Epilogue 2 – Holly
This moment never failed to excite her.
Holly waited, eager with anticipation, staring at Romival’s serious face as his hands worked quickly over the controls for their medscanner. Their private scanner couldn’t perform any medical procedures, but it could tell her every time she was pregnant.
And she was pretty sure she was pregnant again.
Their youngest pup, a boy, was sleeping peacefully in his crib near their bed.
The other five were playing in their room down the hall.
They were still little enough that they needed constant supervision, but the doors were open, and they could hear them playing their cute little pouncing game.
Romival could be there in a second if they needed him.
Holly liked being pregnant. She liked surrounding herself with her babies.
She stayed at home with them, raising them as their father worked.
Domini pups were a lot less demanding than human infants – even considering these were hybrids.
They slept a lot more, for one thing, and weren’t inclined to go exploring far from their parents.
She honestly wondered exactly how many pups Romival would let her have before putting his foot down and demanding they take a break. Her own father had reached six, and, if she was pregnant again, this would be their seventh.
Domini females were pregnant for a full Turv year. Humans were pregnant with domini hybrids for slightly less than that. Holly had barely spent more than a single turn of the lesser moon not pregnant since getting together with Romival.
The other girls called her crazy.
She was living her absolute best life and she cared nothing for what they said.
Biting her lip, she watched Romival’s face. She knew the exact moment he saw something. His entire expression softened into a sweet smile.
“Ah, vi Vakara,” he focused back on her. “Seven pups. You’ve officially reached the record.”
“I think that record only counts for pure blooded domini.”
“You hold the record for hybrid domini.”
“Woo! Go me!” She beamed, putting a fist in the air.
He chuckled as he offered her a hand, helping her up.
He gathered her into his arms, kissing her excitedly.
“Another girl,” he said between kisses. “You amaze me, vi Vakara.”
“A girl?” Holly beamed, putting a hand over her belly.
So far, of their six kids, they had four boys and two girls. Another girl would start to even them out again.
“You are a wonder to me,” Romival said, helping her stand. “I am truly the luckiest male.”
She chuckled. “There’s not many that would be happy having so many kids at once. You sure you’re still okay? We can take a break if you need one.”
“A break? From my young? What could I possibly need a break from?” He looked genuinely confused at the very concept, filling her with warmth and love. “Unless you’d like a break. You’re the one that has to do all the work of carrying them.”
“I’m great,” she assured him, smiling brightly.
It really seemed that Holly was made to carry domini pups.
She loved being safe, at home, secure in her nest even when she wasn’t actively carrying.
She didn’t have to worry about morning sickness or being overly fatigued, and Romival was such a loving and attentive partner, she never had to worry about or want for anything.
The hardest part was all the blood drinking she had to do while pregnant, but after five years and six kids, she had gotten used to it.
She couldn’t even say that she was disturbed by it anymore.
It was like taking vitamins or any other medicine.
It tasted really good so long as she was carrying – though it definitely did not when she wasn’t.
Separating, Romival picked up their youngest and put him up to his neck. The pup didn’t even wake up, just instinctively curled around him.
They walked across the house to the kid’s playroom, holding each other’s hands. Enjoying each other’s company.
After their fourth kid, they had realized they couldn’t stay in Romival’s previous home. It simply wasn’t big enough for the family she wanted, having only two rooms besides’ theirs
So, they moved to a larger house that spanned from within to above the canopy. It had enough rooms for all their kids to have their own, a playroom, and space to continue growing as they had even more.
The two of them stepped into the doorway of the playroom, smiling at their little pack. They were busy hunting one of their stuffed toys. Well, the three oldest were. The youngest were playing with their dangling toys, not yet capable of coordinated walking in order to hunt.
Holly sighed, a long, joyful sound as she rested her head down against Romival’s shoulder. He put his arm around her, holding her close as they stared out over their family.