Page 27 of Joshua
Epilogue
Hazel
“All right, guys, you said when I had my own child, you’d tell me the real story behind how you two met,” Serena states as she rocks her newborn son, Abel.
I smirk at her. She’s so much like her father, intelligent and forever seeking every drop of knowledge she can, even if it will make her regret it after the fact. “Are you sure?”
Joshua, handsome as ever with gray hairs lining his temples, shakes his head, and a slight blush forms on his cheeks. “Baby, I really don’t think—”
Grabbing his arm, I wrap it around me and lean in. I pat his stomach and cluck my tongue. “Hush, you. It’s not like I’m going to share the first time we had sex. Don’t be such a prude.”
“All right, all right,” he says and pulls me in tighter.
“Before your father, I didn’t have a need nor care for a man in my life. They’d only be a risk to my scar-free heart. I learned quickly a vibrator or dildo could—”
“Oh, Mom!” Serena cries and covers her son’s ears.
“See, I told you,” Joshua chuckles, the sound vibrating against me where our bodies meet. His laughter and our children’s laughter have always been my favorite sounds, until little Abel came along and reminded us of the blessings of a cry.
“As if you don’t have one!” I snap and enjoy her gasp.
“N-n-no, I don’t.”
Now it’s my turn to shake my head. “Really? So what did I hear in the middle of the night during your college years?”
Joshua rubs his face, choking on laughter. “You’re digressing, baby.”
“Am I? I’m pretty sure we are discussing my fondness of sex toys, andyourdaughter is claiming to have never used one. Which is a bold-faced lie, since if you recall we heard one coming from her bedroom. And you can stop covering that child’s ears. Nothing we say is going to traumatize him. He’s a week old for goodness’ sake. In a second you’ll have to nurse him anyway.”
“Fine,” Serena snaps. “Yes, I’ve used a vibrator… God, this conversation is weird! What do vibrators have to do with you meeting dad?”
“I’d be happy to tell you if you’d act like the grown-ass woman you are. How the hell are you a labor-and-delivery nurse anyway?”
“Last I checked, vibrators weren’t needed in the conception or delivery of a baby,Mother.”
I wave a dismissing hand at her, a smile teasing my lips. Serena is our oldest and sassiest. She’s as quick as a whip and has the biggest heart I could have hoped for in a child. “Your Aunt Angela—”
“Wait—how does she come into play with vibrato—oh, Mom, did you two… Oh…”
I can’t contain my mix of a gasp and laugh before I lean forward and swat her knee. “No! I’ve always been strictly dickly, thank you very much. Not that I have any issue with your sister loving her share of women.”
“Strictly. Dickly,” Serena mutters. “I’ve stepped into some sort of time-warp. That’s the only explanation for this.”
“For the love of all that is holy, just let her tell the story!” Joshua whimpers. “You’re making this so much worse.”
“I don’t know, Dad, I’ve never seen this side of Mom. Did Abel just induct me into some crazy club?”
Joshua links our hands and leans forward. “Your mother and Hazel Bradley are two different women. She wasn’t meant to be a friend while we raised you.” He kisses my knuckles and presses them to his cheek. So much love shimmers from his eyes, and I’m flooded with emotions. We’ve had our shares of bumps in the road, but our love has guided us through it all.
“I understand,” Serena whispers, and I watch her brush a kiss on her son’s little head. “Okay, Mom, how does Aunt Angela come into play?”
“She suggested a new lube for me to use. Raved about it really. One of those warming ones…”
“Oh no, Mom. You can’t use that stuff!” she says, concern coating her voice as her knowledge of my allergy and her education come together.
Joshua nods as he smiles at me. “No, she can’t, but she didn’t know it then.”
“So what happened?” Serena asks.
