Worlds Apart

Epilogue

I woke up to the soft glow of early morning light filtering through the curtains. Alessia was still sleeping next to me.

Carefully, I reached out and brushed a strand of hair from her face, my fingers lingering on her cheek. She stirred slightly, her eyes fluttering open. A sleepy smile spread across her lips when she saw me.

"Morning, Russel," I whispered, leaning in to kiss her gently. Her lips were warm and soft against mine, and I felt her respond immediately, her hand coming up to rest on my arm.

"Morning," she murmured back. "How long have you been awake?"

"Just a few minutes," I replied, running my hand down her arm.

"Mm, okay."

"I love you," I said, kissing her again, this time with more passion. Her arms wrapped around me, pulling me closer, and I felt a familiar warmth spread through me as our bodies pressed together.

Just as things were starting to heat up, we heard the sound of tiny feet running down the hallway. A second later, our daughter burst into the room, her giggles filling the air as she jumped onto the bed.

"Mumma! Mummy!" she squealed, crawling between us and throwing her arms around Alessia. "Good morning!"

"Good morning, sweetheart," Alessia said, her voice full of love as she hugged our daughter. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes! I had a dream about a unicorn!" she exclaimed, her eyes wide with excitement.

"Wow, a unicorn!" I said, pulling her into my arms and tickling her sides. She shrieked with laughter, squirming in my grasp. "That sounds amazing!"

She giggled and wiggled free, bouncing on the bed. "What are we doing today?"

"Well," my wife said, glancing at me with a smile. "I was thinking we could have a lazy day today. What do you think, babe?"

"I think that sounds perfect," I agreed, wrapping an arm around Alessia and pulling her close. "We can do whatever we want, just the three of us."

Our daughter's eyes lit up at the prospect. "Can we build a fort? And watch movies? And make pancakes?"

"Absolutely," I said, running my fingers through her hair. "We can do all of that and more."

She clapped her hands in excitement, her enthusiasm infectious. "Yay! This is going to be the best day ever!"

Alessia laughed, her eyes crinkling at the corners. "I think so too, sweetie. Now, how about we start with those pancakes?"

"Yay! Pancakes!" our daughter cheered, jumping off the bed and running towards the kitchen.

I turned to Alessia, leaning in for a deeper kiss, my hand sliding under the covers. "You know, we could take a few more minutes for ourselves..."

She laughed softly, swatting my hand away playfully. "Brooke, we've got a little one waiting for us in the kitchen. We can do all those things later tonight when she's in bed."

I pouted exaggeratedly, earning another laugh from her. "Alright, alright," I sighed, kissing her one more time before we got up to follow our daughter.

We made our way to the kitchen, our daughter bouncing with excitement at the thought of pancakes. Less started tidying up the living room, picking up toys and straightening the cushions on the couch. I pulled out the ingredients for pancakes, and our daughter grabbed her little apron from the hook by the fridge.

"Mummy, can I crack the eggs?" she asked, her eyes wide with anticipation.

"Of course," I said, handing her the eggs and guiding her over to the mixing bowl. "Just be careful, okay?"