Epilogue #2
After a couple minutes, he holds the bottom of the condom as he slips out of me.
Tying the condom off, he tosses it on the floor and pulls me back into his arms. I turn over, snuggling up under his chin and resting my cheek against his chest, the sound of his heartbeat steady in my ears as I let myself drift in the pleasant haze of post-sex hormones and connection.
This is everything I never knew I wanted.
A knock at the door pulls me out of my blissful doze, and I can’t help the curse that escapes my mouth. Can’t a guy enjoy the afterglow of the best sex of his life without being interrupted?
“Uh, guys?” says Raquel’s voice hesitantly from the other side of the door. “There are some people here to see you.” She pauses. “One of them says he’s Blake’s brother?”
Blake eyes widen with a glint of shocked excitement. He opens and closes his mouth as if he’s searching for words and not finding them.
I smile and cup his cheek. “We’ll be down in a minute, Raquel.”
She leaves without comment, and Blake and I quickly get some clothes on and make our way downstairs to the living room. Blake practically sprints into the living room, stopping dead in his tracks and staring at our visitors, a watery sheen to his hazel eyes.
Raquel is perched on the armchair, hands folded in her lap as she studies the two shifters sitting on the couch across from her: a broad-shouldered auburn-haired man, and a smaller man with white blond hair who I’m pretty sure must be Blake’s brother, Ollie, because he’s staring at Blake like my mate is the best thing he’s ever seen.
Ollie jumps to his feet, smiling softly at Blake.
And Blake, my big softy of a mate, rushes across the room, grabs his brother up in a hug, and lifts him off the ground.
Ollie tucks his head under Blake’s chin and the two of them stand there, holding each other and murmuring softly, Blake’s shoulders shaking with silent tears.
I leave them to their reunion and approach the auburn-haired shifter, my hand held out. “Hi, I’m Neil. Blake’s mate.”
“Luke Anderson, Sweet Water pack Alpha,” he says before looking back to the two brothers and smiling fondly. “And Ollie’s mate.”
My brow rise. “You’re the one Solomon said killed the former Rockcastle Alpha.”
“Uh, not quite.” He lets out an awkward laugh. “Wanda killed the Alpha. I killed Wanda.”
“But wouldn’t that make you…?”
“No,” he says firmly. “I already had my own pack to deal with. I didn’t want this one too.”
I chuckle. “Well, it’s nice to meet you.” Tilting my head toward the brothers, I add, “Congratulations on your mating. I’m sure Blake will be glad Ollie has someone looking out for him.”
He nods. “And I’m sure Ollie will be just as glad Blake has someone.
He was losing his mind trying to track him down these past few months.
We knew Wanda had sold him, but we had no idea where he was.
” His expression darkens and his wolf flashes in his eyes.
“Solomon told me what Doyle did to him. If Blake hadn’t killed that asshole, I would have been more than happy to. ”
Eventually the two brothers release each other, Ollie retaking his seat next to Luke and Blake moving to stand at my side. Raquel’s gaze slides down to where Ollie’s shirt has pulled tighter across his stomach, revealing a soft curve. Her brows draw together for a moment, then her eyes widen.
So do mine. Because being told something is possible and seeing it in person are two very different things.
She glances from his belly to his face and clears her throat. “Um, are you…?”
Catching the direction of her gaze, Ollie smiles softly. “Yes. I’m pregnant.”
“Wow.” She blinks. “Neil told me it was possible, but I guess seeing really is believing.” She cocks her head to the side. “How far along are you? Is pregnancy the same for omegas as it is for humans?”
“Mostly,” he replies. “I’m a little over three months and the little one will be cooking for the standard nine months.”
Raquel nods, one hand moving down to rest against her own stomach. “I’m almost two months along.”
“Congratulations.” Ollie breaks into a wide smile.
“Thank you,” she replies in a soft voice.
My stomach chooses that moment to let out a growl loud enough to rival an angry lion. “I guess it has been a while since my last meal,” I say. “Who’s hungry?”
The answer is pretty much everyone, so I head into the kitchen to see what kind of options we have.
There isn’t much, but working in a diner has taught me the basics, and I can handle throwing together a quick stir fry and some rice.
Blake comes in a couple minutes later, and I put him to work slicing some bell peppers and onions while I get the rice going and run water over the chicken to speed up the defrosting process.
“He doesn’t hate me,” says Blake suddenly.
“Ollie? Of course he doesn’t,” I say, pausing what I’m doing to walk over to my mate. “Why would he?”
“It was my fault he got caught.” Blake’s jaw tenses and he stares down at the strips of bell pepper on the cutting board. “I was so stupid.”
I place a hand on his shoulder, lowering my voice. “You were young and trusted someone you shouldn’t have. That doesn’t make you stupid.”
His shoulders hunch up. “But—”
“No. The only ones at fault were the ones who profited off you and Ollie. You didn’t ask for any of that.”
“You’re right,” he says after a long pause. He glances at me from the corner of his eye, and a smile curls at his lips. “It’s good to see Ollie so happy. Luke seems like a good Alpha.”
“He’d better be,” I say, winking. “Because now we know exactly how to take care of bad ones.”
He presses a quick kiss to my cheek and then we go back to preparing… lunch? Dinner? Linner? Why isn’t there a handy word for a meal between lunch and dinner like there is with “brunch”?
Thirty minutes or so later, Blake sets the table while I bring out the food, and everyone else takes a seat.
We pass the food around and fill our plates, then settle in to eat.
The conversation flows easily, and five of us sit there at the table, talking, laughing, and simply enjoying each other’s company long after our plates are empty.
Life will never be perfect, but right now, it’s damn close and I wouldn’t trade this moment for all the money in the world.