Epilogue #2
Cam narrows his eyes on me like he thinks I’m lying. Every time I get sick, Damon worries. He threatens to take me to the hospital for the smallest fever.
“Honest, Cam. I feel fine. Never better.” I kiss him. “Go on. I’ve got Grey.”
Cam hurries across the ice to help the others. I carry Grey over to a chair and sit down with him in my lap. The others head to take off their skates and put away their equipment. Beth is the last one off the ice.
“Can you keep a secret, Grey?”
He looks up at me with those dark eyes that make women fall all over themselves already and nods.
“Me too.” I tickle him, and his laugh fills the room.
Damon is the first to walk across the ice to me and Grey. “How was Atlanta?”
“Hot.” I stand, and he leans down to kiss Grey on the cheek. When I arch an eyebrow at him, he smirks.
“What?” he asks.
I roll my eyes and press up on my toes to kiss him. He chuckles and deepens the kiss.
“Dad!” Beth comes barreling into the back of Damon’s legs. “Did you tell Mommy?”
I look at Damon expectantly. He rubs the back of his neck and gives me a chagrined look.
“I’m going to play hockey.” Beth smiles so big.
“There’s a youth league.” Damon runs his hand over Beth’s blond hair. “But we needed to discuss it with the whole family first. Since it’s a time commitment.”
“Please, Mommy. I’m going to be the best hockey player in the world. I’m already better than Keats.”
I glance over as Hawk, Keats, and Cam come over. Grey reaches for Damon with the absolute faith of a toddler that he’ll catch him. Damon takes Grey and sighs.
“I’m going to be just like Dad and play for the NHL.” Beth puffs out her chest and gives me a look that is so Damon I almost laugh. “Daddy said I play just like Dad.”
Cam clears his throat. “I believe I said you’re as fast as him.”
“She’s better than any of the boys on my team,” Keats says as he leans against the boards.
Beth always tags along to Keats’s hockey practice and insists on being on the ice. Since Damon comes sometimes the coach generally lets her as long as one of her dads is on the ice with her.
“Are we going home?” Keats asks.
I look at Beth. “You can do anything you set your mind to.”
She smiles and takes my hand. “We need a goalie.”
“You don’t think Keats makes a good goalie?” I ask.
“He flinches at the puck.” Beth shakes her head like he’s a disappointment.
Hawk begins to herd us toward the door.
“What about Grey?” I ask.
Beth looks at Grey in Damon’s arms. “Maybe. He likes to run around too much to stay still. Unless you guys are holding him and goalies shouldn’t be held by their mommy and daddies.”
“So what do we need to do?” I ask as we step outside and head for the cars.
“We need more brothers and sisters.” She looks up at me expectantly. “But you keep saying maybe.”
I clear my throat and smile. “We’ll have to see.”
Damon’s eyes meet mine. We’ve talked about more kids, especially with his career becoming more stable. We didn’t really talk about anytime soon. But a few weeks ago, the kids went to stay with Grampy and Grammy, Cam’s parents.
We spent a week just the four of us and didn’t take the usual precautions. I don’t want to say anything in front of the kids until we’re a little further along, but I need to tell the guys.
So we go to dinner while Beth pleads her case to be allowed to play hockey. Keats tells me about this experiment in his science class. And Grey just wants to be loved by everyone.
When they’re finally all down for the night, I sit on the edge of our bed and wait for the guys to join me. I finger the rings on my hands. The tracker they gave me in high school is back on my right hand, and the engagement and wedding ring they gave me a year after college are on my left.
We had a commitment ceremony with all of us and legally tied ourselves together, but technically I could only marry one of them.
Given Damon’s career and the interest of way too many women, he’s legally married to me.
We all have wedding bands and agreed it’s only a piece of paper.
What matters is we want to spend the rest of our lives together.
Damon walks into the bedroom first. He sits down next to me on the bed and takes my hand.
“She’s really excited for it,” he says softly. He doesn’t really have to plead her case to me. There’s not a lot I could do to keep that kid off the ice.
I smile and bump my shoulder against his. “You had to give her a stick,” I tease.
He shrugs. “I tried to encourage figure skating and she’ll keep doing that too until she makes a choice.”
Cam comes in and sits on my other side. He holds out a pink paper flower. I smile and lean over to kiss his cheek. My collection has gotten ridiculous, but every flower makes this burst of love flow through me.
He also gives flowers to the kids, but they’re too impatient and unwrap them like presents to find the drawing on the inside.
When Hawk walks in, he closes the door, pressing the lock. “Are you feeling better?”
I laugh. “Actually, I feel fantastic.”
He kneels at my feet and I run my hands through his hair, remembering when he kept it cut short. We’ve all changed over the years, but this never changes. The way I feel about each of them.
“You each have a little mini me. Do you think this one might take after me?” I put my hand on my stomach with a little wonder. “A little actress with not a lick of athleticism?”
It takes them a minute before they’re all talking at once and then kissing and hugging me. When we finally settle into silence, we’re lost in our own thoughts.
“You’re pregnant.” Cam says it like it makes sense.
“Yeah, but it’s still early, so we should wait before we tell the kids.” I lean my forehead against Cam’s. “And this time I want to be here longer.”
“If you get that offer though...” Hawk glances at Damon and Cam. “We can take care of things.”
There’s an opportunity for a franchise. Multiple movies. Acting and directing. It’s a dream job, but that’s not all I want anymore.
“This wouldn’t be settling.” I take Hawk’s hand and put it over my stomach. “I can make more films later, but they’re only little once. And this time, I’m going to choose us.”
“We’re a team,” Cam says. “We can make anything work.”
“I know, and that’s why I love you all.”
Damon nods. He understands. We’ve had our careers, and yes, there’s more to do.
There will always be more to do, but we can slow down and enjoy what life and love has given us.
These three children plus this one and any more we decide to have are precious to us too.
I don’t want to just be around for the big things. I want it all.
And with them, I can have it all.
THANK YOU for reading the Lust & Liars Series.