Ghost (First Edition)

Epilogue

Luis

Three years later.

Luis sat curled up on the sofa in their small living room in their Gold Coast apartment. Cuddled in his arms was his and Nathan's newborn son, Simon.

Simon cooed softly and waved his little arms. He had a mess of black hair and green eyes, just like Luis, it had been agreed that it would be Luis's genes used in the surrogate process.

"I want our baby to look cute, not sharp and handsome!" Nathan had said when they were discussing it.

Luis hadn't cared what the baby would look like. It was never something Luis had seen in his future, to be holding a baby. His baby.

His baby.

His child.

Luis had never seen himself getting that far in life. Had never seen himself engaged to the love of his life or being halfway into the study of his dream job as a therapist.

It had never seemed possible until he met Nathan.

He owed Nathan so much. So much!

"You don't need to repay me," Nathan had said after they had moved here, "you pay me enough with your love."

That didn't stop the fact that Luis owed Nathan his life.

A life of love. We will grow old together. Love each other forever.

His thoughts were cut off as Simon let out a loud wail, kicking his legs and waving his arms.

"Someone hungry?" Luis guessed, slowly coming back to the present.

"Whoa! Smells like someone needs a diaper change!" Nathan exclaimed, coming in from the balcony, his hair messed by the sea winds.

Nathan had been on a call with his father, who ran a construction business, which was where the Princes made the riches. Nathan had said the other day that his father was retiring, so the business was being handed down to Nathan. Nathan had been studying hard to learn the tools of the trade.

Luis lifted Simon, still wailing, up, holding his neck protectively. He gave the baby's nappy a quick sniff and reared back in disgust. "Whew, you're right!"

Both Nathan and Luis looked at each other.

"Who's turn is it?" Nathan asked at last.

"Yours," Luis said, standing and holding Simon in the crook of his arm, "I did it just before lunch."

"But—"

"No buts, themes the rules," Luis interrupted, handing Simon over.

Nathan sighed. "Alright, alright, you win."

Luis laughed and kissed Nathan on the cheek. "I will get his bottle ready."

Nathan smiled. "You should be studying, you know," he murmured, jiggling Simon as he wailed.

"Hence why you're going to spend time with our son," Luis said, heading the three steps to the kitchen.

Their apartment was small. Only two bedrooms, and the kitchen, dining room, and living room were in the same room. There was a flat-screen TV and a large sofa in the living room, a single wooden dining table sat between the kitchen and the living room. The kitchen was small, doing a little L around the tiled spade with just enough room for a stove, fridge, and cooking space.

There were windows and a sliding door all along the back wall of the main space. The view of the ocean made up for the simple living, along with the marble bench tops Luis had asked about three years ago when all this had still been a dream. They had decided to keep being rich a secret from the public. They wanted their baby to have a normal life.