Epilogue
Four Years Later
“Hey,” called Bria as she settled between her brothers in the garden at the vineyard. “Some of us are going to have to buy bigger houses for Fourth of July celebrations if anybody else has more kids.” She grinned.
Laughing, Jim and Bobby looked around at the increasing numbers of people in their family. There were people everywhere, adults and children. Neither of his sisters had added to their brood but most of the older ones had boyfriends or girlfriends now.
Bobby's family had increased significantly; upon returning from London, Jim and Tasha found that Bobby and Abby had decided to have another baby using a surrogate and had found one quickly who had conceived their child, Dee Dee, Dakota, almost immediately. Within a month of discovering that Dee Dee was on her way, Abby discovered she too was pregnant with another daughter, Jo Jo, Jolie, and now Abby was pregnant again with a boy.
Jim's own family just kept getting bigger too; Lizzie was dating a model, another Dylan. The original Dylan was now racing cars professionally while Lizzie had rethought her modelling plans and was now a photographer for a fashion magazine. Philip and Juan had separated by the time Tasha and Jim had returned from London, but within six weeks had reconciled and were due to marry in a few weeks’ time. Dan had relocated to L.A. a few weeks after he'd arrived and still lived in the huge apartment he shared with Travis over at the stables and seemed to be enjoying life to the full judging by how many pretty girls passed through. Pippa had been offered some work about a year after Dan relocated. That had only left Paul and Celia in the U.K. and they'd sold their business and retired to Florida, with Banksy.
When he first met that pretty English girl with the long, shapely legs he couldn't have imagined she would change his life like this, but she had completely turned his world upside down. He had never imagined having children beyond Lizzie and Philip, but now, they were everywhere, or at least that's how it felt.
Philip and Juan still lived on the estate, but the house they'd previously occupied had been completely gutted and renovated as offices for the charity Tasha had founded and launched three years ago. The charity provided support for current and previous victims of abuse. Lizzie lived with her boyfriend in a house not that far from his own, on an exclusive, private estate having turned down her father's offer to live on his estate too, although he suspected that had probably been Dylan's decision. Lucy, Tasha's best friend was almost a permanent fixture in their life, having settled into the L.A. lifestyle with Ryan and Skye and had added a son, Jude to their family a few months after Skye's first birthday.
Bria was right about bigger houses, although his was more than big enough for his increasing family.
There had been him, Tasha and Connor when they'd returned from London four years ago, or so they’d thought. However, unable to resist the temptation of his wife and a private plane complete with a bed, they had renewed their membership to the mile high club, twice, resulting in the birth of their daughter, Aimee, exactly nine months after that flight. A baby made possible by missing the pill during Connor’s time in hospital and time differences that led to Tasha misjudging the twelve-hour window to take her pill, rendering it ineffective.
He smiled as he recalled her annoyance with him for doing this to her again, but she had readily accepted her second pregnancy in a way she hadn't with Connor. She had suffered less with sickness but indigestion and heartburn had been the bane of her life and his for much of the pregnancy along with her concern for her son with a new baby to accommodate, that and Tasha's insatiable sexual desires but that was in no way a burden for him. He remembered that after Connor was born he'd told her how enraptured he was by her body that pregnancy had improved if that was possible. Well, Aimee had only increased that to the point that Jim actually couldn't remember the last time a day had passed without them having sex at least once. He really couldn't keep his hands off her. With a frown he realised they hadn't had sex today, but he would rectify that as soon as they got home and the children were safely tucked up in bed. Hell, maybe he'd take her into his office.
“Daddy,” cried Connor rushing across the lawn to find Jim ready to scoop him up into his arms.
“Hey buddy, how you doing?” He kissed the head of his son who had turned four a few months before.
“Okay, but the girls, they're bugging me,” replied the little boy with big, innocent eyes making his father and his uncle smile.
“Yeah, they do that.” Grinned Bobby.
“On that note, I am leaving you boys to it.” Winking, Bria turned to Connor. “Grandma has made a chocolate cake, Connor, but she's hidden it so Auntie Bria is going to find it.”
“Cool, I'll help you later,” he said with a wide-eyed stare.
“Which girls are we talking about?” asked the little boy's uncle with increasing amusement.
He sighed. “Skye is chasing me and I don't want to run, but if I don't run she catches me. Then there's Aimee who thinks she can be with me all the time and she bugs me,” he cried with a frown identical to his father’s. “Jo Jo and Dee Dee follow Aimee so I have all three of them and then there's Lexi who is so bossy she is just a pain in my ass,” cried the little boy seriously as his uncle and father laughed.
“Connor,” came Tasha's cross mommy voice from behind them.
“Busted buddy.” Smirked Jim.
“We don't speak that way,” she told her son firmly.
With his mother's pout, Connor offered the only defence he had, “But Daddy says it about you.”
“What?” Tasha stared at Jim.
“Yeah, Momma, before when you were telling Daddy about Auntie Angie's call he went to his office and called Uncle Marc and said that you were busting his balls and being a pain in his ass.”
“Did he now?” Tasha glared at her husband with a disapproving shake of her head, but offered only a smile for her son who she was now reaching for.
“I really need to close doors behind me,” muttered Jim to Bobby making his twin laugh.
Holding Connor against her front with his legs wrapped around him, Tasha looked over her son's shoulder and with a shake of her head directed her attention to her husband. “Really? You got that from his comments? This is not over, James.”
“Didn't think it would be, Natasha, and maybe I need to teach my boy the guy code,” he replied making her smile in spite of her annoyance.
“Mommy,” interrupted Connor. “I'm sorry for making you mad.”
