Chapter 34: Forever With The CEO: Second Epilogue

Five Years Later

“Jack, Annie, come on guys. You can’t show David how to climb there. He’s only two.”

Jack and Annie looked at me with fake-innocent expressions.

“Okay,” Annie said.

“Let’s all go to the living room.”

The penthouse was full today. The entire family was here, and in the past few years, quite a number of kids had made our group even larger. Allison, the twins, and I moved back to the penthouse three years ago when she got pregnant… with twins. I had the whole place redecorated to make it fit for kids, and I was amazed at how many things weren’t childproof.

David and Dina were following Annie and Jack everywhere. Those two took their roles as older siblings very seriously, although sometimes they tried to lead the younger ones astray. I still wasn’t sure if it was on purpose or not.

My woman was in the living room with the clan. She was sitting right next to Mom and talking loudly. Dina ran into her arms, cuddling against her. Our little girl loved cuddles more than any of our other kids.

I liked that Allison and Mom were so close. Mom had kept her promise. Leo and Tori got pregnant a year before me and Allison, and Mom moved to Boston after Tori gave birth. Maddox and Cammie had a baby girl at the same time our twins came, so Mom had her hands full. In the beginning, neither of us knew how it would work with the rest of our brothers, but thankfully they accepted Mom into their ranks too. Not only that, but they made her feel welcome. I hadn’t expected anything less from Gran, Granddad, and Gabe, but even Jake and Colton were treating her with kindness.

“Here’s your drink, Helen,” Colton said. “Your favorite.”

“Thanks. You make the very, very best margarita,” she told him.

“I learned some tricks from Gabe.”

Zoey had a little boy in her arms who was six months old. Colton immediately took him from her, burping him as he walked through the living room. It was a kids’ wonderland out here.

Spencer and Penny welcomed a baby girl, too, two years ago. Ben doted on her as much as the adults did.

Jake and Natalie now had four kids in total. I’d once asked Natalie if they planned on having any more, and she said, “We’re thinking six is a nice number.” I didn’t think she was kidding.

And Cade and Meredith were expecting their first child soon. Gran was over the moon.

I watched Allison head to the kitchen and followed her there. In my experience, whenever one of us went to the kitchen, they definitely needed support.

“Hey, gorgeous woman. What are you doing in here?”

She looked over her shoulder and smiled. “You have a sixth sense. I was just wondering when the food is going to be here. Some of the little ones are already starving.”

“Then let’s raid the fridge!”

She laughed. “You always have a solution, huh?”

“You know it.”

She opened the door to the fridge, and I hovered behind her, kissing the back of her head. “I love you so damn much,” I told her.

She melted against me. I used every opportunity to tell her this, and her reaction was always the same.

“I love you, too, baby,” she whispered back, shimmying against me.

I never knew which side of her I would get: the sassy one or the romantic one. Both were great, in my opinion.

As we started to get things out of the fridge, Spencer, Cade, and Maddox joined us.

“You’re taking out food! Great survival instincts,” Maddox said.

“Yep. I think Ben is getting ready to raise hell if he doesn’t get something to eat. And the rest aren’t going to just stay calm while he does it,” Spencer added.

“And to think, when you bought this penthouse, you thought you were going to have it all to yourself forever,” Cade teased, taking out plates. Everyone dropped by regularly, so they knew where everything was.

“I definitely don’t mind being wrong,” I assured him.

We routinely hosted sleepovers, taking turns in the family. That way everyone got some free couple time. And besides, the kids loved sleeping somewhere else. It was one big adventure for them.

Dina started crying, and Allison sighed. “I’m going to check on her.”

“Sure. We’ve got this covered,” Spencer said lazily, waving her off as she headed to the living room. Since he’d been the first one among us to become a father, he was a pro at every stage. “It’s a good thing you like to host here. Although, I do think Gran is getting jealous that she doesn’t get to host as many things as before.”

Gran and Grandpa really had gotten way too frail to host anything lately. They were very glad to come wherever we asked them to, mostly here at the penthouse or at Spencer’s house. I had a feeling that Gran was secretly relieved that she didn’t have to deal with us all at her house anymore.

The rest of my brothers came in, too, and Spencer chuckled. “Let me guess, everyone’s offspring is preparing to throw a tantrum unless we shove some food into them?”

“You know it,” Colton said. “It’s like they have a timer or something.”

“They probably do,” Jake said.

For the next ten minutes, we prepped food for our respective kids. I had my hands fuller than others with four plates, but I’d learned the hard way not to make them share plates. Sharing never worked.

“Oh, it’s good to see my boys like this,” Mom said. I hadn’t heard her approach the kitchen. She looked at me and then Maddox and Leo, then the rest of our brothers too. “You’re all such amazing dads.”

There was a quiet moment in the group before Colton replied, “Yes, we are.”

The apples had fallen very far from the tree. Dad didn’t end up using the Whitley name for the restaurant—he did something worse. He embezzled from his investor and was currently serving time. Karma had finally caught up with him.

“I’m very proud of all of you. Now, Nick, I think you need two extra pairs of hands.”

“Took the words right out of my mouth, Mom. Thanks.”

She grabbed two plates, and we all headed to the couches, where our ladies were already wrestling hungry toddlers.

We all made good teams with our partners. And wasn’t that what life was all about?

I sat down between Jack and Annie. Mom and Allison were handling the other two. We very narrowly managed to avoid a tantrum. All the kids were surprisingly silent as the doorbell rang.

“That will be the catering company,” Mom exclaimed. “I’m on it.” She went to open the front door.

Mom had arranged everything with the catering company this time. Usually, Allison was in charge, but she’d had back-to-back meetings the entire week. She was no longer just CFO of the company—she was now the CEO. I couldn’t be prouder of my woman. She was smart, ambitious, and went after what she wanted. I was happy that her hard work was being rewarded. As for me, I’d opened ten more fitness centers in the last few years. With Allison at my side, I felt like I was on top of the world.

“Your mom is awesome,” she said.

“I know.”

As the catering team came in, the kids got wind that more food was on the way, and no one was interested in the snacks anymore.

Just a day in the life of a parent.

Lunchtime was complete madness, but then everyone seemed to settle down once Allison and I announced that we were bringing the cake out. Annie and Jack were very proud to be celebrating their birthday. And I was too. I loved these two as if they were my own, which was why I was more than happy that I’d adopted them. They came straight to the kitchen island, and the whole family gathered on the other side.

“Ready to sing happy birthday?” I asked.

The whole room replied with a chorus of “Yes.”

Both of them were ecstatic as everyone cheered for them, and Jack actually blew out his candle before the last person had stopped singing. Then again, Leo had always been somewhat off-key, even during something as simple as “Happy Birthday.”

For once, Annie didn’t scold Jack, a habit she’d maintained over the years. Instead, she blew out her own candle too.

Gran was walking around with a smile. Her eyes turned a bit glossy as she came closer and said, “I’m very happy for all of you, raising your families with so much dedication. I’m happy to be here with you.”

“Thanks, Gran.” I knew why she was so emotional. For so many years, all of us were adamant that we didn’t want families, that we absolutely didn’t want to be fathers. Yet over the years, that had drastically changed. We had changed. And we owed it all to the amazing women we’d met.

“All right, everyone, who wants to blow candles out next?” Colton asked.

We’d made a deal with the kids. Everyone was allowed to blow out candles because apparently it was their favorite activity to do. So, at every birthday, every single kid got to blow out candles. It was always a long wait before we finally ate cake.

***

By the time everyone left, it was almost ten o’clock, and the kids were asleep. Allison and I were in the living room, lying down on the couch. She was on top of me, and I was rubbing her back without saying a word.

“Babe, are you asleep?” I whispered.

“Oh no. I’m just enjoying being on top of you. Feeling you up with my own body.”

I laughed. “All these years later and my abs are still your favorite?”

“Definitely. Some things never change.”

I kissed her forehead and then brushed my lips over hers.

“And you know what my favorite place in the house still is for sexy time?” she asked.

“No, what is?”

“The dressing room, of course.”

That made me laugh. “You don’t need to say it twice,” I said, then slowly lifted us off the couch, carrying her in my arms. “Your wish is my command. Now and forever.”

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