Nine years later

Isobel P.O.V.

"What the hat Whitley!!!" I shouted, standing there taking in the scene before me. Kade and I have been trying to keep our curse words to a minimum, so my little phrase had to be altered accordingly.

I heard two pairs of scurrying footsteps up the staircase and whispers echoing throughout our home.

"Don't you dare hide from me!" I called out, making myself known.

I put the groceries on the island counter in the kitchen before walking towards the living room. They should be fine to sit for a little while since I used environmental chiller bags.

I sighed, taking in the scene of our living room amess. Blankets, sheets, cushions were strewn across our polished tiled floors and our rug was flung halfway across the room. Not where it should be, which is under the coffee table. Speaking of, our coffee table decor was completely missing. I stepped forward to take a closer look- one of the cushions were torn and the wool fluff was decorating the tv nicely.

"Kade. Johnston. Whitley." I called, spinning on my heel to waltz up the stairs. I heard a small uh oh coming from one of the closed doors. My eyes shot to the direction it came from. With a smirk I began walking closer. I flung the door open a little forcefully, making sure there was an audible whoosh and tap against the wall stopper for dramatic effect.

Hushed whispers and whimpers could be heard from the closet of the bedroom I just entered. I pretended not to have a clue, as I faked searching the room before stopping right in front of the closet doors.

The small noises stopped and dead silence rang throughout the space.

I flung the door open as a pair of big round hazel eyes stared back at me alongside a pair of pale mossy green orbs I have loved for so long.

"Busted!" I crossed my arms over, staring down at the two wide-eyed guilty faces.

"Mama!" A small body flung themselves at me. His sweet innocent face gazed up at me as he clung to my legs. I sucked in a deep breath as I stared at his hazel eyes, a perfect combination of mine and Kade's. He also inherited Kade's dirty blonde hair and my olive skin. He was such a sweet little angel. God, I almost got sucked in and forgot about my earlier grievances.

"Hello Hunter." I couldn't help but smile down at the boy. My baby boy. Our son.

"Mama- don't be mad! Daddy and I were just playing around." He said as sweetly as possible. Just like his father, he already had a way with people, charming them left right and centre. Before we know it, we'd already been bent to his will.

I turned towards the man in question. He was crouched down low in the tiny closet. I would have thought how cute it was, how protectively he was holding Hunter in his arms as they hid together. But there's a reason they were hiding. He was biting his lip with mischief dancing in his eyes. As always.

"I'm not mad. But I need to talk to you later about what you did, okay?" I bent down towards Hunter.

"Okay." He nodded.

"Go downstairs and check on Mr. Paws, take him out into the backyard." I said giving him a kiss on the forehead. Hunter raced out of the room immediately.

I raised an eyebrow at the grown man still squished into the closet. "You can come out now." I chuckled. "Oh and I am well aware of how you used our son to soften me up first."

Kade's lip curved into a grin as he stretched himself up and planted his hands on my hips.

"Hi baby mama." He whispered before connecting our lips for a short, sweet kiss. His warm, strong hands travelled from my hips to my stomach, softly palming the swollen curve. He bent down before planting kisses over my pregnant belly. Being a mother was so incredibly fulfilling. I felt so whole. So happy.

"Hi little one." He whispered. He pressed his cheek against my stomach and softly rubbed the swell. My heart soared as I watched him interact with our unborn child. I love him so much. Gosh, it's way too difficult to stay mad when you had two charming Whitley's to sway you. I had thought about giving our kids my last name too. But Hernandez-Whitley was way too long. Bless their souls when they had to write that out in school.

I placed my hand on top of his head gently, before running my fingers over his jaw. He stood up as I flickered my gaze over his face lovingly. Still as handsome as the day I met him, but now with a more mature look. Aging like a fine wine.

"You're still in trouble." I whispered before wrapping my arms around him to feel his warm, comforting embrace.

The moment he showed up on my doorstep all those years ago, confessions spilled from us like Niagara Falls- love, marriage, the works. All the secret desires we never spoke of in high school finally came to light. We were always more than just a casual fling. But, as hard as that time was- there was one silver lining. It allowed us to grow and find ourselves first, before we could be ready to come together in the future. Sometimes I like to think that maybe that was how it was meant to be. Nevertheless, I was here in our Newport home, at almost 33 years of age, married happily to the man I love so dearly. Who could have guessed that the two bickering teenagers could have turned out this way.

"You can spank me if you want," he winked cheekily.

I laughed as I pushed him away from me with a small roll of my eyes. He hasn't changed one bit in that aspect. Suddenly, a small static cry could be heard from a tablet lying in the closet. I could also hear the cry in real-life coming across from the hallway.

Kade grabbed the monitor from the closet and switched it off before pecking me on the cheek. "I'll get her." He smiled. Kade was an amazing father and husband. He was always so attentive. He made me laugh when the times got tough, my light through all the sleepless nights.

"M-hm. Thankyou. And when you're done, you're coming downstairs to help Hunter clean up the living room." I said with a small smile, taking the monitor off his hands.

He saluted me before waking towards our daughter's nursery. She was nearly 3 years old now and just woken from a nap. It's a habit we've been trying to break of hers, Lyla seemed to cry whenever she woke up and saw that no one was there. Sophie assured me that she would grow out of it, because her son used to do the same thing. Some babies were just more sensitive than others she said.

I walked back downstairs and turned on the monitor. I just loved watching Kade care for our children, my womanly hormones surged ten-fold and I'm weak at the knees. It made him 1000x more attractive and manly. I rubbed my 26-week strong belly with a smile as I found Hunter playing with our golden retriever that he lovingly named Mr. Paws. I wasn't going to fight him on what he wanted to call the pup.

~

Kade P.O.V.

"Lyla, shhh it's okay. Daddy's here, no need to cry." I cooed gently to the little girl in her bed. Her tear-soaked green eyes turned towards me as she stretched out her arms. I reached down the high bars surrounding the bed and picked her up. She sniffled and quietened down as she tucked her head into my neck, and clung to me with her chubby little hands.

I'm not denying that I didn't freak out and had a perfect reaction when Isobel got pregnant. I was so excited and happy, but I was also afraid of how I would be as a father. Of course I had wanted a baby, but all of a sudden the thought became real.

I'm not denying that I didn't freak when she was in the delivery room either. I was in quite a shock. But I let her hold my hand, crushing me at the bones, and she only cussed me once for "inserting my devil spawn" into her. It was kind of hysterical. It's so funny now that I look back on it. But like everything we did together, we worked through it as a team.

Fatherhood has brought me some of the greatest joys in my life. The moment my eyes landed on Hunter and Lyla's faces, it was like every breath I breathed from this day forward was no longer mine. I was never the same again. I fell in love instantly and vowed to fiercely protect my family with unwavering loyalty and unconditional love.

"Dada," she whined rubbing her face into my shoulder. Ugh, that cute little voice. I pat her back soothingly as I brought her downstairs where my beautiful wife was sitting on the outdoor deck lounge. Her face glowed, and her body was curvier even, due to her pregnancy. This body, with its stretch marks and a few extra bumps was nothing less than beautiful to me though. It carried our children and brought them to life. It was strong, resilient- enduring the many changes of pregnancy, physically and emotionally. I made sure she never forgot how beautiful she is.

"Hunter, you can play in the living room if you like, but you can't just leave it like that. You've got to clean it up after. And try not to let Mr. Paws chew up any more cushions, baby." She said softly to our son. It feels like yesterday since he was born, but he's already five years old. I have no idea how we weren't blessed with a little shit, considering how the two of us are. He was good kid, but he also had his naughty streaks sometimes, and loved to get up to mischief too. Bels said that he took after me in that way. He had us both wrapped around his fingers. I can't imagine what it will be like when Lyla gets a little older.

Hunter pouted. "But mama! I was just playing!"

"Yes I know. But then, you need to clean it up. It's not very fair to others to have to tidy up after you. It wouldn't be very nice if someone came into your room, threw all your toys around and then left, would it?"

"Hmm...no it wouldn't..." He tilted his head to the side as his face scrunched up. "Does daddy have to clean up too?" He said, pointing towards me.

Bels turned towards me and nodded with a cheeky grin. "Of course he does. He played with you too, didn't he?

Hunter shrugged with an easy smile. "Okay then. I'll put all those pillows back. And Mr. Paws will help too!"

Bels smiled approvingly. "Thankyou Hunter."

I rolled my eyes playfully and grinned as I stepped forward. Bels spread out her arms, prompting me to turn over Lyla to her.

"Hi sweetie." She smiled, brushing her fingers over Lyla's cheek. Bels was a wonderful mother.

"Mama," the little tot called with a cheerful smile.

"You must be hungry now huh Lyla?" Bels said, tying our daughter's caramel brown hair into two little piggy tails. She looked just like her mama.

Lyla nodded enthusiastically. "I want cheese!"

"Alright, I'll get you snacks." Bel smiled, lifting Lyla up in her arms whilst she tried to stand. I helped her up as she shot me a small frown. "I'm not completely useless yet!"

I wrapped an arm around her waist as I escorted her and Lyla inside. "I know okay, but I just can't help it. I don't want you to fall." I scolded her lightly.

She relaxed as she popped Lyla on her hip and leaned in to peck me on the lips. "I know." She smiled reassuringly. "Thanks Kade. Now go clean up that mess. I know you had a hand in it, and you thought you could get away with it." She said with a teasing, narrowed gaze.

Whilst Bels did the grocery shop, I agreed to stay home and look after Hunter and Lyla. Hunter and I may have gotten into a pillow fight. I was going to clean it, but I totally forgot because we started watching tv. As soon as I heard her pull into the garage, Hunter and I looked at our surroundings, then to each other with frightened gazes and unanimously decided to run off in secret. Maybe she'd think it was all Mr. Paws.

"Just thought we'd do some redecorating y'know." I chortled as I sauntered off into the living room to give Hunter a hand.

I could not have dreamed of such a wonderful life. True to her word, Bel wanted to move back home when she decided to settle down. So, a year into our marriage, we looked for houses back in Rhode Island and made the move. Isobel worked as an online editor for a news site, and a part time columnist for Red's online site. and I took up a PR job at a local company in Newport. It was nice to be close to our best friends, family, and all the support given- especially more so when our family began to grow.

After everything was done up, a lovely scent wafted from the kitchen where Bels was busy whipping away dinner. I had gotten Hunter and Lyla bathed and clothed, settling them in the living room before I could join her to help.

The doorbell rang and I strolled out into the foyer to greet our guests for the night. Ollie and Soph stood grinning- very much in love still, and before they could get a word in, their two kids rushed past tackling me into a hug. "Uncle Kadey!"

Gracie was turning six, and Leon had just turned four. They both had dark, but not quite black hair with lovely fair skin, some cute freckles and dark grayish eyes. A good mix of Ollie and Soph. They were the sweetest kids.

Soon after, Maria, Dan-her partner, Bruce, my mom and Nessa joined us as we dined happily on this lovely Sunday evening family gathering.

Life has a funny way of working itself out.

The End.