The Matters of Her Heart

Epilogue

Eight Years Later....

"Max," Tanya whined as she slowly slid her body off the bed. "I thought you were coming to bed?"

"Give me a minute," he replied back.

She looked towards the closet, head tilted and eyes turning to slits. If he was seriously trying to hide something from her, he had another thing coming. "What are you doing in our closet at two in the morning Maxwell?" She asked in a motherly tone.

He tensed, she was standing too close to their closet. "Shit," he cursed and finished quickly. Walking out, he hesitated at seeing the look on her face. He was a bit nervous, even though he hadn't needed to be in almost a decade when he was meeting Melanie for the first time. That will forever be the most nerve wrecking experience of his life. Meeting all of his children had been nerve wrecking because he always feared something would go wrong with Tanya being the size she was and how many children she carried at one time.

He only got to do this for his wife whithout having to make an excuse for spoiling her once a year and he never figured out how to be stronger than his nerves when it came to this.

"I'm gonna look past the fact that you're hiding away from me inside our closet," she told him calmly. "Just explain why in the hell you were in there in the first place."

"Can you wait for it in the morning?"

"Why? Does it have something to do with out anniversary?"

"Yes and no," he answered vaguely.

"Then tell me now."

Sighing, he decided to tell her something, just not everything. "You're going to the spa tomorrow, got you an appointment to get your hair done too since your sister can't really do it anymore with the whole pregnant thing."

"Is that all?" She asked. "Why are you so nervous Maxwell? What're you hiding?"

He sighed, his wife was one of the most impatient people he'd ever met. He was going to yank her chain a bit more. "Nothing baby girl. Get in bed, I'm going to check on the kids. Ill be back in a minute."

Tanya nearly lost her cool at those words, what the fuck did he mean get back in bed? She wanted to know what he'd been doing in their closet for over an hour. Sighing, she turned and walked in the bathroom to control her hormones. Not only was she pissed, but she was feeling hurt that he'd lied to her face. They made a promise to one another of no lies and no secrets, guess that was all bullshit.

When Maxwell returned, she was in bed sniffling and her body trembled slightly. "Baby girl, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"

"You don't trust me?" She asked timidly.

"Of course I do! What kinda question was that?" He was a bit outraged.

"Then why did you lie to me?" She asked with a sob. "You and I made a promise together: no secrets, no lies, no distrust. Right now, I don't even care what it is that you've been doing, I just wanna know why you felt you couldn't tell me the truth? I could see clear as day you were nervous, I know you but you told me a lie anyway."

"I didn't mean to make you feel that way sweetheart, it's just hard to give you surprises and I get really nervous when I have to in fear you'll hate what I give you."

"So that meant lie?" She asked confused.

"No," he paused. "That wasn't an excuse for my lying when I knew I should've just told you. I wanted to get you a bit riled up but it seems like it's backfired and not in my favor at all. Please stop crying baby girl, you know I hate those tears falling from anything other than happiness."

She thought about it for a second, maybe it was a tad bit of an over reaction when she went looking for trouble about him being in their closet. It's hard to be her sometimes, she was always iffy about herself and her responses to things and her imagination got the best out of her on more days than she'd admit aloud. She just didn't want to return to the past when they'd done so well to overcome it all. Looking up at him, she smiled and closed her eyes when he began wiping off her face. He was the best husband to her and in the world and he stuck to the very end just for her and now their children.

"I love you," she spoke softly.

He looked her in the eye for a moment. "I love you too, I just don't want you thinking everything is wrong or that you're not doing it right."

"I know," she said softly.

"I want you to be you, not someone that fears being happy because they think it'll be ruined. You know I'm not going anywhere, remember that."

She nodded, kissing his lips softly. She truly did love her husband, she just had difficulty loving herself.

Tanya sighed, turning from the windows and into her husband's open arms.

"I still can't believe you're pregnant again! My goodness Max works fast."

Everyone around them laughed at Tiffany's words as Tanya blushed. "He has always said he wanted a big family," Brit pointed out.

"Yeah, but did that mean nine kids, one on the way?" Beth laughed. 

"Hey now, you and your sisters can't talk," Tanya glared playfully. "Brit has one less than me, 'Sandra one more. And even you have five, two on the way Beth so hush it up. Your brother is getting what he wanted, a full house."

Beth blushed, touching her own protruding belly. Her husband stood behind her, running his hands along her back and belly laughed along with them. "What can I say? Jeremy loves kids."

"I'm pretty sure I speak for all of us in the kid loving department," Roger spoke up, the men agreeing with him. "We just have to catch up to the rabbits of the family." His thumb jerked at Max and Anthony as they stepped back onto the the patio to inspect the four grills cooking up the food.

They were having an all out family barbeque and everyone showed up to gather at Maxwell and Tanya's house to eat and have fun. The two had just returned from a business trip and everyone missed them. Maxwell refused to leave his wife home still and took her with him on and many trips as he could. His children tended to go to unless they had to stay home for school.

"Hey!" Tanya and 'Sandra protested with laughs.

"The food almost done? I'm starving!" Aashayla called as she walked into the house. Parker was behind her, holding their four month old daughter Haleigh and little Parker walked in with Miranda on his back, Mikee, and Miles who were twins following behind with Paisley in between them.

"Somebody's pregnant again," Sean commented, Michael nodding in agreement.

"I know you ain't talking, how many more kids you gonna have?" Parker nodded to both of their wives who were holding newborn babies as well.

Tanya smiled wistfully, she never thought this would've been her life from the moment she'd met her husband all the way to having such an amazing family with some of you he greatest and loving people in the world. The journey it'd taken her to get to the point in life she was in had been one of the roughest, but she still loved how it came together. Everyone was happy, married, and had children.

"What's that smile for?" Maxwell spoke into her ear. He'd sat down on one of the comfy lawn chairs, her on his lap. All the women needed to sit and get off their feet so the party took themselves outside.

"I'm happy."

He looked at her. "Good," he hummed. "This was our future from the start."

She couldn't agree more.