Epilogue

Six years later

"Hey, we're in the newspaper!" Lucy exclaimed as I walked out of my office. She pointed to an article featuring my advertising company before handing it to me. I grinned as I read over the positive article, describing my small company as one of the best in the state for young entrepreneurs and small businesses. Not only was I glad the company was being recognized, but I was also pleased that they described it that way. Six years ago, when I first started my own ad agency, I wanted to make it easy and affordable for small businesses to obtain my services. And ever since then, numerous businesses have benefitted from the assistance of my ad agency.

"This is great," I said, beaming with delight. "Remind me to thank this journalist," I added.

Lucy continued typing away on her computer, being the best assistant I've ever had. Although she was actually the only assistant I've had so far in my career, she's been there for me in ways beyond job résumé qualifications. It also didn't hurt that I got to see my best friend at work almost every day.

"Oh, is it alright if I leave a little earlier today?" Lucy asked as I turned to walk back into my office.

"Yeah, of course. I'll be leaving soon myself," I replied. After all, it was my thirty-fourth birthday today. I deserved to go home early and spend a relaxing evening with my wonderful husband and daughter.

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Ethan's Point of View

"Daddy, where is Mommy?"

I looked down to the culprit tugging at my pants. I instantly smiled when my eyes landed on the familiar big brown eyes of my daughter. I was more than happy that Juliet inherited those from her mother.

"She's not here yet, honey. She'll be here soon."

"I can't wait for her to see what I made her!" she said excitedly. I laughed as I picked her up and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Mommy is going to love your gift." I could tell she was getting restless from waiting for Roxanna to show up. That's the problem with surprise parties; there's no exact time for the person to show up at their own party.

"How about you go see if Grandma needs any help," I suggested.

Juliet nodded eagerly, so I set her down and watched her run toward the kitchen. Knowing Juliet would be put to work by my mother-in-law, I walked around the room and talked with everyone. It wouldn't be long before Roxanna would get here.

Soon enough, someone announced that her car was pulling into the driveway. I announced loudly that everyone should hide. Right before the lights went off, Juliet ran into my arms as I crouched behind the couch. Everyone was dead quiet as we waited to surprise Roxanna for her birthday.

The second she opened the door, the lights flipped on and everyone yelled, 'surprise!' Roxanna's eyes widened at first, though an easy grin quickly formed on her gorgeous face. Juliet ran over to her immediately, while I stayed back and let them have their moment. Honestly, I was really just taken aback by Roxanna's appearance. Although her nose was red from the cold weather of February and her stomach was large with a growing baby inside, she was still the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. I didn't think it was possible to love her more than I already did, but each day I'm realizing how wrong I've been about that. She's such an amazing wife and mother that sometimes I forget how lucky I am to be where I am today.

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Roxanna's Point of View

"Mommy, look what I made you!" Juliet said after I got over the initial shock of my surprise birthday party. She jumped up and down, holding what looked like a flower vase. It was decorated how my six-year-old daughter decorates everything: with glitter, stars, and pink accessories.

"Oh, thank you, honey! It's so pretty! I love it," I told her, giving my daughter a big hug and kiss on the cheek.

"You're welcome, Mommy," she replied before skipping over to her grandmother. My mom immediately bent down and gave her full attention to her granddaughter.

"Happy birthday," Ethan said, giving me a warm, welcoming kiss. He helped me out of my heavy jacket since I still hadn't taken it off.

"Thank you. You didn't have to do this," I said, imagining the trouble he went through to put this together.

"Of course I did. Now how are you feeling?" he asked, putting his hand on my enormous belly.

"Ethan, I'm pregnant. I don't have some illness that requires you to frequently ask how I'm feeling," I joked. I knew he was just being his usual caring self. However, that didn't stop me from teasing him every now and then.

He rolled his eyes playfully. "I know, I just want to make sure my beautiful wife and son are okay. Especially since the due date is really close."

"I know," I grinned, giving him another kiss. "I better go thank everyone for coming."

"Oh, and the new neighbors are here. Give me a signal if you need rescuing," Ethan warned. After meeting our new neighbors a couple weeks ago, his warning was definitely needed. They were very eccentric people, to put it nicely.

I mingled with the crowd, thanking everyone for coming to my surprise birthday party. It was great seeing everyone, though I soon got tired of listening to comments about my giant pregnant belly. I mean, you could only take so much of 'you look like you're going to pop' and other similar comments. It was our eccentric neighbors that really went overboard with such comments, making me search the room for my husband. Where was Ethan when I really needed him?

"Have you looked into the organic pregnancy diet I told you about?" Candice asked me. When she first moved into town with her husband and child, she told me about an odd diet she tried. Apparently it was supposed to be very healthy for the mother and baby, except it sounded horrible to me. I'm not a picky eater, but I'd much rather eat whatever I'm craving, whether it's a cheeseburger, ice cream, or my latest, mustard and pickles.

"Actually, I chose not to change my diet this late in my pregnancy," I answered, trying to seem like I was interested in it in the first place.

"Oh, that makes sense. I know of some great foods for babies and toddlers too," she said. She started to describe some foods, but was politely interrupted.

"Hello, Candice. Mind if I steal my wife away for a while?"

"No, of course not. We should get going anyway. Thanks for inviting us, and happy birthday," she replied, taking a hold of her husband's arm.

"Thank you, have a good night," I said. Once they were gone, I turned to Ethan. "I was looking for you! You told me to give you a signal if I needed one!"

Ethan didn't even try holding back his chuckle. "I'm sorry, I went to settle a dispute between Peter and Juliet."

Peter was Simon and Jenny's son. Although he was a little older than Juliet, they basically grew up together thus far. They were also constantly picking fights about stupid things, which reminded me when Ethan and I were kids.

"They remind me of us when we were younger," I said to him.

Ethan's expression turned more serious. "Don't say that."

"Why not?"

"Because look how we ended up," he said, as if his point to this conversation was obvious.

I raised an eyebrow at that. "Yeah, what about it?"

"We ended up together! I don't want Juliet to end up with Peter!"

"What's wrong with my son? He's a perfect boy," Simon suddenly interjected. He crossed his arms defensively, while Jenny wrapped her hands around him comfortingly.

"Nothing, that's not what I meant," Ethan replied apologetically.

"Then what did you mean?" Simon wondered, still a little upset.

"I don't want Juliet to be with anyone! Ever!" my husband exclaimed. Luckily there were only close friends and family members left by now, who were used to our usual antics.

Look at Ethan's flustered appearance, I couldn't help but laugh. And once I laughed, Jenny and Simon joined in as well, making Ethan stare at us with a frustrated look in his eyes.

"This isn't funny," Ethan stated, starting to turn away from us. I grabbed his arm and managed to cease my laughter.

"I'm sorry, honey. But do you really expect Juliet to end up alone all her life?"

Ethan huffed and rolled his eyes. "Yes," he said, though his defeated tone said otherwise.

"I don't think that'll happen. Just like our son won't be alone all his life," I added, my hand automatically resting on my stomach.

"Besides, Peter is going to be a fine young man someday. You'd be lucky to have him as a son-in-law," Simon said with a proud grin.

"How about we let things happen on their own, alright you two?" Jenny suggested, looking between Ethan and Simon. "Anyway, we should head home. It was great to see you both, as always. And happy birthday!"

"Thanks. I'll see you both later," I replied, giving them each a hug goodbye.

Soon enough, they were out the door with Peter, along with everyone else who was still there. Lucy and Connor left not long after, as did my parents. It took a while for my mother to say goodbye to Juliet, even though she saw her almost every day. But I never argued about that; I was finally happy with the relationship I had with my mother.

After cleaning up the house and locking up, I went to change into comfortable clothes while Ethan put Juliet to bed. It wasn't late, yet I was always tired due to being exhausted from carrying around extra baby weight. Talking and mingling with people for hours played a part in my exhaustion tonight as well.

"Did you enjoy your party?" Ethan asked when he entered our bedroom.

I nodded. "Yes, I did. Thank you, Ethan."

"You're welcome. Oh, I have something for you." He rummaged through one of the drawers to his dresser until he found what he was looking for. He handed me the wrapped box as he settled next to me on the bed.

"Happy birthday, Roxanna."

"What's this?"

"Open it and you'll see."

I took my eyes off of him and instead focused on the box. Once I opened it, my eyes scanned the gorgeous bracelet that appeared before me. "This is beautiful, Ethan!"

"Are you sure you like it? I saw you looking at it when we were at that market a while ago," he said, causing me to think back to when we were at the market.

Once I remembered, I was even happier with my gift. This was the same bracelet that I saw in a market we passed through months ago. I remember mentioning one small comment about the pretty colors of the stones that made up part of the bracelet.

"Of course I like it. No, I love it! Thank you!" I exclaimed before kissing Ethan. I wrapped my arms around his neck tightly, but gently. The fact that he noticed the small things about what I did or said just proved that I really was with the best person. I couldn't have asked for a better husband or father to our daughter.

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Ethan's Point of View

"How was the food?" I asked the customers who were just about to leave.

"Wonderful, as always!"

I grinned, satisfied with that answer. "Good, enjoy the rest of your night." I continued making rounds at the bar, making sure everything was going smoothly. Well, I suppose describing the building as a bar wasn't entirely correct anymore. The Callahan bar has now been more of a restaurant for a few years now. With Roxanna's help, I was able to make some changes to the bar, making it more family friendly. However, the bar was still taking up a large portion of the place, which gave adults a place to spend time at night.

As I made my way to check on the employees in the kitchen, my phone started ringing. When I saw it was Connor calling me, I answered it out of confusion and curiosity. My brother-in-law wasn't a big cell phone user, so I wasn't expecting a call from him this late in the evening.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Ethan! You need to get over to the hospital," he replied.

"Why? Is Lucy okay?" I asked quickly, worrying about my little sister.

"Yeah, it's not her. It's Roxanna—"

"What's wrong with her?" I immediately started running out of the restaurant, going over to my truck.

"Don't worry, she's fine. Well, she will be fine once you get here. Looks like you're going to be welcoming your son a little sooner than planned," he explained. I could faintly hear screams in the background. I recognized that voice as Roxanna's, which only made me drive faster to the hospital.

"I'll be right there," I stated, hanging up the phone and throwing it onto the passenger seat. Luckily the hospital was in the center of Bluewater, so I was there in no time.

As soon as I crookedly parked my truck, I ran straight to the maternity ward. "What room is Roxanna Callahan in?" I asked the nurse at the desk.

She checked the computer in front of her. As she was about to tell me, I heard shouts coming from down the hall. That voice answered my question for me, causing me to run straight to my wife.

"Roxanna?" I called, running down the hall. When I saw Connor, I knew I found her room.

"She's in there with Lucy," he told me.

I swiftly went into the room and took Lucy's spot next to Roxanna. My sister mentioned that she'd be in the hall waiting with Connor. I barely acknowledged her comment, focusing on my wife instead.

"Good, you're here," Roxanna said through gritted teeth. Even though this was the second time we were going through this, I still hated seeing Roxanna in this much pain. She probably refused any drugs they offered too, like she had when Juliet was welcomed into this world.

"Of course I'm here, love. You're doing so great," I said, kissing her forehead.

The doctor came in then, along with a couple nurses. It was clear that this baby was coming much sooner than I thought. With Juliet, Roxanna was in labor for hours. But this baby wasn't going to wait any longer; he was ready to see this world now.

"Alright, it's time to push, Roxanna," the doctor said.

"Already?" Roxanna asked. Her eyes shined with a multitude of emotions, yet worry was a big part of her expression.

"I know you can do this, Roxanna. You're the strongest person I know," I encouraged. Once her eyes met mine, she nodded and focused on pushing.

Through tears, screams, and pain, our son was welcomed into this world on the third of March. After the nurses cleaned him and checked his vitals, they brought him back and rested him on his mother. I smiled down at my amazing wife and our son.

"He's beautiful," she said, looking down at the small baby.

"So are you," I added, kissing the top of her head. After a few moments, I wondered what we would name our son. Since he came before we agreed upon a name, we had to choose one now.

"What are we going to name him?" I asked Roxanna.

Her big brown eyes looked up at me. She smiled, making her entire face glow. "Well, I was thinking we could name him Gregory James."

I was speechless for a moment, processing the name she suggested. She wanted to name our son after my father, who meant so much to both of us. Words couldn't describe how much I wanted to thank her for this gesture.

"Gregory is a perfect name," I replied. "Thank you," I added before kissing her soft lips.

"Ew, gross." I looked over at another familiar voice and chuckled.

"Juliet, be nice. Your mother just went through a tiring experience," my mother-in-law chastised. My father-in-law walked in behind them, along with Lucy and Connor.

"It's alright," Roxanna cut in. "Come meet your baby brother, Juliet."

Our daughter excitedly hopped over to the hospital bed and looked down at the baby. She examined him for a few moments before a grin broke out across her face.

"He's so small, like a doll!" she commented. "What's his name?"

"Gregory," I told her. I glanced over at my sister, who looked like she was about to shed a few tears at the name. Connor knew, and immediately wrapped his arm around her comfortingly. She smiled and nodded at me in congratulations.

I turned my attention back to Juliet, who was going on about all the things she was going to do with her brother when he was old enough. Her ideas ranged from having tea parties to having snowball fights, both of which would be a while away before Gregory could participate.

Nonetheless, I laughed at my daughter's enthusiasm and excitement. I looked over at Roxanna, who seemed just as amused with Juliet's plans. However, looking between my girls and my son, I could also picture doing things with my family. I saw all of us building a snowman. I saw all of us spending the day at the beach. I saw us gathering with everyone else we loved during the holidays in Bluewater.

But those were things that would happen in the future. Right now, I saw my wonderful family bonding over the arrival of our new family member. And that was just what I wanted to see right now.

Author's Note: And it's finally over! I just want to thank everyone who has read this story and commented/reviewed it. I seriously loved reading your feedback, even if it was just telling me to hurry up with the updates (which I know I'll have to work on in the future). I hope you liked this story just as much as I liked writing it.

~Savanna