Behaving Badly in Vegas (Vegas Love #3)

57. Another Epilogue

Charli

“She’s going to break her neck.”

I patted my husband on the back. “Relax, big guy. She’s a natural.”

Carina did back handsprings across the mat, sticking the landing like a pro. At eight years old, she was way ahead of the other girls in the class.

Our four-year-old, Harper, stood on her head and tried to somersault but landed on her bottom with a hard thud. She wanted to be like her big sister; however, I had a feeling gymnastics wouldn’t be her thing.

Hunter held our youngest daughter, who had just turned two. “I wants to twy, Daddy,” Madison said, wiggling out of his arms.

“You’re too little, honey!” he yelled as she ran to me and grabbed my legs.

“Come on. Let’s show Daddy how it’s done,” I encouraged her.

She squatted on the mat and put her arms out. I tucked her into a ball and helped her roll over. Madison stood with her hands in the air proudly. “Ta-da! ”

He slow clapped. “Excellent job.”

I rubbed my swollen belly as I got kicked in the kidney. “Somebody else wants to join in too.”

“That’s my boy,” Hunter said, putting his hands on my stomach.

I shook my head. “We don’t know that yet.” Hunter and I decided not to find out the sex of our fourth and final child. He was hoping for a son, but I was convinced it was another daughter. My husband was severely outnumbered, but he didn’t seem to care. He embraced being a girl dad.

I quit performing when we got pregnant with Harper. As Mrs. Hadley had warned me that day at the pool, the younger, prettier girls swept in and replaced Jasmine and me. I wasn’t as heartbroken as I thought I would be. I’d lived my dream, and it was time to move on to the next stage in my life.

Hunter bought me an old warehouse and decked it out with all the best equipment. Jasmine and I started our own business, training the next generation of performers. The gym was an automatic success. Every parent, hoping their child would be the next star of Vegas, poured through our doors. It wasn’t quite the same as being in the spotlight, but it let me continue doing what I loved and spend time with my family.

Shortly after Hunter proposed, we got married in Colorado, overlooking the mountains at sunset. We were surrounded by our friends and family who loved and supported us, even my brother, who still threatened Hunter at least once a month. Carina toddled down the aisle, throwing handfuls of flowers at the guests and was the cutest flower girl anyone had ever seen. Trent, who was Hunter’s best man held her through the entire ceremony and even let her hold the rings.

When we returned to Vegas, Hunter and I bought a house close to his parents. Rose was a tremendous help with Carina, and later our other daughters. I seriously didn’t know how we would have done it without her. Hunter made amends with Rose, and the first time he called her Mom, she burst into tears.

I learned that dreams and aspirations aren’t stagnant things. They change over time, twisting and turning to become something beautiful. As I looked at my growing family, I knew I’d made the right choices, especially the reckless one to ignore everyone’s warnings and take a nanny position from Hunter.

Who knew the day I showed up at Mystique looking for a job would lead to all of this? We might have had a bumpy start, but somewhere along the way… all my dreams came true .