Epilogue #2
She made me a better man and brought our pack to life. Now, in a few short months we’d have three babies who would be our world.
All because one omega who hated hockey gave this broken team a chance.
Roxie
Five Years Later
I put a hand over my mouth to stop me from laughing as I took in the sight before me.
Greer had a tiara on his head, the vibrant purple bright amongst his auburn hair… which had two tiny butterfly clips pinning it into crazy pigtails.
Cookies cooled on the counter and filled the air with a delicious buttery, sweet scent.
River, our boy who I was almost certain would be an omega, was in the corner with a book in hand. With the chaos of our family and his crazy sisters, he liked his quiet moments.
Ember, the feisty redhead who shared Greer’s hair color, was also wearing a crown. She had a dress up dress on and a wand in hand, walking around in play heels and turning everyone into frogs.
Her sister Melody was watching the two of them parade around while she munched on a cookie, a smear of chocolate on her cheeks. She was the bossiest of the three, but not quite as theatrical as her sister.
I slid out of my heels and snuck in while the three were occupied, dropping down next to River. He peeked over his book and smiled.
“You’re home,” he said as he put the book aside and crawled closer for a snuggle. I kissed the top of his curly head.
“How was your day?”
He let out an exasperated cry. “Ember played hide-and-seek and we lost her for almost thirty minutes. She scared Daddy Greer.”
I snorted. “She does love to keep him on his toes.”
He nodded sagely. “We also made cookies, mama. Do you want one?”
“Of course, I do,” I grinned as I stood up to greet the others.
“A queen!” Greer shouted, stopping Ember’s newest queenly tirade. She spun around ready to argue until she saw me.
“Mama!” Then I was tackled in a double hug by the two girls. Greer stepped closer and pressed his lips to mine over their heads.
“Thank god I have backup now. They’ve been on one today and I haven’t started dinner yet,” he said as he tugged the crown and clips out of his hair. It was even more wild now, standing up at crazy angles.
“Let me cook,” I said. Greer had taken so well to the stay-at-home dad life but we all made sure we did absolutely everything we could to keep him from burning out.
Anytime we were off we took the lead on keeping the triplets occupied, and between the cleaning service Kota refused to get rid of and us all contributing, we’d made it work.
“Or,” he countered. “We could have a cookout in the backyard. Chorizo is already out there hiding after he got glitter bombed during craft time. You know Hayes loves to grill.”
“Oh god,” I laughed, turning and heading for the back door to see the damage myself. There was a trail of glitter leading to the door and when I opened it, a furry disco ball flew at me. “Hey, boy.”
I scratched our dog who had grown into a bear of a dog and laughed as glitter rained down on the patio around him. Hayes would love that.
“Where’s my sexy omega!” Kota’s voice rang out, signaling that he, Rylan, and Hayes were home.
“Out here!” I called, smiling over at my other three mates who hurried out to greet me. Rylan was the last, and he now had Greer's tiara tucked into his curly hair.
The triplets rushed outside behind them, heading for the playset while Hayes started the grill.
“How was the article?” Kota asked as he kissed me deep enough my cheeks burned and I had to stop myself from perfuming.
“Ew!” Ember screeched, pointing a finger at us. Kota grinned before taking off at a sprint, heading for our feisty, little girl. She screeched and ran, the other two joining in.
“Thank god we ended up with the most energetic delta known to man,” Rylan said as he sat down next to me. He took my hand in his and brushed a kiss over my knuckles.
“How was work?” I asked. After Greer retired he shifted his focus to the team as a whole and the Narwhals were intense enough players to keep him busy most days.
“Not bad. One of the rookies went a bit too hard at practice but that was about it.”
“Their coach is pretty intense, isn’t he?” I teased.
“Watch it, little bat,” Hayes said as he picked me up and sat down so I was in his lap. “I’m the nicest, easiest coach in the AHA.”
“Lies!” Kota yelled back as he ran past, three kids on his heels and a dog barking and following like this was the best day of his life. He loved having them around and usually slept outside their bedroom door. I think he loved them as much as we did.
“Here’s the spread,” Greer said as he carried out a tray of meat and a handful of seasoning.
“That’s my cue,” Hayes said, standing up and placing me back in my chair. He kissed me quickly before rushing to the grill.
“Daddy Hayes!” the girls yelled, just now seeming to realize the others were home. River gave Hayes a quick greeting but went to seek out Rylan. He was honestly River’s safe-space in all the chaos.
Our little boy curled up in River’s lap, watching the family laugh and talk as Hayes started grilling. Greer finally sat down next to me, picking my feet up and pulling off the platforms I was wearing. I groaned as his knuckles dug into my sore heels.
“They start school soon,” Greer said quietly. “And your heat starts soon.”
There was obviously something more to that statement than just facts. He was hinting at trying for another baby and I couldn’t deny I’d thought about it, too. I wasn’t sure if I was up for another round of triplets, but the thought of another sweet baby was on my mind.
I’d taken a few steps back and gave Charlie a major raise to step into my role. I wanted to be around for nights like this now that the kids were growing. That would also let me experience the baby years a bit more than I could with the triplets.
Writing was still my passion, but so was my family. I wanted to go to hockey games and play with my kids, and have nights on our patio with my pack.
“If I went off birth control now, it will be out of my system when my heat hits,” I said casually, taking a sip of my drink and setting it aside.
His eyes lit up and he lunged forward to kiss me. It was sweet, then heated, like he was already thinking about the upcoming heat.
“So, I take it you told her,” Rylan asked as he approached. I pulled away and snagged the omega, pulling him between us. His laughter was one of my favorite sounds.
“He did. Were my men all conspiring to get me pregnant?” I accused, biting back my laughter.
“Of course, we were,” Rylan confirmed. “We want a big family and the triplets are five. It’s the perfect time. Lana and her pack agreed to take the triplets for the week and your mom is coming down to be close and help out.”
“You got my mom involved?” I huffed out a laugh. She’d be their number one ally. For the woman who had one child she sure loved to encourage us to give her lots of grandbabies.
She was honestly the best grandma and having Lana and her pack close and willing to help made it even better.
“Bedtime!” Hayes called out, corralling the kiddos up the stairs to start their nighttime routine.
“It’s my turn for story time,” Rylan said. “But after that I better come to our family nest to find you both naked.”
Rylan stood and gave us a look, but Greer was already moving. He scooped me up to carry me upstairs.
“Don’t leave me behind,” Kota accused, rushing up after us. I had a feeling once the kids were asleep I’d have my whole pack in my bed.
Even after six years together, I couldn’t believe they were mine. These four men had been unexpected, but perfect. As they kissed me and promised to make my heat unforgettable, I knew that every year would only get better.