Chapter Too Long: Epilogue

I WAKE TO GENTLE KISSES feathering down my spine. Sunlight trickles through the sheer curtains, casting a soft, golden hue across the room. The scent of freshly brewed coffee filters through the air, making me smile as I stretch out on the bed.

“Morning,” Colt whispers against my neck, the vibrations adding to the tingles spreading across my skin.

“Morning,” I murmur, flipping onto my belly. The crisp cotton sheets rustle with our movements. “Happy birthday.”

“Thank you.” He smiles, pushing his hands under the hem of my nightdress. “Since it’s my special day, I’d like to start with dessert.” He drags his finger between my folds, eyes darkening with the wetness he finds. “Pink pussy sherbet. My favorite.”

I fake a smile, my heart thudding faster. “Okay, but I need five minutes.”

His brow furrows, but he lets me slide out of bed, and I patter across the wooden floor to the bathroom. Had I known last week, it could have been a first engagement anniversary gift. It seems a more appropriate occasion than a birthday, but I didn’t.

Five agonizing minutes later, I climb knees-first onto the bed, both hands behind my back.

“I’ve got something for you. It’s not really a gift, not in the traditional sense, but…” I pause, taking a deep breath.

I’m not afraid of his reaction, but I’m emotional, nonetheless. We moved into the new house and started building my dream clinic. Colt’s bought a huge stretch of land outside Newport where our house now stands, courtesy of Logan and Cody’s combined skills, the acreage perfect for a clinic and a safe haven for abandoned animals.

We flipped our lives upside down the day we met, and we’ve not stopped since. Now we’ve moved into our forever home, things were meant to slow down… we were supposed to plan the wedding so we can get married when I finish school, but things change.

“I love you,” I say, looking down at him, my eyes watering.

His expression morphs into confusion with a hint of alarm. He repositions himself, resting on his side, head propped up on one hand. “You’re close to tears, Addie. What’s wrong.”

Drawing a shaky breath, I hand him the pregnancy test, the first tears sliding down my cheeks. Happy tears because I know he’ll be over the moon. And as much as I didn’t plan this, and wanted to secure my own dreams first, I’m happy it’s happened.

Time comes to a standstill while he processes the news, his gaze flicking between the test and my face.

“You’re…” He stumbles over his words, eyes snapping to me. “Addie…” He stops again. Gazing at the two blue lines, and sounding almost incredulous, he asks, “Is this real?”

I chuckle softly. “Yes. Of course it’s real.”

He looks up again, then back to the test, up and down, up and down, completely shocked. “Jesus, baby… you’re pregnant.”

“I’m pregnant,” I confirm, my voice barely above a whisper.

He quickly sets the test on the nightstand, grips my waist, and pulls me under him, his lips catching mine.

We’ve kissed before. So many times over the past year, but this is different. More intense. Filled with a raw emotion that leaves me shaking.

He pulls back just enough to whisper against my mouth. “I love you so much. So fucking much. We’re having a baby, Addie… We’re having a .”

And just like that, all my fears dissipate. He rises on his elbows and all I can see is the absolute bliss in his eyes. We’ll make this work. He won’t let my dreams slip through my fingers. I know he won’t. He’ll work twice as hard to make sure I have everything I ever wanted.

“Hey, hey…” He gently wipes my cheeks with his thumbs. “Why the tears?”

“Happy tears,” I assure him, holding his gaze.

“Promise? You can tell me if you’re scared. I know you didn’t want this for another few years.”

“I’m not scared, but if you want honesty… I’m surprised how happy I am.”

He pushes a relieved puff of air down his nose. “I wanted you to finish school, have fun, live your dreams, but this… this is . You… mine and pregnant. I’ll be here every step of the way. You’ll finish school and get your veterinary clinic, I promise.” He drops a kiss on my forehead. “How far along are you? And… how? You were on the pill.”

“I don’t know how far along. I lost track of time. Six, maybe seven weeks? I got so busy with exams and work I might have forgotten to take the pill a few times.”

“Your exams were almost three months ago, baby. Why didn’t you tell me? You always tell me when you forget to take it.”

“I… I don’t know. I’m sorry I didn’t run it by you. I just… I see your brothers with their kids, and it’s hard thinking we have to wait two more years.”

“Have you seen a doctor?” He moves down until he’s level with my tummy. “How long have you known?” He presses his lips to my lower belly, caressing my waistline with his fingers, pure awe on his face.

“I’ve done about twenty tests the past three days. All positive. I’ve not seen a doctor yet. I didn’t want to go alone.”

“We need to see a doctor, Addie. As soon as possible.” He hops off the bed, snatches his phone, and heads to the bathroom. “Grab a shower and get dressed.”

Less than two hours later, after a long debate on whether I should wear a seatbelt while pregnant, we enter a private clinic. It took ten minutes of back and forth before Colt caved and strapped me in, triple-checking the seatbelt was as low as possible.

I’ve had no time to process the news, but Colt’s in his element, his overprotectiveness in its highest gear. I’ve had glimpses into that side of him over the past year, and while he’s nowhere near as overwhelming as Nico or Logan, he does have his moments.

Sometimes, I let him get it out of his system. It seems to help if I let him dote over me occasionally. Makes him less prone to going overboard. Other times, when I’m particularly annoyed, I scream that I’m not a child and can do shit myself… That’s when I end up on my knees with his cock in my mouth.

“I want the full workup,” Colt tells the doctor the moment we cross the threshold of his office.

He told me on the way that Dr. Jones has been responsible for every Hayes pregnancy since Cassidy got pregnant with Noah. That might be why Colt’s attitude doesn’t faze him. He’s had to deal with Nico, so I doubt any demand could come as a surprise after that.

I’m on the bed five minutes later, and the doctor spreads cool gel on my tummy while Colt sits in a comfortable-looking chair, holding my hand.

“We might need to do a vaginal ultrasound if you’re only six weeks, but we’ll try this first since Colt thinks it might be longer,” he says, grabbing a wand.

The room fills with the sound of a steady heartbeat. The rhythm oscillates through the speakers, and Colt’s grip tightens around my fingers, his other hand resting on my thigh.

The screen is nothing more than gray static, but the smile on the doctor’s face tells me he can see things I can’t. “You’re definitely not six weeks, Audrey,” he states, his fingers working the ultrasound probe over my belly, poking here and there. “By these measurements, you’re nine weeks along.”

“Is the baby okay?” Colt asks anxiously, gaze fixed on the screen.

“Perfectly fine,” the doctor assures, adjusting the monitor. “Nothing out of the ordinary.”

“What about Addie?”

“They’re both doing well from what I can see, but I want to order Audrey some blood tests, and we need to sort out prenatal vitamins.” He keeps checking the screen, touching the wand to my tummy. “Any questions?”

“Yes,” Colt blurts, features pinched. “When will she start showing? Can she wear a seatbelt? What should she avoid? She’s not been sick even once. Is that normal?”

The doctor cocks an eyebrow, clearly amused. “Your sisters-in-law have had eight babies between them now, and you’re still not an expert?” He chuckles, pulling out a pregnancy pack. “Here’s all you need to know, though I believe an evening with your brothers will be more helpful. Just don’t pay too much attention to Nico. He’s the most out-of-control, overprotective man I ever met. Though I must say… you’re not far behind. And yes, she can and should wear a seatbelt.” He hands me a paper towel to wipe the gel off my belly, but Colt’s on it in an instant.

“You won’t be showing for a while, Audrey, but the bump’s here.” He points to my lower abdomen, tracing a barely visible curve. “This will be getting bigger pretty soon now.”

Once he’s done cleaning me up, Colt helps me sit, like I’m nine months along and incapable of moving without assistance.

“You’ll be insufferable until the baby’s here, won’t you?” I chuckle, weaving my fingers through his when he takes my hand.

The only answer I get is a kiss on the top of my head.

Addie’s asleep on the couch with our two dogs when I get home from work. The parrots are in their cages, and Jasper’s running around the backyard, chasing the cat. It’s barely six in the evening, but Addie’s been sleeping more and more as the weeks go by. Thankfully, tiredness is the only pregnancy-associated inconvenience she’s had.

She’s not been puking and hasn’t had a single craving. She’s just tired, falling asleep wherever and whenever.

We’re halfway there. At twenty weeks, her bump’s still small, but Dr. Jones says my son’s growing as expected and it might just be Addie’s physique.

The baby’s the right size and developing as it should. You have nothing to worry about.

Nothing to worry about…

Seriously?

I’m lucky if I go an hour without checking how Addie’s doing. I have no idea where she gets her patience from, but I swear she’s a saint when it comes to dealing with me. She takes my overprotectiveness like the good girl she is, putting my mind at ease at least twenty times a day.

Her bump’s now visible under her clothes, and she stopped fitting into her jeans last week… we lost a lot of hours going out and buying new clothes.

I cover her with a blanket, dropping a gentle kiss on her forehead.

Wrong choice.

She stirs, and her brown eyes pop open. “Hey.”

“Hey, baby. Sleep. I didn’t mean to wake you.”

She stretches out, smiling. “He kicked when I was having lunch. It’s the most bizarre feeling.”

I kiss her temple, draping my free hand over her collarbones. “Bizarre how? Painful?”

“No, not painful, just… weird. Nice, but weird. I’ll tell you if he kicks again, but right now, you need to let me go, or I’ll pee all over you.”

That’s one thing my brothers are united over: pregnant women have the bladder capacity of the kids they’re growing.

“What do you want to eat?” I shout after her.

“Italian, please. Bruschetta and gnocchi.”

I nod, taking my phone out of my pocket to order food.

She’s back moments later and straddles me on the couch, lips on mine, hips circling my lap, eyes hooded and dark.

I know what she wants. What she hasn’t stopped wanting since week ten, and I’m game, but… “I need a shower first, baby. I’ve been all over the place with work today.”

She’s clearly unhappy she has to wait but lets me go, pouting a little, arms crossed over her chest. Her pregnancy sex drive is off the charts. Not once and not twice, she’s barged into my office during my lunch break and had me eat her out on my desk. She’s all over me every morning, and the moment I get back home, then again before we fall asleep. Then, most nights, she wakes me up.

Logan said Cassidy was the same, but I never thought I’d be lucky enough to live that dream.

I’ve been making her come in a lot of different places lately, including her parents’ house, where we were for a long weekend. It was the quickest sex we ever had. Addie was so worked up she was digging her nails into my thigh under the table for ten minutes before I could come up with a plausible excuse to get her away.

I closed the door to our designated bedroom, spun her around, pulled her dress up, and buried myself deep with one thrust and a low groan.

She’s amazing.

No matter how many times I slip inside her, I’m in fucking heaven. Three thrusts, and she came, nearly chewing my hand off. Another five, and I did too. We were gone less than five minutes.

A lot has changed over the past year. Initially, Addie’s mom refused to speak to us when we announced our engagement. Her father, on the other hand, wasn’t at all surprised. He’s been on my side since day one and still is.

After months of no contact, Victoria finally pulled her head out of her ass one fine Sunday morning. She reached out in her own special way—by booking us return flights to Miami. Not one phone call, not a single word of explanation, just plane tickets dropped straight into Addie’s email inbox.

I expected many things to happen that weekend. Rude comments, demands we break it off, threats, even Grant waiting with a ring, but when we arrived at the mansion, Victoria acted as if nothing had happened. She didn’t apologize for ghosting us or explain why, just effortlessly slipped into her role as attentive mother and mother-in-law.

I was pissed off on Addie’s behalf, but after a lengthy late-night conversation, I had to admit it was better this way. Fleshing out the past wouldn’t do us any good, and Addie was so happy to have her mom’s approval I didn’t dare ruin it.

For six months, I wasn’t sure whether Victoria was acting or if she’d gotten over herself and genuinely started to like me. I got confirmation of the latter when we arrived with news of the baby a week after Addie told me.

Victoria does like me. Not only that, but she realized Addie’s better off with me than she ever would be with Grant… even if the fucker is worth a thousand times more.

I had to abandon everything I knew when I married Addie’s father. My role was always the trophy wife. No opinions, no dreams. Just pretty, polite, and helpful, but you… you love her the way she is. That’s rare.

Not that rare when you look at my family, but I guess it’s unusual in the Westons’ world.

No wonder Addie didn’t want to get married…

“What are you doing in there that takes so long?” she shouts from the bed. “I’m falling asleep here. Chop chop!”

Turning the water off, I towel dry, then walk into the bedroom butt naked, my cock twitching when I spot Addie on her back, ready and waiting.

“How long was your nap?” I ask, dropping to my knees at the foot of the bed and filling my hands with her sweet ass.

“Only ten minutes,” she mewls, beyond ready to come.

“That’s not enough. My son needs the rest, and so do you, baby.” I tug her closer to the edge of the bed, maneuvering her legs over my shoulders. “How about I tire you out? Help you get back to sleep. We can heat up the food later?”

Bunching her dress around her waist, I pull her soaked panties aside and dip my head, licking a slow path back to front. “So wet for me,” I whisper, closing my lips on her clit.

She’s oversensitive like she’s already come a few times. It’s been like this for about two months now. Always wet, swollen, and ready for me at a moment’s notice.

It takes less than three minutes of my gentle licks and two fingers pumping in and out until an orgasm runs through her, so potent her thighs shake around my head as she gasps and moans, riding the high while pressing herself against my mouth.

I’ll never get enough of this. Of her. The sweet taste, the breathless moans, the look on her face when she comes.

I grip her underarms, sliding her further up the bed, then crawl over her till we’re eye-level. “Sleep, Addie. You need to rest.”

“No,” she mumbles, eyes closed but hands clasped on my neck to pull me down for a kiss. “It’s your turn.”

“Later.” I kiss her forehead first, then her belly before I tuck her in, pulling the covers up to her chin. “Sleep. I’ll be downstairs if you need me.”