Thanks a TON for all of you readers who have stuck with me through the long hiatuses. I truly appreciate your kind words and thoughts and suggestions. Without you, I probably would have never finished this. Really, your support is something I appreciate beyond words.
Epilogue"Mommeeeee!"
Caramel curls adorned the young Jayden's head, her eyes, bluer than the sky on a good day, were currently filled with tears. Her tiny body, clad in fuzzy pajamas, writhed violently as she stood against the bars of her crib. Her rosy cheeks were wet with her shed tears while her scarlet lips were opened wide as she cried out for her mother.
Kendall opened the nursery door, pausing only to push her curls behind an ear. "Jayden, honey! What's the matter?"
Instead of answering, Jayden stretched out her short arms. "Want up," the two year old said. Kendall flipped on a light switch and made her way to the edge of the white crib where Jayden was waiting.
"You wanna come sleep with Mommy?" Jayden nodded violently, sniffing back the remnants of her tears. "Okay, well let's clean that face first, baby." Kendall reached for Jayden, scooping her up into her arms. She hit the light switch on her way out, watching Jayden's pink room fade into darkness. Jayden gave Kendall a wet kiss on the cheek as they made their way to a bathroom. "Wait with the kisses a sec will ya?" Kendall swiped Jayden's cheeks and eyes and finally her nose while the baby struggled to escape. "All done. Now I want my kisses!" With mock roughness she tickled Jayden's covered belly and kissed her dry cheeks.
"'gain! 'gain!"
"No, not now sweetie. You really should be sleeping and Mommy really shouldn't be letting you in bed with her as it is." Jayden just giggled again as Kendall continued to walk to her bedroom. Silently, Kendall held a finger up to her lips and quieted Jayden. "Daddy's sleeping, so we need to be quiet."
"Too late," a grumble came from the bed.
"Daddy awake!" Jayden screeched, nearly leaping from Kendall's arms in the process.
"Whoa there, kiddo." She placed Jayden at the bottom of the bed and watched with amusement as the toddler crawled up to Zach's face and kissed him sweetly.
Kendall thought to what was going on just a year earlier from this moment. The custody battle was just ending and her and Greenlee's secret had been aired for the entire town to view. Everyone knew virtually everything that had happened since the early days of Jayden's conception. Ryan battled furiously and with every bit of strength he had at the time, wanting his little girl with him at all costs. But it hadn't gone as easily for him as he first thought it would. Greenlee, the smart woman she had been, left clear instructions in her will regarding Jayden and who her parents should and would be. Even though Ryan was biologically Jayden's father, Greenlee made sure he was seen as nothing but a sperm donor. Even so, Ryan vehemently argued against Zach and his ability to father a child. Things got heated, but while all this was happening, Kendall and Zach were falling in love with Jayden. The child had no idea Ryan even existed and would continue to live that way until she was old enough to understand. The court ruled in Kendall and Zach's favor and Ryan was left with nothing. Some days Kendall felt sorry for him, but even on the sorriest of days, she never once considered letting him visit Jayden. Some memories just ran too deep for forgiveness or relenting to happen. Even Zach, who believed every child should know it's father, couldn't bring himself to subject Jayden to Ryan.
Zach broke Kendall's thoughts and whispered; "I thought we were trying something new this week? Jayden actually sleeps in her own crib, we sleep in our own bed… everyone actually gets sleep?"
As Kendall made her way into bed, she replied, "Yeah, well… she's got me wrapped around her little munchkin like fingers, what can I do?"
"Better bed! Better bed," Jayden said.
"She's got that right," Zach replied before tickling Jayden's tummy.
"Okay kids, it's time to sleep now." Kendal said with mock authority.
"Hey, who you calling kid?" Zach replied. Jayden plopped herself down in the middle of the two, idly playing with the large ring on Kendall's finger before closing her eyes. Zach kissed her curly head and then shared a brief kiss with Kendall. "I love you."
"Wuv you too, Daddy," Jayden said with eyes closed. Zach smiled before mouthing the words over Jayden's head to Kendall. Kendall mouthed the words, 'love you' back before cuddling against Jayden.
Before anyone was sleeping, a long wail disrupted the settled peace from yet another room of the house. Kendall sighed before laughing and saying, "It's all you this time." And Kendall and Jayden giggled as Zach went off to feed the newest member of the family.