Epilogue - Nora
“Attach the left bracket to the left part of the bottom of part H,” I said, handing Kaleb the bracket.
Kaleb sat next to me, staring at the pieces. “I don’t see part H.”
I looked at the instructions and then back at him. “Why didn’t you just buy the display rocking chair?”
“Because it was an extra fifty dollars. We can put this together.”
I scowled. “We’ve been working on this for forty minutes, as so far the only part we got together was the back of it.”
“Let me see those,” he said, reaching for the instructions.
I handed them to him, taking a look around the nursery.
I couldn’t help but smile, growing excited.
We had the crib in the corner with a mobile hanging above it.
We went with the theme of Starry Night. We had stars painted on the ceiling, and the room was dripping with hues of blue and gold.
We had a little rocket ship painted on the wall above the crib.
A star-shaped rug on the hardwood floor and toys all over.
The rocking chair was the last piece of furniture we needed to put together, a purchase I explained I wanted for late nights when the baby wouldn’t fall asleep.
“I’m going to get this,” he mumbled as he scanned the instructions again.
“While you do that, I need to pee again,” I tried to get up, fumbling as I couldn’t roll over. Kaleb noticed and pulled himself up, giving me a hand to get off the ground.
“You know what I miss, the days I didn’t grunt having to get up.”
Kaleb laughed as he kissed my forehead. “I don’t. I like helping you.”
I chuckled as I made my way out of the room toward the bathroom. I paused as I glanced at myself in the mirror. My belly stuck out; the shirt I was wearing was a size too small on me now. I was six months along, feeling like a hippo.
But my hair looked amazing, and my skin looked clear. I had that pregnancy glow that everyone talked about.
I moved to go to the toilet. I sighed as I sat down. I looked down, hardly able to see my feet, but I could see my toes. “Kaleb, my toes look like sausages.”
I heard Kaleb howling with laughter from the bedroom, and I smirked.
An hour later, we had everyone over for lunch. We had nice weather, so we had grilled chicken with a side salad to go with it. I was sitting on the porch with Jade, both of us drinking non-alcoholic drinks, while the guys were having beer, playing tag with Ilsa in the grass.
“It’s nice out here,” Jade said. “You guys have such a nice yard.”
“Isn’t it? I’m thinking of adding a garden in the back. Told Kaleb I want to get into canning.”
“That sounds nice,” Jade said, adjusting her garden hat. “Ilsa was asking about getting a pool. I think Brandon is going to cave and get her one.”
I laughed. “He will do anything for her.”
Jade smiled, nodding her head. “He would. My brother will do the same for you and the baby.” Jade looked at her for a moment before her eyes shifted down to my stomach. “Have you guys picked a name yet?”
I shook my head. “No, we are still stuck between Noah and Lucas.”
“Those are both nice names. I’ve always thought the name Avery was nice.”
I paused and raised an eyebrow at her. “Are you?”
She quickly shook her head. “God no, not right now. But Brandon and I want more kids. We just aren’t in a position to have more. He’s busy with being Alpha, and all of this stuff with the hybrids makes us both nervous.”
I understood that. Ever since the shelter burned down, Kaleb had been extra attentive to me. He always asked what my plans were and stopped in to see me. It took him months before he even started to calm down a little.
The shelter had to be rebuilt. It took months. Surprisingly enough, the town helped pitch in. Brandon pulled a fundraiser together, and we managed to build a bigger shelter. The animals all ended up adopted, allowing us to take in other animals looking for homes.
I glanced at Charlie, who was running around with the guys, happy as ever, and Frank running along with him.
We ended up adopting Frank, and by ‘we,’ I meant Kaleb. I had caved about Charlie because of how close he had gotten to me; that was how it went with Frank and Kaleb. Kaleb spent endless time with him, and one evening came home with him.
Frank and Charlie got along splendidly.
“Any more word about the witches?” I asked, looking at Jade.
She shook her head. After I was released from the hospital, we had a meeting where I informed the guy what the hybrid told me.
Somewhere out there were some witches helping the hybrids out.
Jade had done some digging and explained that there were spells that allowed a hybrid to take animal form for a limited time.
One of them must have helped the hybrid shift into a dog, let him go, and be caught by Mike and brought into the shelter.
Jade had reached out to the witches in town, asking if anyone knew about some that would help the hybrids.
So far, there was none that we knew about.
“Nothing as of right now.” Jade rubbed her hands together nervously. “I still can’t believe it. As if the hybrids weren’t dangerous enough, they could look like anything and anyone? Can they take on the shape of animals? It’s just crazy.”
I had a hard time believing it, and I saw it firsthand. I still had nightmares watching the dog melt away and turn into the man. I saw him attacking the dogs and ripping them apart. I always woke up drenched in sweat, afraid I had lost everything.
I placed my hand on my stomach, afraid of what could happen. My baby wasn’t even born, and I was scared of losing it.
Brandon and Kaleb had decided to put extra surveillance around the pack.
Anyone who wanted to come into town was put through hard interrogations, and any animals that were brought in were monitored closely for two weeks.
Chelsey and Marie explained to Jade and me that these spells could only last for so long.
Two weeks seemed like a good enough time.
I looked at Kaleb and smiled. I remembered how everyone told me he went back in.
Everyone told him to stay out because the building was going to collapse, but he went in for the animals.
He saved them all. Even now, I couldn’t help but feel just how honorable it was.
Just another reminder, he was nothing like his father.
His father, who was sticking his nose into everything lately. Suddenly, they had an interest in me, and I didn’t understand why.
I shook the thought off. “Ilsa is going to be starting school soon. Is she excited?”
“Oh god, yeah.” Jade nodded her head. “She won’t stop talking about it.”
I chuckled as Ilsa came running up on the deck. “Dad and everyone say the food is done. Are we eating inside?”
I nodded, scootching myself closer to the edge of the seat to get up. But a hand appeared, and I looked up, taking in Kaleb. “Here.”
I took his hand as he helped me get up, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me toward him. He kissed my forehead, and I blushed.
We headed inside, where everyone settled in to eat. We laughed as we ate. We didn’t talk about the pack’s problems or how stressed we all were. It was nice to put the issues aside and just be together.
After we ate, I settled onto the couch with Jade and Ilsa while the guys continued to talk. We put a movie on, and I wrapped a blanket around myself. I looked over at Kaleb as he laughed with the guys. I felt my eyes growing heavy as the movie played. I tried to fight it, but soon fell asleep.
I woke up to the house being quiet. I grabbed my phone, seeing it was a little past six now. I rubbed at my eyes, realizing I had just slept for three hours.
“Kaleb?”
“Yeah?” I heard his footsteps come around the corner. He was rubbing his hands on a washcloth. He smiled at me. “How was your nap?”
I frowned. “I’m sorry I fell asleep. I was really trying not to.”
He waved a hand. “You’re pregnant, Nora. It’s normal to be tired. Besides, everyone figured they should get going soon after you fell asleep.”
I sighed, rubbing at my stomach. “What did I miss?”
“The guys and I were just talking about the border. Jade and Ilsa finished the movie. Ilsa fell asleep, so you weren’t the only one.”
I grunted as I tried to get myself off the couch. Kaleb had to offer me a hand up.
“They all headed home about an hour ago. I was just finishing the dishes.”
I rubbed at my back. “Would it be terrible if I went to bed?”
He smirked as he bent down, placing his hand on my stomach. “No, honey. It wouldn’t be.” He kissed my stomach before pulling himself back up. “But before you go to bed, I would like to show you something.”
We headed upstairs, and he paused in the doorway of the nursery. I glanced inside and realized that it wasn’t a mess. The scattered pieces on the floor were now put together. My rocking chair sat right next to the crib.
My mouth dropped. “You put it together?”
He nodded. “Well, the guys helped me. Took us about half an hour, but it’s all together. The sucker isn’t coming apart. We all sat on it to make sure. Westley sat on me while I sat on it, so it’s going to hold you and the baby if it can survive us.”
I laughed as I turned to him. “You are an amazing man, you know that?”
“Do I?” he asked sarcastically.
I rolled my eyes as I leaned against him, suddenly feeling the urge to be closer. “You are. You have no idea how much I appreciate everything you’ve done. You’re helping turn this into a home.”
He ran his hand through my hair. “Well, you are my everything. And you’re holding our child. I’m doing what I can to help. It’s that simple.”
He kissed me softly, his lips warm against mine. I sighed as I leaned into it. I felt a surge of wanting more go through me. I was constantly wanting more, and I knew part of it was the hormones. But another part of it was just how happy he made me. How he cared for me and was always there.