20. Epilogue Valphan
Chapter 20
Epilogue: Valphan
~5 years later~
"Dada! Look! Clean!"
Well, now I didn't want to look to see what kind of mess my three-year-old made this time.
"Dada! Now look!"
Relenting with a sigh, I plastered a smile on my face as I turned around from the stove to look at my son, Micah. Thankfully, I didn 't have to try and keep the smile on my face because it naturally grew at the sight of Micah 'washing' a bowl with a rag.
Giving me a toothy grin, he held his toy bowl up with a triumphant smile. "Clean!" Without setting the bowl down, he clapped his hands together with a laugh.
Unable to help it, I laughed along with him proudly. I honestly expected a mess when I turned around because that was usually the case whenever he told me to look and clean—he wanted my attention to clean up his mess. So, to see him actually cleaning was so heartwarming.
Also, seeing him do that on his own amazed me because moments like these always reminded me of how life always went forward and that Micah wouldn't stay young forever.
On top of all that, it was a stern reminder that I was a damn parent. Some days I still wanted to shit myself because being a parent terrified me. I mean, taking a step back, it was simple, but when it came to applying everything I ever read in all the parenting books I could get my hands on the moment Gracie and I decided to start trying for a kid, yeah, fuck that.
The thought of fucking up as a parent somehow because I didn't say the right thing or reacted wrong really fucked me up. It wasn't so bad now after Gracie kicked some sense into my stubborn ass because she got tired of me treating our kid with gloves on. Also, she might or might not have withheld some cuddles and head scratches until I behaved…
Speaking of my lovely little mate.
Turning off the stove, I went to Micah to pick up the little munchkin. "Let's go get Mommy, yeah?" I asked in a pitched voice, poking at his sides with my fingers.
Pointing his chubby little finger down the hallway, Micah bounced in my arms. "Mommy!" He eagerly grinned and repeatedly jabbed his finger toward her office door.
Chuckling to myself, I took us over to the office, entering after knocking softly. "Little blessing, it's dinner time." I usually didn't interrupt her when she was holed up in the office because it meant she was close to a deadline or wanted to hyper-fixate in peace, but tonight was a special night.
"Mommy I hungry. Eat now please," Micah demanded with a little pout on his face, causing Gracie to chuckle and smile after turning her chair around.
Sitting there for a few seconds, she looked at the two of us with bright, wonder-filled eyes and a goofy smile. "He's so demanding like you, Fawny, I swear." She teased with a snicker as she got up.
"Stubborn like you though." I retorted with a snicker of my own before she shut me up with a kiss.
"Ewwww." Micah chimed in with a scrunched-up face, his tiny hands pushing our faces apart.
Chuckling, Gracie reached up and pinched Micah's giggling face. "Nothing 'ew' about sharing some love, little munchkin." To prove her point, she leaned up and drowned our child with kisses until he laughed up a good storm.
Then, looking up at me with grateful eyes, she hugged me tightly. "I will never get tired of being able to kiss you again." She spoke into my chest.
Returning her hug, I leaned down and kissed the top of her head. "And all it took was for our souls to merge." I mused with a chuckle.
I was no longer permanently stuck in my beastly form—thank Lucifer. Whatever parts of my old soul I had used to heal Gracie the night of her attack seeped into her own soul and silently festered within it. Then, when we had our soul-binding ceremony, that separate part rejoined the rest of me and regenerated that other missing half of my soul.
It took a good year for me to become whole again, but I was practically back to normal now. I could still shift, though, and I occasionally did because being cuddled and doted on by my little blessing was the best thing ever. Seriously, her head scratches, especially when she got the good spots behind my ear—Lucifer, those were the best.
"Fawny, I can see your tail wagging." Gracie joked, making me whip my head back to look at my behind to see if I had accidentally let some of my other features slip out of habit.
Looking back at my mate, I rolled my eyes at her and quietly slipped a hand down to pinch her bubbly ass, making her jump and squeal. "Don't poke the sleeping beast too much now, cupcake. Otherwise, you won't be able to leave the bed for days." I playfully threatened her with a smirk and kiss.
Intertwining our fingers, I led us all into the dining area and situated Micah in his highchair before serving the food. "Eat up, then go get ready for your event tonight. Stella and Kas will be over shortly to take Micah to free us until tomorrow." It was impossible not to sound a little suggestive toward the end because it was rare for us to have time to have fun.
Feigning ignorance, Gracie wandered her eyes from me to our son. "You know, last I checked, it's a full moon tonight, and I think I heard many wolves out back lately." She said nonchalantly while eating her dinner. "I heard a lot of people talking around town about some werewolves in the woods, too. The ones that make up our very own backyard."
Our tiny, wooded area had also expanded quite a bit over the years. A bad storm hit the area years back, nearly wiping out all the houses in the neighborhood. Many chose to relocate after the storm, so the city decided to let nature take over as it would. Then, as land opened up, Gracie and I shelled out some money to buy a few acres.
Gracie still gave me some grief about pawning off dead people's stuff, but many of the things brought to me as an offering back a few centuries were valuable antiques that got us a few pretty pennies.
Obviously, I saw nothing wrong about selling all that shit that cluttered up my storage. I had no use for any of that human junk, especially in this century. Besides, they were dead, so they definitely didn't need any of it; ain't no such thing as worldly possessions in the afterlife. What would they even do about it? Come back and haunt me?
Once dinner was done, I cleaned up and watched Micah while Gracie got ready for her author's event tonight. Well, I kept watch until Kas showed up with his mate to whisk Micah away for the night.
I never thought I'd send my kid away for the night with Kastoron the Prankster. Realms of home, I never thought I'd see Kastoron tie himself down with anyone, let alone have a kid of his own. I mean, I thought I was bad as an overprotective parent, but Kastoron took it to a whole new level for a longer moment than me.
With Micah out of the house, I took a few minutes to get ready myself to accompany my lovely mate to her event—play the handsome, doting husband and all. It didn't take me long to be ready since a quick shower and a few appearance spells were all I needed to look like a dashing human being out of a top-ten model magazine.
"Are you sure they're fine with watching Micah? I mean, you know how he and Killian get when they're together. I swear they are worse than Kastoron when it comes to pranks and shit." Gracie fretted as she zipped back and forth in our room, grabbing her accessories from one spot to the next.
Rolling my eyes, I stepped into her burning path, stopping her by grabbing her shoulders. "Little blessing, breathe," I swear, sometimes her anxiety was enough to give me anxiety.
Smiling soothingly, I rubbed her shoulders while I spoke. "Micah is more than fine, and you will be more than fine tonight at the event." Leaning in, I kissed her forehead longingly. "I will be right next to you every step of the way, like always."
"You have worked so hard to earn your place at this event. All those long days and nights of clawing at your brain and mine to finish book after book after book are finally paying off." Slipping my arms around her waist, I slowly pulled her to the end of the bed, where I sat down with her straddling my lap. "Not everyone becomes a best-selling author nationally, so take that win. You earned every bit of it with how much of your heart and soul you've poured into your unique stories."
"I know you don't like attention, but it'll only be a minute with a few questions. You will be perfectly fine." I assured her with a proud smile. "And even if I can't be up on the stage with you physically," pausing, I placed a hand over her heart, "I will always be with you." Quite literally, because our souls were intertwined.
Stroking her cheeks with the back of my fingers, I swept her hair out of her face. "Now, is there anything you want to get off your chest before we go?" She still seemed rather bothered after my little spiel with her—usually, a pep talk got her out of her rut.
Averting her gaze, she lightly scratched at her cheek—a nervous tick of hers. "Can we not run through the forest tonight?" That wasn't the end of it with the stagnant tension in the air.
"And?" I urged her with a concerned look.
"And no other nights? For a few months…" This pregnant pause wasn't getting any better with her words.
"Why? Are you hurt? Is something wrong?" Did she somehow fall out of love with me?
Worry after worry flooded my mind, no matter how ridiculous they were in nature.
Then, when she took my hand and smiled warmly at me, I became more confused.
"Fawny," she giggled with an apologetic smile, "Calm down. It's nothing bad, trust me." She assured me with a confident smile.
Slowly, she pressed my hand flat against her tummy. "I'm surprised you haven't found out by smelling the change in my scent or some shit like that." She joked with a soft laugh, which only increased to a full one when the look of realization crossed my face. "Better not break our bed celebrating this time about knocking me up."
Breaking out in an uncontrolled grin, I hugged her tightly and attacked her lips with passionate kisses. "Fuck, I love you so much, Gracie." I groaned against her reddened lips with a heartfelt smile.
"And don't worry about the bed this time. I demon-proofed it."
A wicked smirk crossed my little blessing's face.
"We'll see about that."