Epilogue
REMY
“Bring this to your father, honey.” I handed Huxley a bottle of iced tea I had just made.
He was Hari’s little helper for the day, not to be confused with all his big helpers. Hari and some of the guys from the furniture store were building our son’s first treehouse. It wasn’t super high off the ground, but he was only four, so it worked.
Despite all the reassurance my family and I gave him, Hari had worried at first that Huxley would be missing out by having a human father.
Back then, he got it in his mind that it would be good for Huxley to practice being in trees long before he ever shifted.
He was a newborn at the time, but the idea stuck.
And honestly, it was just too cute to not make it happen.
“Thanks, Daddy.” He grabbed the tea and ran into the backyard where the guys were all working.
I put my hand on my huge belly, the twins kicking away.
At first, we weren’t sure if we were going to try for another after the intensity of Huxley’s birth, but after talking with our midwife, she assured us that it would be fine.
She said that because they knew what to look for now, they could adjust my hormones accordingly near the end of my pregnancy.
I still wasn’t super confident that I wasn’t going to need another C-section, but with the right monitoring, it wouldn’t be an emergency like the last one.
All three of us were excited that we were going to get to meet the girls in a couple of months. Huxley couldn’t wait to be a big brother.
“All right, little ones, let’s finish getting lunch ready.”
Today was Huxley’s fourth birthday. We weren’t doing a big traditional party.
This was better. He was going to be surrounded by the people he loved as they built his present.
Afterward, we’d have cake, play games together, and be surrounded by our local family.
And that was what they were, despite not being related by blood.
The furniture store was his home away from home, and everyone loved him there.
So did people from my work, who were arriving around lunchtime to join in the fun.
They offered to help with the treehouse, too, but it would be far too many people to be helpful.
Instead they were bringing food. A win-win for everyone, especially my pregnant self.
Steve wasn’t going to be able to make it due to a conference across the country, but he was coming next week to help Hari and Huxley decorate the house. Everyone else was coming, including Kevin and his new mate.
Hari had wanted me to just get lunch catered instead of dealing with it.
He didn’t love the idea of me cooking for everyone or the stress of entertaining.
When I refused, he then offered to take care of lunch, but with the project at hand, he wouldn’t have time to do both, and I declined.
I was about to cave and order in. I asked Huxley what he wanted, and it was his favorite sandwiches and Uncle Kevin’s cheesy potatoes.
Peanut butter and banana was easy to make, and when I gave Kevin the request, the entire department offered to bring their favorite dishes too.
I set up my sandwich assembly line, adding the ingredients one at a time. I was glad that everyone brought the rest, because despite my desire to do all the things I could do pre-pregnancy, the simple act of sandwich-making already had me exhausted.
I waddled out with my platter of goodness and told everyone it was time to get ready to eat.
The work crew came in to get cleaned up while I greeted the last few guests.
Our backyard was full, but not as full as our hearts.
Knowing that our son had so many people around him who loved and cared for him meant more than they could ever know.
“Hey, love.” My mate came up behind me, his arms wrapped around me, his hands on my belly and chin on my shoulder. “I missed you today.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I’ve been here the whole time.” I’d missed him too. Even after all these years, I craved his touch and scent when he wasn’t right with me.
“But you were busy. I couldn’t spend it with you. The new house looks really cool, though.”
It wasn’t the typical treehouse you saw on television or in books. This was designed and created by master craftsmen, and it showed. And next week, when the paint was dry and it was ready to use, they had handcrafted the most adorable furniture to go inside.
“It does. I think our little climber is gonna love it.”
I kissed his cheek. “Ready to eat?”
He took my hand, and we joined the others. There was eating, laughing, and some silly games that Huxley made up with rules that didn’t make sense and where, somehow, he always won. And of course, there were presents and cake.
It was the perfect day, one I thought I’d never see, expecting to be alone all my life and content with that. But this kind of happy… It was the thing of dreams. And somehow, I was living it.
“Daddy! Daddy!” Huxley came running over to me. “Come play with us!”
They had just played a game of tag, after a game that included jumping over imaginary alligators.
While I was willing to try and do almost anything while pregnant, running and jumping were where I drew the line.
My center of gravity was off kilter, and the odds of me ending up on the ground were great.
“What’s the next game?” I learned the messy way not to simply agree to requests without doing a little bit of digging.
A day playing in the mud when you were six months pregnant with twins was not ideal.
Poor Hari had to help me find all my nooks and crannies to make sure all the mud was cleaned up.
Not that I complained about having him join me in the shower.
“We’re going to play Find the Treasure!” He grabbed my hand. “And whoever gets the most treasure gets more cake.”
I wasn’t sure what that game entailed, but I had a strong suspicion it was stacked in his favor so he could have more sugary treats.
Huxley led me out to the yard where we had to find hidden plastic animals he had hidden for us.
What he didn’t know was that I’d already won.
I had all of the treasure I would ever need with him, his father, our growing family, and the people surrounding us who had become like family.
And all of it thanks to some bad handwriting, a wrong number, a lost phone, and a little shove from fate.
Sometimes the wrong number is the exact one you need.
I teased my bestie often about wanting to have someone accidentally call me, the way his mate did him. But they tell you to be careful what you wish for.
The wrong number finally came. But instead of a hottie alpha swooping in to make all my romance dreams come true, there’s a little girl on the other end and she's sobbing, asking me to find her daddy.
My fox goes into super protective mode and thanks to a work friend with hacking skills, I get her location in minutes. She’s still there, still sobbing, but no longer alone. By her side is a wolf, only scents don’t lie. He’s not any gray wolf, he’s my gray wolf with his child.
My beast begs me to claim him. I want that too, but this man has a family. Fated or not, he’s made his choice and picked his partner in life. I’m never going to mess with someone’s relationships, no matter how much it hurts. That happened to my father and I vowed to never be that guy.
I leave with only a smile and a small wave to the little girl. They are better off without me.
But if that’s the case, why does it hurt so bad?