EPILOGUE
EIGHT MONTHS LATER
Faye
“I wouldn’t dream of bossing you around,” Felix says, holding his camera in his big strong hands as he stands on the other side of the studio.
“Oh really?” I murmur, my hands over my bump.
“Hold, smile,” he says, and I do it, not having to fake the smile for even a second.
It’s nothing like the first time we were in here when nerves were blazing through me, little voices whispering Felix could never want me.
After the photo, he chuckles, nodding. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”
“Some might say you just bossed me around.” I laugh and then laugh even more when our beautiful bump starts kicking. “You see? She agrees with you.”
“Already the girls are ganging up on me, eh?”
I giggle, my whole being warm with love.
It’s been the same as we’ve planned the wedding and pursued photography projects together. First, Felix’s Europe reveal was a hit, the photos garnering national attention, and then we moved on to more naturalistic work…together.
We’re addicted to each other, even now.
We’re never not going to be addicted to each other.
“You better get used to it,” I tease, as I walk across the room.
Felix is wearing a casual T-shirt and shorts, letting me see the tightness in his muscles. It’s like they’ve become even bigger since I got pregnant, like he wants to be stronger, thicker, fitter to protect our growling family.
“You are so beautiful,” he says, looking down at the camera viewer, then up at me.
I toss my head, able to take his compliments in a way I never was before.
I believe him, even if it shouldn’t make sense. I’m eight months pregnant with everything that entails, the extra weight and everything, but he doesn’t care.
I can see how badly he wants me, always wants me, the same way I want him.
“You’re not so bad yourself.”
He grins, and for a while, we snap more photos.
“So tell me then,” I say. “Why are you so scared to boss me around?”
He laughs. “Well, number one. You’ve got some experience now with photographing models, so I think you know what you’re doing.”
His words make me glow, my smile spreading as I think about the shot we did near the waterfall—classy and cool.
“And number two. Your pregnancy hormones are pretty damn scary.”
I laugh at his teasing note, turning sideways and holding my bump, our bump since it holds our child and our future inside.
“Well, since that’s the case, you better take this photo at this angle before I go on a freaking rampage.”
We laugh together, our voices rising, our love swelling with it.
Felix takes a photo, and that’s the one we go with.
The laughter, the smile, the light, the love.
I know I’ll cherish it forever.