Epilogue: A Beautiful Beginning

Hannah

~EIGHT MONTHS LATER~

The sounds of music and laughter drifted in through the open balcony window, and twinkle lights were strung on the vines below, creating an ethereal glow beyond the curtains.

“Do you think he’ll be okay for them tonight?” I worried quietly.

Jordan’s lips lifted from my shoulder, and he pulled me back into his chest, wrapping his arms around my waist.

“Nate will be fine, Han. One night with his grandparents will be good for the spoiled little monster.”

I smiled as I laid my head back against his shoulder. “I wonder who turned him into that spoiled little monster…hmm?”

Jordan had slipped into fatherhood almost instantly. He seamlessly fit this tiny—not so tiny—little person into our lives, like he’d always been there.

Despite their concerns about me going into labor early, Nate had stubbornly held on until my due date. We had to evict him by induction two days past because I’d stopped gaining weight.

He was born at 5 a.m. on the dot, weighing in at a whopping 10 pounds 12 ounces, and 22 inches long. Nathan James Mathis had obviously gotten his early rising nature and size from his father.

“I don’t spoil him. It’s Parker and Lincoln who spoil him,” he insisted. “And my sisters. And his grandparents... never me.” He laughed into my skin.

“Yeah, okay,” I said sarcastically. “You’re just disappointed he’s getting too tall for you to wear him during class anymore.”

When I needed to go into the office for a presentation after I finished my maternity leave, Jordan had to take him to a few classes.

While I thought he would have one of the front desk girls keep an eye on him, I was wrong.

He put a pair of sound-dampening headphones on baby Nate, strapped him into the baby carrier on his chest, and taught a class like it was no big deal.

Mollie sent me a picture when she came in to check the schedule and saw them.

From then on, at least once a week, Jordan taught a class with his little sidekick.

“I found a new carrier I can wear on my back. It’ll be good for hiking too,” he told me, sounding entirely pleased with himself.

“Of course you did.” I smiled as I leaned back into him. I adored how much he loved our son.

“Are we done discussing our obviously starved-for-attention child?” he asked impatiently. “The whole point of them taking him was for us to be able to enjoy some privacy.”

“Hmm…what’s that?” I asked with a quiet laugh.

“I’ve been waiting very patiently all day to peel this dress off of you, and you’re spoiling my plans,” Jordan pouted.

While I’d been afraid before Nate was born that I’d lose progress, I shouldn’t have been.

Six months had been plenty of time for Jordan to whip me back into shape. When I’d given him the green light that I was ready, he’d created a meal plan and workout schedule that he tailored to fit around our schedule.

Some days we ended up only seeing each other in passing, but I didn’t want to slip back into old habits.

By the time Nate was five months old, I felt like I was back to where I had been before I got pregnant.

Jordan had assured me that he found my post-pregnancy body more than desirable, but I had pushed myself even harder after that.

Tasha helped me tone, shape, and strengthen myself so I could wear whatever dress I wanted on my wedding day.

I had embraced my curves and stopped looking at the scale, focusing on making myself feel good rather than hitting some arbitrary number.

“Just be careful with it,” I warned. “I worked very hard to make sure I could do this silhouette justice.”

I had chosen a strapless, lace, mermaid-style dress that hugged my curves and flared out at the bottom. This morning when we had put it on, I cried with my new sisters at how it looked.

Two years ago, I never would have dreamed that I would be comfortable wearing something this form-fitting, much less a wedding dress in general.

“I would say you succeeded,” he agreed with a wet kiss to my neck.

“Notice I had to put my hand in front of myself when I saw you at the end of that aisle? It was all I could do to keep myself from throwing you over my shoulder and dragging you back up here.”

“I don’t think I would have argued,” I told him as I played with the cufflinks on his dress shirt.

He looked insanely handsome in his dark blue suit, and I practically tugged my father down the aisle to get to him.

“We might have traumatized our parents.” He laughed.

“I think your dad might have been cheering you on.” Max had often joked about our affectionate nature and had already started asking if Nate was going to be an only child.

At only seven months post childbirth, I wanted to wait a while, but Jordan had started dropping hints about a sibling as well.

“That old man has his own hot blonde wife, he needs to stay away from mine,” he growled playfully, and I squirmed against him.

“I don’t think you need to get territorial with your dad. The only people fantasizing about him are Cynthia and Parker.”

Parker had made more than one inappropriate comment about my father-in-law. Lincoln wasn’t any better. Those two had a strange affinity for silver foxes.

“Ew... he’s got to stop with the Daddy comments,” Jordan groaned.

“I’ve tried. It’s only gotten worse since Nate was born and Lincoln thinks it’s funny,” I shook my head at my best friend’s antics.

“Those two have a twisted sense of humor.”

I turned in his arms and ran my finger along his hairline.

“You mean you don’t want me to call you Daddy?” I asked in a breathy voice, batting my eyelashes at him.

“Only around Nate. You start saying that in the other way, and I’ll put you over my knee.”

I couldn’t help the giggles that slipped out, and he pressed his hand into the middle of my back, my chest pressing into his.

“I think that might encourage the new nickname.” I smiled wryly.

“I quite like it when you call me a god instead,” he said. His warm breath fanned out across my cheek, and I shivered against him despite the heat lingering in the room.

“Are we done talking now?” I asked in a shaky voice, ready to finally enjoy some completely alone, hopefully naked, time with my husband.

Jordan took a deep breath and knelt down, grasping me around the thighs and lifting me up.

“I was done talking the moment we walked into this room,” he told me in a rough voice as he looked into my eyes, his strong hands holding me up against him. “Can I make love to my wife?”

I didn’t answer him with words, but instead cupped his cheeks and kissed him deeply as he carried me over to the large bed across from the balcony doors.

He laid me down on the edge of it, leaning over to kiss my neck as his hands pushed underneath my back to unzip the dress.

“You are fucking gorgeous,” he murmured, peeling the lace down my chest and over my hips, letting it fall to the floor at the edge of the bed.

My satin high heels were next, falling to the floor with a soft thump on the hardwood as Jordan’s fingers pressed into my arches.

“Oh my God, that feels so good,” I moaned as he rubbed my aching feet. The smirk on his face showed me that he had gotten the reaction that he wanted.

“I’m not gonna say it anymore just to inflate your ego.”

He placed a knee onto the bed and crawled up until he hovered over me, his muscular forearms on either side of my head. “I’m willing to bet I can make you repeat it.”

“You can try.” I lifted an eyebrow, and he smirked before he leaned down to kiss my lips briefly.

He stood back up and started to strip off his clothes, starting with the cufflinks and working his way down.

When he was standing there in just his dark boxer briefs, I felt my resolve wavering. How I was lucky enough to call this beautiful man mine was still a mystery to me.

“Hmm… as much as I love all this new white lingerie, it needs to come off before I rip it off,” he told me, his voice husky with arousal as his eyes roamed my body.

“It can always be replaced.” I shrugged.

His gaze turned predatory as he stepped forward and tested the sides of my panties. At first, I didn't think he would do it, but when I heard the rip, I propped myself up on my elbows and watched him.

The muscles in his arms mesmerized me as they rippled, the lace no match for his strength.

“Ohh,” I moaned when he repeated the motion on the other side and then yanked the scraps away from my heated body.

My teeth were thoroughly abusing the skin on my lips as I tried not to succumb to his charms. He knew exactly how to push my buttons.

“Are you taking this off? Or am I?” he asked as he ran a fingertip over the lace of my bra, scraping his finger over my aching nipple.

“Up to you,” I breathed as his fingers grasped the small patch of fabric between my breasts and yanked. The lacy material fell slack around my arms as his lips descended on my chest.

“Ahhh…” My head fell back between my shoulders as I struggled to stay upright, moaning as his facial hair scraped my sensitive skin along with the heat of his lips.

One of his strong hands pinched and kneaded my flesh as he slipped the other between my legs.

“Oh…ffffuuu…” I cried out as he set a relentless pace, his fingers sliding in my wetness effortlessly. His thumb found my clit and circled firmly until I felt like I was going to shoot up off the bed.

“You…you…” I stuttered as I leaned forward and gripped his hair in one of my hands, my other arm shaking to hold me up. “I want you…”

Jordan hummed into my skin, and I could see the smirk form at the corners of his mouth as his kisses slowed, and he looked up at me.

“How do you want me?” he asked, his voice uncharacteristically soft yet intensely masculine.

“Up here. I don’t need the foreplay. I just want you inside me.”

Leaning back so he could stand, he pushed down his boxers, springing free with a little bob. My mouth watered as he stroked his large hands up my calves, to my thighs, and gripping my waist.

He urged me backward and followed closely, pulling himself up onto the plush bedding.

When my head hit the pillows, he plunged his fingers into my hair as his mouth descended on my neck. His other hand gripped my hip firmly as he settled between my thighs.

“Fuck... you’re amazing, Hannah. Thank you for marrying me,” he whispered tenderly into the side of my face. His words almost didn't match the intensity of his previous actions.

I smiled and ran my fingers through his hair, pulling his mouth to mine and kissing him deeply.

“Mmm,” I murmured as I tried to suppress the surge of emotion. “I love you.”

“God, I love you so much,” he whispered against my lips as he entered me, his long cock thrusting firmly in one motion.

“Ohhh.” I moaned against his collarbone as he moved, one of his hands tilting my hips so he could penetrate even deeper.

“Fuck, you feel so good. I never want to be without you,” he whispered, his lips caressing my ear. He slowed his pace, sensually grinding into me as I arched against him.

Pressed tightly together, my smooth skin against the hair on his chest, I was on the brink of climax.

Wrapping my legs firmly around his thighs, I pushed up, meeting each of his grinding thrusts as we pleasured each other.

Hurried or leisurely, forceful or tender, every touch from him whenever we were together lit the fire within me until we were both engulfed.

“Ahhh…” I moaned as he tilted his hips and began to drive into me in long, measured thrusts.

His breath was harsh pants in my ears as I gripped his shoulders and held on. The muscles in his arms flexed powerfully with each thrust, and I soon cried out into the room as I pulsed against him.

He picked up his pace, sending the headboard thumping into the wall with every movement of his hips until he reached his peak and groaned into my hair.

“I love you, Han,” he whispered into my ear with a light kiss before he rolled onto his side and gathered me against his chest.

“I love you,” I panted as I rested my hand over his heart, feeling completely satisfied in his strong arms.

We hadn't had much truly alone time since Nate had been born. It felt incredible to reconnect with him like this without wondering when the next feeding was or if we were too loud.

“Mmm. I hope you're not planning on waking up early because you're not going to get much sleep tonight,” he promised with a gentle squeeze to my breast.

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” I smiled as I kissed his sweaty chest.

“Oh, I will be keeping this one,” he insisted as his hand roamed down my bare back and gripped my ass, pulling me in closer to him.

“Then we have all the time in the world for sleeping later,” I murmured into his neck as I kissed the underside of his jaw.

***

As the sunlight streamed through the gauzy curtains, I wondered what time it even was.

Jordan had held true to his promise and made love to me two more times in the night before carrying me into the shower this morning.

Unable to keep our hands off of each other, he had bent me over the side of the bed, dripping wet, and made me scream into the sheets as he finally got me to call him a god again.

We had both climbed back into the bed and fallen asleep intertwined as the sun had started to rise.

“J?” I called into the seemingly empty room.

He wasn’t beside me, and the light in the bathroom was turned off. I rolled over and saw his phone was missing from the nightstand.

Quickly pulling on one of the fluffy robes from the back of the bathroom door, I put my hair into a messy bun on the top of my head and wandered out onto the balcony.

As I looked down at the courtyard, I spotted my husband with the center of both our worlds giggling from his stroller on the stone pathway.

I watched the two of them interact before Jordan looked up to where I was leaning on the railing.

“Looks like mommy is finally awake, little man. Should we go see her?” He smiled down at our son, who was babbling to himself.

“I’ll get dressed and come down,” I called out and retreated back into our room, quickly pulling on some jeans and a sweater from my open suitcase.

Jordan and Nate were waiting for me just outside the door, bright smiles on both of their faces.

“Thank you for letting me sleep,” I smiled as I approached, leaning down to squeeze baby Nate’s cheek and give him a growly kiss into his neck. The baby laughed, and I stepped back to give his father the same treatment.

Jordan grasped the stroller handle with one hand as he pulled me into his side and kissed my temple. “You know I’d do anything for you.”

As we set off on the stone path through the garden, I looked out at the lush landscape, watching the sunlight play off the vines.

I never imagined that my life would end up like this when I picked up that flyer almost two years earlier and looked up into Jordan’s eyes for the first time.

But I am grateful for every moment I’ve spent with him since, and for every one we’ll have in the future. Together.

^The End^