Epilogue

Natasha learnsthat she’s pregnant at exactly seven weeks. She never misses a period and notices right away. In a state of euphoria over the pregnancy news, Tate impulsively adopts a one-eyed Sphynx cat who Natasha immediately names Timmy.

This time, Tate can’t argue with her since he picked the name “Terrorist” for their chihuahua puppy – always a treat to explain at the vet. At first, there is complete chaos between the cat and the chihuahua puppy, but within a couple months, they’re best friends.

“Enemies to lovers,” Tate says when he catches the first picture of the sphinx and chihuahua. “Just like us.”

Natasha rolls her eyes… but she can’t help but crack a smile as Tate squats to get a better angle for the picture.

After a surprisingly peaceful thirty-nine weeks of pregnancy, Natasha gives birth to a pair of twins – two boys.

Somehow, in an extremely rare case, the ultrasound missed the twins. When the midwife and doctor hand Natasha the babies, she can’t stop looking at their overly excited father…

Of course, Tate would surprise her with twins. Of course he would.

“We’re going to name them after superheroes,” he says excitedly. “Captain and then… Panther.”

Natasha freezes. This is not the time to let Tate pick the names. Clearly. “Tate. We are not naming our son Captain. Or Panther. Get that idea out of your head.”

She stares at him, making sure he really absorbed the message.

“Fine,” Tate says, staring at one of our sons with so much love on his face that it makes me forget how annoying he can be. “As long as we don’t name them something like Timmy.”

“We’re not going to name our son after our cat, Tate.”

“Right,” he whispers. “Can I kiss his forehead?”

“He’s your son,” Natasha says, holding their second twin and clutching him against her chest. They both have grey eyes… just like their dad.

Once they take the twins home, chaos ensues for months. The twins grow at an alarming rate, clearly taking after their father, who enjoys every minute with them. Terrorist lives up to his name and develops a habit of chasing the Sphynx cat Timmy around the house. When they aren’t napping together in a beam of sunlight, they’re warring like an old married couple.

After a significant amount of fighting, dragging Cormac into the argument, and a lot of make-up sex, Tate and Natasha finally choose names for the twins…

Asher Whitmarsh and Joshua Allen Whitmarsh. Natasha only finds out that Josh Allen is a quarterback after the twins’ first birthday…

The makeup sex from that argument leads to another pregnancy and this time, Natasha gets news early.

Twins. Again. Tate celebrates by adopting two Aussiedoodles from another illegal and inhuman Amish breeding program.

“We don’t have space for all these people!” Natasha screams at him when he arrives with two adorable, crated Aussiedoodles.

“Then I guess it’s a good time to let you know about the house.”

Tate reveals another surprise. A newly constructed house a few miles away from their first place together with a huge backyard overlooking a gorgeous Central New York lake with a little dock to swim off of. While Natasha explores the house and envisions decorating all the rooms – especially the baby rooms – Tate waits for her in the foyer.

And when she returns – he’s down on one knee, ready to pop the question.

“Terran was supposed to get this heirloom engagement ring when our grandmother died,” Tate says. “But I won it off him in a poker game when we were eighteen. It never felt right to give to anyone else…”

“But stolen property feels right for me?”

“It’s worth $80,000,” Tate says, springing open the box. “And I won that poker game as fairly as possible considering I spiked my cousin’s drink.”

Natasha gives Tate a disapproving look but quickly adjusts her views on his sketchy activities when she sees how damn beautiful her hand looks with an heirloom ring worth $80,000.

“It’s beautiful, Tate.”

“I know,” he says. “And so are you, Natasha.”

“I love you, Tate.”

It’s not the first time she’s said it, but it’s the first time saying it has felt like doing somersaults.

“I love you too, baby. And I’m never letting you go…”

THE END FOR REAL…