Between us

Epilogue

One year later. 

"Happy holidays, Madame." A man with a very heavy French accents said near me unexpectantly, and I looked up and hicked in shock. "Ah, pardon, I didn't mean to frighten you." 

"Happy holidays, it's alright." I politely said and shook his hand, and he sat across me from the table. 

"My name is Juan, and I couldn't help but notice your exquisite beauty." He almost immediately flirted with me and I tried hard not to laugh. 

"Charlie Storm." I introduced myself and purposely ignored his statement. 

"What do you do for a living?" He asked charmingly and I smiled. 

"I'm a music teacher in Rome." 

"Ah, a music teacher with great taste." He said and eyed my body. 

I looked down at my cream-colored knit dress and my black knee-high boots. It's subtle and elegant, and I know I look great. Ryder's wolf whistle this morning proved it. And yes, I got bangs and I fell in love with the new hairstyle. 

One glance at me and you wouldn't think that I'm already a mother of two, but very soon that'll change. I wonder what Ryder will do if he hears the wonderful news. 

And yes, on the nineteenth of September I gave birth to a beautiful dark-haired baby boy, Luca Alessandro Storm. 

"Whose got you smiling like that? I hope you're thinking about me." Juan asked with a smile and I cringed internally. He's a very handsome man with his long brown hair in a man bun and his grey eyes. If I had met him five years ago, I probably would've fallen for his charms and blushed, but now there's only one man that can make my heart race. 

"My husband got me smiling like this." I said with a smile and only then did he notice the sapphire ring on my finger. 

"Husband?" 

"Yes, her husband." That deep voice spoke behind me, and I turned around and saw Ryder with a not so friendly look on his face. Riley, on the other hand, was beaming with a big smile and moved forward so that I can take her. Luca, now four months old, was sleeping peacefully in the stroller. 

"Mama!" She said and I stood up to take her. 

"Ryder Storm." He introduced himself and Juan stood up to shake his hand. The grip must've been tight because he visibly squirmed. 

"Be nice, love. Juan was just telling me how much he admired me." I said with a serious expression and Juan looked like he could die under Ryder's excruciating gaze. 

"Excuse me, my friend is calling me." Juan said and it looked like he couldn't get away fast enough. 

I chuckled and looked into Ryder's eyes. He was a little jealous. 

"I leave you here alone for barely ten minutes to buy this teddy bear only to come back to find slimy pricks hitting on you. Tsk, tsk, tsk." He said and shook his head. 

"Tsk." Riley mimicked him and I laughed. "Daddy tsk!" She said and this time even Ryder chuckled. 

"Let's go." He took Riley and I put on my black coat and took my handbag. 

"Let's go." I agreed and we went back to the hotel. "Lucy called, she and Noah are engaged now." I happily said when we got inside the room. 

"Finally, I thought your brother would never ask her." He said while putting Riley on the bed and I chuckled while laying Luca in his crib. 

"Here's a late Christmas gift." I said and gave him a long, slim box. 

"Another chain?" He asked and I shook my head. He opened it and took out the pregnancy test with two red lines out of the box. He frowned slightly as if putting together a puzzle in his head. 

"Ready for another crazy nine months of cravings, mood swings, morning sickness, etcetera, etcetera?" I asked and my heart warmed when his expression softened and he gave me a dashing smile. 

"I'm ready for anything, as long as it's with you." He pulled me closer. 

"Round three?" 

"Round three." He said and gave me a long kiss. "I love you, Charlie Storm." 

"And I love you, Ryder Storm." 

"Love you!" Riley screeched happily in the background and I chuckled while giving her a hug. 

"How would you like another baby brother?" I asked her and she smiled, as if understanding me. 

"Luca." She answered and pointed to the TV. "Want that cheeseburger." 

"I'll get you all the cheeseburgers in the world, Puppet." Ryder said she smiled sleepily. "Come on, time to sleep." 

Later, while laying in bed, I thought about my life. 

How I used to think that my life was miserable, and that I'll never find love. Now look at me, happily married with two kids and one on the way. I looked over to Ryder where he was getting ready for bed. 

"If you'll continue to stare I'll blush." He said without looking at me and I softly chuckled. 

"I'm not allowed to stare?" 

"Only if you want to suffer the consequences." He said and got inside the bed with me. 

"If you'll continue like this we'll end up having more babies than we initiatlly planned." I joked and scooted closer to him. 

"I don't mind, I always wanted a whole soccer team." He said and began kissing me senseless. He almost took off my nightie when Luca started to cry, and Riley rushed in the room and jumped on the bed. 

"I tried lullaby but he cry." She said with an innocent look on her face and I chuckled. 

When Ryder came back with Luca, Riley was already settled next to me under the covers. 

"I guess they'll sleep here tonight." 

"Yippee!" Riley said happily and while we all laid together in the big bed, I couldn't possibly imagine life without them all. 

I'm happy. 

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A/n: Hey guys! 👋
Welcome back to the final chapter of Between us! 

So yeah, the book is officially done. (Don't know what to do with my life anymore...)

I hope that you all enjoyed this book as much as I enjoyed writting it. It wasn't easy, but everything's possible.

I want to shoutout to my bestfriend Alexa. Thank you for being my unpaid therapist and unbiological sister, and thank you for always believing in me and also for the random inspiration boosts. I love you and please stay the same crazy girl I've come to learn and love. Love you! 💕 

Please forgive any typos and please comment...and don't forget to vote! ;)

Kind regards and stay safe :)

A. Freeman 
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