Falling For My Playboy Boss
Epilogue

Cora's POV

It has been a great 8 years of marriage for Collin and me. So many changes have occurred. I took over for Jerry Siler as the V.P. of Finance here at Lauder Financial about three years ago. Collin took Coleman to be his P.A. and hired a woman to work for me because he swears Coleman still has a "thing" for me and cites that one time when Coleman allegedly looked at my a*s in a lustful manner when we went down for lunch one day. Lyra and Hamilton are no longer with the company. Collin fired them both after Lyra came into his office a few months after we got married and tried to kiss him again. Collin now has a door that you have to buzz people into his office with, as do I, at his insistence, as he was worried about my safety as well.

We no longer have to worry about Maddie anymore. Two years ago, she got mouthy with the wrong person in prison, and Maddie apparently "slipped" in the shower accidentally, with no marks on her, and 6 witnesses of her alleged "slip and fall". I hate feeling good about it, but I was very worried for my children as I had just had our fourth child when we heard about her death in prison. I didn't want to worry about our children being stalked by her or anyone who wrote her fan mail in prison and having to worry, more than a mother's regular worry over her children, about someone hurting our children.

Our twins are now 8 years old, and so smart. They constantly compete against each other in both academics and sports. They both had a great mind for finance, and they will be taking this company to the next level when it comes time for them to take over. They will both run the company together when they get old enough to run it, and their father and grandfather couldn't be more proud of them. They are learning about finance from all angles from the three of us, as there is so much to learn about the business that we love. Adam is still my handsome little boy, who has me wrapped around his finger. Handsome like his father, with those beautiful green eyes, and blonde hair, he is different than his father due to his hair color, but his face looks just like him. My beautiful girl Abi has my eyes and her father's dark hair. She has him wrapped around her little finger. She will be absolutely stunning when she becomes a teenager, and I try to make sure she can think for herself because we won't always be there to protect her, so she needs to be able to make good choices even when we aren't around. She takes taekwondo lessons, and she is about to earn her first black belt. We have a third child who is 5 years old and in kindergarten, Abbot Graham Lauder, named after my father. We used his first name, as we stuck with the A names for our last two children as well. Graham is a sweetheart and a pleasure to be around. He is a miniature replica of his father with his dark hair and green eyes, and he is just a calm and sweet soul. Graham acts older than his years, he gets along with all of his siblings and is the favorite for all of them to hang around. Our baby girl is two years old, and she is a spitfire. She isn't scared of anything and she is going through those terrible two's where her answer to everything is "No". We named her Ashlyn Simone Lauder and Ashlyn is just as smart as they come. She has my lighter hair and Collin's eyes and is just a doll baby. Her father melts when she gives him the puppy dog eyes and will agree to anything that she asks him for. Fortunately, the puppy dog eyes don't work on mommy. She has Collin's eye color, but she had my delicate features just like her older sister. I will give it a few years and she will be trying to run this household. I won't stamp on her spirit. She is a feisty girl, and I am glad she has that.

I work from home two days a week and at the office the other three days. Ashlyn goes with me as we have a daycare now at work, as we bought out another floor and then moved the secretarial offices down a floor, so the daycare would be on a higher floor and safer for the children, and she really loves her teacher there. The employees really liked having a secured daycare for their children that had both security and cameras, so you could check on your little ones throughout the day. We already had the cafeteria, so it is on the same floor, and they have their own little lunchroom in the daycare.

Mateo and Ella had another child after Carlos, who is 8 now, and he is just the cutest little boy. He is lithe like his father and his piercing blue eyes, that he got from his mother, seem to look right through you. It seems like he and Abi are very close, but shy around each other, you really never know what life with have in store for them. Their daughter, Angelia Claire Torres, is a living doll. She is four years old now and has her mother's light brown hair and her father's deep brown eyes. She is smart as a whip and can draw anything, even at such a young age. She will be doing great things and I am excited to see which direction she takes it in. I hope they start a children's clothing line and let her do some of the designs for it.

Ava and Jacob have three children together, and they celebrated 7 years of marriage this year. Their oldest is about to turn 7 soon, and he is named James Anthony Williams. He is the spitting image of his handsome father. He is probably going to grow up and become a fireman like his father. He loves going to the station, sitting in the fire trucks, and pretending to drive them. All their children have blonde hair, but both boys have blue eyes like their father, and their daughter has her mother's green eyes. Their daughter is named Marlowe Emerson Williams and is five years old, the same as our son Graham. She is a sweetheart too and both she and Graham stay out of the drama that their bolder, and older, siblings like to deal in. Their youngest child is 2 years old, just 2 months younger than our Ashlyn, and is named Jonathan Owen Williams, and he has a big personality. I love him, I love all of them very much, but he is a charmer, and I cannot resist picking him up and giving him a tight hug every time I see him.

Iris and Dalton have also been married for 7 years as well. They got married a little after Ava and Jacob. They have a daughter that is 6 years old, named Victoria Ann Fossett, who looks just like her mother, except for her eye color, which is blue, just like her father's. She is showing signs of following in her father's footsteps and going into finance as well and is as smart as she can be. They have a son who is three, and they named him Caden Hayes Fossett, and he is the spitting image of his father, and quite the little charmer too. He is smart and loves to mimic what his father does, which is really funny watching Iris try to fight off a smile at Caden when he tries to kiss the back of a woman's hand. His daddy does it to his mommy, so he thinks he should do it too. Dalton has a great sense of humor about it, as he was always a little bolder than other men, but he dotes on his children and is a great dad. In fact, they just found out that they will be having a third child as Iris is two months pregnant. They don't have a preference for a boy or a girl; they are just happy to be having another child.

Livi and Nicolas had three children, as well. Their oldest is 7, and Livi was apparently pregnant when they got engaged, they just didn't know it yet. So, they just had their anniversary a few months before their son turned 7. Their oldest is named Logan Nicolas Caldwell, and he is smart and handsome, just like his father. I am sure he will become a lawyer as he has never lost an argument that I know of, unless it was with his father or mother. His mind works quickly, and he is usually two steps ahead of others in his thought process. The second child was also a boy and they named him Parker Vincent Caldwell. Vincent is Livi's father's middle name, and she wanted to carry that on in his honor. Parker is 5 years old and very quiet. He is very smart; he just doesn't feel the pressure to talk unless he really has something to say. Their younger sister is two years old, and they finally got the girl that they wanted. They ended up naming her Eden Paige Caldwell and she is her mother made over. She has her dad and her brothers already wrapped around her little finger. They are very protective of her, and she may never end up dating if they have anything to say about it.

Emily and Adam have been married for 7 years next month. They had a son who had just turned 6, and they named him Alexander Dalton Stone, in honor of both Dalton and his father, who had it as his middle name. Alex is a great child who loves helping others. He is sweet and nurturing and already knows how to clean wounds and apply bandages, and looks like a little version of Adam, who dotes on both of his children. I think Alex is going to grow up and be a doctor if he isn't an EMT. They have a little girl who is about to be three years old, and her name is Sophia Abigail Stone, and she is Emily made over again. She is absolutely precious and has her father absolutely wrapped around her finger. She was named Abigail after her maternal grandmother, and she is a joy to be around. Sophia is always smiling and happy and, now that she is bigger, they are thinking about having another baby. As Adam always teases her that he "likes to practice" on making their newest member.

Sadie and Michael have 3 children already, and she is six months pregnant with their fourth child right now. Reed, who is his father's clone. Reed has just now turned 12 years old and is almost a teenager now. He is so smart and such an awesome big brother. He had unlimited patience with them as well as his other nieces and nephews. He excels in school, and I think he has a great financial brain. Both Alderidge and I work with him, and we are both of the opinion that he can replace me one day, as he has a creative and innovative brain, and he likes the challenge of solving these puzzles for our investors as well. Their second child will be turning 8 this year and he is full of energy. They named him Anderson Cole Lauder and he is very smart, but it is hard to hold his attention for any period of time unless it is something that he is passionate about, like animals, or first responders. He loved both the police, EMTs, and firefighters. He loves to go and visit Jacob and Adam at the station and all of the firefighters love his enthusiasm at being there. I think he reminds them of how excited they were when they were children. They finally got their baby girl and they named her, Taylor Elaine Lauder, and she is four years old. Taylor has her father's blue eyes and her mother's light brown hair. She is a beautiful child, and her father calls her his, "Little Princess". She is a little more cautious around others and doesn't like to be held for long periods of time by anyone other than her parents or grandparents. She is smart but doesn't talk much unless she knows you. Sadie is currently 6 months pregnant with their fourth, and with what Sadie says jokingly, their final child. The baby is going to be another girl, and they are both excited about it being 2 boys

and 2 girls.

Michael and Anna have been married for 5 years and are blissfully happy. They have three children already, as Michael loves Anna's pregnant belly and dotes on her for every pregnancy. They have two boys ages 4, Michael Henry Brown, and 3, Jeremy Conner Brown, and their baby girl is about to be a year and a half, and she is just a doll. They named her Isabella Elise Brown. Anna is trying to convince Michael that their family is perfect, but I think he wants a fourth child with Anna, as all of the children look like their father, who is a handsome man, but I know he wants a baby girl that looks just like her mother, and as much as she loves him, I am sure she will be agreeing to their fourth child soon.

And the biggest shocker of all is that Thomas Grady went ahead at my first doctor's visit after I

had the twins, and asked out my doctor. I had teased him about it all week and told him I could tell that she was interested in him. He didn't believe me but went along with it as he found her attractive and asking someone and getting a "No" for an answer, never killed anyone. I told him, "Remember, if you don't ask, the answer is always no" and he smiled and told me he had it, and to stop teasing him. Dr. Joyce Westfall never had a chance, as Thomas actually had some game. I was amazed watching him flirt after he could come back into the room with the stroller after my exam was complete. Joyce really liked him, and their relationship proceeded quickly. Collin was there for the visit as well, but he stayed in the room with me for my checkup. He was getting a front-seat view of my matchmaking. They were both interested in the other, so what was the harm in giving them a little push? It worked for Ella and Mateo. They started dating the next week and they were engaged, and 3 months pregnant, when they came to our wedding that September. It turned out that they were 4 months difference in their age, with Thomas being 40 and Joyce being 39. They have a son who is 7 years old and will be 8 at the end of February next year. They named him Noah Reese Grady and he is a great kid. They are so proud of him, and he is really very smart. I believe that he will be a doctor too when he gets to be an adult.

It makes me so happy to know that even though I had one really bad year, I can thank Christian Siler and Catherine Bradford for where I am now. Even though it didn't work out for us, I still count Christian as a very close friend. He and his wife have three children and they are perfect for each other. He and his wife work at the same company and you can see the love they have for each other in their smiles they give each other when they think no one is watching. I didn't set them up, but they still got it right when they found each other. We invite them over for cookouts and group events, and his parents as well, as we love them too. Collin still keeps a watchful eye anytime Christian is around me, and told me, "If you HAVE to hug him, do it quickly", as he knew we had gone out twice and he was still jealous of that, even though it was never serious between us. Catherine is fully retired now and enjoying her life. She comes by the office at least once a month, but usually twice a month, and spends time with Ashlyn in the daycare before coming up to visit us. She is on the list of visitors for our kids, so they never have to call up to get approval for her. We always either take her to the cafeteria or out for lunch as we miss getting to see her. We love and miss her, but she has grandchildren to visit, things to do, and she has a very full life.

I often think about how that one thing changed things for me, forever. That me not getting

hired by Jerry, changed the trajectory of my whole life. Jerry would have hired me, but I wouldn't have met Collin. He would have kept doing what he was doing, and I would have met someone else and married them. I wouldn't have Collin, who every single day tells me how much he loves and cherishes me. Who does special little things for me, like letting me sleep in

on Saturdays and taking the kids to the park, or to a store, or to go pick up breakfast for us all. Who sends me flowers for no reason at all, except for him to get to see me smile, and look over

to his office when I receive them. He has made so many changes to become the man that I adore, and I am so thankful for him.

Yes, he was a complete a*****e when we first met. He did terrible things and said some terrible

things too. Sometimes people do bad things because they don't know what the better things are. He knew better and became better. It wasn't instant, and it took way longer than I wished it would have, but I wouldn't change it because it got me here. I am living my best life; doing

work that I love, with family and friends that I love, with my children whom I love, with the man who I need as much as my next breath. I am so thankful for the rocky road we traveled, because it got us to this point, and I couldn't love my life more.