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They stood there for a long time in the kitchen, arms around each other, exchanging kisses and smiles. They were both perfectly content to be there with each other. They were finally together, standing at the edge of their future as a family, and neither of them wanted the moment to end.
EPILOGUE
TWO YEARS LATER: AMELIA
“Good morning, beautiful.”
A smile spread across Amelia’s face before she even opened her eyes. The sound of Liam’s voice and the feeling of his hand on her waist brought the same wave of love and attraction she’d felt two years ago, when Liam had first proposed.
“What time is it?” Amelia asked. She opened her eyes and saw Liam’s handsome face beside hers.
“Not quite eight. Miles hasn’t woken up yet, and I haven’t heard anything from Grace’s room.”
“They let us sleep in.” Amelia smiled and stretched luxuriously. Liam had opened the curtains to let sunlight spill across the bed, which was made with a simple sky-blue comforter that Amelia had convinced Liam to get. “What a nice present.”
“Grace has another present for us, apparently. Her preschool teacher said that she’s been working on something special all week.”
“I can’t wait to see it.” With a yawn, Amelia sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. “I’m going to take a quick shower, then we can get the kids up.”
“Hold on.” Liam sat up and came to sit beside Amelia. He lifted one hand to the side of her face and ran his thumb across her cheekbone. “I want to remember how my wife looks on her wedding day.”
Amelia blushed. “Please don’t remember how I look now. My hair is messy, I’m not wearing any makeup, and I probably have a big red line from the pillow across my cheek.”
“You look beautiful.” Liam kissed Amelia’s cheek. “You always look beautiful. But this is how I want to remember you on our wedding day — fresh from sleep and all mine.”
Amelia lifted her hand to cover Liam’s. “Then I’ll remember you like this, too, with a hint of stubble on your cheeks and half your hair sticking up. And all mine.” She grinned and Liam grinned back. Two years had passed, and Amelia still felt like she’d won the lottery every day, getting to be with a guy like Liam. “Now I have to go shower.”
“Take your time. I’ll get the kids up.”
“Thanks.” Amelia made a beeline for the shower. As she stepped into the warm water and reached for her shampoo, she thought back on everything that had changed over the last few years. After Liam proposed to her in the kitchen, they talked about having a wedding right away, but since everyone already thought they were married, they decided to wait. Then, Miles was born. From his first day, he was amazing — he made them laugh, he was adorable, he seemed to learn and grow every day, and he won over his older sister with a toothless grin.
Amelia and Liam brought Miles home, not to Liam’s penthouse but to the beautiful family home in the suburbs they’d purchased in Amelia’s sixth month of pregnancy. After that, they settled into a blissful, if sleep-deprived, cocoon of family life. The house was big and sunny and had a huge backyard, where Grace loved to play on her swing set and trampoline. She asked every day when her little brother would be big enough to jump and swing with her.
Liam still went into the office, but his hours were far reduced. He spent some time training his deputies so that they could handle most of the day-to-day operations of the office, and Lilypad Learning continued to thrive without Liam controlling every aspect of the company. He devoted the extra time he had to his wife and children.
As for Amelia, she loved her new life. She took time off work after Miles was born, but now that he was quickly approaching eighteen months old, she’d found a part-time job at a local charity, where she was able to put her HR skills to good use without her work taking over her life.
Amelia rinsed the last of the conditioner out of her hair, turned off the water, and stepped out of the shower. Her towel was warm, and her outfit for the day — a beautiful, lacy, white dress — was neatly hung on the back of the door. Amelia didn’t put it on yet, though, since breakfast with two kids was almost sure to be messy. Instead, she slipped into her weekend pajamas and headed out.
As he’d promised, Liam had gotten Miles and Grace up. Both kids were sitting at the dining-room table, Miles in his high chair. When Amelia walked in, they both bounced with joy.
“Mommy!” Grace called.
“Mama!” Miles echoed.
Grace called Amelia “Mommy” now. They still talked about Cora, Grace’s “first mommy,” often, but Grace had explained that Amelia was her “second mommy” now. Amelia was touched by her daughter’s love and by the honor of earning the title.
“Good morning.” Amelia beamed at her children and came to kiss first Grace, then Miles, on their small heads. Both kids smelled like baby shampoo and syrup.
“I made pancakes.” Liam proudly lifted a plate full of pancakes from the counter onto the table.
“Wow, you really did. They look beautiful.”
“Still such a tone of surprise.” Liam raised his eyebrows teasingly. “You know I’ve worked hard on my culinary skills.”
“I know, I know, but I’m still impressed whenever you turn out something that isn’t charred or raw.”
“Well, these are neither. Sit down and let’s eat.”
