Falling For You...Over and Over Again

EPILOGUE

Maine

"Lowla, Mama said, we are going to cut the cake. Come on!" Olivia squeals at me as she tugs on the hem of my dress.

"Oh! Well I guess it's time to cut the cake! Excuse me ladies." I tell my friends, Pia and Pauleen. I then turn to pick my beautiful grand daughter up. Hoisting her little four-year-old body up high, I bring her back down to rest on my left hip.

Yup! I'm still pretty damn strong at fifty-six years old.

"You want some cake, huh?" I ask as I give her a kiss on the nose.

She nods at me, her little pigtails bouncing up and down.

"Okay, but we have to find you lowlo first." I tell her, poking her nose.

"He's already sitting by the cake outside. He was the one who told me to get you." She tells me, she grab a hold of my Cartier bracelet and started playing with it.

"Lowla, when I get old, can I have this?" She loves this bracelet, every time I babysit her, she never fails to ask me for it."

"Yes precious one, you can have it." In fact, I think all of my jewels and my moms are all going to her anyway. Since her and her mom are the only girls in the family aside from me, for now.

"Yay! Thank you lowla! You are the best lowla ever!" Olivia giggles as we walk out of the great room through the floor to ceiling glass doors, and out toward the back deck.

I glanced around our house, loving the familiarity it gives me when RJ first showed it to me thirty years ago.

Stepping out on the back deck, I do a quick survey of my family, of my living legacies sitting all around.

My oldest, Ashten, so handsome at the age of thirty, and the spitting image of his father, is now the CEO of the family's chain of businesses. His wife, Camelia - Audrey and Steve's daughter - is awaiting the birth of their second child. They have a teenage son, Collin - a very athletic boy. He is a star basketball player for his school team.

And then there's our second child, our daughter - Elizabeth Rose. The mother of
Olivia, who I am holding in my arms. Her husband, Ian, a funny Englishman she met while she was away in London for college at Oxford, is sitting by her side and bouncing their son Elijah, on his knee.

My eyes moves to the left, seeing my son, Raphael, in a deep discussion with his grampa. He just turned twenty-six last week, as a matter of fact, and no doubt he and Dad are arguing about something again. He is a lawyer and is practicing corporate law. Raphael is such a workaholic, he never dates. I wonder if I am ever getting grandchildren out of him.

Finally, my eyes land on Lucas, our last child. He's twenty five, and yes, we had him out quickly after we had Raphael, because we had set our limit at three. Everyone says that he is my spitting image - thick dark hair and expressive eyes. Natasha, his wife, sits cuddled on his lap as he rubs his hand over her swollen belly. Grandchild number five, and I cannot wait to see that little monkey.

Stepping down off the deck, I walk over and hand Olivia to her mother. Then I turn and walk over to the love of my life.

RJ is still gorgeously handsome. He works out every day and still wears his henley shirts, showing off his pecs and biceps. His temples are streaked with some silver, but his eyes are still as bright and young as the day I met him.

After he retired from his showbiz career, immediately after Raphael was born, he ended up going to college to get his degree. I never worked again and just stayed as a full time wife and mother. From time to time, we help run the restaurants which we now have a total of twenty four including three in America.

We still own the properties in America and of course Victoria's Inn. RJ decided to buy Willow Mansion when it was up for sale and turned it as part of the inn. Annie is still managing it.

My gaze captures RJ and he gives me a sly smile, crooking his finger at me. He's sitting in front of a large cake with the words Happy 30th Anniversary written on it in large, scripted letters.  Our children organized this party for us, inviting all our closest friends.

I reach my husband and crawl straight onto his lap, relishing in the feel of his strong arms as they go around me.

"Hey, hot mama," he whispers in my ear. "I missed you." He still loves to tease me and is still unabashed when it comes to giving me affection.

I tilt my head and give him a soft kiss - a lingering kiss.

"Hey, babe," I tell him with a smile.

"Hey you two get a room! May mga bata dito o!" Jerald calls out, covering his youngest daughter's eyes with his hands. Him and Valeen decided to marry after fifteen years of being together.

"We will bro! As soon as you all get out of our house!" RJ leans his head up and calls out over me.

Everyone laughs, including me, and I snuggle deeper into his embrace.

"And here we are. " He tells me as he kisses my temple.

"Thirty years, can you believe it?" I tell him.

"It seems like it was just yesterday when I asked you for directions in Cape May." He leans his chin on my forehead, scratching his stubble on it, giving me goosebumps.

"You were already smitten by then Mr. Faulkerson." I teased.

"That I am. You were quite the seductress." He nuzzled.

"And I haven't done anything yet then."

"And when you did, you never stopped. Iron Man still gets hyped up." He affirm in a low rumble, a sound that never fails to make my heart race.

"My God! You two! We know! We already know, that after thirty years you are still head-over-heels in love with each other, but enough already. The kids wants a slice of the cake!" Audrey yelled from their table.

Everyone laughed and threw their napkins at us. I love these people!

"Happy anniversary, babe." I tell RJ. "Best thirty years of my life."

"Best of thirty years of mine too. And we still have a lot of living  to do. I love you so much." He gave me a lip locking kiss one more time and looked at me with the same loving eyes, he gave me thirty years ago.

"Yes, we do, my love. Yes we do."

I look at my husband adoringly as we cut our cake and let out a very deep contented sigh.

How can I not love this man, who gave me and is still giving me so much love?

I can't not love him,
because I fall for him,
over and over again.

~~~~~>•<~~~~~
The End
~~~~~>•<~~~~~

Author's note:

I hope you enjoyed reading The Falling For You books as much as I enjoyed writing it. 

Keep them in your hearts and always spread love.

Thank you!

••••••••••
P.S.
A new book is on the works, please watch out for it.