Inside this very room, I have exactly that and more.
Epilogue
Lex
New Year’s Eve
“Get your fucking dick out of my face!”
Rocky yells to Eric as the both of them are once again embroiled in the game of Twister. The same thing happened last year. After all these years, I should be immune to this, but it is still entertaining to watch from the sideline.
“How about you get your hairy gorilla balls out of my face,” Eric counters with his face turning bright red.
“I told you, dude, I get my balls waxed.”
“You wax your balls?” Adriana blurts out, then covers her mouth with disapproval. “Why on earth?”
Rocky grins from his awkward pose. “My wife likes it that way.”
Will swipes the bottle of tequila, drinking straight from it. Still in his suit, like the rest of us, he has removed his jacket and appears desperate to erase what he just heard. I don’t blame the boy. I’m still in shock.
“You’re fucking kidding me, Dad,” Will shouts, wiping his mouth. “You said you were doing that for a prostate exam?”
“Yeah, kid. I say a lot of things to you.”
Nikki is sitting with Charlotte and Kate, keeping very quiet on the matter. But then, she leans in and whispers something for the women to laugh.
It’s New Year’s Eve but also Austin and Ava’s wedding day. When they asked if they could have the ceremony here, with only close family and friends, of course, I wasn’t going to say no.
You see, I’m not one for lavish affairs, and I prefer to keep my family close to me.
In the end, that’s all that matters.
I drop my gaze to meet the smile of my precious princess. In my arms, her emerald eyes shine brightly, just like her mama’s.
“What do you think, princess? Was it a good day for you too?”
She responds with a coo, a simple sound that makes my heart sing.
Before Emmy was born, it was a long while since I’d held a baby girl in my arms. For the longest of time, I never knew any different. Charlotte and I had been blessed with four beautiful daughters, each one unique in their own way.
Beside me, Ashton tries to tickle Emmy’s feet.
“Grandpapa, when is my sister coming?”
“Ashton, remember how we told you inside your momma’s tummy is maybe a boy or girl?”
His big brown eyes stare at me. “There are two babies inside?”
“No, buddy. Just one. But maybe it’s a baby brother.”
“But I don’t want a brother because then Daddy and Momma won’t love me lots and lots,” he sulks.
I motion for him to sit on my lap while I juggle the two of them.
“That’s not true. Look at your mimi and me,” I tell him, referencing the affectionate name he calls Charlotte. “We had four girls, and we love them all equally.”
“Even Alexa?” He scrunches his nose. “She got angry at me because I went into her room. I played with her phone. But then I dropped it.”