My Unexpected Family by Harlow James

Epilogue

Silas

One Year Later

“Oh my God, you guys!” Chloe comes running up to me, two churros in one hand, and a corn dog in the other that is also holding her mouse ears to her head as her wild curls bounce with each one of her steps, her legs carrying her toward me with the biggest fucking smile on her face.

Worth every penny and all of the stress that went into planning this trip just to see her happiness right now.

“I’m eating a Disneyland corn dog.” She tears into the crunchy treat in her hands as she comes to a stop in front of me, moaning as she closes her eyes. “It’s better than I imagined.”

Shayla slaps me on the shoulder. “Sorry to break it to you, Silas…but I think Chloe found a wiener she likes more than yours.”

“Not possible,” Chloe says when she finishes chewing. “The corn dog does come in at a close second, but Silas’s dick will always be number one in my eyes.” She leans into me, presses up on her toes, and then smashes her lips to mine, allowing me to taste the sweetness of the breading of her corn dog on her mouth.

“Good to know, babe.” I kiss her back just as Santino starts to grow frustrated in his stroller, kicking his chubby little legs out in a panic.

“Mamma! Mamma!”

Chloe rips off a piece of a churro with her teeth, hands me all of the food, and then moves down to grab our son as she chews, freeing him from his confines. I knew it was only a matter of time before he was itching to get out of the stroller. The little guy never sits still—sort of like his mom.

“Bambino!” she exclaims, lifting him up and tossing him in the air, eliciting a round of giggles from him as he flies over her head and lands back in her arms. “Can you say Disneyland? Disneyland?”

“Da!”

“Close enough.” She kisses his forehead and then starts walking toward the castle so we can get the classic picture-in-front-of-the-castle shot.

But I’m too busy capturing the sight of my wife and my kid with the biggest fucking smiles on their faces on my own camera. My son and his dark hair and green eyes he got from his mother. My wife and her sweet ass, her curves that have only hypnotized me more since she had our child.

“I’m so jealous right now,” Waverly says as we follow Chloe, Wes, and Shayla.

“Soon, sweetie. How you doing there?” I ask as Waverly and Hayes walk beside me, her waddle getting more pronounced the further along we go.

“This trip better put me into labor, Silas. I have no problem pushing this kid out in the magical kingdom. I’m sure Sleeping Beauty’s bed is in that castle, all ready to go too.” She points up to the tallest tower.

“I know you’re near the end, but it really means so much that you guys are here.”

“Santino will never remember this, but Chloe is fucking loving it, so I’m glad I’m here too.” She looks up and smiles at me. “You did good, Silas. I always knew you’d do right by her. And lord knows she has to be a delight to be married to,” she teases.

Chloe and I tied the knot a few months ago on the balcony of the Al Forno in Goleta. We didn’t want some extravagant wedding, but something small and intimate, just our family, which included our best friends. The night I took Chloe to the opening of the restaurant was the night I realized I wanted more with her, so when I suggested we get married on the patio overlooking the ocean, she agreed wholeheartedly.

But I knew after Chloe mentioned her dream of going to Disneyland back when she first moved in with me that I would be taking her here one day, so I figured what better way for us to celebrate our son’s first birthday and our marriage than by making another one of her dreams come true.

Little does she know, this is only the first stop on an epic Disney lover’s trip that includes visits at all eleven of the Disney parks all over the world. In three days we’ll be boarding a private plane and taking off for over a month, staying at each location with our son and our nanny in tow.

I can’t remember the last time I took a vacation, and I know for a fact I’ve never been able to travel the world with someone I love more than life itself. My vice president and Nonna agreed to look after everything while I’m gone, so I’m counting on them to keep things running.

But life is short. We never know when things will change, and I didn’t want to miss out on the opportunity of a lifetime with my girl and my son.

Chloe will be leaving her business behind too. She was eager to get back to work after Santino was born, but she wanted to expand her business to help more college kids like Daniela, the girl we hired when Chloe got pregnant and ultimately became an incredibly trusted and valued employee. She knew how hard it was to make a decent living in your twenties, especially in an expensive town like Santa Barbara, so she reached out to Daniela to see if she knew anyone else who would be willing to work for her business.

Now, Beggin’ for More, Chloe’s official dog-walking company, employees more than twenty students from local colleges who manage over two-hundred clients, making her a full-fledged business owner, and I could not be more proud of her.

However, that meant hiring someone to help with Santino, so we hired Anna on as our nanny about eight months ago, and welcomed her into our family too.

I think the fact that Anna is very happily married to a woman was a key factor in hiring her though. To quote my wife, “At least I know she won’t try to be all over your dick, Silas. I’d hate to Lorena Bobbitt your ass or end up as one of those celebrity couples where the husband ends up sleeping with the nanny.”

Everyone was happy with that decision—especially me. And we’ll be bringing her and her wife along on this trip of a lifetime, paying her handsomely, of course so that Chloe and I can have some time to ourselves along the way as well.

Shayla turns around to face me, walking backward as she does, cradling her own small bump. She and Wes found out that they’re expecting just a few months ago. “You have made her so fucking happy, Silas. I love you both so much.” Tears start to build in her eyes. “Great and now I’m crying again.”

“See! I told you. You have no control over your hormones, Shayla. You guys all thought I was crazy every time I cried, but now you get it,” Chloe calls back at her over her shoulder.

Shayla nods as we wait for the family in front of the castle to move out of the way so we can get our picture taken next. “I’m sorry for ever giving you crap.”

“The immature thing to do right now would be to smack you upside the head and knock some sense into you, but I’m not going to do that. I’m trying to set an example in front of my son.” Chloe kisses Santino’s head and then smirks over at her friend.

“Yes, I know. You were right.”

“You hear that, Silas,” Chloe says as she turns to me. “I was right.”

“I’m aware, Chloe. Happy wife, happy life.”

“Damn straight.” She blows me a kiss and then we move into position as the photographer encourages us to move closer. “And I was also right about our bet.”

That’s right. I bet against her and lost, obviously.

“Alright, everyone. Smile and say Disney!” The photographer prompts as we shout out the word and Santino screams with excitement, babbling on about something that no one can decipher when we’re done.

“Look, you’re really cute, but I have no idea what you’re saying, little man,” Chloe says and then perks up. “Oh my gosh, you guys! We have to go on the Finding Nemo ride next! Santino is gonna love it!”

“This pregnant lady is going to sit that one out, but I’ll be nearby eating some ice cream,” Waverly replies.

“That’s fine. Take it easy. We’ll be back in a few.”

I struggle to keep up with Chloe and our kid as she hightails it over to the ride we designed Santino’s nursery after, leaving our other friends behind.

And as we sit in the yellow submarine and watch the magic of the ride through our son’s eyes, Chloe glances over his head at me and smiles, her eyes glistening with tears.

“I love you,” I mouth over Santino’s head.

“I love you more,” she mouths back.

“Not possible.”

“Anything is possible, Silas,” she tells me. “You just have to believe.”

THE END

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