Epilogue

MASON

One Year Later

The soft cries of Marco echo around our bedroom, with the moon shining brightly through the window. Madison rolls over, exhaustion peeking through as her brows furrow at the notion of having to get up in the middle of the night. I won't let her, leaning over to kiss her gently on the forehead.

"I'll grab him, babe. Sleep."

She moans her thanks and turns over to return to her peaceful slumber. I pad across our large bedroom with a wall of pictures from our wedding, honeymoon, baby-moon, and treks across Europe. This past year's been full of lessons and life changes that I never imagined.

Teacher.

Lover.

Husband.

Father.

All the titles I cherish are only mine because Madison's the love of my life. My teaching days aren't behind me as I've taken an instructional job with my father's company. It gives me plenty of time to stay home and be a father to our little guy, Marco.

Inside an elephant-gray nursery with white and blue furniture, our son cries with fury. Marco's chubby face with large blue eyes, mimicking his mother's beautiful gaze. They are red with tears as I approach the crib. It's a sharp sense of protection washing over me to make sure he's alright, scooping our little bundle into my arms. His little body still scrunches together like a bean when I pick him up, cementing another memory into my mind.

The moment he's close to my chest, he tries desperately to feed through my shirt. Well, that answers the question of what's woken him. It's a few steps to the bottle warmer where a midnight snack waits for our son.

Son.

Such an amazingly simple word with the weight of the world on my shoulders to keep him safe, fed, and happy. I can't stop smiling at Marco as he closes his eyes, sipping milk from his bottle and dozing off as he eats. A head full of black hair, similar to mine, captures his scent. It's a mixture of soap, soft citrus, and talc powder.

"I could sniff him forever," Madison says from the doorway to the nursery.

"You can have your turn at five in the morning. Right now, I get all the smells," I tease her. "I got it, honey. You should lie back down. Don't you have work in the morning?"

"I do." She chuckles. "I guess I have you to thank for my latest stint in the marketing department. Super early mornings, Montoya."

I whisper to her, "But you get three-day work weeks. I was only trying to help when I mentioned it to your supervisor."

Madison pulls her robe closed and comes into the room where I'm sitting in the rocking chair, holding Marco close to me. I admit I'm not ready to put him back in his crib, even though he's sound asleep.

Madison lowers her face to kiss Marco's sleeping face and turns slightly to kiss me. It's slow, tender, and everything I love about our kisses.

"Don't start while I'm holding, Marco. At least wait until I put him back in the crib."

She giggles, kissing me again gently. "Well, you've already put him to sleep. Why don't you come help your wife sleep through the night?"

This is why I'm the luckiest guy in the world. I couldn't have asked for a better friend, wife, and mother. Her patience can use some work, but I love her still.

"Give me a few to make sure he's okay and I'll come right in."

"Coming right in me is exactly how we got Marco." She laughs, retreating from the nursery with a pause at the doorway. She opens her robe to flash me her naked body, perky nipples, and her pussy ready for me to put another baby inside. Damn, I love my wife and I love my life.