Epilogue
H arper
Five years later
“Mommy! Leo’s drawing on the wall again!”
I groan, roll over and stare at the numbers on my alarm clock.
7:24am.
Not ridiculously early. But early enough considering it is a Sunday.
“I blame you,” Owen mutters, leaning over to kiss my cheek, before scrambling out of the bed. “He’s inherited your artistic talent.”
“I never scribbled all over the walls,” I point out, yawning. “I was a good girl, remember? At least I was until I met you three.”
“And we corrupted you,” Daxton growls, tugging me towards him and nuzzling my claiming marks.
“And Raphael’s awake too!” Frida yells across the hallway.
“Probably because she woke him up with all that yelling.” Owen tuts, tugging a shirt over his head and rushing out the door to inspect the damage. “Ahh shi … ship!” we hear him mutter. “He’s covered the entire hallway.”
“At least he can no longer gain access to my studio,” I call back.
Leo has a clever knack of finding his way through locked doors and into my paint supplies. After the third time we discovered him painting his younger brother Raphie, we decided it was about time I had my own studio downtown. Especially now my artwork is in demand.
I have a regular slot at the Port Gallery, where I still put in the odd shift. But I’ve also had shows in some of the other big cities across the world, including NYC and Paris.
It seems having a salacious back story and breaking your waters all over the shoes of one of the world’s best known art critics can do wonders for your name. It’s true what they say. There’s no such thing as bad publicity.
I seem to have gained this image as a seductive, fast-living and slightly unhinged artist. If they knew how ordinary my life really was, they’d be severely disappointed. Yep, diapers and school runs and picking up discarded toys. Not that glamorous.
Then again, maybe it is a little crazy, I think, as Daxton rolls me between him and Wyatt and both alphas nibble up my throat. I do share a bed with three very hot doctors. And I’m guessing being fucked by all of them at once would be considered outrageous by a lot of people.
However, any fucking is off the table this morning, because, in the next minute, the bedroom door swings open and all three children come charging into the bedroom, Owen rushing in after them. Before he can make a grab for them, all three are leaping up onto the bed.
“I tried to keep them out,” Owen pants, trying to unwind Raphie’s arms from around my neck.
“Mommy!” Raphie screams. “Want Mommy.”
“It’s okay, Owen,” I say, hugging my son and kissing his mop of curls. “It’s Sunday. We don’t have to be anywhere today. How about we all snuggle under the covers and watch cartoons?”
“Yay!” all three children cry, fighting each other to gain the best spots in the bed as Daxton and Wyatt fluff up the cushions.
“Can we watch the one about the animal doctor?” Frida asks.
“Sure we can,” Wyatt says proudly, reaching for his glasses and wrapping his arm around our daughter. If Leo has inherited artistic skills, Frida has inherited brains. She’s most definitely going to be a nerd.
Raphie? I glance at him, crawling all over Owen and Daxton. Who knows?
I laugh and snuggle down into the bed with my family.
Okay, it’s way too early for a Sunday morning but there’s nowhere else I’d want to be and nothing else I’d want to be doing.
Well, except for the fucking, but that will just have to wait until bedtime.
“Love you,” Daxton whispers into my ear, as Raphie eventually settles down beside his siblings, hugging Daxton’s old teddy close to his body and sucking on his thumb.
“Love you too,” I say, “all of you.”
And I don’t care who knows it.