Well, here is the epilogue. This book has been incredible to write, and it was all because of you that the first one was a success. Thank you guys so much, and I love you all!
I leaned against the doorframe, smiling softly as I watched Ross tuck in an already asleep Olivia. He kissed her forehead gently before turning off the lamp beside her bed, murmuring a 'goodnight.' He turned, jumping in shock as his eyes settled on me. I bit back a laugh and stepped back, allowing him to exit the room and close the door behind him.
"Thanks for the heart attack." He gently slapped me upside the head and pecked my lips. "You're lucky I didn't scream."
"Because you didn't want our kids knowing you have a girly scream?" I questioned, giggling.
He pouted childishly. "Hey, Mason has the same scream as me."
"He's four."
"I don't see your point."
Playfully rolling my eyes, I made my way to my son's room, Ross trailing right behind me. Mason was jumping on his bed, his blonde hair rising and falling as he did so.
"Why aren't you in bed, mister?" I stepped into his room, my hands on my hips.
Mason immediately stopped jumped, flashing me a cheeky smile. "I'm sorry, mommy."
"She has her hands on her hips, Mase. You know she means business." Ross jumped onto his bed, grabbing his small body and throwing him up in the air, causing him to giggle.
I couldn't help but laugh, watching my son giggle and Ross laugh. Mason was almost an exact copy of Ross, from his hair to his eyes to his laugh. They even had the same appetite, meaning I now had to little piggies in the house.
But they were my little piggies.
"Okay, bud, time for bed." Ross clapped his hands together, setting Mason down. He pouted, but did as told, getting under the covers. "Night, Mase." He kissed his forehead, making sure he was tucked under the covers real well.
"Night, daddy." Mason let out a little yawn, and I knew he would crash any minute.
I walked over and bent down, kissing his forehead as well. "Night, baby."
His eyes started drooping, and he let out a soft, "Night, mommy." I brushed some of his hair out of his face before following Ross out of his bedroom.
As we descended down the stairs, I stopped in my tracks as I caught sight of the dining room. Two candles were placed in the center of the table, a vase filled with beautiful roses beside them. I felt Ross grab my hand, pulling me out of my shock. He guided me to the table, where he quickly reached into the oven and pulled out two plates filled with lasagna.
"What is all this?" I questioned, watching as he placed the plate down in front of me. He sat down across from me, lowering his own plate.
"I wanted to do something special for you." He shrugged, sipping on the water beside him. "We've been so busy with the kids that we haven't really gotten a break. And with both of us working, we don't get a lot of time alone anymore. I just wanted to spend an evening with my wife alone."
Butterflies erupted in my stomach, and I leaned over the table to kiss him, a silent way of thanking him for tonight.
He never ceased to amaze me.
~*~
"Daddy, no, please!" Olivia's pleas and giggles filled the air, and they didn't stop as Ross continued to "drop" her in the water. He finally set her down, laughing as she started to splash him.
"Attack!" Mason stood up from his spot on the sand and ran straight towards Ross' legs, causing him to tumble into the water. He came up sputtering water out of his mouth, a pout on his face.
"Don't be sad, daddy." Olivia giggled. "It's just water."
I chuckled slightly as I watched Mason pick up a handful of sand. "And sand!" In an instant, my little man smashed the sand into Ross' face, and I couldn't help but laugh and walk over.
"Nice look, Shor." I teased, scooping Mason up in my arms.
He scooped Olivia up in his arms, slowly rising up so he was standing up. Our kids were uncontrollably giggling as Ross and I had a stare down.
"I think mommy deserves a sand facial, what do you think, Liv?" Ross turned to our daughter, a teasing smirk on his face. She nodded vigorously, giggling behind her hand. "Then it's settled." Before I comprehend what was happening, a handful of sand was being shoved in my face, some even entering my mouth.
Laughter erupted around me, and I gently placed Mason down. As if expecting what I was going to do, Ross placed Olivia down, allowing me to tackle him in the water. The salt water burned my eyes, but I ignored the stinging as Ross and I wrestled in the water.
"Okay, okay! I learned my lesson!" Ross held his hands up, spitting some water out of his mouth. I smiled sweetly at him before grabbing both my kids hands and walking back over to our spot on the beach.
I wrapped them up in their towels, handing them little water bottles and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I kissed both their heads before wrapping myself in my own towel and settling down in my chair.
This was what I loved. Just spending time with my family with no worries. Yes, I had occasional worries whenever one of my kids got sick, but that was truly it. My worry level never reached the limit it used to when he took my daughter from Ross and I.
No matter how many years passed, I would never forget the pain he put us through. The only thing that eased my mind a little was that he was in jail. There were times where I wanted to see him and ask him why he hated me so much. Why he decided to take my daughter away from me, but Ross always talked me out of it.
And I was so grateful.
I managed to move on with my life, pushing everything behind me. I couldn't dwell on the past, because I would go crazy if I did.
I glanced at my kids and saw they were drifting off to sleep, so I made sure the umbrella was completely covering them.
"Should we head home?" Ross murmured in my ear, noticing our kids half asleep.
I shook my head and smiled softly. "I don't want to move them. They look so comfortable." I opened up the cooler and pulled out a water bottle, gulping down half of the refreshing and cold liquid. "Are you heading to the store tomorrow?"
Ross nodded and took a sip from my water bottle. "The new inventory of skateboards are coming in, and I want to set them out. I should be home pretty early though, since Damien and Lucas are working tomorrow."
Ever since Ross took over Wheels, business had boomed. In the beginning he would stay at the store all day and work like a regular employee, but he had to hire more staff. And although he hired other employees, he still went to work five days a week and helped out. He didn't want to be one of those owners who just hired other people to do all the work for him. He hated that.
And due to the success of Wheels, we were able to move out of our apartment and buy a house. We realized that with another baby on the way, we wouldn't be able to live in our two bedroom apartment any longer. So when I was about five months pregnant, we began searching for a house. To our luck, there was a house for sale in Rydel and Ellington's neighborhood.
We now lived a few houses down from them.
"Mommy, I tired." Mason's sleepy voice caused me to snap my head in his direction, and I leaned over and kissed his head.
"You want to go home?" He nodded. "Okay. Come here, little man." He tiredly lifted his arms up, and I got to my feet before lifting his towel covered body into my arms. He rested his head on my shoulder, and I watched as Ross lifted a sleeping Olivia in his arms. She buried her head in his neck, and he kissed the top of her head.
"Let's go home."
~*~
After giving the kids a bath and changing them into clean clothes, we put them to bed so they could take a nap. Wanting to get the sand out of my hair, I took a lengthy shower, loving the heated water and steam. After drying off and changing into some sweats, I collapsed onto our bed, completely drained from the day.
I listened to the running water as Ross took his shower, and my eyes became fixated on the picture resting on my bedside table. I was around seven months pregnant with Mason, and Olivia was two years old. She was standing in front of my legs, my hands on her shoulders, and Ross was standing behind me, his arms wrapped around my large belly as he rested his head on the top of my head.
It was one of my favorite pictures of us.
When Ross emerged from the bathroom, his hair wet and a towel loosely wrapped around his waist, I couldn't help but stare. His abs had really gotten defined over the years, and-although it sounded weird to say-they were fucking lick worthy.
"You're staring."
A blush formed on my face and I looked away from his abs, only to see a smirk on his face. "You suck." I groaned, burying my head under the blankets. I could hear him laugh, causing me to smile slightly. I felt the bed dip a moment later, and I peeled the blanket off me.
"You're cute when you blush." He smiled, pinching my red cheeks. "And I find it funny that I can still make you blush."
"I really want to shove my foot up your ass." I muttered.
He laughed and kissed my temple, letting his lips linger for a moment. "I'm just teasing, Sky. But you are cute when you blush, I can't deny that." He rested his head on top of mine, grabbing my hand to lace our fingers together and rest on my stomach. "Today was fun."
I nodded in agreement, rubbing my thumb across his knuckles. "It was. I hate not being able to spend time with them everyday. I really hate it." I clenched my eyes shut and let out a breath. "I know Olivia's starting kindergarten soon, but I don't want to spend the rest of the summer working when I can stay home and be with them."
"Then do that." Ross lifted his head and looked into my eyes. I stared at him, confused. "If you want to take off work for the rest of the summer, then talk to your boss. I'm sure he'll understand."
"You really wouldn't mind?" I murmured, running my hand up and down his back. He shook his head and pecked my lips softly. "What about you? I don't want only you working, Ross."
"Then I can take time off, too." He shrugged. "If I have to hire someone else then I will. Spending time with you and our kids always makes me happy, and I feel like the luckiest guy in the world. So if you want to spend the summer with our kids, then do it. I'll be right behind you."
A smile spread across my face, and I hugged my husband, not caring about our awkward position. "Thank you."
"Anytime, Sky." He kissed my neck and trailed up my jaw until he reached my lips. "And I know exactly where we should go on vacation."
I leaned back. "Where?"
"Disney World. The most magical place on Earth, and the place where I got together with my best friend and the love of my life."
And that is the end of Substitute Child! I hope you guys liked the epilogue, because I really loved writing it. Although this is the end of the book, this won't be the last time you see me. I'm still writing my other two books, but I will definitely be writing other books that I hope you guys will read. I love hearing what you guys think of my books, and I honestly love all the support you guys give me. Vote and comment one last time! You guys are amazing!