It Starts with Coffee

Epilogue

The best feeling in the whole world is watching things fall into place after watching them fall apart for so long
-UNKNOWN

~~

10 years later

"Come on girls, Daddy is waiting in the bakery and mummy needs coffee" I tell my daughters, Frankie six and Pepper three as we hurry along the street in my hometown. We are currently on vacation from our home on the East Coast to visit my family. It feels so good to be home. Liam and I have been debating whether or not to make the move here as Dad wants to retire from the bakery and my latest book has reached second on the best-seller list. That makes book number five to do so and I'm so happy!

Liam wants to move on from screenplays, he's produced and directed over a dozen different plays. He's really excited about learning the ropes from Dad and potentially taking over the bakery. Considering he still can't cook, it's going to be so fun watching him trying to bake!

We are almost at the bakery when I hear someone calling my name. Turning around with each daughter in hand I look for the source of the noise. I look over the faces of the people nearby and settle on an overweight blonde man. I narrow my eyes as I try to figure out how he knows me. Suddenly my eyes widen.

"Jack?" I question. It's been over a decade since I last saw him.

"Lot! It's so good to see you!" He grins widely as he steps closer to me.

"Mummy. Why is he calling you Lot?" Frankie whispers not very quietly. Jack looks down at her and then at Pepper.

"You're not allowed to call her that. Only my daddy is allowed to" Pepper, my outgoing wild child, tells him.

"Mummy? Lottie is your mum?" Jack smiles but I can tell it's forced. He has so much sadness in his eyes I notice they're teary as well.

"Yes, Jack. These are my daughters. Frankie and Pepper" I smile.

"They're beautiful. They look like you" Jack says looking up at me.

"Actually I look like my daddy" Frankie tells him proudly.

"Who's your daddy?" Jack asks and I try not to flinch.

"Liam!"

Jack's eyes harden as he looks at me.

"It's nice to see it all work out for you Charlotte," he says coldly, "Brianna dumped me. Ages ago actually. She was doing prac at a hospital, remember how she was studying to be a nurse. Yeah. She started an affair with a doctor. They're married now. Not that it was a big shock. Around a year after you left, I did my knee in. Couldn't work out anymore. You know what my medical condition is, if I don't stay active I put on weight and now look at me. I'm single with no kids working a job I hate. I guess that's called karma. My father was right. I have to live with this regret for the rest of my life."

"I'm really sorry Jack. I wish you find peace" I tell him truthfully, "we better go. Come on girls." And we walk off without a look back.

"Who was that mummy?" Frankie asks.

"Do you remember Holly and James?" They both nod their heads yes. "That's their son" I tell them as we enter the bakery. They seem satisfied with that answer. They both let go of my hands and race off to Liam who's sitting at a table with the rest of the family. He elopes them both in a huge hug and gives them both a kiss.

"My girls! Here you go, hot chocolate for my two princesses" he grins happily, "And for you my beautiful Lot, a peppermint coffee."

I just smile back as I take a sip of the delicious drink. I'm so grateful for this beverage. It was the reason I was interested in Liam in the first place. The bakery is full of my family, gathering for breakfast. My parents are here. All three of my siblings and their partners and my many nieces and nephews because I have a lot of them now.

My own family.
My beautiful girls and my amazing husband.

I can't believe that is possible all because of a drink.

As someone once said; all good love stories involve coffee and mine is one of them.

The End