closed, and sleep claims her. I stare at her and wonder how I got so damn lucky.
Before she wakes up, I untie her, and she settles in the fetal position on the bed. I pull out my last gift to her—a pregnancy test. I leave it on the bedside before heading into the office, smirking as I watch her sleep with a smile on her face.
Tonight, I let the darkness take me, and I don't regret it for a second. Because deep down, I already know I gave her what we both want, and there's a new life growing in her belly. I leave a fleeting kiss against her lips, and she smiles wider in her sleep.
Every day, it gets harder to leave her in the morning. My wife, my life, my fucking love. The mother of my kids. My bride.
My fucking property.
Epilogue
June
5 years later
"Mommy, Mommy, wake up!"
I open my eyes slowly, waiting for them to adjust to the sunlight. But before I can do that, someone starts jumping up and down on me, forcing a laugh out of my body. My eyes fly open and I realize there's not one, not two, but three somebodies on my bed.
"Why don't you go bother Daddy?" I groan, and the little girl on top of me hugs me tightly before she answers. I tuck her in beside me, stroking her perfect silky dark hair, thankful, like every day, that I'm now woken up by her laughter instead of the nightmares that used to plague me in the past. Her twin brother sits next to me, smiling quietly as he watches. And Theo's in the room too, climbing off the bed and petting our new puppy.
"Daddy said you need to come downstairs," my little angel says with a pout, and I laugh as I scoop her up in my arms, getting out of bed. She insists she can walk by herself, so I let her, my arm in hers. I hold her brother instead, and I carry him downstairs as his sister chatters incessantly about her adventures in kindergarten. Theo trails behind, distracted by the puppy.
Coming downstairs, we're greeted by the smell of bacon and pancakes and my baby, who isn't really a baby anymore, as much as I want him to be, jumps out of my arms, running toward his Daddy excitedly. Maxim clutches Kade's legs, unable to reach farther up, and Kade scoops him up in his arms to help him cook. I come up behind them and Maxim and Kensington join us for a big group hug. Kade turns his head and presses an affectionate kiss against my lips.
"Almost done," he tells us all with a wide smile, and I love the fact that his once perpetual scowl is now a thing of the past. He's stepped down as the head of the company, leaving it in the capable hands of a qualified co-worker. These days, we're all about spending time together. We're finally the happy family I've always wanted us to be. We sit down to breakfast, and I tuck into my food with gusto.
Our kids chatter. But moments later, our youngest, Kenzie, asks a question that stops me in my tracks, making me let go of my fork, which clatters to the plate.
"Mommy, what are all those creepy paintings in the attic?" Her eyes widen when she sees my pale face, and she looks at her brothers, smiling shyly. "Don't be mad... Sometimes we play up there."
"Now, Kenzie, you know you're not supposed to do that," Kade interrupts, his tone strict but gentle. "There's a reason your mother and I don't like you going up there. You shouldn't play up there unsupervised."
"But the paintings." Our son, Max, speaks up now. "They're so interesting, Daddy!"
"Those paintings are not appropriate for you to look at," I cut in sharply, clearing my throat when I realize I've been too harsh. "It's a story for when you're older, kids."
I reach for Kenzie's hand with one hand, and Theo's with the other. I wouldn't put it past my oldest to put them all up to this—playing in a space they all know is off-limits.
"I'm sorry," I mutter next, realizing I've been too harsh. "But I'm worried about you playing up there. Apart from the paintings, the flooring is rickety. You could fall and hurt yourselves."
"But we like it up there," Theo pouts. "It's fun."
"I just don't want you to get hurt," I repeat, looking at Kade for some much-needed backup.