Darkness Series Epilogue (2 page)

“Everything’s fine,” I sigh as I draw circles over the hem of my white sundress. “But I’ve been parked in front of Dominick’s for the past ten minutes and Carley fell asleep and I really don’t want to wake her up and Cole’s home picking up for the party and Aubry has Logan and-”
 

“I’ll be right there,” Alex says cutting me off.
 

“Are you sure?” I ask holding my breath.
 

“Of course, Blake! You need help and I told you I would always be here if you needed me. I wasn’t kidding,” he replies, his gruff voice as soothing as it can be.
 

I let out a long breath. “Thank you. I’m in the truck.”
 

“See you there.”
 

I hang up the phone with a shaky hand and glance at my sleeping beauty in the rearview mirror. Her lips are parted and her head is lolled to one side letting her curls hang freely. I unbuckle my seat belt and lean over the center console as best I can to adjust her head while I wait for Alex. It took a while for me to let my guard down when it comes to Alex, and still, my walls aren’t completely down. Maybe they never will be, but I’m trying. He’s trying. He’s been trying for a while now. He sent Cole and I weddings gifts, sent us gifts for Logan throughout my pregnancy, called often. I close my eyes as my memory drifts to the day Logan was born and a small smile touches my lips.
 

I got home from a long day of reading through a case I was dealing with when I was still working in litigation, before I decided that I wanted to become an adoption lawyer and help good people become parents. I called out to Cole as I stepped inside and took my coat off, brushing off scattered leaves that had clung onto my dress. My pregnant belly bulging and my pelvic bone hurting more than usual. I looked at the stairs with slumped shoulders before making my way up. When Cole found our two story home, it took him months to convince me that we were going to be okay getting stairs. I was hesitant to buy it until I took the tour of the house and fell in love with the antique feel of it. Now I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else, even if it did take me a while to warm up to the idea of a staircase. 
 

“
Cole?” I said out loud once more, stopping on the fifth step to take off my flats because even those were uncomfortable on my feet. 
 

“
In here, babe!” he called out from Logan’s room.
 

I rounded the corner and passed our room making my way over to our soon-to-be son’s room. I stopped and smiled at Cole’s confused face as he eyed the socks, the onesies, and laughed when he stared at the breast pump with an intrigued look. 
 

“
What are you doing?” I asked, still laughing.
 

His face shot up to mine, a smile spreading over it. A smile I knew all too well and made me back up a step. “I think we should probably test this thing out before you really have to use it, don’t you think?” he teased. 
 

I shook my head, horrified. “No! I am not looking forward to that thing. Haven’t you heard Becky’s horror stories?!”
 

Cole laughed. “Babe, Becky has horror stories about everything!” 
 

I sighed, slumping against the doorframe. “Yeah, but still...” My voice trails off as I look around the sports themed room. The walls are navy with autographed baseballs, basketballs, and footballs that sit on dark wooden shelves. The crib is dark brown, matching the shelves and the blankets are sports themed. I roll my eyes when I notice that Cole took out the football shaped toy box and placed it in the corner of the room-again, even though I keep storing it in the closet. I run my bare foot over the glossy floor that Cole had custom made to look like a basketball court and survey my eyes over the basketball hoop in front of the crib. 
 

A small laugh escaped me. “You do realize that newborns don’t do a single thing right?” 
 

Cole’s hands stopped stuffing the baby bag and he looked at me again, furrowing his eyebrows. “Robinson does a lot,” he argues.
 

“
Robinson is almost a year old,” I explained with a smile, thinking of Becky and Greg’s adorable baby boy.
 

Cole shrugged. “Whatever. Logan’s gonna have the coolest room ever.”
 

I laughed. “Yeah, hopefully we don’t have to change it in two years when he starts liking Toy Story or something.”
 

His mouth hung open. “We are NEVER changing this room! He’s going to love sports. Watch!”
 

I bit down on my lip to keep from laughing again and walked over to my adorable husband. He turned his body toward mine when I reached him and caressed my face as he lovingly looked into my eyes. He ran his hands down my face, over the sides of my breasts, landing on my enormous belly and leaned down to kiss my lips before placing them over my belly. 
 

“
Logan, you’re going to love sports! We’re never changing this room and if you ever decide that you’d rather see Buzz Lightyear over the awesome room your dad worked so hard on...we’re switching rooms,” he murmured against me, kissing it once more. 
 

I laughed, shaking my head and grabbed both sides of his face to pull him in for a kiss and just as our lips were about to touch, I felt uncontrollable goo rushing down my legs. 
 

I gasped loudly. “Ohmygod! My water!” 
 

Cole’s eyes widened and his mouth popped open. “It broke!?”
 

“
Yes!” I squealed pulling away from him to look down, horrified at the puddle at my bare feet.
 

“This is so gross!”
 

“
Holy shit! What the fuck should I do?! Don’t move!” Cole said frantically, jogging out of the room and reappearing with two towels in his hands. 
 

He threw one on the floor and one around my waist before scooping me up in his arms and walking me to our bedroom. He placed me down when we got to the bathroom and held my shoulders. I looked up at him, tears forming in my eyes at the thought that this would probably be our last time alone in this bathroom. 
 

“
Are you okay?” he asked quietly, lifting my face with a hand on either side of it to look at me with concerned eyes as his chest rose and fell quickly. 
 

“
I feel fine. I don’t even have contractions,” I replied, crinkling my eyebrows at the thought.
 

He nodded and I could see he was trying not to freak out over this. “Do you want me to help you shower before we go?” he asked, his eyes darting to the shower, me, the empty bag on top of the counter. 
 

I smiled and brought my hand up to his face, smoothing his worried eyebrows with the back of it. “I’m fine, Cole,” I repeated calmly. “I’ll shower while you finish packing up.” 
 

He let out a breath and nodded a couple of times, his worried eyes not straying from mine. “You’ll tell me if you get a bad contraction?”
 

“
I’ll tell you,” I replied, getting on the tips of my toes to reach his lips. 
 

The sound of Adele’s One and Only blaring from my phone brings me back to the present. I slide it to unlock, wishing Cole wouldn’t have set that as my ring tone when he bought me the phone because it’s so loud.
 

“Hey,” I answer quietly, eyeing an undisturbed Carley. She sleeps as heavily as her father.
 

“Hey, what’s your status? Did you get the cupcakes?” he asks breathlessly. 
 

“Carley decided to take a nap so I’ve been sitting in the parking lot. I’m waiting for Alex to get here so he can help me,” I explain.
 

Silence.
 

“Hello?” I say, taking the phone away from my ear to make sure we didn’t get disconnected.
 

“Yeah. How did that happen?” Cole asks.
 

I sigh. “He called. I was tired. Carley’s sleeping. You’re busy, Aubry’s busy. I don’t know,” I reply quietly.
 

“I think it’s good,” he responds. “He’s coming over for the first time today and he’s been good to us. He cares about the kids, about you. I think it’s good that you’re letting him help you. You know I can drop what I’m doing and go over there, right?”
 

“I know,” I reply with a smile. “But I’m fine. I’m ready.”
 

Silence.
 

I laugh. “Cole?”
 

“Yeah. I’m here,” he says. “I just never thought I would hear you say that. Especially after you kicked him out of the hospital when he went to go visit you and see Logan.” 
 

My shoulders slump. “I know,” I whisper, tears filling my eyes. “I just wasn’t ready. I feel so bad about that now. He’s a good man...right?” I ask even though I know he is. He’s shown me how good he is over and over and never stopped proving himself, even when I turned him down and didn’t let him see his grandchild. 
 

“He is, Blake. I wouldn’t let him near you or our kids if I didn’t think he was,” Cole responds with a sigh.
 

I look up and see Alex’ black mercedes pull into the parking space in front of me. “He’s here, I gotta go.” 
 

I hang up the phone and put it in my purse as Alex walks toward my door. His blond hair is slick back with gel and reaches the nape of his neck and he’s wearing a black patch and a black T-shirt, which makes his blue eye stand out more than usual. He smiles warmly as my window lowers, and I greet him with a smile of my own. 
 

“Hey,” he greets, his eye searching my face the way he always does when he sees me, before he looks into my backseat and sees Carley, which makes his smile widen even bigger. “She’s a good sleeper.”
 

I look over my shoulder. “She is,” I reply smiling.
 

When I look back at Alex, he’s still watching Carley. “You make beautiful kids, Blake.”
 

Water fills my eyes and I bite down on my cheek to keep them at bay. “Thank you.”
 

He looks at me then, his eye glistening and full of emotion. “So do I,” he whispers hoarsely. 
 

A couple of tears escape my eyes when I blink rapidly. I sniffle and wipe them away quickly. 
 

“Sorry,” he says. “I just...I’m in awe of you. You’re such a good mother, such a good wife...and you’re my daughter. I just...” His voice breaks and he clears his throat. “I wish Cory was here.” 
 

I smile sadly, placing my hand over the one he has resting on my door and squeeze. “Me too,” I whisper. “But I’m glad you are.”
 

He gapes at me and his body shifts back as the shock of my words hit him. 
 

Mommy,” Carley calls out groggily behind me, snapping us out of the moment.
 

“Hey Little, you’re finally awake!” I say with a smile. 
 

Alex steps away allowing me to put the window up and turn off the car. He offers me his hand, which I thank him for and take as I climb out of the truck. He follows me as I walk behind the truck to get Carley out of her seat.
 

“Should you be lifting her?” he asks in a concerned voice.
 

“I kind of have no choice,” I reply with a laugh, placing Carley on my hip. 
 

“I can...I can carry her?” he offers. 
 

I stop wrestling with my purse for a second and look at him, unsure. 
 

“I don’t have to,” he says quickly. 
 

“Carley, will you go with Alex?” I ask, holding my breath.
 

Carley smiles, showcasing her little teeth and the dimple on her right cheek. “Yes!” 
 

Alex and I both let out an audible breath as I hand her to him. Once we get a cart, he sits her down carefully and pushes it as we walk through the store. We make small talk about my job, and he fills me in on Dean’s whereabouts. 
 

“Have you spoken to Liam?” he asks as he loads the things we bought onto the check out belt. 
 

I cast my eyes away from his. “I haven’t.” 
 

Liam and I kept in touch for a while, we still do but not as much as we used to. When I do see him, it’s around Brian’s house and that started to become awkward when he found out that Alex and I were actually getting along. The fact that Liam is good friends with Cole’s dad doesn’t help much since Cole absolutely despises him. He refuses to forgive him or speak to him. Thankfully that isn’t the case with his mom. Colleen is the sweetest grandmother and helps us out in any way she can. After she finalized her divorce from Camden, which became a huge scandal, she ended up moving twenty minutes away from us and comes over almost daily to see the kids. 
 

Alex grumbles something under his breath and shrugs. 
 

“I can’t believe you still talk to him,” I say with a shake of my head and lean down to fix Carley’s dangling shoe. “He married the woman you were in love with while she was pregnant with your kid...I don’t know. It’s just...crazy.”
 

When I bring my face back up, I find Alex watching me intently. He nods his head. “True. But he took care of her when I couldn’t. He took care of you...when I couldn’t. I hated him for years, you know? Hated him.”
 

I look at him expectantly, waiting for him to expand on that. When he realizes I’m not going to budge, he finally exhales a breath and offers me a small smile. “But I hated myself more.”
 

I nod and take out my wallet to pay but Alex beats me to it, handing the cashier money for everything. 
 

“It’s my grandson’s fourth birthday,” he explains to the cashier when she looks between us. She shrugs and takes his money.