And so we waited until our mini man was born. But raising the little guy was a full-time job. I struggled with recovering, feeling exhausted and run-down constantly, and so I’d kept pushing the wedding. Hudson was patient, as always. I think, in all reality, it didn’t even matter to him because he knew I was his and he was mine. We belonged to each other, and to prove it, he’d already started wearing a simple titanium wedding band to match my engagement ring.
We were in love, we were a deliriously happy family, but the timing for a wedding still wasn’t right. Maybe deep down we wondered what our wedding would look like. Would our families really come together to celebrate our engagement? Did it even matter what they thought? And did we really want them there?
My dad had always been incredibly accepting of Hudson and me, never once judging us or our decisions. But Hudson’s mother held a different view. And so we carried on, happy to make no formal decision and just live and feel, moment to moment.
The subject had come up again this spring when I’d started to feel depleted, emotional, and then another missed period.
Our second baby was on the way, my belly protruding at this very moment, five months along as we waited for our family to expand. Hudson had bent down on his knee again that night, tears glimmering in his deep eyes as he cupped my belly with his large palms. “Marry me, precious. Take my name.”
“I will,” I’d sworn, stroking my fingers through his messy hair. “Not yet, but I promise, soon.”
His lips had turned up, placing a delicate kiss on the center of my abdomen. “Stubborn woman.”
I grinned, thinking if I had a penny for every time he’d said that over the last few years… “Think about it.” He stood, and I wrapped my arms around him. “The kids will be old enough that they can be there and understand, share it with us.”
“Hell if I’m waiting that long.” He nipped at my lips, a growl vibrating from his throat.
“We’ve waited this long, Hudson. If we do it now, I want it to be perfect. And right now, I wouldn’t feel perfect.”
“You’re always perfect, precious. Every day spent with you is more perfect than the last.” His hands cupped my face, lips tracing the angles of my cheeks.
“I love you, Hudson.”
“Love you back, Sky.” His words lit trails of fire through my heart.
I heard the rev of the engine coming back around the house, smiling as the two men in my life appeared.
“How was it?” I grinned. “He looks happy.”
Hudson pulled the bike to a stop, planting a kiss on our son’s red head before setting him down on the grass. Blake immediately burst into tears and lifted his hands straight in the air, begging to be picked up by his daddy. “Guess he wants to go on.”
“He’s a daredevil. Runs in the blood, I think.” I placed a kiss on Hudson’s cheek. He pulled our son into his arms, cuddling him close and then pulling me into him, whispering an endless array of I love yous into my neck.
My life was full, my heart overflowed, all thanks to a stranger who’d stolen my heart and soul one unforgettable night.
Second Epilogue
Skylar - four years later
“I look fat.” I pouted in the mirror.
“Shh.” Hudson’s hands circled my waist, nuzzling against my ear. “You look fucking delicious. I want to peel this frilly shit off you and taste you with my tongue.”
“That’s your dick talking. He doesn't get a vote.”
My husband’s laugh echoed around the penthouse suite he’d rented for us overlooking the city. “Like hell, he doesn’t. He picked you, didn’t he?”
I rolled my eyes then shifted subjects. “How do you think the kids are? Should we call them?”
“No way. You’re all mine tonight. I’m sure they’re being spoiled with ice cream and movies with Grandma right now.”
I sighed, unable to help the worry from shooting through me. I’d quickly learned after having a baby that you were essentially carving your heart in pieces and giving it away to another human being, letting it walk around outside your body. “Do you think the boys are being nice to Claudia?”
“Boys always pick on their sisters, it’s a thing. Look how I pick on you.” He winked. “Kinky mama.”
“I can’t believe you won’t let me live it down.” The memory of the night we’d found out we were stepsiblings still came back to me. It wasn’t such a big deal anymore, even Hudson’s mom had grown to accept it and love us together, but I think the grandkids had more to do with that than anything else.