Epilogue
Eight years later
“I think we should wake her up,” my daughter urges with her sweet little voice as we stand at the foot of the bed waiting for my beautiful wife to wake up. It is Mother’s Day and our five-year-old daughter is waiting impatiently to serve her mom the breakfast in bed we made her. The problem is that Evie was up half the night nursing our three-month-old son, Liam, who was a little colicky.
“Mommy is very tired. Liam was up crying most of the night. I say we leave the breakfast here on the nightstand for her and let her sleep. I think sleep is the greatest gift we can give Mommy today.” I smile down to my daughter who considers my words very carefully. She has Evie’s fire red hair and a feisty personality to match.
“Okay, we won’t wake her up, but can we go outside and play for a bit?” she coos, batting her blue eyes at me, apparently trying to make a deal with me. Little does she know that she has me in her back pocket already.
“Sure, but I hear Liam stirring in his crib. Let’s take him with us,” I suggest.
Sophia claps her small hands together and cheers. We head into Liam’s nursery. His eyes are open, and he’s whining but when he sees me, his bright blue eyes sparkle, and he smiles. It warms my heart every time.
When I got on that plane eight years ago, I was filled with hope and a dream. I never expected this to be my life. I was one lucky bastard. That day I flew with Evie and Carter to Vancouver, Canada and from there we spent some time touring the beautiful sights before renting a car and driving down the coast to LA. We were lucky to spend the summer there with Grandpa Jack because he died that fall. His death was hard on Evie because he was her last blood relative that she knew of. She leaned on me and with time things got better. We also decided that a fresh start in a new city was the way to go. Chicago no longer felt like home after the scandal and Evie didn’t feel any more ties to LA after Grandpa Jack died, so we settled on Washington State. Our sprawling mansion was located on Pine Island, a small island off the coast. It was beautiful and quaint and had the perfect views of the ocean. My little Sophia loved to play in the sand.
“Daddy come make a sandcastle with me.” Sophia grins, already running off into the sand.
“Not today, honey, I want to see what you can make all by yourself. You can show little Liam how it’s done.”
Sophia got to work on the dark sand, molding it and forming it. I loved just watching her play. I loved the sound of the waves brushing up on our shore. There were so many things I loved about my life. Things I never knew existed growing up in my father’s home. A home that I now knew was devoid of love and warmth. I didn’t even know those things existed until I met Evie. As I thought of her, I noticed the sliding doors to the master bedroom open. Evie had a white nightgown draped on, the soft wind blowing her hair as she steps down the few steps toward the beach. She still takes my breath away eight years and two kids later. Carter had gone off to college this past September. He was attending the University of Washington. He wanted to become an engineer, and I couldn’t be prouder of him for following his passions.
“Hey, there,” Evie says and signs. Our little Sophia was very good at signing too. She can hold a conversation easily with her mother. I am now proficient in ASL, but with a baby in my arms, it makes communicating with my hands a little difficult. “You let me sleep.” Evie’s voice sounds sleepy and oh-so-sexy.
“Daddy said you needed the rest,” Sophia signs.
“Did he now,” Evie responds, her gaze landing on me, her eyes filled with love and affection. It makes my heart flutter and come to life every time she gives me that look. “Those pancakes you made were delicious. Thank you very much,” Evie signs to Sophia.
“They were heart shaped because you’re the best mom.”
“Thank you, sweetheart.” She bends down and presses a kiss on Sophia’s head then walks over to thank me too, pressing her warm lips against mine. “Hello, there handsome.” She smiles at Liam.
“Thanks, I’m glad you still think so,” I joke with her. It isn’t the first time I cracked that terrible joke either but it bought me a smile, and it was worth it.
“We should go up and get ready. Uncle Jake and Auntie Selena will be here for brunch with Grandma Veronica,” Evie says, urging Sophia to finish up her sandcastle.
The summer Evie, Carter, and I went sightseeing in Vancouver. Jake took a trip to Cabo. He spent two weeks on the beach there. He met Selena, a Hispanic woman who was living in the US. She had gone back home to visit her family in Mexico. They fell deeply in love and married the following year. Jake and Selena moved to the Seattle area where Jake works at a school for the deaf as the gym instructor. Selena became fluent in ASL. She’s an interior designer. My mom moved to Seattle too. She never liked Chicago, and she wanted to be close to her boys. I learned over the years that she was nothing like the villain I had made her out to be. She was a sweet, kindhearted person who was dedicated to her family.
We all rush back to the house to get ready for our guests. Evie ordered catering for the brunch, but we still needed to get some clothes on.
“Here give me Liam, he needs to eat before my breasts explode.” She laughs, reaching for our son. My eyes drop to her breasts which look full, her nipples pressing against the sheer fabric of her white nightgown. My eyes grow heated. Evie lifts a finger to me. “Don’t even think it, Colton Mathis. There’s no time. Our guests will be here in fifteen minutes.”
I chuckle. My wife knows me well. “I wasn’t thinking anything,” I feign innocence.
“Yeah, right.” She takes Liam and stalks off to our bedroom. “Can you help princess Sophia get dressed?” she hollers.
I go to help my little princess who is having a hard time picking a dress from her closet. She finally settles on a purple lace one. “Do I look pretty, Daddy?” she asks, twirling around.
“Beautiful. Gorgeous. Stunning, beyond pretty.”
“I love you, Daddy,” she giggles, and I lean forward to press a kiss on her soft cheek, but she beats me to it and kisses my nose. That bought me a bubble of laughter.
I hear the doorbell in the distance. We also had red lights installed around the house notifying us of a guest. Evie comes dashing out of our room in a white pair of linen pants and a loose beige tank top. “I’m so excited to see them,” she cheers as she makes her way quickly down the staircase.
Lila, our maid, was getting little Liam ready. I loved that Evie was so close to my blood relatives who are truly her family.
Evie practically slides across the foyer on her quest to open the door quickly. She unlocks the latches as fast as she can as I watch her, making my way down our long winding staircase at a much slower pace with Sophia. When the door opens, and Evie sees Jake, her eyes light up like Christmas. At one point, I may have been jealous, at least at the beginning when I didn’t understand the nature of their relationship. Their bond was strong but more like brother and sister. Jake hugs Evie fiercely. Then Evie moves on to Selena and their four beautiful girls. Yup, my brother is raising four little princesses. Eva is seven. Mia is five - Sophia’s age, Bella short for Isabella is three, and little Mariana is one.
“Come on in,” I motion. My brother comes to me and embraces me in a hug. We are close now. We missed years together growing up but these last years we made up for it as best we could. There were some things we would never get back. The last time I saw my father was the day the scandal broke over eight years ago and I stepped out of his limousine. We had a few conversations after where I warned him about any retaliation, and that was it. He was out of all of our lives. He tried to make contact but I never responded.
My grandparents on his side, Lily and Edward Mathis, had set up trust funds for Jake and me when we were born. I had access to my trust fund when I turned eighteen. Jake didn’t. That was later rectified. My father had also kept me away from the Mathis family growing up. Which meant I didn’t know what type of people they were. I was grateful that Grandma Lily reached out to me in the days after the scandal broke and we have been in touch ever since. My father was simply the bad apple of the family. Grandpa Edward and Grandma Lily were truly good people. People I was honored to call family. Both Jake and I return to Chicago at least once a year with the kids to visit. Usually around Thanksgiving since the whole Mathis clan is gathered together. They may be one of the richest families in America but they are kind, considerate people. They help third world countries and donate large sums of money to disaster relief. I don’t know why my father kept me away from them or why he was so determined not to be involved with them because they are good people. The only conclusion I can make is that he wasn’t a good person and had no place there with them.
My mother showed up for our Mother’s Day celebration a few minutes later, and even Carter made a surprise visit. That made Evie’s day. We sat around a long table filled with good food, great company and most importantly, a table that was filled with love and family.
If you are wondering about my good friend Albert Walsh the III. Well…when I left for Canada with Evie and Carter eight years ago, Al felt like he had hit a crossroads in his life too. He decided to take a road trip across the country because he needed time and space to clear his head, but that’s a story for another day.
As I pop a grape into my mouth, Evie comes to sit on my lap. “Hey baby,” I sign.
“Hey yourself.” She grins back then presses a kiss to my lips. A long time ago she had confessed that she truly believed I was all wrong for her. The problem is, she had the situation all wrong. I was perfect for her, and she was made for me. And do you know what happens in such a scenario? That’s right. We live happily ever after.