Forbidden Billionaire Rockstar (Raising Havoc Bandmates #4)

Epilogue

Seven years later

Mallory

The oven dings, and I brace myself for disappointment. As I pull out the tray, my fears are confirmed, another batch of sunken cupcakes stares back at me.

The scent of vanilla and sugar wafts through the air, mingling with the faint smell of something not quite right. The kitchen is warm from the oven, and a thin layer of flour dusts the countertops like freshly fallen snow. The sound of the mixer whirring in the background fills the room, a constant reminder of my culinary ambitions - and failures.

I glance at the recipe on my phone, wondering if it’s written in some secret baker’s code I can’t decipher.

Stella, perched on a stool at the counter, eyes my creation with the brutal honesty only a five-year-old can muster.

How hard can it possibly be to make these things?

Stella is sitting at the counter, eyeing my creation with a frown on her face, and I sigh heavily while brushing a strand of my hair from my face. “I know they don’t look the best, but I’m sure they taste great.”

My daughter looks up at me, blinks, then glances back at the lopsided cupcakes in front of us. Two dozen cupcakes, each looking like someone, shoved their fingers into them, and only further proving that I’m not cut out for this shit.

“I want Daddy to make them,” Stella says, her voice a mix of apology and hope. “No offense, Mom.”

I can’t help but chuckle. My daughter, the diplomat. “None taken, kiddo. Looks like we’re both learning a valuable lesson about my baking skills.”

Here’s the thing about Stella — she doesn’t take any bullshit, but she’s also the sweetest girl you’ll ever meet. Even though she’s telling me that my cupcakes are too horrible to present at her girl scout party, my little girl is also trying to soften the blow because she’s too sweet to resist the urge.

“Yeah, yeah,” I mutter, then flash her a smile and dump both batches of cupcakes into the trash. “As soon as he gets home, I’ll get him on it, lovebug.”

Jace would’ve done them in the first place, but I insisted that he take Koen, our son, to the ballpark like he’s been begging and leave the baking to me. I should’ve known from the odd look my husband gave me that I shouldn’t have attempted the impossible, but it was yet another way to prove that I could do something important.

It's funny how old habits die hard. Even after all these years, a part of me still feels the need to prove myself, to show that I can handle everything. But I've learned that it's okay not to be perfect at everything. My baking skills or any single ability doesn't determine my worth. It's in the love I give, the family we've built, and the life we've created together.

As if sensing the dire need for him to save me, the front door swings open, and in walks my personal superhero - though his cape is more likely to be covered in grass stains than flowing majestically behind him.

Jace walks through the door with Koen following closely behind him, and the two of them come to a stop in the middle of our kitchen. There’s dirt caked on their pants, showcasing the fun they’ve had the last couple of hours, and Jace’s hair is sticking to the side of his face from sweat.

My belly dips at the sight of him, but Stella rushing up to him with a big smile sends any dirty thoughts to the back of my mind — we’ve always got when they go to sleep. I can wait.

Jace scoops Stella up, planting a kiss on her forehead. His eyes find mine over her head, a silent conversation passing between us. Seven years, and we’ve perfected the art of parental telepathy.

“So,” he says, his tone light, “how’d the great baking experiment go?”

Stella, ever the traitor, points dramatically to the trash can. “We’re desperate, Daddy.”

My mouth pops open in shock, and I place my hands on my hips. “Excuse me, I never said I was desperate.”

“Okay,” Stella says, smirking. “Fine. I’m the desperate one.”

Sometimes it surprises me that she’s not a teenager, her attitude definitely doesn’t add up to a five-year-old little girl, and she’s smarter than most of the kids in her grade. I see a bright future for our little girl, but I don’t want to get too ahead of ourselves — these stages only last so long and it’s already going by too fast.

Jace smirks as he walks further into the kitchen, his steps separating the distance between, and he glances at the bowl of batter waiting to be poured down the drain. “What happened this time, sweetheart?”

“Hell if I know,” I mutter. “The directions were right in front of my face. There’s only so much I can do.”

He nods, then dips his finger into the batter and sucks it off with his eyes closed. “Hm, there’s something missing.”

I watch as he repeats the action, then hold his finger out to me as if waiting for me to lick it off, and I lean forward with my eyes focused on him. I’m about to open my mouth, more than ready to entertain whatever he’s doing, but as soon as I get close enough, he wipes the batter all over my cheek with a chuckle.

“There, that’s much better,” he states with a grin, then looks toward the back door. “Right kids?”

Stella and Koen are in a fit of giggles, their faces red, and I quickly dig my hand into the batter before Jace has a chance to rush out of my way. As soon as he turns around, I swipe my palm over his face with a smirk. “You’re right, honey, this is perfect. Just what I was missing.”

Clearly we didn’t think this through because our kids rush over to the bowl, dig their own hands inside, and fling the batter at us with squeals of laughter. Jace and I look at each other, eyes wide, then nod and narrow our gazes at the kids.

Stella nudges her brother closer to us, clearly forcing him to fend for himself and give her time to get away, but it’s no use. Within moments, and batter caked all over our kitchen, Jace has both of the kids on the floor as he rubs his face all over them.

These are the moments I live for and why I’ll never regret how Jace and I got here. He’s the best father to our kids, giving them what he wished his parents had given him — unconditional love and support — and I’ve never been more proud to be married to him.

Now, I just need to tell him that he’s going to be a dad all over again and hope that he’s as excited as I am.

***

Jace

Cleaning up the kitchen from our cupcake fight takes about an hour, followed by another hour of getting the kids to bed. As I shower, washing away the remnants of batter and laughter, I'm struck by how full my heart feels. These messy, imperfect moments - they're the ones I'll treasure forever.

When I finally make it downstairs, Mallory's already on the couch, her robe loosely wrapped around her frame, the fireplace casting a warm glow on her face. Even after seven years, she takes my breath away. Not just because of her beauty, but because of everything she represents - our love, our family, our shared journey.

She’s still the most beautiful woman in the world.

“So, seems like it was an eventful day.”

She glares at me and frowns. “Do not rub it in, honey, it’s unbecoming of you.”

I place a hand over my heart and look at her in shock. “I’d never.”

“Yeah, okay.” The book she’s got on her lap gets tossed onto the coffee and she sits up, eyes pointed at me. “Well, say it.”

“Say what, sweetheart?”

“That you knew I wouldn’t be able to do it.”

Although Mallory has been in a good place since the start of our relationship, her insecurities come back now and then when it comes to the kids. Last week, Koen was excited to get on his new bike, but when Mallory offered to teach him to ride, he said no and pointed to me. His exact words were Daddy, better .

She hasn’t said anything, but I know it hurts, and she’s been trying harder to accomplish things for the kids.

“Sweetheart,” I say softly while pulling her onto my lap.

Once she’s seated, I place a finger at the tip of her chin and force her eyes to lock onto mine. “Listen to me when I say this, and I mean really listen.”

When she nods, I take a deep breath and say, “There are going to be things you aren’t good at. That’s why they have both of us. If Stella needs new clothes, she’s going to come to you for that because my sense of style is severely lacking and we all know it. Koen always goes on and on about the way you brush his teeth at night when I try to do it because he loves the songs you sing to him.”

Mallory’s shoulders deflate with each thing I point out, showing her how she’s better than me at certain things as well.

I rest my forehead against hers and smile. “We’re a team, sweetheart. I’ll never tell you I told you so, and I’d rather die than say you won’t be able to do something.”

She’s quiet for a moment, and I press a quick kiss to her lips. “I told you before, you can do whatever you put your mind to. You’ve just got to stop overthinking.”

“So… what did I do wrong?”

“Did you keep opening the oven while they were cooking?”

She blinks, then frowns. “Am I not supposed to? How else am I going to check that they are done?”

This woman. I love her to pieces, but baking is not her thing. I chuckle and shake my head. “Nothing to worry about, sweetheart. Stella’s cupcakes are made and sitting in the fridge.”

I pull my wife against me, her heartbeat thumping in tandem with my own, and I take the moment to get used to the feeling. It never fails to amaze me that we made it to this point in our lives, even when the odds were against us for a short period in the beginning.

Mallory went through a brief point where she couldn’t even look at her phone because of all the harsh words. The only reason she did eventually was because I had to take action myself and point out that bullying on my behalf was not okay. Other than a few smaller instances, mainly jealous fans, things seemed to turn around for the two of us.

Enough for her to announce a pregnancy and for me to propose.

Now we’ve got not one, but two kids and I’m content… almost.

“I got something for you today,” Mallory says before lifting from the couch and grabbing a medium-sized gift bag from a corner.

“There is a special occasion I don’t know about?”

She smirks and nudges my shoulder. “Just open.”

I take note of the way Mallory shifts as I lift the tissue paper from the bag, revealing a few articles of clothing inside. There’s a unique item at the bottom, but I focus more on pulling the clothes out so I can get a good look at them.

It takes a few moments to figure out what it is, but when I do, my attention snaps to Mallory immediately. “Is this… are you?”

Mallory nods, a smile on her face, and she digs into the deep pocket of her robe before holding an image out to me.

Right there, front and center, are two lemon-sized circles tucked inside a sac.

“I found out a few weeks ago, went for the ultrasound today… looks like we’re adding two more to the family, honey.”

“Twins…” I swallow thickly, my eyes burning with unshed tears, and I smile at her. “We’re going to have our hands full.”

“This is it,” she states, her tone serious. “No more after this.”

“Whatever you want, sweetheart. As long as you’re the one by my side through this crazy ride.”

And I mean that.

If she asked me for three more, I’d give them to her because all I want in this life is to see her happy and thriving. Looking at the ultrasound, seeing those two babies resting in her stomach, somehow, I know that this is it.

Jace’s eyes widen as he processes the news. “Twins?” he breathes, a smile spreading across his face.

I laugh, relief and joy bubbling up inside me. “This is it,” I say, my tone a mix of excitement and mock warning. “Our grand finale.”

“Whatever you say, sweetheart,” Jace replies, pulling me close. “As long as you’re the one standing beside me in this circus, we call life.”

As Mallory leans into me, I'm hit with how lucky I am. This life we've built - it's better than any dream I had back in my rockstar days. Sure, it's messy. There might be cupcake batter in my hair, and we're about to add two more kids to our chaos. But I wouldn't change a thing.

I used to think my greatest hit was a song. It turns out it's this—our family, our love.

I look at Mallory, still beautiful, even with flour on her nose.

I can't help but grin.

We're having twins…..

The End