Epilogue.
“Avery, be careful with your brother, he’s still too small to do that,” I told my five-year-old daughter.
Her brother, Jeremy was a bustling toddler who was a few weeks away from turning a year old, but even a bouncy castle was a bit too much for him.
“Mom, what if he goes on for a little while.”
“How about you both go play in the playpen instead, hmm. Where’s Emerald?” Her sister wasn’t anywhere I could see but I had an idea of where she could be.
“With Dad,” Avery said then guided her brother towards the playpen.
Sure enough, just out of my line of sight, Emerald was playing with Jaxon. A smile tugged at my lips as I watched them, I didn’t bother interrupting and strolled back into the villa to get us some lunch.
Five years might be a long time for some people but to me, it had gone by in the blink of an eye.
If I had told my younger self that she would get married to one of the richest men in the country and go on to have a beautiful family, she would have probably called me crazy.
But here I was, years later with Jaxon who was well on his way to being the richest man in the country. And to top it off, we had the most beautiful family.
The kitchen window overlooked the marvelous garden below, and with this time of the year, vibrant flowers bloomed all around and made the garden look like a rainbow haven.
Jaxon and I had turned this into somewhat of a family tradition, where every spring we would pack up the family and spend the holiday in a villa he had in the French countryside.
When we saw the villa for the first time, our intention hadn’t been to buy it but to just tour it and then get to taste the wine that had come from the age-old vineyard.
But Jaxon being himself had seen how much I loved it that he gifted it to me as an anniversary present the following year.
After that, the rest was history and we had renovated it and turned the place into one of our many designated holiday homes.
“Guys, lunch is ready,” I called as I walked into the playroom. The room was massive, with high ceilings and floor-length windows so it was more of a play park really.
“Are there croissants?” Avery asked as she ran up to me, Jeremy following close on her heels.
“Yes, there is sweetie.” I shook my head and smiled. I didn’t know what Avery’s obsession with croissants was. She insisted on having it with every meal no matter the time of the day, and no matter what Jaxon or I did, she just wouldn’t stop.
“Is there chocolate Mom?” Emerald said, a shy smile on her face as she looked up at me with her big eyes.
“Nice try. Don’t think I have forgotten you didn’t eat your veggies yesterday.”
“Gem, be a little lenient, she said she would eat them today.” Jaxon defended as he came to stand beside me.
To say the girls and Jeremy had Jaxon wrapped around their pinky fingers was an understatement.
They had Jaxon wrapped around their whole hand. They just had to look in the direction of something and Jaxon would get it for them religiously.
Damon had been right all those years ago and Jaxon had gone soft. Beyond soft even. He was practically a playdate in their hands.
It became tiring sometimes too because somehow I had taken on the role of bad cop so that the kids wouldn’t end up spoiled.
“Chocolate is bad for their teeth Jaxon.”
“They’ll fall out anyway.” Jaxon said and I gave him a look that translated to “don’t push it.”
The girls ran up ahead to the kitchen while Jaxon and I took our time to get there.
I had scooped Jeremy into my arms and he had already started protesting for food.
“It’s okay baby, you’ll soon have lunch,” I cooed into his ear.
Jaxon and I walked into the kitchen where the maids had already laid out the lunch I prepared.
A salad, some tomato pasta, cut-up fruit and of course croissants. There was no chocolate in sight either but I had compensated and left out a few chocolate muffins instead.
We dug into our meal and the quiet kitchen only lasted a minute before Emerald and Avery burst into a not-so-quiet chatter.
I would have scolded them for being so loud at the table but I was feeling particularly nostalgic today.
Maybe it’s because today was the day I had met Jaxon for the first time. I don’t know why the date had stuck in my mind but I was never able to forget it afterwards. And every year on this date, I wondered what kind of luck I must have had to be where I was now. It was all so
surreal that an ordinary girl like me could have a dramatic change of events happen because of a contract.
I wondered, would my past self have signed the contract if she was able to see where I was now?
A wailing Jeremy disrupted my train of thought and I was brought back to the here and now.
“Don’t worry, I’ve got him. Go back to eating.” Jaxon said then turned over to our crying baby.
Lunch ended and a few hours passed after that. The clouds disappeared and the sky’s hue had gone from a blue to a yellow.
Sunsets in France for some reason were so beautiful. The colors and everything really got to me or maybe it was because I was feeling emotional today.
“What are you thinking about?” Jaxon came to my side, a soft smile on his lips.
“About the time I met you.”
“Hmm, really? I was thinking the same thing too and how I had hit the jackpot with you.” I smiled and kissed him on the cheek.
“The kids in bed?”
“Mmhmm. How about I show you just how lucky I feel to hit the jackpot?” He whispered and a sweet shiver ran down my spine.
“Show me.”
I had one of the most fantastic nights and I couldn’t help thinking I was the luckiest girl in the world.
…..
So sad to announce that it’s the end of Ruby and Jaxon. Thank you all for your support and I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I loved writing it.