Epilogue

If there was one day in his calendar when Ethan let me do something for him without him returning the favor - then it was definitely his birthday.

It was the day I had always looked forward to, more than anything, since it gave me an easy excuse to do things for him that were bound to make him incredibly happy.

I recalled his birthday a few years ago when we flew to Paris to celebrate it. We were making love until midnight, and right when the clock struck twelve, I broke the news to him. According to him, that is still the most memorable and most cherishing moment of his life.

"We're pregnant," I said, my facing breaking into a huge grin.

He was hovering over me, after an intense lovemaking session, and was just about to go for my lips when I uttered the words. I felt his entire body freeze under my palms as soon as he heard them, and his eyes instantly shot up to mine.

"What?" he asked, as though he couldn't believe what he just heard.

Only we knew why the news meant so much to us at that point. We had already lost a baby when I had a miscarriage years ago, and since then, we never consciously tried to have kids since the grief was too much for us to handle. The thought of losing another kid was too tormenting for us - although we knew it would not always be the same - we decided to postpone that event for as long as we could.

To be honest, we dreaded the possibility. When we lost our first child, I was in a bad shape myself - which led Ethan to remain discreet about my miscarriage. He had initially planned of never letting me know, but he eventually broke the news to me because he finally saw the truth that I deserved to know it too, no matter how devastating it could be for me.

We got into our biggest fight over that, but I couldn't stay mad at him for long. I felt robbed of knowing the truth, but I also knew how hard it must have been for him at that time to stay strong for me and protect me. I couldn't bear the thought of being angry at him. We had already been through so much, and if I hadn't forgiven him, it would have all been for nothing.

Snapping me out of my thoughts, Ethan ran his thumb over my cheek, delicately cupping it. Looking up into his eyes, I saw them fill with tears.

"Please tell me you're not joking," he said.

I grinning back at him with tears of my own in my eyes.

Holding him by the back of his neck, I pulled him down to leave a chaste kiss on his lips. "I am one hundred per cent sure about it. I went for a pregnancy test right before we came here. And we are indeed going to be parents."

A sob left his mouth as he scooped me into his arms and indulged me into a deep kiss. Since we were both welled with emotions, it was proving hard for us to keep kissing. But staying close to him was the only thing that was gratifying me. Kissing him didn't only seem like a way to relish the pleasure, it felt more like a need.

I wanted his lips on mine as I let myself enjoy the moment we shared. It was the most vulnerable and intimate we had been with ourselves and it was by far, the happiest we had ever felt.

Every year when we celebrate his birthday, I was always taken back to that day. My eyes welled in contentment and I hurriedly wiped the tears off my face.

It brought me back to the present situation. Dressed in a beige-colored dress, which left my shoulders bare on the top and extended till my mid-thighs, I constantly reminded myself that it was no time for me to cry. It was Ethan's day and it was no time for tears. Not even happy ones. This day was all about smiles and laughing and having the best time we possibly could.

"Babe, are you ready yet? We're running late." I heard Ethan speak as he walked into the room with his eyes fixed on the Rolex watch he locking around his wrist.

I noticed his reflection on the mirror and almost melted at the sight of pure perfection. How he managed to make me drool even after so many years of being together truly astounded me. He wore a plain white shirt and styled in his classic way - leaving the top few buttons undone to let me ogle at his chest and rolling his sleeves up till the elbows.

White was the color that suited him the best - although he looked ravishing in just about all colors. With men like him, there's never a conflict while choosing colors or types of garments, he added beauty to everything he possessed.

Seeming to have sensed my gaze on him, he looked up to arrest me within his eyes. When he did, he slowly ran his eyes down my body, making it rather obvious that he was lusting over it. His mouth slighted parted in delight before his eyes found mine again, and he slowly walked toward me with evident haste in his steps.

Noticing his advances, I turned around and that gave him the right opportunity to snake his arms around my waist and pull me closer toward himself.

"Wow." He said as he closely examined my face. "I can't believe that I've been in love with you for more than a decade and you still manage to take my breath away."

I could only chuckle at his response. "Believe me or not, that was exactly what I thought a mere seconds ago."

He frowned upon my compliment. "You're going to put me to shame at the party, sweetheart. And I can't believe you were complaining about not looking that good enough after pregnancy. To be honest, you look more desirable now than you have ever been."

With that said, he didn't leave me a chance to respond as he quickly descended his lips onto mine. Lost in the trance, my lips moved against his with the same hunger and desire he possessed.

It felt as though my knees were going weak and the only thing that kept me stable were his hands that were running over my entire back. His touch elicited electricity through my body and craving for a release, I groaned into his mouth.

"Shit," he said and pulled back, to nuzzle his nose close to mine. "I would love to continue this later tonight but right now, we're running late."

Although I hated that we had to stop, I knew there was something more delightful waiting for him later this evening. But I seriously doubted if he would agree with us on that, because according to him, his favorite pass time was spending his time next to me in bed, naked.

When we finally reached the venue, Ethan's curiosity just kept growing. I assigned him the duty of taking care of our babies while I led them toward the site, and when we finally reached there, it felt as though I was hit by a lightning bolt.

The sight looked perfect and I could hardly believe that my plans were executed to such perfection - with all thanks to our dear friends.

"Surprise!" We heard everyone sing once the lights were turned on - and the entire yacht glimmered in our vision.

"Wow." I heard Ethan heave sigh beside me. Glancing at his side, my face split into a grin when I noticed the surprise in his place. "You planned this? A birthday party on a Yacht?"

I wrapped my arm around his waist and pecked him on his cheek. "I've heard you talk about this a million times. I knew you always wanted an evening with friends on your Yacht as it's been so long since all of us met. Well, here it is."

Turning his face toward me, he pecked my lips repeatedly until Ben interrupted us.

"Ethan, you douche, you can eat Skylar's face any other time. Get your asses up here."

Chuckling into the kiss, he pulled away from me and looked up at Ben who was waiting for us to get into the Yacht. I took hold of the kid's stroller from him as he threw his arms around my shoulder.

When we finally got inside, my eyes almost welled in delight.

"I missed you guys," I said and hugged the first person I found, who ended up being Jen.

"I missed you guys, too." she said, wearing a face splitting grin. "how long has it been since all of us met? If I remember it correctly, it was almost four years ago."

We were in touch all these years, but it was never possible for us to meet all our friends together. It was definitely a reunion we had all been waiting for.

Soon, the party started in full form. The guys grouped up near the bar to have drinks and the ladies found a table with the kids to gossip.

"Oh, look those morons gulping shots like they have no worry in the world." Jen scoffed beside me. "And here we are taking care of the children."

"Cut them some slack, will you?" Lucy interjected. "They have pretty stressful job handling work, kids and their wives. Plus, they deserve it once in a while."

"Well, hello miss newlywed." Stella said from across the table, "Lucky for you, Zac is the best out of all those dick heads. Although I'm not sure if he'll remain sane after you guys have kids."

While Jen, Lucy and I sat on one side of the table, Stella and Lana took the opposite side. Recently, Lucy and Zac got married in a private ceremony and all of us were complaining that none of us was invited.

They went to the city hall to say their vows and I shocked me that they didn't prefer to have a ceremony afterwards. But then again, it only made sense, because Zac and Lucy never enjoyed fancy events. The money they saved on their wedding, they donated to Ethan's charity - an organization he started to ensure better care for the mothers all over the world. It was soon after our miscarriage that he realized that he wanted to do the best that he could to prevent it from happening to others.

"Well, talking about kids," Lucy said, grabbing all our attention. "Zac and I decided to adopt a girl."

Everybody fell silent at the news that it almost worried Lucy. The truth was, we were equally surprised.

"Lucy," I started, "That is such great news! I'm so happy for you both."

Soon everyone shared the same grin on their faces as I did - it showed how supportive and impressed we were with their decision.

"We are indeed very happy for you, Lucy. And I can't wait to be an aunt once again!" Jen said and hugged her sideways.

"Same here!" All of us said in unison.

Bringing our champagnes glasses up into the air, we declared a toast for her.

"While we are at it, I think it's the right time for me to announce that we are expecting too," Lana said, giggling.

This surely came as a surprise to us but nonetheless, we were both thrilled and happy.

"Wow, we're all officially mothers. Or, going to be!" Stella pointed it out. "I can't wait to plan baby showers for all of you."

I watched as Lucy chuckled, "What, but I'm not pregnant."

"Doesn't matter, honey. All that matters are that you're going to be a parent soon!" Jen said.

Later that evening, once we tucked our kids to sleep, Ethan, drunk as he was, walked up to me and stole me for a bit of a private chat.

"I heard that I'm going to be an uncle soon." He said, shaking his arm around my waist. "Lana's knocked up and Lucy and Zac are going to adopt."

I broke into a fit of laughter at his bluntness but nevertheless, it didn't surprise me. "God, Ethan."

He grinned at me and took hold of my lips by his. Pulling away, he pulled my body closer to him by wrapping an arm around my neck until his nose nuzzled across mine. "I had so much fun tonight, Darling. I seriously can't thank you enough. You and the kids make me so happy."

I smiled at his lips and pecked the corner of his mouth. "You're in for a treat tonight."

His eyes narrowed because they filled with lust and hunger, "If I'm lucky, yes. I'll try to break our bed."

This man, "I can't believe you said that. It's like a fucking marathon for you."

"I can never have enough of you." He said.

"But before that, I need to tell you something," I said.

He nodded and pulled away but only after he pecked my forehead. "I'm listening."

Looking around at the throng of people, I shook my head. "Not here."

I clasped his hand in mine and pulled him up with me. He followed closely behind me, his hands never leaving my hips as we climbed to the top floor.

As soon as we reached, we came to a halt when we read giant letters on a huge poster. I grinned at the words that were written on them - We're going to be five soon.

Turning around, I found Ethan's frown plastered on his face. "Five? Sweetheart, I turned thirty today."

"I said we."

"Well, we've been married for more than five years, right?"

I rolled my eyes at him and clutched my hips in annoyance. How this man could be so smart and so slow at the same time always amazed me.

"Are you. does that mean. Skylar, are you fucking kidding me?" He asked once realization dawned on him.

My face broke into a grin and I cupped his face, "I'm not, turns out you're not only going to be an uncle but also a father soon!"

The look on Ethan's face was what I had been waiting for the entire evening. Honestly, when the girls beamed over the news we got today, it took almost all of my strength to control the urge to spill the news of my pregnancy too. But I controlled myself anyway since Ethan was the first one that deserved to know.

"Sweetheart, I don't believe this." He said, showering me with kisses. "I can't believe my fortune. We're going to be a family of five!"

I smiled back at him, "Yes. Yes, we are!"

"How far along are you?" He asked, placing his palm over my abdomen and running soothing circles over it.

"Eight weeks," I said.

His eyes shot up to mine, "How do I always manage to knock you up on my birthday?"

I broke into a good round of laughter. "Seriously, there's a high chance of this baby being born on the same day as the twins."

"That's going to be so odd." He said and chuckled at me. "And I can't wait for it!"

Saying that he scooped me into his arms and kissed me deeply. I melted into his embrace yet again and clung onto him like my life depended on it.

"I think we need to head back downstairs to let everybody know." He said. "I'm pretty sure everybody wood want another round of drinks once we break the news to them."

"I can't believe we're all pregnant at the same time. But I don't want to make the news public yet. Let's wait until we enter the second trimester."

He nodded. "I understand." Holding my hand in his, he softly said. "Are you nervous?"

"I am." I admitted. "I'm scarred, too."

"Don't be." He said, pulling me close. "We're going to be fine. And we're going to have a healthy baby in our arms soon."

I grinned into his embrace. "I love you so much, Ethan. And sometimes, it drives me insane."

I felt his chest move against mine as he laughed, "Trust me, darling. I feel the same way. But given the chance, I would not have it any another way."

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