Epilogue
PIPER
“There you are, Mercutio!” I praise the large orange cat as he emerges from one of the shelves that Ant has installed along the high ceilings of his apartment. I open a can of cat food. Mercutio yells at me a few times as he makes his way along the custom shelves and down to the little shelf where we feed him.
It’s only taken Ant a couple months to fill his home with every cat toy, scratching post, and pet bed that he could find on the internet. He’s spared no expense, making every single inch of his home cat-friendly. The cherry on the cake was a cat walk installed high in the ceiling, with bridges and carpeted shelves and cute places for him to hide. We’ve already started talking to Bailey about fostering some kittens. It’d be great for Mercutio to have some friends now that there’s so much room for them in his home.
Our home.
The final moving boxes in my car make it official. My lease isn’t quite up on my apartment. But after two months of keeping my stuff in two separate places, I finally pulled the cord and asked to move in. Ant, of course, agreed immediately.
I am a bit sad to leave an apartment I really loved, but I’m exchanging it for a mate I love even more. Ant did not fit in that apartment. He could barely spread his wings in my bedroom, and we really need space for him to spread his wings in the bedroom.
The bedroom is one of the few places that we haven’t cooled down.
Work is going well. It’s busy, without being too stressful. Teaming up with Cryptech has been a godsend for resources, we’ve doubled my employee roster, hiring three new people over the summer.
Things also got significantly more chill with Colin.
Ant told me everything that happened between the two of them at the duck pond. I’m only a little surprised that Colin dropped his lawsuit against me. He’s always been a bit of a chicken, so of course he ran the moment that he was truly threatened. He left town, yet again. This time to Chicago, or Los Angeles, or Atlanta, it could be the fucking moon, for all I care. He’s gone. Out of my life. Hopefully, I never have to see him again.
For his sake, I hope that Ant never sees him again either.
I’m grateful to Ant for all of that. I probably could have fixed it myself eventually, but it’s nice to occasionally let someone else take care of me for once.
“Is that the last of your stuff?” Ant asks as he walks into the house and drops his work bag at the front door.
“That’s the last of it!” I grin, taking him in. He’s wearing his work suit—a custom Brooks Brothers. It’s a deep violet. He looks so handsome, a proper businessman. He kicks off his shoes at the door, revealing socks covered in a Triforce pattern, showing that nerdy side I love so much, lurking beneath. “All of my boxes are here, and they are unpacked! You are living with me, for real. Regret it?” I tease.
“Never,” he says, but there’s hesitation in his eyes.
“Something wrong?” I ask. He’s been excited for me to move in for weeks now, there must be something else upsetting him.
“Nothing, it’s just—” He sighs, like the weight of the entire world is on his shoulders. “They found another abandoned Mothman egg. Alone, in an empty factory, a couple hours west of here.”
“Oh no!” I cross the room so I can wrap my arms tight around him. “I mean, I’m glad they found it. Is it okay? I can’t believe they are still being left to fend for themselves.”
“It’s okay. Safe.” Ant shakes his head sadly, “Some cryptids are still stuck in their ways. I’m sure it would have grown up safely all by itself.”
“Of course, but it will be better if it has someone taking care of it, right?”
“That’s the thing—” Ant stops talking in a way that makes me nervous.
“Does it not have anywhere to go?” I look around the apartment in a mild panic. “We have room here, don’t we? Do you think we could take care of it? We might need to build some privacy walls. Would you be alright with something like that?”
His shoulders sag with relief. “I am so glad you suggested it. I was nervous to ask.”
“You really want to?” I can’t help how excited that makes me. I bounce on my feet. “Adopt them?”
“It’s just one.”
“Well, that’s where we’ll start, obviously.”
Ant grins broadly and swoops me into a hug, burying his face in my neck and lifting me from the ground to spin me in a full circle. “I am so glad you feel this way, my flame.”
I laugh, wrapping my arms around his neck. “Don’t get too excited just yet! We have a lot of work to do. This place isn’t exactly baby proof. How long do we have?”
“How long?”
“Until the egg hatches.”
“About two weeks.”
“Two weeks!” I gasp, tapping his shoulders until he sets me back on my feet. “That’s so soon! I’ve got the NJD Project to finish next week at work, but it’s going to take a lot of effort to get this place baby ready.” I’m already pacing out some of my nervous energy.
“What if—” Ant pauses, seeming uncertain again.
“What if?” I wait for him to finish his thought.
“What if I took some time off work?” Ant suggests very quietly.
There is a tiny pleading smile on his face.
“You want to do that? Really?” I ask. “It’s something you want and not just something you are doing for me?”
“I’ve been thinking about it for a while. Since I got back from my sister’s in Canada. I’ve been running myself ragged the past couple of years. Sacha only works part time these days. I figure if it’s good enough for a Bigfoot, then it’s good enough for me.”
“Okay,” I agree instantly.
“Okay?”
“I mean, okay, as in, of course. Yes! Whatever you want to do.” I grab his hands, pulling them to my face so I can kiss his knuckles. “I would love to bring a baby into our family. If you are happy taking some time off work, then I guess I’m prepared to be the breadwinner for a while.”
“You wouldn’t be the breadwinner. I have plenty of savings that we can dip into. Moonshine and the Artemis also bring in some money.” Ant laughs.
“Alright, alright, enough bragging,” I joke. “I liked you before I knew you were rich, remember?”
“If I remember correctly, for a while, you didn’t like me at all,” he teases, wrapping his hands around my waist. His warm palms spread heat across my body. “Then you found out I was rich, and then you liked me again.”
“You’re right.” I pretend to ponder. “Actually, I think it was the money that brought me back to you.” I lean into his grasp.
He growls low in the back of his throat. and squeezes me tight. I squeal in reaction. His growl becomes a purr as he dips down to kiss me again. His light touches still send sparks through every little nerve in my body.
“As long as you are mine now, my flame, I do not mind how you got here.”
“Me neither,” I mutter, already willing to lose myself in him again.