Epilogue 1
Gage
“Riley! Kendal! Get back here before your mother has a fit!”
Riley, the blonde-haired, blue-eyed twin, stops dead in his tracks, just inches from the edge of the cliff. Kendal, his brown-haired, green-eyed brother, skids to a wobbly stop, but the only thing keeping him from going over the edge is his slightly larger brother’s grip.
Kendal pouts. “Mommy jumped off this cliff.”
I pick up Emmett’s son and take Riley’s hand, leading him away from the edge. “Your mommy was a lot older than you at the time, and bigger. Just because Mommy survived it doesn’t mean you will. You’re little, too little for base jumping.”
“Did you have to bring us here for the picnic, Gage?”
Olly wrings his hands. “It’s kind of dangerous up here.”
I shrug and hand Kendal over to Em. “They wanted to see where their mommy met most of us. It was this or the cave, and last time I was in that cave I noticed a slight black widow infestation. So, in a way, this is safer.”
Auryn rubs her round belly with one hand while patting Olly’s shoulder with the other. “It’s okay, Olivander. I won’t go near the edge, and I’m sure Riley and Kendal will behave better now.”
She glares at the twins. “Right, boys?”
“Yes, Mom,”
they say in unison, hanging their heads.
It’s tough raising twin alpha boys. I don’t remember being this headstrong when I was a kid, but if I was, I owe my dear, departed mother an apology for what she put up with. Riley is so like me in every other way that I can only assume he gets his wild streak from me, too. But the stubbornness? That’s probably Auryn.
“You holding up okay, princesa?”
Diego pauses in his setup of the picnic lunch to check on our mate. “I brought a chair for you if you need to sit.”
She dismisses him with a wave of her hand. “I’m fine. I killed a man while pregnant with two babies; one is easy.”
“You were barely pregnant enough to show positive on a blood test when you killed Sneed. You’re much farther along now.”
“Olly’s got a point,”
I say. “You should rest for a bit.”
The air in the clearing fills with the aroma of lavender and cinnamon. “I’m telling you; I don’t want to sit right now. Let me stretch my legs.”
She crosses her slender arms over her ample chest, but the pose is wasted on us. Alpha hybrid or no, all four of us are dead set on tending to her every need–whether she wants us to is irrelevant.
While Auryn’s back is turned, Emmett sets Kendal down and sneaks up behind her. Kendal’s giggle gives him away, but it’s too late for Auryn to react, and Em scoops her off her feet.
“Quick, Diego, while she’s distracted!”
Diego leaps into action, pulling out the hammock chair and setting it up in record time while Auryn giggles and struggles in Em’s arms. His grip on her is too strong to break, though, so she can’t get free. Em dumps her in the chair, though I know he’s taking more care than it seems.
“Hey!”
She tries to get up, but physics prevents it. As far along as she is, she’ll need our help to get out of the hammock.
We all burst out in laughter. Riley and Kendal try to take advantage of the distraction, but I grab them both by their collars before they can make another run for the cliff.
While I wrestle our kids, Diego finishes putting out lunch. He brought empanadas, something easy to eat with our hands. A pitcher of sangria–non-alcoholic, since we have Auryn and the twins here–accompanies the meal, as well as an assortment of smaller finger foods for snacks.
Once lunch is ready, the kids calm down. They happily munch on Diego’s empanadas, and, much to Auryn’s chagrin, Olly hand-feeds her lunch to her. I can tell from her eyeroll when he’s not looking that she’s irritated by the doting, but she beams so brightly when he looks at her that I swear she’s trying to outshine the sun.
Moments like these are what I live for now. Not the excitement of chasing runaway alphas and omegas, which used to be my reason for living. Instead, I crave these family memories, the bonds that build with each day.
“So, jefe,”
Diego says between bites, “how have the Orion omegas been doing at the academy? They should be close to graduating by now, right?”
“Next fall, yeah. There have been some … interesting hiccups along the way, but they’re all surviving. Thriving, even.”
“Hiccups?”
Auryn asks, a frown marring her radiant face. “What kind of hiccups?”
I chuckle as I think back on the past few years’ reports from Dean Hoffield. After Diego and Em dropped off the rescues from the Orion house, I’ve been keeping in touch with the dean to hear how the altered omegas have been faring. There have been some wild tales from the academy, but despite their hardships, each adventure has worked out in the end.
“The usual college drama. Hookups and breakups, end-of-the-world kind of stuff–at least, to them it was. But enough about that. We’re here to celebrate Olly and Auryn’s baby, to spend time together as a family. Let’s not bring Sneed’s machinations into this. I don’t want to spoil the day.”
Olly’s eyes take on a faraway look. “I can’t believe I’m going to be a dad … I mean, I believe it because the tests were conclusive, but–”
“You finally figured out how to use your dick, and now you’ll have a kid to prove it.”
Em ducks as an empanada flies through the air. Olly’s aim was true, though, and it hits him square in the face.
“Emmett!”
Auryn tries to scowl, though the corner of her mouth twitches up in a smile regardless. “The twins are right here. Watch your language.”
“They’ve heard worse in this household.”
They really have. We should work on that.
After lunch, we sit together on the picnic blanket while the twins play-fight with sticks they found, pretending the sticks are swords. Riley has the better reach, but Kendal’s faster, making them a fairly even match. More often than not, the twins “kill”
each other at the same time, ending the match in a draw.
Just before sunset, while we’re packing up to head home to the compound, Olly suddenly clears his throat.
“What’s up, Olly?” I ask.
He shifts his stance a bit, standing straighter. “I have an announcement to make.”
“Well, get on with it,”
Em mutters.
Olly shoots him a glare. “I’m trying to, Em. Anyway, I’ve decided to quit the mercenary biz. I mean, I love working with you guys, but I’m about to be a father; I can’t just spend my time chasing runaways. So, starting next week, I’ll be heading up the biology department at the academy.”
We respond to his words with a round of applause. Well, everyone but Em.
“What if one of us gets hurt on a mission? We need you, Olly.”
“I’ll only be a couple hours away. Just try not to die in that time frame.”
“Olly!”
He rolls his eyes. “Well, it’s a possibility, Auryn. I can’t deny the facts. Mercenary work is dangerous.”
I rub my chin in thought. “You’ve got a point. Maybe we should ask the dean if there are any other positions open. I could teach phys ed, Diego could teach cooking … Maybe we could all retire from merc work.”
“Merc work! Merc work!”
Riley and Kendal run in circles around us, chanting the words.
As I drive us all home, my mind races with thoughts of settling down, of living a less dangerous life. Is the academy the answer? I don’t know, but what I do know is that I want to watch these kids grow up. I want to see them become adults, to see their trials and triumphs. I have a reason for caution now, a reason to crave a simpler life.
These boys are our future, and I want to be there for every second of it.