Epilogue

Five years later

 

The watch on my wrist is vibrating, dragging me from the dream I’d been caught up in. The sensation of my tender, heavy breasts immediately alerts me that it’s time for Lila’s morning feeding.

I open my eyes and yawn. Devlin’s side of the bed is empty, and the baby monitor’s light on his nightstand is glowing, letting me know that he’s probably in with Lila.

After I turn off my alarm, I rise from the bed and grimace. Morning’s don’t bother me, but the sore breasts are uncomfortable. Before, when Lila was feeding every three hours, they didn’t hurt like this. But now she’s skipping her two AM feeding and sleeping six hours straight. It should be a blessing, but by the time I wake at six for her morning feeding, my breasts are so full of milk that they’re engorged.

As I pass by the large windows in our bedroom, I pull the curtains open, allowing the morning sunshine to filter in. Once Devlin climbs out of bed for any reason other than the bathroom, he’s up for good.

My eyes flicker to the giant canvas prints hanging above the bed, and a smile curves my lips. The wall is now painted a warm cream, and we have three large canvas prints hanging. Our wedding portrait, a maternity photo of myself in a flowing white gown with my belly protruding from the silky material, and lastly, our first family photo taken only four weeks ago.

Our home is filled with photos that have captured the best moments of our life together—something that Devlin has become obsessed with. He wants to be reminded of all the good moments so he can cherish the things he’d never had as a child.

I walk to the open doorway of what used to be Devlin’s huge, walk-in closet. We’d turned it into the nursery and bought two dressers for the master bedroom for our clothes. Anything that doesn’t fit in those are in a closet down in the guest room. I don’t need much space for clothing, but Devlin has so many clothes that I tease him all the time about being a suit fanatic.

I peek in the doorway, my eyes sweeping over the lavender nursery fit for a princess. Devlin’s sitting in the white rocking chair near the crib. He’s wearing only lounge pants, and Lila is cuddled against his bare chest, her little bottom sticking out.

Both are fast asleep.

My heart melts over the sight.

In only three short months, Lila has taken over our lives and made us a family. I hadn’t known how wonderful motherhood could be, nor could I have known just how much love one can have for their child.

Fur brushes my ankles, and I look down to see Alien. We have two Bengal cats, and I’m sure Predator is lurking nearby. They were a spur of the moment purchase when I’d come across an ad and insisted we buy them. I was already wanting to nurture something, but we weren’t quite ready to become parents, so we’d settled for the cats. They’d originally began their lives as Tippy and Ingo, but after all the trouble we had housebreaking the mischievous kittens, Devlin dubbed them Alien and Predator.

I move away from the doorway, deciding to let Devlin and Lila sleep just a little longer. Alien remains right on my heels as I walk through the bedroom and down the short hall to the stairwell. Predator is on his way up, and as soon as he spies me, he darts down the stairs, probably racing to the kitchen.

It’s breakfast time for them.

They both twine around my bare ankles as I prepare their food and then put their bowls on the floor.

I wince as my sore nipples press against the fabric of my spaghetti strap nightie. Five minutes, and then I’m waking my little angel and her handsome devil of a father.

With a little time on my hands, I detour to the other guest room that had been converted to my office. I’ll check my emails quickly before my morning becomes too busy. I sit down in my chair and turn on the computer.

I no longer work at the library, and instead, I run a youth center for children with disabilities. This way they can be themselves without feeling like they’re the minority. Devlin and I own the center, so I am my own boss, and Devlin has remained a very silent partner.

I also have a blog about what it’s like being a member of the deaf community. Followers can ask me questions, simply connect with me, or connect with others that follow the blog. I also make tutorial videos on how to sign in ASL. A lot of people are interested in learning, and I’m still amazed over the number of followers I have.

Life is great, and I mean really great.

Devlin and I have been married for nearly five years, he’d proposed shortly after we’d agreed to build a life together. Life hasn’t always been easy, but we’ve made it through.

I glance up when I spy Devlin in the doorway. My eyes run over his bare, sexy abs as he walks over to me. He bends down, giving me a lingering kiss. When the kiss lengthens, I rise to my feet and move into his embrace, but I’m soon wincing when my breasts come into contact with his bare chest.

Devlin pulls back, giving me a rueful smile. Lila is awake and anxious for her breakfast, he signs. He’s quite fluent these days, but I still make it a point to speak every so often, because not only does Devlin like my voice, but so does Lila.

I kiss him on the cheek and move past him, exiting the room to go back upstairs to the nursery. Lila’s face is turning red as she wiggles in the crib, and I quickly pick her up before she can begin to cry. I brush a tender kiss to her forehead, and she promptly settles down and stares at me with fascination.

I coo at her and sink down into the rocking chair, drawing down a strap of my nightgown and baring one of my breasts for her. She promptly latches on, her long lashes drifting closed in contentment.

Movement in the doorway draws my attention, and I see Devlin leaning a shoulder on the doorframe, his gaze fixated on me with open adoration.

I had a rough beginning in life, and quite a few hurdles to overcome, but in the end, it was leading me to Devlin. I know that now, and every second was worth it. My life is perfect, and I wouldn’t change a single thing.

 

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