Nick closed his eyes for an instant, an immediate, all-encompassing look of peace descending on his features. When he opened his eyes and looked back at her in total concentration, she read complete relief mingled with joy. "I meant it."
Her breath hitched at his words of assurance. "And what if . . . what if something happens after the first one and we need to adopt the rest? Would you be okay with that?"
"Absolutely, baby. They'll be ours. I'll be able to love them all, just the same."
She took a deep breath, a strong feeling of contentment bleeding through her entire being. "Thank you."
He pushed his fingers through her hair, gripping her scalp, a look of utter relief and happiness on his features. Without missing a beat he asked, "Does that mean you'll wear my rings?"
"Yes," she whispered.
"And the entire family can know? Tomorrow?"
She smiled as she felt him push farther into her, insisting on an answer. "Yes."
He looked heavenward and then back down to her. "Thank you." As he spoke the words, Courtney didn't know if he was thanking her or a higher being.
But it really didn't matter.
All that mattered was the love they felt for each other and the chance of the future they'd been given.
****
Epilogue
Many, many lovely years later
Courtney rushed ahead of Nick while he strolled more leisurely behind her, watching the smooth, luscious backside that still held him enthralled after all these years.
"Mr. and Mrs. Rule are in the backyard with the children," the housekeeper said as she led them through Damian and Angie's house until they'd reached the rear doors that opened up to the huge, landscaped backyard.
By the time Nick walked through the double doors, Courtney had already raced ahead of him, kicked off her shoes and was standing on the second step of the swimming pool, completely ignoring the hem of her sundress that was now in the water. Her arms were open wide, waiting while their youngest, Emily, who was only four, paddled up to her with a big grin. After hugging her mother tightly, she asked, "Where's Daddy?"
Courtney kissed Emily's forehead and pointed behind her as Nick came up and took their youngest child from his wife's arms.
The backyard scene was chaotic. Children were everywhere, their laughter contagious. Damian was grilling burgers in the outdoor kitchen while Angie watched over the children from her chair next to the pool. "Melissa! Stop splashing your cousins," she remonstrated one of her fourteen-year old twins as she put a bandage on her seven-year old son, who wriggled around, ready to get back in the pool, despite the recent scrape to his knee.
Nick studied the swimming pool, counting heads until he'd pinpointed their other three children amidst the mayhem. Leaving Courtney to catch up with Angie and their older children, Nick began strolling over to his brother with Emily hanging around his neck, dripping wet, babbling to him the entire time. "Madison got in trouble last night," she whispered conspiratorially as they neared her Uncle Damian.
Only halfway across the yard, Nick stopped in his tracks as he looked at his daughter in surprise. Angie and Damian's twin girls were always angels, as far as he'd been aware. "What'd she do?"
"Nobody would tell me 'cause I'm too little," his youngest complained, a pout on her lips.
"Your brothers and sister wouldn't even tell you?" he asked, knowing that his and Courtney's four kids always stuck together.
"The boys wouldn't; they were being stupid. They prolly don't really know. Jenny didn't know either but she told me Aunt Angie took Madison's cell phone away."
Nick kissed her on the cheek and scolded softly, "Don't call your brothers stupid, baby."
"Even when they're being stupid?" Emily asked, staring up at him with big eyes that couldn't fail to remind him of his wife.
Nick chuckled. "Even then." He kissed her again and then set her on her feet. "You've got twenty minutes left to play with your cousins before we head home. You want to do that or come with me to talk to Uncle Damian?"
"Play!" she screamed as she ran back across the lawn toward the pool.
Nick walked up beside his brother and pounded him on the back in greeting. "Hey, man." he greeted as Damian flipped burgers.
"Hey," Damian responded with a nod.
"Thanks for having the kids."
"Not a problem. You kept ours last month; paybacks are hell," Damian quipped. "So, how was the Caribbean?"
"Awesome, as usual. Traveling there and back sucked, though, just like it always does." Even after all these years, his wife wouldn't travel on the same flight with him. She said it was more dangerous than putting the President and the Vice-President on the same plane. It just wasn't done.
Damian laughed. "You have to keep cutting her some slack, Nick. Courtney may never get over it completely."
"You're probably right," Nick responded, knowing he'd happily deal with that one small inconvenience in his otherwise perfect life. At least Courtney agreed to go away with him once a year, to leave their children with either his mother or his siblings and their spouses. His life had worked out brilliantly as far as Nick was concerned, he wasn't complaining about shit. He knew he was the luckiest man alive.