Weakness: No Longer Weak Part 18

" I'm . . . I'm going to be a father," I whispered.

She nodded her head.

"I will love you forever, Mrs. Felton. Forever. With everything I am. I'll love you and our baby. I can't wait to be the perfect daddy to our little one. Right now I'm the happiest man in the world. When I'm holding our precious baby, I'll be a million times happier than I am right now, which doesn't even seem possible. I love you so much. So so so much." I leaned over and kissed her, then ran my fingers under her s.h.i.+rt and over her stomach, feeling her smooth skin. I never wanted to forget this moment, and I never would. It was the morning that my heart melted and my world completely changed forever.

I would be a father.

Jennifer would be a mother.

Together, we would be a happy little family.

JENNIFER.

Epilogue.

The moment I looked into the face of our little boy, my only reason to live was for Finnley Felton, Jr. He had the sweetest smell, like cinnamon and baby powder, and his scent filled the room. We agreed to call him Little Finnley, or even Junior, but I knew he had to be named after his handsome father.

When Finnley first laid eyes on little Finn, tears streamed down his face. He whispered to his son and held him so close to his heart that I didn't even notice I was crying.

"I'm your daddy, Little Finnley. You're going to have the best life ever, little dude. You have the most beautiful mother in the world, and the best dad. I'll always be here for you, and I'll never let anyone hurt you. I love you so much, son."

My heart swelled when I heard little sounds coming from Finnley.

Finn looked at me with the biggest grin on his face. Love and happiness had overcome him. I had never seen him so happy.

"He knows!" he said.

"He does."

I was so tired. I just wanted to sleep, but I couldn't stop staring at my husband and son, and at how beautiful the moment was. It was a moment that I never wanted to forget for the rest of my life.

When the nurse entered, she stood at the door and just smiled at us.

"He seems to be doing just fine," she said.

"Thank you," I said, but I couldn't take my eyes off the scene. Finnley kissed Junior on his head so many times, and told him how handsome he was and how much he loved him. To think we could have so much love for a human that was so small. As soon as little Finnley had taken his first breath, it was like he had breathed a tunnel straight to our hearts. After a few more kisses, he placed Junior in his ba.s.sinet. He walked over to me and fell to his knees. As his green eyes looked over me, a smile spread across his lips and took over his body.

"He is so beautiful. You are so beautiful," he said, then leaned over and gently kissed my lips.

I had never felt so alive, or the amount of love that flooded through my veins. My emotions were almost too much to comprehend. Finnley and I had created the most perfect baby in the entire world.

A few knocks pounded against the door, pulling us from our moment that I wanted to last forever. Luke and Caitlyn walked in, hand in hand, with huge smiles on their faces.

"There's Uncle Luke and Aunt Cait," I said, returning a huge smile. Luke came over to the bed, leaned down, and gave me a hug and kiss on the cheek.

Cait leaned down and kissed me on the cheek too. "I love you, sis. Looking as beautiful as ever."

"Pssh. You don't have to lie."

They walked over to baby Finnley and leaned over his bed.

"Holy s.h.i.+t," Luke said.

"Shhhh," Finnley said. "Don't teach my kid to curse this early. Language!"

Luke tucked his lips into his mouth to hold back laughter, but after he realized Finnley was only half joking, he whispered he was sorry. "He looks just like you when you were a baby, Finn. I mean, identical."

Cait had so much adoration in her eyes as she looked down at baby Finnley. Even if I had wanted to, I couldn't have stopped smiling. True happiness tended to do that to people.

"He's so beautiful, Jenn. The most beautiful baby I've ever seen," she said. Luke wrapped his arm around Cait, and they just looked at their nephew with so much love and happiness.

"Can't wait to teach you how to spit and curse, little buddy," Luke said, taunting Finnley.

"I'll kick your a.r.s.e, Luke," Finnley said. He stood, carefully lifted Little Finnley from his bed, and placed him into Luke's arms.

Luke immediately placed his hand on Little Finnley's head and just held him. I almost thought I saw a tear run down his face, but when I looked over at him, it was gone. I just wanted to tell him it was okay to love his nephew that much, but I didn't want to tease him while he took his moment. Caitlyn took baby Finnley from Luke's arms, and the two of them couldn't take their eyes off each other. Caitlyn and Luke were really in love. I could see it from a million miles away. Something pa.s.sed between them at that moment, and it wasn't just a beautiful baby boy. It was a silent communication. I could recognize love from anywhere. Finnley turned and looked at me with an arched eyebrow. He had noticed it too.

After an hour, Luke and Cait gave me goodbye kisses and hugs. I could barely hold my eyes open.

Finnley sat on the edge of the bed and moved the loose hairs from my face.

"I love you so much, Jennifer. I can't imagine my life without you or baby Finn."

"I love you too, Finnley. You're going to be the best daddy."

"I can't wait to watch him grow into a man. I can't wait to raise him with you. Also, I have something to tell you," he said.

"Hmmm?" I asked, not understanding.

"I've found buyers who are interested in purchasing the Elite. I'm done, Jennifer. It's time for me to focus on us, on our family," Finnley said.

I had no words. He had been married to his job since I'd met him, and now, now he would only be married to me. I couldn't be happier.

"I support whatever decision you make, babe. You know that," I said.

"And I choose you. I will always choose you."

I just smiled as I rested my head on the pillow and allowed him to rub his fingers over my skin. Finnley completed me in every way possible. He'd given me a reason to live when I'd had no one to live for. Without him, I wouldn't be the person I was today: Mrs. Jennifer Felton, wife, mother, sister, best friend, and lover. I owed him so much, and I intended to pay him with my love for the rest of my life. That's all he wanted, anyway.

Love. It didn't seem as foreign as it once had. Love was precious and kind. Love was a long lost friend who had no intention of ever leaving, and I was okay with that. At one point in my life, it was an emotion that was filled with a void-a blackness that I thought would never subside. When I used to think of love, I only thought of my parents then I would go blank, lost in an abyss of mourning. But because of love, the memories of them stayed in my heart forever, and I was grateful for those previous moments that would creep in at random times-little memories that my heart replayed so I would never forget them. I knew they would have loved baby Finnley with everything they were, and I planned to tell him all about his grandparents and how wonderful they were.

Love had saved me; it had rescued me from my darkest days. Love had given me a reason to breathe when I had thought I had no breath. It had molded me and pushed me in directions that it wanted, no matter how much I fought. Love was powerful, and no matter the war that waged inside me, I was never supposed to win because love always won. Finnley was the definition of love, the giver and taker of love, the man who continued to win me over with one simple look. We no longer needed words to convey our feelings; we had kisses and hugs, and Little Finnley.

Love molded me from a broken girl into a woman, and made me whole again.

Because of love, I was finally living.

Because of love, I was no longer weak.

The End.

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Note to the Reader.

No Longer Weak was one of the hardest books I have ever written. It took me exactly 67 days to finish the first draft and there were points when I didn't know if I could. They say once you know your characters, the writing comes easy, but that's a lie. It's never easy saying goodbye and it's sure as h.e.l.l not easy writing the end. One year ago, I published Weak for Him. I introduced Finnley Felton and Jennifer Downs, two characters that stole my heart and refused to give it back. Their love for one another and pa.s.sion was so strong that I had to write their story.

When I started this literary journey, I thought I would be a young adult novelist who wrote about magic and fantasy. As I reflect on this series, I realize that romance is magical and though I left out the wizards and witches, romance can be fantasy as well. If you would have asked me years ago I would have said that writing romance wasn't for me. But I am the hopeless romantic who randomly looks up Shakespearian sonnets just like Abbot.

Love drives my characters. It's an ongoing theme in every story I construct and I feel like it will always be this way. Five days before I published, I rewrote the ending. I couldn't let it sit how it was. It was crazy and insane and I've never done something so last minute in my short career, but it was the right thing to do. It felt right and I knew the ending had to happen exactly the way it did.

I hope as you read No Longer Weak, you were able to fall in love with the characters all over again. I hope you are able to find that light in your life that takes away the darkness and replaces it with love.

Thank you for giving me a chance x3 and following me to the end. I hope it's everything you imagined it would be and more.

P.S. Though the Weakness Trilogy is finished, you will get Luke's love story in the near future. Eep!.

P.S.S. You will see more of the Southern Devils Motorcycle Club too!.

More by Lyra.

Weak for Him (Weakness #1).

Weak Without Him (Weakness #2).

No Longer Weak (Weakness #3) Eluded (Abbot's Story).

**Luck in the Stars (Luke's Story).

Single: Vol. 1 **Single: Vol. 2 **Single: Vol. 3.

**Allegiance (Southern Devil's MC #1).

**Denotes coming soon.

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About the Author.

Lyra Parish loves to write, glamp, and sing obnoxiously loud at the top of her lungs in the shower. Sweet love stories (along with the dirty ones) make her gush. She is a firm believer that a person can never have too many cups of coffee, cats, or happily ever afters. When she isn't busy writing, she can be found sipping various beverages from her non-alcoholic drink buffet, pimp slapping excel spreadsheets, or riding her bike. Lyra lives in Texas with her gla.s.sblowing, guitar-playing hubby and black cat named Nibbler.

For more information or to contact, please visit: lyraparish.com.

Acknowledgements.

Oh man, this is hard. I usually sit here and let the blinking curser taunt me but this time I'm going to go for it. Please forgive me if I forget someone, it's an inevitable part of writing these.

Thanks Hubs for allowing me the time, as always, to dive head first into the Weakness world and allowing me to bounce ideas off of you. It's so hard to ask people about plot points because I don't want to ruin the story. You made that easy. Thank you so much, I love you!

Thanks Tab for going through No Longer Weak without me this time and sending over your notes. It was helpful and helped make it better.

Special thanks goes to Heather Carver for rereading book 1 and 2 then 3 so quickly. You helped me more than you'll ever know. You are the bomb(dot)com and I appreciate you so much!

Rachel Brookes, your insight was on point. Thank you for all of your help and bringing it when it came to critiquing. The story is much stronger with your insight. I couldn't have done it without you. #2015 #LTOB #WWAGD Pepper Winters: Thank you for being a true friend. When I wanted to give up on this one, you listened. You're one-of-a-kind and I appreciate you always being there. It means a lot.

To the ladies in Lyra's Lounge: YOU ROCKKKKK!!! You pump me up when I'm deflated and inspire me so much. Thank you for being that constant stream of support and for all of the amazing messages and keeping me honest with my deadlines. <3 to="" my="" tgnafn="" ladies:="" thank="" you="" so="" much="" for="" everything="" you="" do.="" writing="" is="" a="" lonesome="" profession="" but="" it's="" so="" much="" more="" fun="" when="" you="" have="" people="" to="" make="" you="" laugh="" in="" the="" process.="" so="" happy="" i've="" met="" you="" all!=""><3 to="" jennifer="" sell:="" you="" are="" amazing.="" you="" make="" my="" word="" s.h.i.+ne="" and="" are="" such="" a="" pleasure="" to="" work="" with.="" thank="" you="" so="" much="" for="" being="" so="" accommodating="" with="" my="" last="" minute="" changes,="" bookings,="" and="" for="" being="" so="" pleasant="" and="" good="" at="" what="" you="" do!="" i="" really="" couldn't="" do="" this="" without="">

Elizabeth Darkley: This is the first time I've worked with you and I'm so pleased! Thank you for all of your hard work and transforming my words into flowers. I've learned so much already. You are a G.o.dsend! Can't wait to work with you again in the future.

Love Between the Sheets: Thank you so much! Natalie I love how you're on my brain wave! You've been such a huge help for the past year and I couldn't imagine doing this without LBTS help! You ladies are diamonds! Thank you so much!!

To the blogs that helped with the Weakness Trilogy, YOU ARE AMAZING!!! I couldn't have done this without you. Thank you for all of your support, tags, and messages. It really does mean the world to me.

To my readers: THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! If you've been with me since the beginning, I cannot even put to words how much it means to me. If you're new, Hi! You gave me a chance and doing that has completely changed my life. Weakness may be over but there is more to come! THANK YOU TIMES A MILLION! <3><3><3><3><3><>

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