Epilogue
EPILOGUE
FIVE YEARS LATER
GAVIN
Callum storms into the kitchen and throws his bag into a corner before he slams into me with all the force of a full-grown alpha predator. I laugh and stumble, my hip banging into the counter, but drag him into a bone-crushing hug. Right behind him is Silo.
They’re home for the summer, and just in time for Sunday breakfast—a tradition that has been relocated to the family home since I spend less and less time at Strange Brew these days.
“Callum!” Hemlock and Oleander crash through the back door, covered head to toe in mud and naked as the day they were born. Or maybe not as naked, since both have a full head of hair now.
Just before they reach us, I release my son and he bends, scooping his little brothers into his arms. They laugh and cling to him, not the least bit concerned about the mess they’re making of my kitchen. And why should they be? They’re children. Any parent knows life with children is messy; a little mud is just par for the course.
“How was the drive?” I ask as I flip the last French toast from the pan.
“Not bad.” Callum tucks Hemlock under his arm.
“We only almost died once.” Silo takes Oleander with a delighted smile when the boy reaches for him, and settles him on his hip with no care for the mud. Oleander pops his dirty thumb into his mouth and lays his head on his favorite uncle’s shoulder. “If you don’t count the other two times.”
“They count,” Baz says as he strolls into the kitchen with Altair. He pauses long enough to ruffle Silo’s hair before pulling Callum, mud, and little brother into a tight hug.
“I still don’t know how he got his license.” Altair stops to hug Silo. “Glad you made it back alive.”
“I’m going to stop coming home if this is the welcome I get,” Callum grumbles, but he sets Hemlock down to drag Altair into a hug.
“We can only hope.” Baz snags a piece of bacon and dances out of the way as I attempt to pop him with the spatula. Hemlock pops up on his tippy-toes and snags a piece hanging off the edge of the plate, slowly pulling on it while holding my gaze.
I look away. Altair laughs under his breath and pulls plates from the cabinet. “Sucker.”
Silo slips over to give me a one arm hug, since Oleander is still clinging to him and isn’t likely to let go for the next few hours. I squeeze before releasing him. “Have you seen your dad?”
“Not yet.” He scratches at his cheek. “He was uh... busy.”
I shouldn’t laugh but it feels a little like revenge.
Thane finally has a good alpha—a wolf that blew into Pine Glen three years ago and quickly developed a soft spot for the rabbit who’d sworn off men by that point. Silo is weeks shy of being a big brother. But I know from far too much experience just how horny pregnancy makes an omega.
“Did you know?—”
“I will bite you!” Silo shouts and Callum holds up his hands.
Oleander snaps his teeth at Callum and I turn away with a grin, just in time to see Jules as he slips through the back door with who might actually be my second favorite person in the whole world—right after her dad, of course.
Wisteria Strange.
Her brow is furrowed and her lips pursed as blonde ringlets sway around her chin. Her eyes, the same shade as Jules’, are on her feet as she focuses on every careful step she takes, all while holding his hand.
“Has she . . .” I arch an eyebrow.
Jules shakes his head. “Not yet. But she wants to.”
I snag a piece of French toast and squat. “You hungry, Wisteria?”
Her bright eyes shift from her feet before they snap to the French toast I’m waving like a red flag in front of a bull. She tugs on Jules’ hand while extending her free hand to me. Or more likely the toast. I know where I fall on her list of priorities. He slowly lets go of her hand.
And she’s off.
On unsteady feet, she takes one step, then another. Jules slaps a hand over his mouth, and his eyes grow damp. He’s right behind her, ready to catch if she should fall, but I know she won’t.
French toast is her favorite.
From the corner of my eye I see Callum fist pump as Silo bounces on his toes. Baz drags Altair against his chest as they grin at one another. No one makes a sound as she makes her way towards me one wobbly step at a time. I swallow around the lump in my throat and drag her into a hug when she’s within reach.
“Good job.” I drop a kiss on her head, handing over her prize. She shoves a fistful of toast into her mouth, completely unaware of what she’s just done.
The boys break into excited chatter as Hemlock and Oleander work together to sneak the plate of bacon off the counter and out of the kitchen. Maybe no one else sees them, but if they do, they don’t say anything either so I’m not the only sucker in the Strange family.
I meet Jules’ eyes over our only daughter’s head.
“I love you,” he mouths, a tiny smile curling at the edge of his pretty mouth. I hold my hand out and he takes it as I stand, dragging him into a hug before capturing his grin with my own. His joy tastes sublime.
“I love you.” I drop a kiss on his nose before I hand Wisteria over. She goes happily, mouth still full of toast.
“Ready to eat?” Jules asks the boys as he settles Wisteria on his hip.
“Before I starve to death,” Callum says. They all scramble to carry the food to the table, shoving at one another as they laugh and joke and tease the way only siblings can. I grasp Jules’ hand, kiss the back of his knuckles, and tug him into the dining room so we can join our family.
It’s been five years since I offered a homeless young man food in front of Strange Brew and rewrote the course of my whole life. A lot has happened because change is a part of life, but one thing remains the same: I love Jules, and our family, more today than I did yesterday, but only half as much as I will tomorrow.
Our love, like our happiness, only seems to grow bigger with each passing day. But I’m in no rush for tomorrow, because today is as close to perfect as I’ve ever come.
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Are you curious about Baz and Altair? Find out how they find their happy ever after in A Hawk’s Soft Embrace.
Thank you for reading A Pika’s Safe Haven. If you enjoyed reading Gavin and Jules’ story as much as I enjoyed writing it please leave a review .