Epilogue #3
We spend the next hour going over the details of Hazel's wedding.
The venue, the vendors, the timeline, the potential disasters.
Jessica takes notes on her phone, nodding along, asking smart questions that remind me why I hired her in the first place.
She's good at this, maybe even better than I am at the actual on-site coordination part.
By the time she leaves, clutching a folder full of information and still riding high on her excitement, I'm exhausted. The kind of exhaustion that sinks into your bones and makes you want to sleep for a thousand years.
"Bed," Cassian says, already scooping me up before I can protest.
"I can walk."
"I know. But why would you when I can carry you?"
He has a point. I let him carry me to the bedroom, Pine and Jett trailing behind, and when he sets me gently on the bed, I immediately curl into the pillows. They smell like all of us now, this blend of scents that screams home in a way nothing else ever has.
Pine climbs in behind me, pulling me back against his chest. Cassian settles in front of me, his hand immediately finding my stomach. Jett sprawls across the foot of the bed, his hand on my ankle, always needing to touch.
"I can't believe this is my life," I murmur, half asleep already.
"Good surprise or bad surprise?" Pine asks against my hair.
"Best surprise. Scary as hell, but the best." I yawn. "Thank you, universe. For once, you really came through."
Three months later, I'm standing in the bathroom of our house, staring at my reflection in the mirror and trying to figure out how to fit into the dress I picked out for my birthday party.
Spoiler alert: it's not happening.
I'm just starting to show, a small but definite bump that makes all my fitted clothes impossible and turns my three alphas into complete maniacs.
Cassian nearly cried the first time he saw it.
Pine sketched it, which was both sweet and slightly weird.
Jett announced we needed a bigger house, which launched a two-week argument about whether we should renovate the cabin or build something new.
We're building something new. Construction starts in the spring, after the baby comes. A proper house with enough bedrooms for everyone and a nursery that Jett has already designed three times over.
But tonight, I just need to fit into a dress that apparently no longer fits.
"Problem?" Pine appears in the doorway, leaning against the frame. He's wearing dark jeans and a deep green henley that makes his eyes look even darker than usual, and he's got that knowing look that suggests he's been standing there longer than I thought.
"This dress doesn't fit."
"I can see that."
"Thanks. Super helpful."
He walks into the bathroom, coming up behind me to rest his chin on my shoulder, his hands settling on my hips. "You look beautiful."
"I look pregnant."
"Same thing."
I make a face at him in the mirror. "I'm supposed to be wearing this dress tonight. Jessica got it for my birthday specifically because she said it would make me look like a goddess."
"You already look like a goddess."
"Pine."
"Sharon." He says my name like it's an answer, his hands sliding around to rest on my stomach. "Wear something else. Wear nothing. I guarantee nobody's going to care."
"I care."
"Then wear the black dress. The one with the wrap." His fingers trace the edge of my bump, gentle and reverent. "That one always looks good on you."
He's right, of course. The black wrap dress is probably my best option at this point. It's flattering and comfortable, and most importantly, it actually fits over my growing stomach.
"Fine," I mutter. "Black dress it is."
Pine kisses my shoulder, then my neck, then that spot behind my ear that always makes me shiver. "You're going to have a good birthday."
"You can't promise that."
"I just did." He turns me around, hands cupping my face. "Stop worrying."
"That's like asking me to stop breathing."
"Then breathe and worry less." He kisses me, slow and deep, until my brain stops spiraling and all I can focus on is the taste of him, the feel of his hands in my hair, the way he grounds me without even trying.
When he pulls back, I'm breathless and warm and significantly less worried about the dress situation.
"Better?" he asks.
"Better," I admit.
An hour later, I'm in the black wrap dress, which does indeed make me look less like a stuffed sausage and more like an actual human person.
My hair is down in loose waves, and I'm wearing the necklace all three of them gave me for our three-month anniversary, a delicate chain with three tiny charms, one from each of them.
The cabin's been transformed. String lights everywhere, candles on every surface, flowers in vases that Cassian definitely stress-bought from every florist in Pine Hollow. Our friends are starting to arrive, and the noise level is ramping up to a pleasant chaos.
Savannah and her pack show up first, her omega radiant and happy, her three alphas trailing behind with presents and wine. I hug her tight, breathing in her familiar vanilla scent, grateful all over again that she's the one who brought me to Pine Hollow in the first place.
"You look gorgeous," she says, pulling back to look at my stomach. "And pregnant."
"Little bit."
"It's a good look on you." She grins. "How are the alphas handling it?"
"Like insane people. Cassian tried to carry me down the stairs this morning because he's worried I'll trip. Pine won't let me lift anything heavier than a coffee mug. Jett's building furniture like a man possessed."
"Sounds about right." She laughs. "Enjoy it while it lasts. They're going to get worse."
"I don't think it's possible for them to get worse."
"Challenge accepted," one of her alphas says, and we all laugh.
More people arrive. Jessica, of course, wearing a red dress that makes her look like fire incarnate, bringing enough food to feed a small army.
Some of Cassian's firefighter buddies. A few of Pine's artist friends.
Jett's construction crew. The cabin fills with laughter and music and the kind of warmth that has nothing to do with the temperature.
I'm standing in the kitchen, watching everyone mingle, when Ben's name flashes on my phone.
I step out onto the back porch, away from the noise, and answer. "Hey."
"Hey." His voice is clear, steady. "Just wanted to wish you a happy birthday."
"Thanks." I lean against the railing, looking out at the darkening woods behind the cabin. "How are you?"
"Good. Really good. Eighteen months clean today."
"Ben, that's amazing. I'm so proud of you."
"Thanks." There's a pause. "How's the baby?"
My hand goes to my stomach automatically. "Good. Growing. Making me nauseous and tired, but good."
"My brothers taking care of you?"
"They're being ridiculous about it, but yeah. They're good." I smile. "Really good."
"Good. That's... that's good." Another pause. "I'm glad you're happy, Sharon. You deserve it."
"You deserve to be happy too."
"Working on it." He sounds like he means it. "I should let you get back to your party. Just wanted to call."
"I'm glad you did. Thanks, Ben."
After we hang up, I stand there for a moment, breathing in the cold October air, thinking about how strange life is.
A year ago, I was planning Ben's wedding, having panic attacks in venue bathrooms, convinced my life was over.
Now I'm pregnant with his brothers' baby, living in a cabin in the woods, happier than I've ever been.
Thank you, universe. For the breakdown that led to the breakthrough.
"There you are." Cassian steps out onto the porch, sliding an arm around my waist. He's wearing a dark blue button-down that makes his eyes look impossibly bright, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and he looks unfairly good. "Everything okay?"
"Perfect. Ben called to wish me happy birthday."
"Yeah?" He pulls me closer, his hand settling on my stomach like it always does now. "That's good. He doing okay?"
"Eighteen months clean."
"Damn. Good for him." Cassian kisses the top of my head. "You ready to come back inside? Jett's about two seconds from organizing party games, and I think we need to stop him before he pulls out charades or something equally horrifying."
"God, yes. Stop him immediately."
He laughs, steering me back toward the door. "Come on, birthday girl. Let's save your party from my brother's terrible ideas."
The next hour is a blur of conversation and laughter.
I'm passed from person to person, hugged and congratulated and fussed over.
Jessica commandeers the kitchen, organizing the food with military precision.
Savannah corners me on the couch, asking detailed questions about my pregnancy symptoms that make me both grateful and slightly uncomfortable.
Pine finds me eventually, pulling me away from a conversation about nursery themes that's getting way too intense. He guides me through the crowd to a quieter corner, his hand warm on the small of my back.
"You okay?" he asks. "You look overwhelmed."
"I am overwhelmed. In a good way, but still." I lean into him, letting him take some of my weight. "Thank you for this. All of this."
"It's your birthday. You deserve to be celebrated."
"I was thinking more like, thank you for the past six months. For everything. For saving me from the worst decision of my life."
He raises an eyebrow. "Planning Ben's wedding?"
"Marrying Ben in the first place." I shake my head. "If I'd actually married him, I never would have met you guys. Never would have had this."
"Hey." Pine tilts my chin up, making me meet his eyes. "No spiraling into what-ifs. You're here now. That's what matters."
"I know. I just... I love you. So much. All of you."
"We love you too, sweetheart." He kisses me, soft and slow, and for a moment the party fades away. It's just us, just this, just the impossible reality of being loved like this.