“Not at all,” Leo says, kissing me gently. “I feel the same. I always wanted children, but I never thought I’d get them. Now, watching you pregnant for a second time...you don’t know how happy it makes me.”
I smile softly. Leo doesn’t open up much, but when he does, it’s always worth the wait. He’s got this sweet side to him, despite his tough, sexy exterior. I think I’m the only one who sees this side of him, and that makes me happy too. It’s like he reserves this side of himself, his loving caring side, just for me and Gigi. In other words, just for our family. And I like it that way. I don’t care about a single person outside of this household. My family are the only people who truly matter to me.
“I’m so glad I can give you something back,” I whisper to him. “You take care of me so perfectly, and I can give you the family you’ve always wanted.”
“You don’t owe me a thing. I share my life with you because I want to,” Leo growls, touching my cheek gently. “But I’ll always be grateful to you for making all of my dreams come true. You have given me so much that I thought I’d never have. I never thought I’d get to fall in love, have children, to have a family after dad passed away. But you came at the perfect time, didn’t you?”
I smile as I remember the inheritance clause. What a crazy time in our life that was. It still baffles me that Leo’s father practically planned our marriage and made it happen. I’ll always be grateful to him for that. I wish I could’ve spent more time with him, my father-in-law. I know Leo misses him every day. But I guess things never would have panned out the same for us if he was still alive. Maybe it would’ve taken much longer for us to reach this point. Sometimes I feel sad about him being gone, but I owe him everything. My happiness is all down to him.
And he’d love to see what we’ve built here. A family that’s growing every year. A love that can’t be contained or restrained. A whole lot of happiness that so many people never get to experience. We really have it all. I glance over at Leo and smile. This man changed my life forever. I was miserable before him, and I was miserable when I was waiting for him to want me back. But that misery was worth it because now we’re together, and we’ll never run out of happiness.
This will last a lifetime.
Final Epilogue
Fifteen years later...
Leo
There are different kinds of love that we find in life. There are easy loves that come naturally and never really fade. There is family love, the kind of love that is unconditional. There are fleeting loves, something I’ve never experienced myself.
And then there’s the love I have for Amelia.
It burns bright, even fifteen years after we first fell for one another. Fifteen years of love and care and overcoming challenges together. Fifteen years of building something incredible. Fifteen years of falling for one another more and more every day.
And today is no exception. I watch her getting ready in front of her vanity, putting pearl earrings in her ears. Today is Gigi’s fourteenth birthday party and she’s insisted on a costume party, so Amelia is dressing up as Audrey Hepburn for the day. She looks so damn good right now, her figure squeezed into a slinky black dress, black gloves, and her hair piled up stylishly. She’s more beautiful than Audrey Hepburn, without a doubt. Even now, at thirty-three years old, she could blow any young pretty thing out of the water. Her beauty is timeless, just like Hepburn’s.
She glances over her shoulder to smile at me. “Ah, 007...I’ve been expecting you.”
I grin back at her, adjusting my suit jacket. I’m not much for costume parties, but for Gigi, I promised to make an effort. A little James Bond energy seemed like a good choice.
“What an unlikely pair we make.”
Amelia laughs. “Ain’t that the truth.”
We find it funny how many funny looks we get in public. So many people just take one glance at us and decide they’re not happy about our relationship. I guess it makes sense given our age gap, but it’s never bothered us, so I’m not sure why some people find it so hard to swallow. We’re happy, happier than most, and that’s all that matters to us.
I stand beside Amelia as she gets ready, massaging her shoulders gently. She smiles as she slicks on some lipstick, looking at me in the reflection in the mirror.
“I’ve always wanted to date a secret agent.”
“Yeah?” I growl, bending to nibble her ear. “Well, I guess that’s one roleplay we can try out in the bedroom.”