Expect the Unexpected

Epilogue

Skylar's point of view:

The shrill sound of a newborns crying rang through the hospital room. I was a mom, again. After having Isabel 2 1/2 years ago Catherine and I both started having baby fever. It didn't take long to get things going and 9 months later one of the happiest days of my life was when the nurse announced it was another girl. I collapsed my head on the pillow, Catherine cradling my head and holding my hand.

Soon the nurse came back with our bundle of joy. Catherine and I decided to not know the gender so we had a couple of names for a boy or girl. However, seeing the curly hair and dimples made me think of one name in mind. My grandmothers.

My water broke around 2 am, and now it was close to 7 am, so Thalia and Isabel would be coming with their grandparents in about an hour. For the time being, a name had to be decided on.

Ever since Isabel had been born, the entire Brooks family had been living their best life. My parents officially retired, and on their 40th wedding anniversary renewed vows at the lake, surrounded by the ones they love. Thalia was thriving in the 5th grade, loving her teachers and making lots of new friends. She participated in the school's spelling bee and got in 4th place out of everyone, resulting in her getting a medal that she kisses every night before going to bed. Isabel was in kindergarten, and progressing like any other student would. As she got older, she literally became a carbon copy of Catherine, excluding certain body parts. About a year ago she met her best friend, Emerson and the two have been stuck together like glue. As for Catherine and I, we're the happiest and content, with one another and our growing family. My wife seemed to be like wine (which I'm not surprised about since she loves it so much); getting better as it grows older. She still worked at the school, while being a personal trainer for "fun" as she put it. She continued to build more muscle and now she was the perfect amount between bodybuilder and model. Especially during this pregnancy I was all over her, having sex sometimes multiple times a day if alone, and certainly multiple times during the week. I liked her most when she was a mom, whether coaching Thalia's soccer games or playing Candyland with Isabel. I still can't believe how lucky I got with her and how much I adore my life.

Naming our little princess took longer than expected, due to both of us wanting her name to flow. We also wanted to honor a family member, but there are so many amazing people in our lives that it's hard to choose. We were so distracted my feeding and taking care of our baby girl that by the time 9:00 rolled around we hadn't decided. Mom came in first, making sure we were ready for everyone else. Apparently both sets of family were here, in addition to Alex. Rachel texted me that she had to work but would be by later.

"Mama, Mommy!" Both our heads shot up when Thalia came bounding into the room, straight towards us.

"Woah, woah, Thalia, calm down, your new sibling is sleeping" Catherine held out her arms and lifted her up so she was next to me on the bed. Isabel was being carried by her grandfather, whom the girls called Pop-pop.

When everyone was settled, we shared that there was a new sister, granddaughter, and niece in the room. I knew that our new baby would be loved nonmatter the gender or any other unforeseen circumstances, but I was secretly hoping for another girl.

"So, what's my granddaughter's name?" Sarah cooed. Catherine and I made eye contact, her biting her lip.

"Well, we're actually still deciding, but as soon as we decide you guys will know". I got a humph in response but as soon as she saw baby girl again she was happy.

When it was time for our baby girl to be fed we had to literally push everyone out of the room. Of course the grandmas were the last ones out the door, both Catherine and I breathing a sigh of relief. Catherine walked back over to the bed, sitting down and rubbing our baby's soft head.

"While our family was here, I actually came up with a name that I like. Do you want to hear it?" I nodded.

"Amelia Avery". Catherine didn't make eye contact after speaking, amusing me. I took her hand that was on our baby's head, getting her attention.

"I love it, she can choose to go by Mia or Amelia, giving her independence". Catherine lit up, being careful to not squish the baby between us while leaning over to hug me. I knew her grandmother had a big influence on Catherine coming out, not that the rest of her parents would disapprove. Her grandmothers name was Avery, and Amelia was on our joint list of liked names.

"Next baby, lets hope it's a boy so that we don't have to keep thinking of combinations for girl names". I smiled in response, loving how fast she was to assume that we were going to have another baby. At the rate of sex we were having it wouldn't surprise me if I got pregnant again within the next 6 months..

After deciding on our baby's name, I proceeded to feed her while Catherine pretended to help but was really looking at my boobs. They'd gone up a size from both pregnancies, something I hated while my wife obsessed over them.

After feeding we decided to bring back in our family and share introduce Amelia officially.

* One week time skip*

Today the entire family was gathering for a belated birthday celebration for my mom, also known as Mimi to her grandchildren. Her birthday was the day after Amelia was born, but due to our daughter's early arrival we decided to postpone to the following week. Instead of having the party in their backyard, mom wanted it to be at the park, more specifically the gazebo. It was where her and dad first met, and later on it was where Catherine and I had our engagement party.

By the third child I should've remembered how long it takes to get the entire family ready and out the door. Thalia was playing with her soccer ball in the backyard, while Catherine was attempting to bathe Isabel and I was dressing Amelia. I decided on a sundress with a bonnet and sandals, planning on keeping her in the stroller most of the time. Once I finished, I called Thalia inside and told her change for the party, and after some convincing, compromised on a romper. She was Catherine and I's little tomboy, mostly wearing shorts and tank tops.

Speaking of Catherine, I opened the bathroom door to Isabel standing naked in the tub, her towel soaked in the bubbly water and my wife with only shorts and a sports bra on. She froze like a deer in the headlights when she saw me, trying to cover up the mess that she made.

I tried not to ogle at my wife, but her 6 pack on show and low rise shorts made it hard. No wonder we ended up having so many babies, she was irresistible.

Long story short, we got Isabel and the bathroom cleaned up in no time and after packing a cooler and the cookies that I'd made the night before, we were off.

When we arrived at the park, everything was set up and numerous family members were mingling with one another. As soon as Catherine opened the car door, Thalia ran out, soccer ball in hand towards her grandpa. They've always had a close bond. Catherine and I tag teamed the stroller, while juggling the other baggage we'd brought (not our children).

The rest of the afternoon was perfect, filled with beautiful weather and family fun. A soccer game somehow got into the mix, probably Thalia's idea. People ranging from Thalia, to Catherine, to both our dads played, while others (aka me) laughed and tried to be supportive from the sideline.

As I watched my family play, I realized how lucky I was with how my life ended up being. I never expected to walk into my English classroom and meet the love of my life, and yet I did and we battled every obstacle that came at us, together. Now we had three wonderful daughters, and most likely more in the future. I'd gotten my fairytale, and I was the queen. There was no way that I could've predicted how my life would be, but I guess you have to expect the unexpected sometimes.

That's a wrap on this story, thank you everyone for reading and giving me feedback. This story is by no means perfect, but nothing is. I already have some ideas forming for the next book, this being Thalia's story. I will mostly likely not be posting chapters until I am almost finished with the book, in order to keep updates on schedule. I will be starting college in a few weeks and that will occupy my time.

Thank you again from the bottom of my heart for your support and reading this in the first place. Stay safe!

- Jane