Epilogue

Sia was running late . . . again.
“No, Millan! I told you I can’t be there today. I have family coming over!” she repeated for literally the hundredth time today. Why was it that the new clients had to show up on the exact date as her anniversary?
“Yes. Okay, I’ll check them tomorrow. For sure,” she answered Millan’s questions with her phone lodged between her ear and shoulder while her hands were busy with a ladle and a saucepan.
“Food’s about to burn,” Martha warned as she passed Sia on the way to the dining table, a pot of boiling hot chicken soup in her hand.
“Millan, I’ll call you back later.” Sia cut her off and hung up, before tossing the phone over her shoulder in no particular direction.
Just before it hit the ground, Leo reached out his hand and caught it in time. “Careful, Mom!” he told her in a mock berating tone at the close call.
“Oh, shush! Can’t you see that I’m busy here?” Sia scolded her fifteen-year-old son half-heartedly.
“Mom!” Leo yelled, aghast. “You have important client details stored in your phone! How could you be so careless?”
Sia rolled her eyes at him and left the gravy to simmer as she donned her oven mitts and took out the roasted honey glazed ham from the oven. “You sound just like your dad!” she said, shaking her head. It was certainly a close call. A minute or two longer and the ham would have been overcooked.
“Do not!” Two voices sounded at the same time. Sia smirked.
“She knew we were here. That’s why she threw it,” Leo stated matter-of-factly.
“A lady who can cook and predict the future at the same time? Sexy!” Julian said as he wrapped his arms around Sia from behind.
“A sexy whale, that is.” Sia pouted, making Julian bend down and place a smoldering kiss on those lips.
“Ewwww!” Leo said and fake gagged. “I can’t stand here and watch you two a second longer! I’ll be in my room until the rest of the family arrives. Call me then.”
Julian just waved him off, his lips still locked with Sia’s, while Sia giggled.
“How are you feeling today?” Julian asked with concern in his voice, as his hand brushed over her swollen tummy.
“A lot better.” Sia broke away from him and went back to the oven, placing the ham in a serving dish and adding a few final touchesfor the garnish. “In fact, I don’t think it’s going to be long now.”
“Are you having cramps?” Julian moved to her side, his voice still sounding concerned.
“Not yet, but I can just tell.” Sia patted her hand lightly over her swollen belly, comforting her baby girl who had started getting a little restless recently. “Call it mother’s intuition. I know the doctor says two more weeks, but our little princess seems a little eager to come out.”
Julian leaned back against the kitchen counter and looked at his beautiful wife. He was truly a lucky man to have Sia as his wife, his partner, his better half. And with their first baby on the way, he couldn’t help but feel like life was just perfect.
When he had come back from Siberia two years ago, he never thought they’d make it this far. But then things had slowly begun to look up. At first, he, Sia, and Leo were having a good time together, starting from scratch while he recovered. Then a year later, they decided to finally set a wedding date and get it over with. Sia had already moved to Julian’s house, but he had wanted the arrangement to become permanent. They got married not long after and were now having a baby girl together. Aside from that, Julian had also adopted Leo as his own son. Leo didn’t want to have a psychopath’s name connected to him either so he officially became Leonard Turner.
Julian had once thought that he could never get married, considering how his past was, but now he couldn’t be happier. He was now official CEO of the Turner Security, and Christian had taken to running the hospital.
Others have paired up too. Christian had finally given in and was now engaged to Vanessa, with their wedding planned for the fall. Abhay, after his initial surgeries and rehabilitation, was now fit and fine and dating Selena. And in a few hours, they were all coming to dinner, to celebrate their first wedding anniversary.
“Umm . . . Julian?” Sia’s voice pulled Julian out of his daydreams.
“Yes, love?”
“I think my water just broke.”
“Oh shit!”

* * *

Elaina Turner arrived into the world after twelve hours of painful labor, but she was welcomed with cheers and tears of joy by both parents and a loving older brother. The entire family was present at the hospital, and it turned out to be the noisiest welcome ever.
Julian wiped away tears as he held his daughter to his chest and pressed a light kiss to her forehead with a promise that he would never let anyone hurt her. Sia watched the exchange with tears in her eyes, thinking that this was how a father should really be: loving and caring. Julian was everything she had ever expected of an ideal man and she hoped that it would stay like this forever.
Life was perfect for them now, but that didn’t mean that times won’t ever be difficult. But when that time came, they’ll deal with ittogether now and for however long their forever will be.

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