Epilogue
IVER
“It’s about time we did this again,” I remark, picking up my beer and tipping it toward Javi.
He nods in agreement as he lifts his own bottle, clinking the neck of it against mine before taking a swig.
“You’re lucky we agreed to another double date, after last time,” Lo mutters, giving me a pointed look.
“What do you mean?” I ask innocently. “That was a great date, wasn’t it, Chey?”
My mate slides her hand onto my thigh beneath the table, a smirk curling her lips. “One of my favorites,” she agrees.
Javi brings a fist to his mouth to stifle a chuckle while Lo rolls her eyes beside him.
“Whatever, you two better be on your best behavior tonight,” my sister admonishes. “No sneaking off to the bathroom before the entrée.”
“So, after is fair game, then?” I tease, waggling my brows at her.
She huffs out a breath, whipping her head toward Javi seeking backup. He just shakes his own, lifting his hands in surrender.
“Hey, I’m not gonna tell anyone how to live their lives,” he laughs.
“Easy for you to say when you weren’t subjected to hearing things that no sibling should ever hear,” Lo grumbles, her face screwing up in a grimace.
“Hey, Chey’s like my sister,” he shrugs. “Doesn’t mean I don’t want her to get some.”
I grin, extending an arm across the table to offer him a fist-bump.
Though my sister still looks appalled, Chey laughs softly, unashamed of the scene we made on our last double date with these two, months ago. And why should she be? It’s not like it was a random hookup. We’re fated mates.
Honestly, Lo clutches her pearls way too much for a child of Jax and Quinn Anderson.
Our parents practiced PDA like a religion while we were growing up.
Though it embarrassed Lo to no end, it gave me something to strive for in my own life– a partner to support me, challenge me, and love me unconditionally.
I wanted a mate that made me as happy as my mom makes my dad, and now, that’s exactly what I’ve got.
I glance over at Chey, her amber eyes meeting mine like a magnet.
She looks stunning tonight. I surprised her with the dress she’s wearing– forest green, like the landscapes she captures– and from the moment she put it on, I’ve found it difficult to look away.
It’s always like that when I see her in something I bought, satisfying my primal need to provide for my mate.
Spoiling her is definitely my love language.
“Oh, before I forget!” Chey exclaims, eyes rounding as she snaps her gaze to Javi and Lo.
“I brought you guys something.” She leans over to reach into her purse, pulling out a framed photograph and passing it across the table to them.
“Since you’re breaking ground on your new territory soon, I wanted to be the first to get you a housewarming gift for your new packhouse. ”
The two of them peer down at the picture, Lo’s blue eyes turning glassy as she leans in closer to Javi. “Our cabin,” she breathes, a soft smile curving her lips.
“Where it all began,” Javi muses, turning to press a kiss to her cheek.
Lo lifts her gaze to Chey, hugging the frame to her chest. “Thank you.”
“Thank Iver, it was his idea,” Chey quips, knocking her shoulder into mine.
“All your pictures belong in frames,” I scoff.
She waves me off, downplaying her talent like usual, but she should know by now that my praise isn’t just lip service.
I’ve made good on my promise to put one of her photos in every room of our packhouse, and visitors are constantly admiring them.
My parents even have a big print of one of her photos over their own fireplace.
She’s good, and if she refuses to acknowledge that, I’ll just have to do it for her.
“You know, with the plans for the ski resort to re-open, they’ll need some fresh photos for marketing,” Lo says slyly. “Probably an event photographer, too.”
“Seriously?” Chey blurts, sitting up a little straighter.
Lo’s mouth splits into a wide grin. “Would you be interested?”
“Hell yeah she would,” I cut in, feeling Chey’s excitement through our bond. I turn to her for confirmation. “Right?”
“Definitely,” she laughs, nodding eagerly.
Our server approaches the table, clearing off our appetizer plates and plucking up the empty glasses and bottles in front of us. “The food will be out shortly, but can I get anyone another drink?” he asks politely.
“I’ll have another beer,” I reply.
“Same,” Javi agrees.
Lo’s still nursing her glass of wine, so the waiter looks to Chey in question, having cleared hers.
“I’m good, thanks,” she breathes, reaching for her water glass instead.
The waiter nods and walks away, Javi arching a brow in Chey’s direction.
“Turning over a new leaf?” he asks once the waiter is out of earshot.
“Something like that,” she murmurs, taking a small sip of her water. “I used to drink to forget, but now…” she trails off, glancing toward me with a soft smile. “Now, I want to remember.”
“Aww,” Lo coos, pouting her lower lip.
Javi picks up his water glass, reaching across the table to clink it with Chey’s. “I’m proud of you,” he declares.
“Thanks, Dad,” she snorts, rolling her eyes.
He levels her with a stare. “I mean it.”
Chey stares back at him, a faint blush rising to her cheeks. “Me too,” she replies quietly.
The waiter reappears with two bottles of beer, setting one down in front of Javi and moving to place the other in front of me. Someone passing by bumps him as he’s reaching between Chey and me, beer tipping from the rim of the bottle and splashing her arm.
“I’m so sorry,” the waiter gasps, tugging a cloth from his pocket and reaching for Chey.
She flinches back reflexively.
I intercept him before he can touch her, grabbing my napkin off my lap to wipe it away. “I’ve got it,” I growl, shooting him a warning glare over my shoulder.
He jerks backwards, eyes widening. “So sorry, Alpha.”
“It’s fine,” Chey says with a tight-lipped smile, taking the napkin from me and wiping the droplets of beer from her skin.
The waiter scurries away and Javi makes eye contact with me from across the table, flickering a concerned glance toward Cheyenne. I’m glad she’s got him to look out for her, but it isn’t his job anymore. It’s mine.
I silently offer my hand to my mate and she takes it, threading her fingers through mine.
The two of us have developed our own system.
Her anxiety still gets the best of her sometimes, but she doesn’t like attention being drawn to it.
So, I squeeze her hand to ask if she’s good. She squeezes back once, meaning she is.
“So, about this photography gig,” I drawl, glancing over at my sister as I smoothly steer back to our prior conversation. “When can she start?”
Cheyenne
“Do you have any inkling of what this one is?” Lo asks, glancing down at my belly.
“I don’t know,” I sigh, resting a hand on my bump. “I had a strong feeling about the other two, but this one’s a wildcard.”
“We’ll find out in September,” Iver remarks smugly.
“Ugh, how can you stand waiting that long?” Lo groans, scrubbing a hand down her face. “It’s not even my pup and the anticipation is already killing me.”
“It’s fun not knowing,” I reply with a shrug. “There are few true surprises in life, you know.”
“Yeah, you guys should wait to find out with your next one,” Iver suggests.
“Nope, two’s my limit,” Lo states firmly, darting a glance toward our rambunctious children running around the lawn together.
I chuckle to myself as I reach for another slice of pizza from the box resting on the coffee table. If I’ve learned one thing over the past five years, it’s that life’s constantly changing.
It feels like just yesterday that me and Iver were out to dinner with Javi and Lo, still settling into our mate bond and making plans for the future.
Our double dates look a lot different these days.
Instead of restaurants and cocktails, it’s takeout and playdates, but I have zero complaints.
I aways wanted a family of my own, and the one I’ve got now just keeps growing.
Not only do Iver and I have our third pup on the way, but his little sister Harper recently announced her own pregnancy.
At this rate, we’ll soon be able to field our own baseball team.
I’ve never been happier.
Taking a bite of my pizza, I lean back against the cushions of the outdoor sectional, joining Lo in watching the kids play.
“I’m hedging my bets that it’s a boy,” Javi comments, eyeing me as I demolish my fourth slice of pizza. “You couldn’t hold anything down when you were pregnant with Lily.”
“Maybe,” I mumble after swallowing the last bite, brushing the crumbs from my hands. “But I was tired all the time when I was pregnant with Jaxon, and I barely take naps with this one.”
“But is that because you’re just too busy chasing those two to get a nap in?” Lo challenges.
I snort a laugh, glancing toward the kids again. “Fair point.”
It’s apt that Iver and I named our son after his father since the little guy looks so much like him. Everyone says our daughter Lily takes after me. Both are blonde, while our niece and nephew favor Javi with their dark hair and dimpled cheeks.
“Uh oh,” Iver murmurs, nudging me with an elbow as our son breaks away from the other kids to run in our direction. “Here comes trouble.”
“Uncle Javi!” Jaxon exclaims breathlessly, bypassing us and rushing up to his favorite person.
Javi grins as he reaches out to ruffle his hair. “Yeah, buddy?”
“Will you come play with us?”
“Of course,” he answers, setting aside his plate and pushing up his feet. “What are we playing?”
I don’t think the word ‘no’ exists in Javi’s vocabulary when it comes to the kids. Probably why he’s the favorite.
“Ghost in the graveyard,” Jaxon replies excitedly, reaching for his hand and leading him across the lawn, launching into an explanation of the rules.
I smile to myself as I watch them join up with the other kids, idly running my fingertips over the mark at the junction of my neck and shoulder. Iver catches me doing it, slinging an arm over my shoulders and dropping his head to nuzzle into my neck.
“I love you,” he murmurs against my skin, kissing his mark.
“I love you, too,” I whisper, shifting my hand up to run my fingers through his hair.
Before Iver, I spent years hating my own reflection because of a mark. Now, I have his mark, and seeing it in the mirror makes me smile every time. Some scars hurt, but others heal.
I loved my cover-up tattoo on my neck so much that I went back to Cal for another soon after.
The phoenix he inked on my left bicep is exquisitely detailed, the feathers seamlessly masking the scars beneath.
It took me a while to decide what to do with the scar on my wrist, but I ultimately chose to embrace it rather than covering it up.
I ditched my cuff bracelet, and there’s now a winding vine tattooed around that scar, withered and thorny at the base and turning more vibrant as it travels up my forearm and blossoms into a vibrant flower.
Death to life, because there’s so much worth living for.
Iver pulls me onto his lap, wrapping his arms around my waist and resting his hands on my rounded belly. There’s a new life blooming inside me right now; a little piece of both of us. I can’t wait to meet our newest addition.
Nowadays, it’s hard to remember the time when things seemed so bleak that I wanted to give up.
If I had, I would’ve missed out on all of this– my mate, my family, my happiness.
I never imagined life could be this good.
It used to feel like I was cursed by fate, but it’s blessed me in immeasurable ways.
It brought me Iver, and we’ve built a life together that I’m endlessly proud of.
He lifts his head, his lips landing on mine, and I smile against them.
The journey to get here was worth it.
I wouldn’t change this for anything.
THE END