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Epilogue

KYLEIGH'S POV

“She wants her daddy,” I told Cory, handing him the little girl in my arms. She was ten months old, but still liked to be carried like a little baby. Silly girl.

“Aw, but it’s mommy’s birthday, Kayla,” he cooed to her. I turned to the cake that Cory had baked for me, and blew out all 23 candles. Kayla cooed at me, and I nuzzled her little face. She had my eyes, and Cory’s straight black hair. She was a beautiful little girl. She reached for me, and I grabbed her, and she grabbed my finger and started playing with my big, shiny wedding ring, babbling at it like it could talk back at her. She looked at me and flashed her two little bottom teeth and two top ones coming in with a smile, and started laughing. I smiled at her, and set her down, and she took off crawling across the soft, shag carpet of our house. I put my hands on my hips, which were, thankfully, still narrow as they were when I was in high school, and my tan stomach still as flat. Thank you God for working out- it got me right back in shape with my muscles and skin elasticity. 

Thank you lord… I could not live overweight… or big, for that matter. But, fortunately, I looked as if I hadn’t even had a kid- except for a few stretch marks here and there- that was thanks to cocoa butter lotion. Every day. For nine months. And for a few months after the birth. 

The doorbell rang, and Cory and I looked at each other. Who could it be? We answered the door, and a slightly chubby brunette girl was standing there.

“Can we help you?” I asked nicely. 

“It’s me… Cassandra.”

“Cassandra… who?”

“Or… sorry. I mean, Cassie… Sanders.”

“Oh. What are you doing here? Is there anything you need?” I asked. 

“Well… I wanted to come and apologize. I know it’s late… but I wanted to apologize for the way I tormented you in high school. It was wrong of me, and now that I’ve grown up, I realize that it wasn’t cool, it was mean and stupid. I’m so sorry, Kyleigh, Cory.” I looked at her. This was really Cassie. She was apologizing. I never thought I would see the day.

“Well, I guess we’ve all grown up. Because back then, I wouldn’t have forgiven you, like I will now,” I answered. She smiled at me with gratefulness. 

“Thank you so much!”

“Would you like to come in and have cake with us?” I asked. 

“No, it’s okay. I have to watch my figure… I’m trying to lose weight,” she muttered sadly. 

“Well, if you come in, I can help you with a diet plan that worked for me,” I told her. She smiled, and followed us in. When she saw Kayla crawling around, she looked back and forth between her and me and back to her and back to me, scrutinizing me. 

“Is there something wrong?” I asked her politely.

“It’s just… you don’t… you don’t look like you’ve had a child…” she answered. 

“Well, that’s because of a diet plan I followed very strictly. Trust me, if it got me to lose the baby fat, it will get you to lose whatever you want to lose. After birth fat is harder to lose than regular fat, you know,” I informed her. 

After we talked and I gave her a detailed chart with a diet plan on it for each day, she left to go home, and Cory and I sat together in the living room, watching Kayla play with Rocco, her straight black hair swaying against her back, her gray eyes full of wonder at the soft fur covering the unfamiliar type body. He just lay there and let her climb all over him, and nuzzling her with his wet nose, making her giggle.  

This… was the best life I could ever hope for.