Epilogue
BEXLEY
Ellie giggled as she scrambled across the snow, a fluffy white blur of fur and baby limbs. She rolled onto her back, paws flailing as she tried to get traction, and then huffed in frustration when one of her oversized bear feet flopped into her face.
“Need some help, little cub?” I asked, chuckling as I crouched down beside her.
She squeaked, twisted, and latched her tiny polar bear mouth around my thumb. Gentle, but with the same sass she got from her mama.
I smirked. “Still biting, huh?”
Ellie grunted, released my hand, and rolled upright with a proud little growl. Then she ran straight into my arms like a snowball with legs, like usual when she was shifted. I caught her mid-pounce, her soft cub body squirming with excitement as I lifted her into the air.
“You’re quick today.” I tapped her button nose. “Almost faster than me.”
She chuffed like she was offended by the idea of me being quicker and wiggled until I set her down again. I barely had time to stand before she barreled off toward the tree line. Though her paws sank into snowbanks half her size, it somehow never slowed her down.
Watching her race across the yard made something warm expand in my chest. Our daughter, born of a bond I once thought I’d never have and blessed with the same magic inside me.
I still couldn’t believe it most days. That I’d found Rowan, she’d stayed, and this was our life now.
A little flash of white fur skidded to a stop, and Ellie tumbled head over tail into a snowdrift, popping up with a squeal.
“You okay, El?” I called.
She shook out her fur and lifted her head like a queen surveying her kingdom.
“You’re going to give your mama a heart attack if you shift out here without warning again,” I muttered with a grin.
A sound behind me drew my attention, and I turned just in time to see Rowan standing on the porch in one of my hoodies, the fabric stretched over her large, rounded belly. She smiled when she caught my eye and wrapped her arms around herself, the wind teasing her blond curls around her cheeks.
“She shifted again without asking, didn’t she?” she called.
“She gave me those big eyes and then just…poof. Tiny troublemaker in fluff before I could blink.”
Rowan snorted. “I swear, she’s got your timing.”
I winked. “Hey, I always give you a warning before I do anything reckless.”
Rowan raised an eyebrow, then rubbed her belly. “Tell that to baby number two.”
I crossed the snow and climbed the porch steps to press a kiss to her lips. “You weren’t complaining when we made her.”
“No,” she whispered, tugging me closer by my jacket. “But I’m pretty sure I blacked out halfway through.”
“That’s how you know I did it right.”
Rowan laughed softly, then rested her cheek against my chest as my hand moved to her stomach. Our second little cub rolled beneath my palm as if they recognized me already.
“Think they’ll shift early like Ellie?” she murmured.
“Probably not. She’s always been ahead of the curve.”
Rowan sighed. “This is the part I didn’t know I needed. Watching you and her in the snow. Seeing the way she tackles you, and you let her take you down like the big softy you really are.”
“Hey, I’m as badass as they get,” I grumbled.
“Mm-hmm.” She smiled up at me. “And now you’re spoiling us rotten with this addition.”
I turned to glance at the partially built frame out behind the cottage.
We were adding a third bedroom. We’d debated moving to a bigger house, but Rowan didn’t want to leave her grandmother’s cottage.
Honestly, neither did I. This place held history and incredible memories.
So I promised her I’d expand it, keep the roots, but grow the walls to fit our future.
“Gotta make room for our growing pack.” I wrapped an arm around her. “You deserve more than a nest of blankets on the floor and two kids piled in our bed.”
“I don’t know.” She grinned as she leaned her cheek against my chest again. “That nest came with some pretty great memories.”
I kissed her temple. “I’ll make you another one anytime you want.”
Rowan looked up, her eyes playful but soft. “Maybe Ellie should go to bed early tonight.”
I growled low in my throat, and she laughed and playfully smacked my chest before turning toward the yard.
Ellie was padding back toward us, tongue lolling out and snow stuck to her ears. Halfway to the porch, she shifted mid-trot—fur melting into skin and bones shortening. Then she stood, stark naked and grinning like the little mischief maker she was.
“Mama!” she shouted, arms wide.
Rowan moved down the steps with a blanket already in hand, wrapping her up in one smooth motion.
“I gave Daddy a snow hug,” Ellie mumbled, burrowing into her mother’s neck.
Rowan laughed. “That’s what that was, huh?”
“I tackled him and everything!”
“I saw that.” Rowan’s gaze found mine as she smoothed her fingers through Ellie’s wild curls. “You okay?”
“Bruised pride, mostly.” I shook my head sadly. “My ego never saw her coming.”
Ellie giggled and nestled closer to her mama, whose hazel-green eyes sparkled with amusement.
I stepped down and wrapped them both up in my arms, shielding them from the wind and resting my chin on Rowan’s head. Our little girl giggled between us, and Rowan’s hand curled over my ribs, just above my heart.
“I love you,” she whispered.
“I love you more.”
“Nope,” she denied lightly. “Not possible.”
I pressed a kiss to her temple. “I’ll build another wing on this cottage just to prove it.”
“You already are, remember?”
“Then I’ll build one for each kid.”
Rowan tilted her head, smiling up at me, her eyes glowing with a familiar spark. “Better get to work then, Daddy Bear.”
With my arms full of my girls, another cub on the way, and our home growing right along with us—I couldn’t imagine anything better.