned a little getaway? Veronica had her chance in Europe. We could take a week. Go somewhere far, far away.”
“Somewhere children, ex-lovers, bosses, deadlines, and boards of directors can’t find us?” she asked.
“I hear Antarctica is lovely this time of year.”
With a laugh, she wrapped her arms around his neck. “I’m in. I’m sure you have a corporate jet we could grab without anyone being the wiser.”
“One of the perks of being married to a billionaire.”
“Oh good. I was wondering when those would start showing up. Here I was thinking I’d picked the wrong tech genius.”
A growl rumbled from his throat before his lips claimed hers. Smiling, Clara rose to her tiptoes and gave herself over to his touch. It’d been years since he’d first kissed her, and yet there was no denying the desire that unfurled inside her every time he got close. Maybe someday the heat between them would temper, but for now, she reveled in it.
Wrapping her arms around him, she couldn’t help the joy flooding through her. It was hard to remember a time before Walker had come into her life. Her days were filled with the laughter of children, and her nights were filled with the love of her life. Everything was…
Perfect.
“What?” he murmured, drawing back just enough to drop a tiny kiss on the tip of her nose.
“You make me happy,” she whispered to him. “More than I ever thought possible.”
A tenderness entered his expression that she would never grow tired of seeing. “That’s my line.”
“To think we almost missed this.”
“I don’t want to think about it. Ever. My future was always to end up here with you. There was no alternative.”
She laughed. “It would have been so easy, though. If you hadn’t dated my roommate. If I hadn’t spilled Coke on you at that party. If we’d moved to separate cities after college. If Veronica had stayed…”
He grinned. “You’ve got it wrong, sweetheart. If I hadn’t dated your friend, I would have noticed you sooner. If you hadn’t spilled that drink on me, we’d have met at the chip table or the dance floor. If you’d moved away, I would have followed and grown my company in a different city. And if Veronica hadn’t left, I still would only have had eyes for you. You’ve been the only one for me since we were kids playing at being adults. It just took us a long time to wise up and figure that out.”
“Says the genius.”
“You’re my emotional translator. What took you so long?”
“My mistake,” she teased.
“But you never make mistakes,” he teased.
“Walker,” she protested.
He touched his forehead to hers. “You’re it for me, Clara. Just you.”
“It works the other way, too, you know,” she whispered. “You’re all I’ll ever need. You and the kids.”
“Then looks like we’re a happy, conventional family. How did that happen?”
“Well,” she said. “Not too conventional I hope.”
“No,” he agreed. He leaned closer and whispered into her ear. “There are a few nonconventional ideas I’d love to try out.”
She hissed a breath, her fingers curling in his shirt. “We have to go meet Veronica. Our five minutes are almost up.”
“Oh, I know,” he replied. “I just thought I’d give you a taste of what I want to do tonight.”
“Barring any nightmares, or baby screams, or—”
“Yes. Barring all that, you’re mine.”
Running her fingers along his jaw, she pressed a soft kiss to his lips. “I’m always yours,” she whispered. “Forever.”
“Forever,” he promised.
Taking her hand in his, they headed for the door and their waiting children.
And Clara couldn’t think of anywhere she’d rather be.
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