Bonus epilogue—Stirling & Magdalena
Thanks so much reading Stirling & Magdalena’s later-in-life romance. I wrote this novella for a charity anthology and was limited to just 18,000 words. I wish I could have spent a full novel with this couple—so I think I’ll bring them into my next series, since it’s about four billionaire brothers who I could totally see hiring Stirling as a personal chef!
This exclusive, bonus epilogue is only available to newsletter subscribers. It takes place six months after the story ends. Bon appetit!
STIRLING
“I never would have believed I’d look back on those weeks of bedrest with longing,” Mags moans, pulling herself out of bed to start what will be a full hour of nursing, first Joey, then Kassandra, then a top-up for the boy who has a stomach after my own heart.
Mags’ shelved her plan to start back at work ten hours a week once the kids hit three months old, which was last week. Since I’m covering half the mortgage she doesn’t need the income and we’re loving the flexibility of unscheduled days. Well, unscheduled by anything other than empty tummies and full diapers.
We sleep when we can—morning, afternoon, evening, sometimes even at night—whenever there’s a quiet moment that looks like it might last at least an hour.
My sisters all think Mags and I are crazy since we don’t sleep in shifts the way they did with their partners. When she’s up nursing in the middle of the night, I read to her and the baby. We have our roles for this stage—she puts fresh food in them and I clean processed food off them.
We’re both looking forward to the six month milestone when we can swap roles for at least half the meals and diaper changes. I’ve been testing recipes for purees and am appalled at what passes for acceptable baby food on some web sites.
I’m still making smoothies for Mags, though clams have been replaced by spirulina, frozen bananas, brewer’s yeast, coconut milk and a handful of secret ingredients and spices. I’ve been in touch with a local, commercial smoothie drink maker and am pretty close to signing a deal to do a special line for nursing mothers. It feels great to be exercising my culinary creative muscle and in many ways, I’m enjoying it more than the recipes I made for the restaurant.
But, what I enjoy the most is watching Mags’ eyes roll back in her head and her mouth drop open with that sexy moan when I hit the right notes on a new flavor combination. She is a most amazing muse.
“Did I hear a blender?” Mags asks, coming into the kitchen from the nursery.
“Do I hear silence?” I reply.
She waggles her eyebrows and waves her phone at me. “My schedule says it’s time for me to make love with my fiancé.”
My phone pings on the counter beside me. I lift it and see a notification that an event has just been added to my calendar.
Six months ago, if anyone had told me I’d think it was a turn-on to schedule sex, I’d have laughed in their face. But I’ve developed quite a taste for planning—and a deep love for the woman who thinks she can predict what life will toss in our path a day from now, let alone a year.
The one prediction we are both one hundred percent certain of? Whatever is on that path, we’ll be facing it together.
This was a stand-alone novella—at least for now! Check out my other spicy romance novels and novellas, all are free in Kindle Unlimited and many available as paperbacks.
Full-length novels
Find details about all my novels right here.
Short reads
Frisky with my Bestie: a spicy, forced proximity, small-town, friends-to-lovers prequel to The Mixed Six-Pack series. Available as an ebook and a large print paperback.
Mind Over Splatter: a college first kiss romance stand-alone
The Billionaire’s Brouhaha: a later-in-life prequel to the Billionaire Bros. Inc. series (available in the Resolve charity anthology until Feb 2023)