“We are having a baby! Natalie, we are having a baby!” I whisper into her ear. “Holy shit, this is good news!”
She pulls back to look at me, her eyes glistening with tears.
“So you’re happy? At least a little bit?”
I nod, my eyes brimming with tears suddenly.
“Yes,” I manage in a choked voice. “I’m over the moon because honey, I’m a forty-five year old man. I thought that the opportunity to be a dad had passed me by, but now you’ve given me the best gift of all. Thank you, baby. I couldn’t have wished for anything better.”
Our lips lock then, in tenderness as well as passion, because this is the woman for me. Yes, there’s a big age gap between us. Yes, when we met I was the CEO and she was an intern. But this sassy blonde is everything I’ve ever wanted, and now that I’m no longer her boss, we can create a future together on the beaches of Hawaii with our baby on the way.
Epilogue
Natalie
A few months later.
“Go surf, I’m catching up with my sister,” I say, flapping my hand towards the ocean. My gorgeous boyfriend winks and heads out, surfboard under his arm. Rowan’s so muscular and tan, and I lick my lips while watching his broad back depart.
After all, we’re in Hawaii now, and it’s absolutely wonderful. Rowan rented a huge villa for us on the Big Island, and we have peace, calm, and a private patch of sand for ourselves. The cost was exorbitant of course, but Rowan argued it was worth it: both as a break from the corporate life for him, and a restful, relaxing place for an expecting mom like me. As a result, we’re living in Paradise and it’s utterly blissful.
But there are things that a pregnant woman needs to talk about with her sister, and I’m glad to have Jenna on the phone now.
“So tell me, Jen. When are you and Drake going to have number two?”
My older sister laughs.
“OMG, Emily isn’t even two years old so not any time soon, at least I don’t think so. You’ll see when your little one is born because these kids wear you out. I’m exhausted and I can’t imagine how tired I’d be if I was Drake’s age.” We both laugh because we’re both in love with men in their forties. But both of our guys are in fantastic shape, not to mention virile and charming.
“How about you?” my sister asks. “How’s your pregnancy coming along?”
I giggle.
“I’m as big as a house, but as happy as a clam. You know I’m going to give birth here in Hawaii, right? You have to come out, please. I need you. Mom and Dad are coming but I need you here too,” I begged.
My sister laughs.
“Yes, of course. I’ll do everything I can to be there for you, hon. I’ll even suffer through a long plane ride with Emily squabbling on my lap.”
I laugh too, but then my phone beeps and I hurriedly say, “I’ll talk with you later, okay Jen? It’s my friend Sierra from NYC and I haven’t chatted with her in ages.”
“Okay,” my sister laughs. “Don’t be a stranger though. I’m excited to visit Hawaii soon!”
With that I pick up and put on a fake, snooty accent.
“Hello darling, how are you doing back in cold and terrible New York?” I ask.
Sierra giggles.
“I’m cold and terrible, what else?” she says in a droll tone. “How are you doing, girlfriend?”
I sigh dramatically.
“I miss your face so much. It’s just not the same here in Paradise without you. Tell me all the gossip. How is work going? How is school going? I’m trying to do all my classes online, but it’s hard to focus with all this remote learning stuff.”
My buddy nods.
“I hear you, Nats. Seriously, I’m taking one of my classes remote too, and I have the attention span of a gnat. I stop listening after one minute because it’s just not the same as being in the classroom live. It’s tough and I really miss you. Plus, did I tell you that I quit waitressing at the coq au vin place? I couldn’t stand smelling like coq au vin anymore, so I got a new job.”
I bounce up and down a bit.
“Doing what?”
Sierra’s voice goes mysterious.
“I can’t tell you right now, but I promise you’ll love it.”
I gasp with excitement.
“OMG, don’t tell me – you’re a porn star, right? You’re shooting vids in Las Vegas on the weekends?”
“What?” Sierra yelps. “No! But yeah, it’s in the adult entertainment industry.”
I giggle again.
“Love it. No judgment girl. You’ve got curves so work them for all they’re worth.”
She laughs too.
“Speaking of which, does Rowan have any sexy rich friends who are bachelors? That would really help me out,” she giggles while winking. But then she goes serious. “I’ve never seen you so damn happy Natalie, and I’m really happy for you. Plus, that’s really what I want too. I don’t care about the money, power, or any of that. I just want contentment with a man I love. That’s the real win in your situation.”