Epilogue
ELODIE
Garner was already pacing by the time I swung my legs over the side of the bed.
“Tell me again why Thora insisted on roasting meat over an open fire,” he muttered, stalking toward the window and glaring out. “There’s a grill on the back porch of every cabin.”
His grumbling was extra funny because Thora was an incredibly talented roast chef who had worked in a Michelin starred restaurant before following her friend and boss to Timber Ridge.
I pressed a hand to my stomach and tried not to laugh because the motion made the nausea roll higher. “Because she’s Thora.”
He shot me a look over his shoulder, his pale blond hair mussed from sleep. “Because she’s a menace.”
A small giggle slipped out, making him smile. He crossed back to the bed and crouched in front of me, his big hands bracketing my knees and his gaze scanning my face with the intense focus I’d gotten used to over the past four months.
“How bad?”
“Not terrible.” I shrugged. “It comes and goes in waves.”
His jaw tightened, a muscle ticking in his cheek. “We’re not going out there until you’re sure you can handle it.”
Butterflies swirled in my belly, followed by another small round of queasiness. I loved how much he fussed over me, but I wasn’t going to admit it because he would take that as permission to get ridiculously over-protective. Something the women of the Wilderness Pack had warned me about.
“I’m very happy to have a little nausea now, if it means I get to eat whatever Thora’s making later.”
That earned me the hint of a smile, the corner of his mouth turning up like he couldn’t help it. Then he leaned in and kissed me. The nausea didn’t like it, but my body did. A little too much if we were ever going to head outside.
When he pulled back, his forehead rested against mine. “If you so much as look green, we’re coming back inside.”
“Yes, sir,” I teased.
His eyes flashed with heat, and the sound he made was half growl, half laugh. “Don’t start something unless you plan to finish it.”
I grinned because I couldn’t help it. “We’re going to a family cookout.”
“With people who can smell everything.”
My cheeks warmed. “Then we should probably behave.”
He kissed the tip of my nose. “Mm-hmm.”
He helped me into a sweater anyway, tugging it down carefully like I was made of glass. It was ridiculous. I wasn’t fragile. I’d survived things he still didn’t know the full details of.
But I let him do it because being cared for by him was becoming its own kind of healing.
When we stepped outside, the clearing was already alive.
Laina’s laugh carried over the crackle of flames.
Evette was seated with a blanket over her legs and one of the twins in her arms. Leyton hovered over her with the other strapped to his chest. Marielle stood next to Artemis, peering at where Lilibeth was snuggled against her father’s chest.
Garner’s hand found the small of my back automatically, guiding me toward everyone. The moment we came into view, Laina beamed a smile at me. “There you are.”
Garner let out a low sigh. “Don’t.”
Evette’s gaze was knowing. “We were wondering when you’d stop hiding her.”
“I wasn’t hiding her,” Garner argued, but the tips of his ears were already turning red.
Marielle’s smile softened when she looked at me. “How are you feeling?”
I blinked. “Fine. Why?”
The women exchanged a glance so quick it was almost invisible, and I would’ve missed it if I hadn’t been paying attention lately. If I hadn’t started noticing how their little looks and pauses seemed like a language of their own. One I was starting to learn.
Thora emerged from beside the fire with a wicked grin. “If Garner complains one more time about the roast, I’m putting him on dish duty.”
I bit the inside of my cheek and failed to hide my smile.
Thora’s eyes flicked to my mouth, then my stomach, then up again. The grin she gave me was pure trouble as she handed me a mug. “Ginger tea. Sip it. Sit down. Eat something bland first. Then your stomach will be ready for the main course later.”
I let her boss me, because it was the kind of care I’d never had enough of. And the ginger tea made my mouth water in a good way.
Garner guided me to a chair like I might topple over, then hovered until I rolled my eyes and tugged him down beside me.
“I’m not going to break,” I murmured.
Leyton strode past with a plate stacked high, grinning at Garner. Keane emerged a moment later, calm as ever, his eyes flicking to us with quiet satisfaction. He lifted his hand in greeting, then paused when his phone rang.
Glancing at the screen, he murmured, “I need to take this.”
He walked a few steps away, his voice too low to catch over the crackle of fire and the laughter rising again. When Keane came back, his expression was tense.
“That was Booker. He found his mate.”
“Why don’t you look happy about that?” Garner asked.
“He needs help.”
No one asked questions.
Keane was already moving, issuing quiet instructions. Leyton was on his feet. Artemis’s gaze went sharp. Rome’s smile vanished like it had never existed.
I watched it all unfold, understanding something vital at that moment.
When one of them needed help, they didn’t hesitate.
They moved as one, because that was what family did. And I was a part of theirs.