My parents looked proud. “We thought you were going to name them Andrews-Waters?” my mother questioned.
“We were,” Laurel spoke up, “but Garrett was reminded that without the two of you, his life might have ended at an early age. We owe both of you a debt of gratitude and wanted our children to carry your last name.”
My mother started crying and hugged Laurel carefully, making sure not to wake the baby. Then she wrapped her arms around me and kissed my forehead. “I may not have given birth to you, but you are my son in every sense of the word and I love you. Both of you have made me the happiest person alive today. It’s just a shame we won’t all be able to celebrate Easter together tomorrow, with you both in the hospital, because this year we have a lot to celebrate with the two new additions to our families.”
Laurel’s parents seemed to agree, giving us both hugs and then returning to the waiting room. We had a stream of visitors for nearly an hour, when Laurel finally nodded off and the twins were back in their bassinets.
I looked over at the two stuffed bunnies, one pink and one blue, along with all the flower arrangements and balloons that lined the walls of Laurel’s room. We were indeed truly cared for and loved by our families.
The idea of celebrating Easter with our families had escaped both of us with all the deadlines coming due at work and Laurel entering her final month of pregnancy; knowing she could deliver at any time. But, we had enough to celebrate. A family get together could come later, once we were out of the hospital.
I was thankful the rooms came with a comfy couch that turned into a bed. I rested peacefully, listening to the light snores of my family, as I drifted off to sleep, feeling happier than I’ve felt in a long time.
Laurel spent six days in the hospital before getting clearance to go home. The limo and SUV were now equipped with car seats and there were strollers in the back of each vehicle. I was managing with a cane and helping Laurel walk to the elevator, while Thompson handed both infant seats, with our children sound asleep, to Dillon. We all entered the elevator and headed to our home for the first time as a family.
The elevator dinged and opened up to our floor. Huge banners read, “Welcome Home, Andrew and Lynda.”
Everyone kept calm, but our mothers rushed forward, each taking an infant seat from Dillon. It was amusing to watch both Thompson and Dillon frown over losing their protective lookout of our children.
Our moms ended up on the sofa, snuggling babies as the rest of the family showed us what they’d done. An entire spread of Easter goodies and foods laid waiting for us all to enjoy on the dining table.
Deidre came up to us with hugs and smiles. “Congratulations to both of you. We hated that you missed Easter, so we decided to postpone things and celebrate today. Everyone has been helping me cook up a storm in the kitchen, waiting for you to get here.”
Today truly was a day of celebration. I walked Laurel over to the sofa and helped her sit before taking a seat beside her and pulling her as close as possible. I could tell she was already exhausted as her head settled into the crook of my neck and soft snores quickly fell from her lips.
Our moms had decided to take up residence to help with the feedings and changings until both of us healed from our ordeals. My leg was better, but still weak. I definitely couldn’t carry two children at a time. Laurel wasn’t much better. She had been split open during delivery and winced in pain every time she moved. Any help offered was appreciated.
I leaned my head against Laurel’s, reflecting on what a difference a year makes. If you’d asked me whether I thought I’d be married with two kids and a happy life a year ago, I would’ve told you that you were full of it. But today, I can’t imagine my life being more perfect. I’d finally learned to love again and I owed it all to my forever love, Laurel.
June, Two Months Later…
“Why did we drive all the way out here, Garrett? Are we visiting with your parents?”
I leaned in, kissing my wife on the forehead and glancing at our children, fast asleep in their infant seats. “It’s a surprise, love. One I’ve been working on for a while.”
Thompson started to turn off the road, heading up to a massive ornate brown gate surrounded by Tuscan colored walls. I watched as a code was entered and the gates swung open.
Laurel’s eyes grew. “Isn’t this the house that was being built not far from your parents?”
I nodded.
“What are we doing here? Do we know the people who live here?”
I kissed her on the lips, deepening it for just a moment. “That we do, love. We know them very well. In fact, they’ve just become new parents themselves.”
Her interest seemed to be piqued.
The car pulled around the circular driveway and we saw an Italian-style, brown fountain, flowing freely with water in the center.
We left the babies in their infant carseats and removed them from the limo very carefully, making sure not to wake anyone. I carried Lynda’s infant seat and Laurel held Andrew’s.
She stopped at the door to ring the doorbell, but I just grabbed hold of the handle and started to push on the door.
“We can’t go rushing into someone’s home,” she admonished in a hushed tone, so as not to wake the children. Then a gleam filled her eyes. “Or can we? Am I missing something here?”
“We aren’t, love. Here’s your key.” I handed her a key, hung on a key ring shaped like a key with a heart on top, studded with rhinestones.
“What’s this?” Her face was puzzled as she twisted the key around, trying to make sense of things.
I leaned in and lifted her chin slightly, as I whispered, “You know you hold the key to my heart, love. You also are holding the key to our new home.”
Her eyes went wide as I swung the door open to reveal our families in the huge foyer. She looked back and forth between all of us. “But what about the penthouse?”
“I’ve loved living there, but it’s time to move on to bigger and better things. The city, while nice and convenient, isn’t the best place to raise children.”
She nodded in agreement. “Did you buy this from the person who was building it?”
I shook my head smiling. “No, darling. I built it just for us.”
“But it was already well under construction when we got married.”
“I know.” I wrapped one arm around her shoulders and pulled her into me, where I could whisper. “I had already considered buying the property and was debating on house styles when I went to MIT looking for new talent for my company. A month after you returned home with me, I had them break ground and start building.”
She leaned up on her tiptoes and kissed me full on the lips, in front of everyone. “God, I love you, Garrett!”
“I love you too, Laurel!”
The house was everything we could’ve ever wanted. It had an indoor and outdoor pool, a large yard for the children to play in, a boat house with jet skis and plenty of marine and fishing equipment to keep our families entertained. There were seven bedrooms, not including the master, five bathrooms, a large gourmet kitchen, a workout room, music room, and a private pleasure room for us. The garage had enough space for all of our cars, plus any I cared to add to the collection. Our security detail had apartment style furnishings above the garage and a monitoring system for the entire grounds and house. Deidre stayed on as our cook and had a small wing reserved for Dillon and their family, off to one side of the house. The house was perfect, because all of us as a family made it a home.
June, Four Years Later…
Lynda and Andrew are excited that they’ll see their cousins Stacy and Camden today. They’re a year younger, but you’d never know the difference, with how they play together. They’re as close as brothers and sisters, always having each other’s backs.
Deidre and Dillon plan on watching them, along with our one year old, Mia, and their newborn, Samantha, while our family enjoys three baby showers and a wedding shower combined.
A co
uple years after the twins were born, I finally was able to take Laurel on a food and wine tour through Italy, while our parents took turns watching the kids. The trip was magical, even yielding us a surprise souvenir, our Mia.
Stacy is the daughter of Grace and Jonathan, while Camden is Sarah and Freddie’s son. Now who, may you ask, is expecting? Well, for starters, the love of my life is once again pregnant with twins, though this time identical boys. We decided after all the exciting deliveries we were ready to know what we were having this time. Laurel and I couldn’t be happier.
Besides, my lovely Laurel, Hannah and Donny are expecting their first child. We don’t know what they’re having yet, but we keep speculating and running bets. The other pregnancy is Grace, who’s expecting their second child, another daughter. My brother always did like to surround himself with women, at least until he found the perfect one.
The biggest surprise of all was the wedding shower. Thompson has finally decided to settle down, after seeing his sister Deidre happy with Dillon. He was a bit smitten for my sister, Tiffany, at Laurel’s and my wedding. Tiffany had to return to Europe to finish her studies, but they kept up phone calls and met up whenever they had vacation time.
I’d finally cornered Thompson when my sister graduated and came back to Orlando to work, asking him what his intentions were. He admitted his love for her, but was concerned about leaving us as head of security and having normal hours that would work with having a future family. I quickly offered him a position as head of security for the entire Waters Medical Industries line. He gladly accepted and it was perfect timing since Franklin, who’d moved up the ranks and taken on the job three years back, decided to retire early and travel around the country with his wife.
Dillon had wanted to step up as head of security, but then passed the job to Stewart, offering to continue as the lead detail. He, too, wanted more time with his family. It helped that he and Deidre worked together.
Laurel waddled out into the shade of an umbrella by the pool. She was already seven months pregnant and expecting around the same time as everyone else. We just hoped that all our wives didn’t go into labor all at one time. I know it seems impossible, but it already happened once with the births of Stacy and Camden. They were born two hours apart.
I went over to kiss my lovely wife and talk to my boys, still inside her tummy, when I heard everyone starting to shuffle in through the house.
Our lives were all richly blessed. All of our parents were now retired, opting for early retirement to spend time with their grandkids. Jonathan came back to work full-time with the company as the President of Marketing. He still has his restaurant, but turned it over to his staff to run.
Laurel, Grace, and Sarah work part-time at the office and part-time from home. Hannah insists on working full-time from work, so I offered to put in a daycare facility so all the moms could bring their children to work and not have to worry about them. It has definitely seemed to improve morale and decrease the number of missed days.
I watched as Laurel got up from her seat and ran towards the kids. Our littlest was hungry and ready for some food, demanding her daddy feed her. Laurel calmed her tears while I went to get her a bowl of hot cereal and some applesauce.
Life couldn’t be any better. But, is this the end of our story? Sadly, our story has come to completion. So does this mean you’ll never see us again? No. Grace and Jonathan are insisting on their own moment in the limelight, sharing the little details of their romance. Who knows when they’ll pop up….
Thank you for supporting Laurel and Garrett
through the ups and downs of their journey!
To my wonderful husband, son and mother: Without your encouragement, this series would’ve never been possible. You’ve encouraged me to follow my dreams and to never give up. Plus, thank you for putting up with take-out meals when I was up against deadlines. You all are my world!
To the memory of my father; I miss you dearly!
To Erin, the best editor on the planet! You are amazing!
To Stacy, (It Started with A Book Blog), my beta reader, book blogger, and good friend. Words can’t describe how much your belief, encouragement, and help, have meant to me! Love ya, hon!
To Mia, my beta reader, friend and fellow book lover. Your support, encouragement, and kind words mean more than I can express. You are the best!
To Julie, my formatter, friend, fellow author and book lover, I cherish our talks and appreciate the amazing and talented person you are! You rock!
To Lisa, my friend, blogger, and fellow lover of books; I value our talks, your kind words to see me through, and of course hooking me up with one nice cover model! Hugs!
To James, Ashley, and Stephanie. Without all of you, this cover wouldn’t have been possible. You all helped bring my vision of Garrett to life. Thank you!
To Lindsay. My new beta reader, friend and reviewer. Thank you for helping out with this book. Your excitement for the series and assistance mean everything.
To all my Facebook and Twitter followers, who have wished me well during the whole process of writing. You make this journey worth it!
To all the magnificent bloggers who work so hard at spreading the word about my books. I cherish each and every one of you! I wish I could thank each of you personally, but the list is just too great. All of you are superstars!!
And above all, Special thanks to God for guiding me in life and giving me the opportunity to put my thoughts and words onto paper.
Cynthia P. O’Neill grew up in Clewiston, Florida and moved to Central Florida to attend college. There, she married her friend, love, and soul mate and still resides with their amazing son, and a feisty, four-legged little boy.
In her books, Cynthia draws on her background in healthcare and business, along with her husband’s engineering knowledge.
Cynthia currently writes on all levels of Romance. The Remembrance Series encompasses Young Adult, with a touch of Paranormal activity and a hint of Historical romance. The Learning Series is for those who like a little more steam with their books, falling into the categories of New Adult, Contemporary and verging on Erotica, with a hint of suspense.
She tries to make her writing very personal and close to her heart. Regular life is the inspiration for her books, but her imagination takes them to new heights, opening up possibilities that would normally not exist.
To learn more about the author, please visit Cynthia’s website at:
www.cynthiaponeill.com
Current Works by Cynthia:
LEARNING SERIES:
Learning to Trust
Learning to Let Go
Learning to Love Again
Moving Forward – Grace and Jonathan’s Novella (Coming 2015)
REMEMBRANCE SERIES:
I Remember
Loving You
Always (Fall 2014)
And Forever (Winter 2015)
Learning to Love Again Page 21