Epilogue
Seven Months Later
Ella
My sweet baby Abigail was born on June seventh in the heat of the Massachusetts summer with everyone I loved close by. She was now just one month old, and she was the most beautiful little girl I had ever seen in my life. Her eyes were bright, her hair was curly and dark, and her chubby little fingers loved to grab onto my face anytime I was close. She had a personality the first moment I laid eyes on her, and I could see her daddy in her every time she yawned or made a funny face. I was so completely in love with her, and there hadn’t been one bad day since Will had surprised me with this house.
Will and I had decorated Abigail’s nursery, leaving the rest of the house to a designer since I was too exhausted to do it myself. I loved her nursery. It was like walking into a mystical, magical world. The walls were painted a light pink, and tapestries hung on the windows and the ceiling, creating a look like the sky above our heads. Little blown-glass fairies hung from the clothed ceiling above Abigail’s crib. At night, the tapestries lit up with small twinkling lights, giving you the feeling that you were lying under the stars. There were books on shelves all over the place, and there were rugs with soft, plush threading and fleece blankets everywhere. I was sitting in the rocking chair with Abi in my arms, looking out the window. My feet moved the chair back and forth, and I felt at ease nursing my daughter in my new home.
My mind moved over the past, thinking about how crazy the last month had been. I loved my daughter so much, but becoming a mother was extremely taxing and a complete change in life. I felt so lucky that Will had been through this before. He never had an issue getting up and letting me sleep whenever I had bottles ready for him to use. Giving birth had been a lot different than I’d expected, and I had definitely had become a proponent of using an epidural if it were needed. Little Abigail had not come out without a fight. I had been in labor for twenty-three hours before she finally made her appearance. After that, we just rolled into life, taking care of her, playing with Avery, and Will working when he could. It was hectic, but I loved every moment of it.
Avery was growing by leaps and bounds and was getting ready to go into second grade. He was an amazing older brother, constantly cooing over Abi, wanting to hold her, and being very protective of her all the time. Abi loved her older brother, and as soon as she heard his voice, she got excited, turning to find him and pumping her legs. When she cried, he would comfort her. It truly was the sweetest thing I had ever experienced.
Will really blossomed when Abi was born. He not only was an absolutely amazing father to her, but he became an even better father to Avery. He had become the epitome of the perfect father, and I couldn’t have been more satisfied.
Will continued to work like he had before we’d moved, but as we settled into our new life, he started to pass on some of his responsibilities to others in order to free up time for us. He mostly worked out of the house, always keeping his office door open for us if we needed him. On the rare occasion that he had to fly to New York, there wasn’t even a discussion about who would watch Avery. Avery was the same to me as Abi. He was my child, and we had become very close. I didn’t treat either child differently because I didn’t feel any differently about either one. Before Abi had been born, Avery had followed me everywhere around the house, making sure I was safe. Anywhere I went, you would find Avery trailing not too far behind, and Will had chuckled to himself every time it had happened.
Then, just one day after I made my Valedictorian speech for my Harvard graduation, I went into labor. We walked out of our beautiful home, Will searching for the keys and Avery lugging my suitcase along. I wished we had a picture of that moment because I could only imagine how adorable it was. It was funny, too, because just the day before, during my speech, I’d had this gut feeling that Abi was coming soon. I had even gone to Will afterward and told him just that. He had looked at me and nodded in belief, trusting wholeheartedly in my woman’s intuition about these things. He had even gone home and put my suitcase by the door, knowing I would be in labor soon.
What made going into labor that day even better was the fact that my parents, my sister, and Will’s mother were already there. In fact, they were all staying at the house for my graduation. When we told Avery I was in labor, he went running through the halls of the house, knocking on doors and announcing what was going on. There was a line of cars following us to the hospital, and the labor and delivery waiting room went from vacant to full and loud within seconds. It really helped me get through having Abi, knowing my family was close by. After Abi was born, Will took her out for everyone to see, and I had heard them clapping and cheering as he approached. It was one of the most memorable experiences of my life.
Even before Abi was born, when we first officially moved to Cambridge, my parents and my sister came to visit a lot. My sister, attending Harvard, was there almost every day, escaping the stress of campus life. Will’s mom also came down a lot, and it was so amazing to have such a strong and vibrant support system. The first two weeks after Abi was born, there was enough food cooked in the house to feed an army. Before the family left, they stocked the freezer full of easy-to-heat-up foods so that Will and I wouldn’t have to cook full meals. Avery had been in heaven with them there because he had been the center of attention almost the whole time. It really was an amazing experience, and I felt like I slept more after Abi was born than before she came.
Of course, I had to count my lucky stars. Abigail was an extremely easy baby, especially after some of the horror stories I had heard. She only woke up twice a night, fed, peed, and then would fall right back to sleep in her crib. More times than not, she wouldn’t even cry in the morning. Instead she’d just lay there, staring up at the lights reflecting through the glass figures over her crib. I swore she was actually watching fairies flying around. She never got colic, she never had bad nights, and just a few days before, she had slept through the entire night. Will and I woke up with the sun and ran into the nursery, fearful something had happened to her, but there she was, laying in the bed, quietly looking around.
Speaking of Abi, I looked down to see her staring back up at me, her big eyes blinking and glittering in the light of the room. I pulled my shirt down and burped her before pulling on my carrier and placing her inside. I walked down to the kitchen and pulled out the portable bassinet and placed her inside, tucking her in tightly and kissing her cheeks. Will had gone to New York the day before for a meeting, and he was supposed to come home in just an hour or so. I was so excited to see him. I missed him even when he was gone for one night. I started pulling out the ingredients to make his favorite meal: meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and corn. It was so simple, not fancy at all, but it was satisfying and made me comfortable. It was just how I would describe Will.
“Hello?”
I turned around when I heard Will’s voice.
I walked excitedly around the counter, pulling my apron from me and leaping into his arms to kiss him deeply. He held onto me with one hand and kissed me back before setting me gently on the ground. I smiled, so glad he was home.
“I made meatloaf and mashed potatoes,” I said.
“You did?” he asked, kissing my forehead. “That’s the best surprise all day. And I brought you these.”
He pulled out a large bouquet of blue lilies and white baby’s breath, making me think of the day he ran all the way from his office to the apartment to be there when I told my mother I was pregnant. I smiled and took a deep whiff of their scent, surprised that he had thought about getting me flowers after a long two days of work. Avery came bounding down the stairs and jumped at his father, laughing and giggling, happy he was finally home.
We all sat down at the table and ate dinner, talking about our last few days, laughing at the cooing coming from Abi’s bassinet, and just being a family again. Avery and I always had fun together, but we both felt something was missing when Will was in the city. Even Abi acted differently.
“I’d like to say something,” Will said when he was done eating. “Ella, you are the most amazing woman I have ever met. You have given me so much over the last couple years. You gave my son a mother he desperately needed, you gave me a beautiful daughter, and you gave me unconditional love even when I didn’t deserve it and never thought I would find it again. I’ve already told you a million times that I want to spend the rest of my life with you, but now I want to ask you something else. Will you do me the incredible honor of being my wife?”
He stood up from the table and walked around to where I was sitting to pull my chair away from the table. He opened the front of his suit jacket and pulled a small velvet box from inside. Slowly, he lowered himself down to one knee and opened the box in front of me. Inside was the biggest, brightest, most beautiful diamond ring I had ever seen. It glimmered in the light of the chandelier. I put my hands up to my mouth and immediately started to cry. Avery walked over to me and handed me a napkin, kissing me gently on the cheek. Will winked at his son, and they looked up at me for a response.
“Yes,” I shouted, laughing and crying at the same time. “Of course I will marry you.”
Will shouted in celebration, leapt forward, and picked me up under my arms, hugging me tightly. He set me back down and kissed my lips. I turned and bent down in front of Avery and reached out for his hand. He looked up at me with tears running down his face.
“What’s wrong, sweetie?” I asked.
“Nothing,” he said, sniffling. “It’s just, when my mom died, I thought no one would ever love me like that again. But now you’re here, and you are really going to be my mom. I love you so much.”
The tears were flowing all over the place as Will picked up our baby girl and knelt down for a family hug. My heart was so full, and I couldn’t think of a better ending to a really long day. I was going to be Will’s wife and the mother of his children. That alone was enough to satisfy me for ten lifetimes.
“I love you guys,” I whispered to my family. “I’ll love you forever.”
***
END OF THE FOURTH STORY