Epilogue

EPILOGUE

“One, two, three, four…” Jane was using her fingers to count the weeks prior to this day.

She specifically remembered the day of her last monthlies, and she was certain that it had been more than two months ago. In other words, her monthlies were late. Four weeks late.

She glanced at herself in the mirror then she stood up. She was wearing a loose gown, so she could not really see the outline of her belly, so she tightened it around her waist. Now, there was an outline, but there was no bulge. She chuckled at herself. Of course, it was too early to show. She was being silly.

But the thought filled her with love and tenderness. She pressed her hands to her belly. There was a little being growing there, inside of her. A little being who was an amalgamation of her and Leo. It belonged to them both. They created it, with love.

The knowledge that she was with child was too overpowering. She felt a sudden need to cry, and instead of wiping her tears away before they even started to slip down her cheeks, she merely allowed them to fall. She had nothing to be embarrassed about. In this household, her emotions were always validated. They were always important, and she was never made to feel self-conscious about them.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. She looked at it in the reflection of the mirror.

“Come in,” she called out, thinking that it was probably her lady’s maid, Mary.

But it wasn’t Mary. It was Leo. He let himself in, walking all the way up to her. He had a concerned expression on his face. He approached her from behind wrapping his arms around her waist. She smiled, but her eyes were still watery and red.

“What is the matter, darling?” he asked, sounding even more worried now. “Did something happen?”

“Yes,” she nodded, unable to resist teasing him a little. “Something… bigger than anything you could have ever imagined.”

“Something important?” he asked, gazing at her in the mirror’s reflection.

She loved the way he looked at her. His eyes seemed to want to devour her, to drink her up, to make their two beings into one. That was what she herself wanted. Now, they have achieved that goal, only in different terms. They created a being that was two beings in one. Him and her.

“Something crucial,” she nodded again.

“And it made you cry?” he asked again.

“Yes,” she smiled.

He frowned. Now, he was more confused than ever. “I don’t understand…”

“Tell me one thing,” she ignored his comment. “Do you think we could ever be any happier than we are now?”

He hesitated to reply. Her heart clenched, wondering what he was trying to find the right words for. Was he not happy?

“You make me happier than I’ve ever been,” he admitted, kissing her neck softly. “But… there is something that would make me even happier, with you by my side, of course. I would never dream of changing that, ever.”

She chuckled at his confusing jumble of words. “Just say what it is, you clutz.”

He smiled. “Well… I know it may be too soon, but… I would love it if we had a child.” He finished the sentence, obviously not wishing to make her feel forced into it or anything because it was something that they hadn’t discussed yet.

They were making love to each other every night. It was easy to put two and two together, that they were both ready for such an event. Still, they never discussed it openly. She knew that he wanted children, and he knew that she wanted them as well. But that was about all they knew regarding this subject.

She had no idea if perhaps he wanted to wait a little. Now, he revealed that he wanted it as soon as possible. That realization almost made her cry again. All because of those silly hormones that made her much more emotional that she normally was. She wondered how she would behave in half a year when she was already so tender.

She turned to him and cupped his face with her hands. “You don’t know how happy your words make me.”

“Really?” he managed to muster.

“That big news I have…” she started, smiling lovingly at him. “Is that I am with child.”

He looked at her in a manner that meant only one thing. He lived to be with her. There was no other way to describe that look that seemed to consume them both. He was speechless at first, unable to say anything. All he could do was wrap his arms around her waist and pull her closer to himself. She caressed his cheeks, unable to stop staring at this gorgeous man. All the emotions she had for him surfaced in this precious moment.

“You’re crying?” he asked, wiping a single tear from her cheek. She hadn’t even noticed that she was. She smiled.

“Those are tears of joy,” she admitted. “I have never felt so happy, so complete, so utterly beloved and cherished than I have been by you.”

“I plan on doing that for the rest of our lives, my love,” he assured her, kissing her forehead. “And now, I plan on spoiling this little babe as well. There is no way you will stop me.”

They both chuckled at his words. As they were laughing, she could feel her own heart thundering inside her chest.

“To tell you honestly, I have been meaning to discuss this with you for a while now,” he confessed. “I want as many children as you wish to give me. They will be my treasure because they will be half you.”

“And they will be mine, because they will be half you,” she aimed his own sentence back at him, meaning every word of it.

Suddenly, he grew serious. “How do you feel? Do you need anything?”

“I am fine,” she chuckled again. “I am with child, but that doesn’t mean that I have grown ill.”

They both paused. It was a tender moment of silent confessions of love. His lips fell upon hers, longer and deeper than they usually did. When she pulled away, he was still gazing at her, all the love etched in the irises of his eyes.

“Are you truly happy, Leo?” she asked.

It was a silly question, really. She was certain that he was. He was showing it to her every single day. His smile proved it. His touch was warm and loving, his kisses tender and passionate at the same time. They had grown closer than she ever thought was possible for two people to be. Yet, she wanted to hear him say it. She wanted him to tell her how happy she was making him, how ecstatic he was that they were expecting a child together.

The notion was still new to her, even though she had been certain for two weeks now. She wanted to wait a little longer before she told him because she had no idea how he would react. Would it even be something he wanted, something he needed?

“I am beyond happy, my love,” he whispered against her lips. “This news that you just shared with me… you could not have told me anything more important, more beautiful, more desirable.”

“You do know that a child will change everything?” she asked.

“Of course,” he nodded importantly. “It will change everything for the better.”

She smiled. She was in awe of how he always knew exactly what to say. His words never failed to soothe her. They never failed to make her feel like the most wonderful, most beloved woman in the entire world.

Another tear rolled down her cheek. She wasn’t even trying to stop them any longer. She was overwhelmed by love, by tenderness for her husband, for this babe that was growing inside of her. She could not have imagined being this blessed, not after the life she led back home.

Suddenly, her face turned grave.

“What is it, my love?” he asked.

“I remembered my mother,” she admitted. “I wonder if she was this happy to have me… with Father.”

“I am certain that she was,” he assured her. “Your mother is a very kind, gentle lady. I hope she finds her voice, though. Kind people tend to get trampled upon, and I’d hate for her to continue living that kind of life.”

Jane agreed wholeheartedly. It had been a whole month since their conversation. Well, since Jane’s own monologue because it was she who did most of the talking. Neither her father nor her mother had reached out yet. Jane wondered what would happen. She feared that she had ruined her relationship with her parents.

“What if they don’t want me in their lives any longer?” Jane asked, trembling at the thought. “I just wanted to make him understand that he was wrong, that he shouldn’t treat Mother like that. She didn’t deserve that…”

“I know,” Leo nodded, embracing her. “You have to accept that you aren’t and can’t be responsible for the lives and fates of others. You can only point them in the right direction, but you can’t walk that path for them.”

“You are right,” she nodded, pulling away. “Thank you for always being my anchor, even in the most tempestuous of storms.”

“Always, my love, always…”

Their lips met once again, but this was far less tender and far more passionate that the previous kiss. There was need and hunger in this one, amalgamated, demanding all from both of them. He lifted her around his waist, feeling needier than ever. Her own desire mirrored his.

They fell on the bed with a chuckle, making love again, slowly and delightfully, vowing to love one another for the rest of their days.