Epilogue

Epilogue DJ stood in the hospital room, trying to figure out if there was anything between them worth saving. Evie’s hostility mirrored the one she had first brought to New York. “We got married so that life wouldn’t separate us.”

“We got married so that I could stay in the country,” Evie said.

“That’s a lie and you know it. No one would have gone against Adrian Ross if he said that you were his daughter.” DJ wanted to pull his hair out. “We got married so that life wouldn’t separate us.”

“We got married so that life wouldn’t separate us,” she murmured.

“Why wouldn’t you tell me you were pregnant?”

“I didn’t want to disappoint you again. I wanted you to have the family you wanted, and Andrea—”

“Andrea is crazy.”

“I was going to come back after the baby was born.”

“Which one?”

“Andrea’s…I mean ours, but the one Andrea was carrying.” It all sounded too crazy. This didn’t happen in normal life. Fate wasn’t so cruel as to complicate someone’s life this much. “When I found out I was pregnant, I couldn’t risk losing it again. Katherine told me that I needed constant bed rest, and the day I broke that rule would be the day I lose my baby.”

“Is that why you are so angry with me? You think it’s my fault.”

“I’m angry because I can’t get anything right. I got a hysterectomy, DJ, do you know what that means? There is not second chance for me.” Evie swiped the tears away angrily. “I’m not being ungrateful. I just wanted this baby so much. Thinking that Sophie was dead, the surrogate ordeal, then Andrea…I just wanted to get something right.”

“And you did.” DJ couldn’t be angry anymore. He decided this relationship was worth it, not just for him and Evie, but also for their children. He held her hand, squeezing as tight as he could. “He is a fighter.”

“Who?”

“Our other little boy. He is premature and only two pounds, but he is a fighter.”

“He survived?” The surprise on her face told DJ that no one had updated her on her baby.

“Of course, he did, he is just as strong as his mommy.” DJ held Evie in his arms as she wept. He held her tight. This was definitely worth it. “It’s not exactly a fairy tale but, we will get our happily ever after.”

***

Three months later Evie and DJ stood in front of their family at the church and watched as their children got baptized, each of them held by their godparents. Little Sophie Rosalinda Isadora Kent, was in Reno’s arms protesting as loud as she could as Lisette wiped the water from her head. Evie wished that Sophie had been alive to stand beside her. She would have been her little namesake’s godmother.

AJ and Katherine held their own godson, Jean Dennis Ross Kent, while Ethan and Catalella held Julien Ethan Ross Kent. Dennis had decided to break tradition while naming their sons, wanting them to have their own identity. She didn’t mind. Nothing could ever bother her ever again. She was happy, finally. She had her own family.

“Hey baby sis, are you happy?”

Evie looked up at a beaming DJ, she held him a little tighter then said, “Oui, mon frère. Very happy.”