When it’s just us again, Ali tugs on my hand and brings me close. He angles his head slightly, staring up at me with a dreamy look in his eyes.
“Wanna kiss me?” I ask with a crooked smirk.
He laughs. “Definitely. For the rest of my life.”
Epilogue
Five Years Later
Merrick
“Hey, babe, can you bring the pan over here? The chicken’s almost done.”
Ali walks over with an empty pan in his left hand and our son in his right. “Here you go, Daddy. Say hi to Daddy,” he tells Gabriel, waving his hand for him.
I kiss Ali’s temple and then kiss Gabriel’s chubby cheek. “It’s okay. He’ll get there. Can you tell everyone the food’s about done?”
“You got it,” he replies, smacking my ass before walking away.
Gabriel’s nearing his ten month mark, and he’s one of the cutest babies on this planet. The other being our daughter, Ava, who’s almost three years old.
I pile the chicken into the pan, cover it with foil, and then grab the other foil-covered pans holding the hotdogs and hamburgers, and take them to the six foot table we bought specifically for when we have get-togethers.
All of my brothers and their wives and children are over. Elijah and Nova are in the pool, playing with their two sons, Kai and Mason, as well as Royce and London’s daughter, Aurora.
London, along with Ava, Cill, Midge, and their son, Vincent are playing a game of freeze tag in the grass.
Royce exits my house holding a cooler. “I’m fucking starving, man. I hope you made enough.”
I chuckle. “I’m pretty sure there’s enough for everyone to eat twice. No worries.”
“Ava, baby,” I call out. “Come eat.”
“Yes, Daddy.”
Her dark hair flows behind her as she runs toward me with a wide smile on her face. She looks so much like Ali it melts my heart.
It didn’t take us long to decide we wanted kids. We were married nine months after we got engaged, then moved into our house as soon as we were back from the honeymoon. A little over a year later, we decided to have kids. We chose to have Ali father one with an egg donor and surrogate first, and then my turn came with Gabriel. We may have one more, but for now, we’re completely happy with our two, and they keep us on our toes as it is.
Nova and Elijah’s oldest son, Kai, is four, and Mason is two and a half. Cill and Midge got married a little over three years ago, and their son came exactly nine months later. Royce and London’s daughter, Aurora, joined the family three years ago, so now our family has grown by six.
“Is Lili on the way?” I ask Ali as I make a plate for Ava.
“She’s running late as always, but she’ll be here soon. She blamed it on Antonio, but I’m sure she’s lying.”
“Blaming the new husband, huh?” I say with a laugh.
“Poor guy,” he says, cradling our baby boy while feeding him a bottle.
I never thought Ali could get any sexier, but watching him be a father is the hottest thing I’ve ever seen.
With Ava’s plate in hand, I escort her to the small table and get her settled.
“I’ll be right back, okay? Be careful.”
“Okay,” she says with a nod, pushing her hair out of her face.
“I got her,” Ali says, heading in her direction as I make my way back to the table. “Make me a plate?”
“Okay.”
At the make-shift buffet table, Vincent runs up in between Cill and Midge and says, “Daddy, I’m like you.”
All eyes turn in his direction and I instantly spot the pen markings on his arms. I bark out a laugh as Midge gasps. “Where did you get a pen from?”
Her head swivels around until she finds the purse that’s been dumped out.
“Sweetie, we don’t write on ourselves.”
“But Daddy. . .”
“I know, let’s go wash up.”
Cill laughs as he continues making their plates. “Guess he’ll be asking for his first tat soon.”
I shake my head and finish making a couple plates for me and Ali.
“I’ll be right back. I forgot Ava’s cup. You know she won’t drink anything without it.”
Ali laughs and nods his head. “Yeah, better hurry. I hear a fit happening in three. . .two. . .”
“Daddy! My cup!”
I squeeze his shoulder as I walk by, laughing. “I’m getting it, baby. Hold on.”
After I grab her green and yellow cup with dinosaurs all over it, I fill it up with some juice and head back outside. Before I join in, I take a second to look over the backyard.
Me and Ali settled into our dream house about four years ago. I’ve been on tour twice since then, and after having Ava, Ali decided to quit his job and be here for her when I’m gone.
The band continues to be successful, and I’m due to go on tour in about six months. It’ll be the first one since Gabriel’s been born, and the first one Ava will likely remember. However, it’s only for three months, and it’s a US tour, so we won’t be separated for long. Thank God for video chats.
I don’t know how long we’ll continue to make music, but eventually the tours will have to stop. Or at least happen very rarely. I love making music, but I love my family more, and I don’t want to be gone while my kids grow up.
I watch my family interact with each other, laughing and talking, and feel like the luckiest man on Earth. Not only was I fortunate to have the most amazing and supportive brothers, but I was lucky enough to fall in love with my best friend and start our own family.
Ali turns
