Page 102 of The Marriage Auction 2: Part 4

Maia reached out and ran her hand up my abdomen to rest it on my chest over my heart. “Rhodes, I do not want to have more children. I do not have any desire to ever become pregnant. Honestly, before Em, I didn’t even want children in my life. Now, I’m good with them, but I certainly do not want to add more to the equation.”

“Are you sure? You’re so young.”

“I’ve lived a harder life in my twenty-five years than most will ever in a hundred. I do not need to add a baby to feel fulfilled. I’m happy as it is. Knowing all of them will be out of the house and going off to college in a few years is a true blessing I do not look down upon.”

I couldn’t help it. I burst out laughing, lifted up to a seated position and yanked my wife up and on top of me. She came with anoomphand a cute little giggle.

“God you’re the perfect woman for me.” I cuddled her small frame.

“Do you want more kids?” she asked.

I shook my head. “No. Would I willingly make a baby with you? Absolutely. I have room in my heart for anything that comes from us and our bond. But I love the idea of being empty nesters in a few years. You and me, alone…” I ran my hands down to her juicy bottom and gave it an encouraging squeeze.

“Down boy!” She playfully swatted at me. “We need sleep. It’s your turn to take the kids to school tomorrow.”

One of the things we’d agreed upon was that if we were busy, Buddy would pick up the kids from school, but one of us always drove them for drop-off. They needed to see how much they were loved and cared for, and part of that, in our opinion, was checking in with them at the start of their day. Making sure everyone was okay and ready to roll with whatever life threw at them.

I kissed Maia deeply and with my entire body and soul. Then I slid her off me, and she cuddled in close to my side in her normal sleeping position. She hadn’t had a single nightmare since we’d come home from Colorado. Which was weird, but I kept vigilant in case she did. The bathroom light was always on, the door cracked so she could see in the dark if the fear returned.

“Goodnight, Maia.”

“Goodnight, Rhodes. And just so you know, I love our life just as it is. Hormonal teens, fights, slumber parties, Mexican cooking classes with Marisol, teaching Zach how to drive, and looking after all of them. Thank you for giving me everything I could ever want.”

“All I ever wanted was for Emily and me to have a woman in our lives we could both love and who would see our love as something to cherish. You show me that every day. So I think we both got what we wanted.”

“Yeah, we did. Love you.”

“Love you.”

Episode 117

Epilogue 5: Madam Alana

MADAM ALANA

“Alana, he’s absolutely beautiful,” Julianne whispered with awe. “Brenden would have been beside himself with love.”

I pressed the phone closer to my ear. “And…” I waited with bated breath to hear their decision.

Prior to this call, Christophe and I’d had long conversations about Brenden’s child. We then had them with Julianne and Giovanni. We were both in agreement that we didn’t want the baby to go into child services. However, my goddaughter and her husband had many concerns about being the guardians to not only Brenden’s biological child, but to Bianca’s, and with good reason. Just the stain of Bianca’s misdeeds, and the trauma she caused weren’t easily forgotten. Bianca and Angus were the catalyst of most of the couple’s personal losses. Their parents. The sexual assault. The explosion. Brenden.

It wouldn’t have surprised anyone if they’d chosen not to raise Brenden’s child. Which was why Christophe and I offered to become the child’s guardians. We weren’t exactly young, but we’d always wanted children and would love the child as our own, regardless of who was his biological mother. Christophe warned me not to get my hopes up, because he felt strongly that Julianne and Giovanni would take the baby under their wing. And since Julianne was officially next of kin, they were contacted first regarding guardianship of Bianca’s child.

“We’re going to raise him as our son,” Julianne said with confidence.

My heart swelled and also cracked at the seams. It was the right choice for them and the baby, but that didn’t take away the fact that a kernel of hope had taken root within me that I might become a mother. Alas, it was not meant to be. And I was okay with that. Had made peace with that fact over twenty years ago.

“I’m elated to hear that,my petite fleur.”

“Gio’s already in love. To be honest, we both are, but it’s hard…” She let her voice fade away.

“I know, my darling, but it is what Brenden would want. The brother you knew and loved before Bianca got her claws sunk into him.”

“That’s what we think too. I miss him. The him he was before her.”

I smiled sadly while thinking back to the precocious young boy, then gangly teen, and later, driven businessman. Somewhere along the way, he lost himself.

“At least now he can be at peace, knowing his sister is raising his son. What did the she-devil name him?”

---