Epilogue
Sadie One Year Later
I gazed down at my baby, my son, in absolute wonder. My heart swelled in my chest with so much love, I thought it would burst. I was exhausted, and my whole body hurt, but I didn’t care. All that mattered was my little boy, that he was healthy and whole.
“Are you feeling up to visitors?” the nurse attending to me asked in a soft voice, careful as to not disturb my sleeping baby.
I smiled at her and nodded. “I am.”
“I’ll let them in, then,” she replied with a grin.
Turning, she made her way out of the room, closing the door behind her. I turned my gaze back down to my little boy and couldn’t help the smile that curled my lips.
He was so beautiful. Tiny and pink and perfect.
I couldn’t wait for his daddy and sister to meet him.
At that moment, the door to my room opened back up, and the nurse returned with Cyrus and Megan in tow. Cyrus had been with me during the labor, but had gone out to wait with Megan while the baby was cleaned up so he could bring her in. Excited, Megan hurried to the side of the bed and stood on her tiptoes, so she could look into my arms.
“Do you want to meet your baby brother?” I asked with a smile.
She grinned and nodded. I tilted the baby, so she could see him better. Her eyes widened, and she looked down at him in amazement.
“He’s so little,” she gasped.
“Yes, he is,” I replied. “He’ll grow up, though. He’ll be big just like you.”
Megan looked up at me with the widest smile I’d ever seen. She exuded pure joy, and it made my heart race with delight.
Cyrus appeared on my other side, and I turned my gaze up to him.
“Hey you,” he murmured, leaning over me. He dropped a kiss on my forehead, then gazed down lovingly at our baby boy. “How you guys doing?”
“Great,” I replied. “Little guy’s been sleeping for a while now. He’s tired.”
“And you?” he asked, gently pushing the hair from my forehead. “How are you? That was a long labor.”
“Yeah,” I said, releasing a long breath. “He really didn’t want to come out.”
Cyrus chuckled. “I hated seeing you in so much pain. It nearly killed me.”
I let out a bark of laughter. “It almost killed you? You poor, poor man.”
He smirked and shook his head. “You know what I mean, smart ass.”
“That’s a bad word, papa!” Megan declared in a stern tone.
Cyrus looked contrite and said, “You’re right, sweetheart, I’m sorry.”
I grinned at them both, so deliriously happy I could hardly believe I wasn’t dreaming. The past year had been a marvelous whirlwind. Cyrus and I had our wedding at his country estate. It’d been small and intimate, just our families and closest friends. Megan had been our flower girl and had looked so adorable in her little, white dress. Cyrus had shed a few tears when I’d walked down the aisle toward him. He denied it to that very day, but I’d seen them, and I took every opportunity I could to tease him.
After the wedding, we’d focused on becoming a family, which meant helping Megan overcome whatever lingering trauma remained from all the mess Ralph created. We had her meet with a child therapist, and once we got his okay, we started the process to officially adopt her. Cyrus went to Ralph personally to discuss signing away his parental rights. It had taken some convincing, but he’d actually done it.
One more step in the right direction. Cyrus had actually been impressed when Ralph had acquiesced…not that he was going to forgive the man that easily.
But, in the end, we’d gotten Megan. She was officially our daughter now.
Then, of course, I’d gotten pregnant. Everyone had been ecstatic, Cyrus especially.
Now, surrounded by my husband and daughter with my son in my arms, my heart was so full, I couldn’t imagine my life any other way.
“What’s his name?” Megan asked, carefully laying her hand on her brother’s head.
“He doesn’t have one yet,” I said. “I thought we should all decide together.”
“What do you think, Megan?” Cyrus questioned.
The little girl appeared thoughtful for a long moment.
At length, she answered, “What about Henry?”
I raised my brows in surprise. “Henry? Why Henry?”
A strange, sad expression crossed her face. “Well…that’s what mommy…my other mommy…was going to name her new baby. She told me so.”
My mouth dropped open, and I felt Cyrus stiffen next to me. I cautiously glanced up at him, uncertain what his reaction to that revelation would be.
He was smiling. It was small, and a little sad, but it was a smile all the same.
“That’s perfect, Meg,” he said in a soft voice. “Henry is perfect.”
“I agree,” I said, reaching out to take his hand, giving it a comforting squeeze. “Henry it is.”
Megan beamed, clearly thrilled. I patted the bed next to me.
“Come up here, sweetie.” I chuckled. “Come snuggle with me and Henry.”
The little girl eagerly climbed up onto the bed and burrowed into my side, resting her head on my shoulder, so she could gaze down at the baby. Cyrus leaned over me, and I tilted my head up toward him. He pressed his lips to mine in a gentle kiss.
“I love you,” he murmured. “I love you so much.”
“I love you, too,” I replied, brushing my fingers over his chin. “And I love our family.”
He smiled and pressed his forehead to mine. We stayed like that for long moments, our little family wrapped up in our love for each other. I couldn’t imagine being happier than I was at that moment, but I knew, deep down, that there were countless happy moments to come.
Our love, and our family, would only continue to grow, and I couldn’t wait for all the blissful years that lay ahead of us.
AUTHOR’S NOTE:
Thank you all sooo much for sticking with me through my totally unplanned (but somehow epic) Forbidden series! ??
I can’t believe we made it to the end of this wild ride together. Each forbidden tale was a journey, and your support made every late-night writing session worth it! ?
I hope you laughed, cried, and maybe screamed at your screen (just a little) along the way. Don’t forget to drop your thoughts in the comments I live for them! ??
Now, take a deep breath because my next book is just around the corner, and I promise it’ll be just as forbidden and swoon-worthy. Stay tuned, my lovelies! ?