Epilogue

Connor

F ive and a half months later

Sylvia Hayden Bennett—Sylvie for short—was born at 12:03 in the morning, and the very first thing she did the instant she came into the world was let out a wail strong enough to rattle the walls.

Like Ivy's mom had predicted, my baby girl had a head full of pale red hair that glowed bright beneath the florescent lights of the hospital room.

As I held her clutched to my chest, staring down at her utter perfection, my heart cracked wide open. I didn't know it was humanly possible to love a person as much as I loved the tiny bundle in my arms. I didn't even care that she was probably going to be as wild as her momma. In fact, I was excited to see what my little chickpea would get up to and if she could top some of the stories I'd heard about Ivy.

"She's absolutely perfect," I said in a whisper as I turned and looked at the hospital bed where my whole world laid, her hair slick with sweat and a tired smile on her beautiful face.

"She damn well better be, she made me push long enough to get her out."

Seventeen hours of labor had taken its toll on my butterfly, but she'd handled it like a champ. Even when she was screaming at me that my dick was never getting anywhere near her again.

She didn't mean it.

I was ninety-seven percent sure of that.

And if I was wrong, well, my woman couldn't resist my dimples. Or my ass. And I wasn't above fighting dirty.

My parents, along with Ivy's and all our closest friends, were currently in the waiting room waiting to meet the newest member of our family. But before I let them in, there was one last thing I needed to do.

"You want to help me give Momma her present?" I cooed down at my little monster. She blinked her eyes at me and opened her lips on a tiny yawn before passing back out. "I'll take that as a yes," I chuckled, reaching into my pocket as I moved toward the bed.

"Yay, presents!" Ivy exclaimed tiredly as I lowered to sit on the edge of the bed beside her. "It better be good. Our daughter's big-ass head is all your fault."

"Ah, but the red hair is yours."

She leaned back into the pillows with a heavy sigh. "I know. I'm already preparing for all the times I'm going to have to apologize to my mom for my childhood." She reached over and dragged her finger down our daughter's velvety cheek. "Something tells me this little one is going to give me a run for my money."

"Good thing you'll have me on your team then. Because I'm pretty sure we can handle anything just as long as we're together." I lifted the cushion-cut diamond ring, and her eyes immediately filled with tears. "What do you say, butterfly? Will you be my wife and give me more beautiful babies to drive us crazy until we're old and gray?"

"Yes!" she exclaimed on a watery laugh, wrapping her arms around my neck. "Yes, I'll marry you and give you more babies. Big-ass heads and all."

I was glad to hear it, because I intended to tangle her up with me so tightly, she'd never be able to work her way loose.

The End.

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