Chapter 226 - Epilogue

Chapter 226 - Epilogue
One year later

Camilla.

The smell of seasoned meat flowed from the grill and into the house as I opened the back door. I held one of the fresh doors open wide so Kylie could walk through it.

She balanced the cups full of iced drinks in one hand while the other held the pitcher. When she was through, I let the door close behind us, walking straight to the table under the porch to put down the salad bowl.

I peeked over at Raphael, smiling when I caught him looking at me. He was standing next to Alex by the grill, flipping steaks, while Alex cut up vegetables to put next. His lips tilted up before he looked back to the food.

"I swear I can't stand that smell," Kylie scrunched up her nose. I started placing napkins around the table, with her following behind with silverware.

Alex laughed. "I know how you feel. I was practically a vegan before."

"That's why we are a match made from heaven." I hear Kylie muse from behind me.

As I passed, Julie bounced in her highchair, giggling with her.
teething ring in her mouth. I leaned down to press a quick kiss to her cheek, making her squeal. The sound always made my chest burst with happiness.

Happy babies always brought smiles to everyone's face, but when it was my daughter, I was ten times happier.

Julie was eight months old and looked like a perfect mix of Raphael and me. She had dark brown hair with green eyes. She definitely had my nose, but I could tell she's got Raphael's tan skin compared to my pale one.

Despite her being a happy and relatively unfussy baby, the remaining few months of my pregnancy weren't easy. My symptoms kicked in. I couldn't eat meat without vomiting, or smell it for that matter. I had constant headaches and would have dizzying spells. It wasn't until I went to the doctor that I found out my blood was abnormally high.

For the rest of the pregnancy I tried to stay as stress-free as possible, with additional medication.

But then, life had other plans.

I had a placental abruption in my third trimester. The doctor put me on bedrest, strictly advising me to avoid any physical activities or long hours of standing, which I never did. I had heeded the instructions, but how the complications occurred baffled me a lot. I was scared through it all, but I fought it all. I remember how difficult my labor was, 20 hours long, and they had to take me through an emergency C-section later.

And now, here we are. With our little miracle.

Since then things had been wonderful. Raphael was a dream with her. He always jumped in to help whenever I needed him. Whether it was with the baby or me, he was right there. He constantly picked her up to rock her or carry her around. I knew he was going to spoil her to death. I kept having to remind myself when I saw him smiling down at her that I was not ready for another one.

"That sounds like a great idea." Kylie eyed the salad. "I'm not sure I'd want to vomit here. I'll need to get over that embarrassment."

I laughed with her. "As long as it's in the grass or toilet, I won't hold it against you."

She smiled and sat down in the chair. I sat across from her, right next to my daughter's chair.

Kylie was six months pregnant with her first. She was due to find out the gender at their next doctor's visit, but she swore they were going to have a boy. Our food was served by the gentlemen, and we spent the rest of the meal picking different topics.

After everyone had finished their meal, we remained on the porch and moved to the lounge chairs off to the side. Raphael held Julie until she started to get fussy, so I said a quick goodbye and took her upstairs to prepare for bed.

I spent over an hour washing, changing, and rocking her. Watching her drift off to sleep in my arms, I would have never believed life would have landed me here.

I always dreamt I would find a man and have a family one day. It came true. I met Raphael, and everything changed. Raphael was the best thing that could have happened to me. He made me feel safe and loved. I couldn't imagine a better life than the one I had now. It wasn't easy. Things weren't easy, but through the thick and thin, we always came out stronger and better. I had him, and together we started our own little family.

I placed Julie in her crib as warm hands slid around my waist. Raphael pressed a soft but lingering kiss on my cheek.

"I thought they'd never leave," he mumbled, then kissed me again.

I laughed quietly, spinning in his arms. "They're our friends."

He leaned down, his lips brushing against mine. "Sure, but I'd rather spend all my time with you." He kissed me sweetly on the lips, making my stomach tighten up. "How did she do? Is there something you need my help with?" He asked, pulling away slightly.

I shook my head. "Not really. I cleaned up the bath area already. She slept well. I think the others made her more tired than usual."

"What about the grill areas or dishes? Did the cleaners handle it? I should go help them with that."

He stopped me from going downstairs but did lead us back to our room. "They already did it."

"Oh, okay."

He closed our bedroom door and then kissed me again. My back was brushing against the door, and he leaned so close to me, sweeping me up again. "You always look so pretty like that angel." He mumbled, his lips brushing over my skin. He followed my racing pulse to my mark. "How are you feeling?"

I was expecting that question. Since we were cleared for sex by the doctor, he always asked before we moved forward. Whether I initiated it or not. It was another grain of sand to the pile of safe feelings he gave me. While the first few times we had sex after I gave birth, I was sore, but I didn't feel that way anymore.

"Good," I breathed. My hands slid to his shirt, pushing up the material to take it off. "I feel good."

Before I could take it off, he had me up in his arms and then on the bed. Arousal swelled between my thighs, and my skin flushed with heat. He prowled over me with darkened eyes.

"I was hoping for great, maybe even excellent," he teased. His lips started to kiss down my body, taking off clothes as he went. "Let me make that happen for you."

Oh yes, this was exactly where I was meant to be.

THE END....