Epilogue
Today, I don’t feel like doing anything. Except my wife. I’d do her.
—Creed’s secret thoughts
Creed
Four years later
“What’s that one?” my two—almost three—year-old son asked.
“That’s a mule deer,” I said. “They’re all mule deer.”
“Nuh-uh!”
“Yes.” I tickled him. “Every last one of them is a mule deer.”
“That one is a moose!”
I looked at the even larger mule deer. “That’s still a mule deer.”
“What about that one?” my wife asked as she pointed to a spot on the horizon.
“That one is an elk.” I moved the spotting scope so that our son could see. “Look at those tall horns.”
“Ohhhh,” Tyr cried. “Moose!”
I just shook my head and stood up, letting our son get his animal fix.
I’d never ever thought I’d like Montana as much as I do now. But seeing Montana through my son’s fresh eyes, made me fall in love with this place even more.
Like today, we were on a hike on a trail that led off the back of our place, up a mountain to the most beautiful view in the area. And my son saw something new that I’d never seen, despite being on this trail hundreds of time. Both with work and on my own or with Birdee.
“What about that one?” Tyr asked.
I looked where he was pointing and said, “That’s a rock.”
“No way!”
Tyr’s two favorite words.
Tyr: Can I stay up? Me: No. Tyr: No way!
Or when I had to go to work, and said as much, Tyr would loudly exclaim it.
I was just happy that Birdee was able to stay home with him as long as she had. And could take off any time that she wanted.
Her job was incredibly lenient with her, and pretty much gave her everything she wanted.
The same couldn’t be said for my job.
It was demanding, and I was gone a lot.
But when I was home, I was home.
I gave my little family all of my attention.
Just as I had that thought, Tyr took off, heading up the length of the path like the straight uphill was nothing.
By the time I caught him, I was panting and cursing. “What did we say about running off like that, kid?”
“No way!” He beamed at me with his mother’s smile.
“Yeah, no way.” I hauled him over my shoulder. “You ready to go home?”
“No way!”
When I got back down to Birdee she’d already packed up the spotting scope into my pack.
“You sure you want to add another one to the mix one day?” She laughed at my exasperation.
I winked. “In five or so years. We can discuss it.”
“Good. Because this one is exhausting. I don’t think I could add another and still work.” She handed me the bag. “Do you want to carry him? Or let him walk?”
She held up the damn leash that we had to use because our son was a nut and would take off at the drop of a hat. As he’d already done three separate times on this hike. That wasn’t even counting his dash across the fuckin’ parking lot when I’d gotten him out of his car seat.
The trip down the mountain took a lot less time than it’d taken to get up it, and by the time that we arrived back at home, we’d garnered a crowd.
My sister was front and center, arms crossed, glaring at Odin.
“Here,” I said as I handed her Tyr. “Take care of this for a moment…”
“What…why? Where are you going?”
I didn’t answer her as I swooped my girl up bridal style and carried her into our room, slamming the door on our various guests.
Once the lock clicked, I started stripping her.
“We have a house full of guests for your birthday, Justin,” Birdee whispered breathlessly.
“Do we?” I asked as I kissed my way down her stomach.
“Yes.” She squirmed.
“Does it matter that the only thing I want for my birthday is you?” I asked just before I kissed her clit.
She moaned. “I guess…”
She didn’t say another word as I fucked her with my mouth, eating her out to the brink of an orgasm multiple times before I flipped her over and slid inside of her with my pants still on, cock hanging out.
She groaned into the pillow as I fucked her fast and hard, giving us both the release we so desperately needed.
And when we were done, and we were ready to go back out to what was supposedly my birthday party, I halted her with a hand covering where I’d almost lost her before I had her.
She frowned up at me. “What is it?”
“I say this every year.” I curled her hair behind her ear. “But the best birthday gift I could ever receive was you.”
She cupped my chin. “Those are some pretty sweet words.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” She pinched the fat underneath my chin. “But you still have to go out there and socialize, Creed Daughterty.”
I sighed. “Yes, ma’am.”
She winked and opened the door.
I watched her walk away until my son hit me so hard in the balls with his head that I couldn’t breathe.
“What the fuck, Tyr?” I growled.
“No way!”