Epilogue Elliott
One Year Later
I sat on a stool on the front porch of the house Jet had built for us at the northern end of the ranch’s property, an easel set up in front of me and a paintbrush in my hand.
On the table beside me was an array of paints.
My back hurt, as it always did lately. I was heavily pregnant with twins that were due to arrive any day now.
I’d started painting again a couple of months ago when I began having trouble doing anything that didn’t involve sitting down. I’d been trying to do justice to the gorgeous view of the mountains before me, but I couldn’t seem to capture it.
Annoyed, I threw the paintbrush, which bounced off the porch railing and landed near the steps.
“Nice one, El,” I said aloud. “You know you can’t bend over to pick it up, so Jet’s going to have to do it when he gets home.”
On one of the wooden beams of the porch sat a line of Jet’s whittling attempts.
Every time he finished one, I praised it to the sky while avoiding saying what it was because, let’s face it, I was never sure.
I think Jet knew this, which was why he didn’t press me and always ended the conversation by saying, “I’m still practicing. ”
Restless and feeling huge, I debated taking a nap but decided I should exercise some by walking to the goat pen.
Our house was farther away from the ranch house and surrounding buildings than the cabin had been.
The goat pen was now a fifteen-minute walk away, but with the slow amble of late pregnancy, it took me over twice as long.
During the first half of the walk, I enjoyed the weather, which was cool and mild at this time of year. But the second half of the walk wore on me, and once I reached the pen and let myself in, I collapsed onto the bench and sat distractedly petting the goats while wishing I’d never left the house.
While I sat, I reflected on the fact that, a year ago today, my father had appeared, surprising me during Jet’s and my mating celebration.
He’d sworn he hadn’t been harmed during the time he’d been tested on by the doctors in the omega program, and that the worst part had been missing me.
I made him promise he’d never leave me again, so he’d stayed in the ranch house with Laura and her family while Jet and I built the house we now lived in.
Then Dad moved into our cabin. Dad said that made more sense than our original idea of building him a house while we stayed in the cabin.
I was glad we’d listened to him, because we were about to need the space.
The day of the celebration, when I felt fully mated for the first time and got my birth father back, something in me that had wilted long ago bloomed back to life.
After having a long conversation with him, during which we both did a lot of crying, we promised each other that we would start our lives fresh from that moment on.
Suddenly, I felt better than I had in years. I faithfully went to my therapy sessions with Dallas, and I started on my road to healing. Gradually, I was able to give Jet some personal space, although he never once complained about it. And I began working on my fear of alphas.
I started by spending time with Anson and Joel every day.
Jet accompanied me, of course. I was surprised that it wasn’t as difficult as I expected.
When I talked it over with Dallas later, he hypothesized that my new status as a mated omega, combined with the fact that I’d known Joel and Anson for a while, had lessened my fear.
He also reminded me that I had begun facing my demons before, when I left the ranch.
Oddly, I’d never thought of it that way.
After a few months, I was able to handle being alone with both Anson and Joel in places like the barn or the ranch house.
Jet worked from eight until three, while Anson came in at noon and worked until the office closed at six. I had to be a brave little trooper and not sit at home and cry without my mate, which wasn’t easy because pregnancy made me cry over just about everything.
One day, I was manning the reception desk in Jet’s office when a male alpha I didn’t know walked in. As soon as I scented his pheromones, fear gripped me and I froze.
The alpha asked me a question, but I didn’t hear it because my ears were buzzing.
Jet, who had sensed my fear in the middle of a meeting with a client, nearly ripped the door to his office off its hinges in his haste to get to me. The strange alpha took a step back, immediately on alert.
The situation was quickly diffused as the presence of my mate reassured and calmed me, and we moved on, the uncomfortable moment forgotten.
Then I got pregnant, and that caused a setback.
Not because of me, but because of Jet. He didn’t want me anywhere near an alpha in my condition, much like Carter that time he’d gotten so worked up over Jackson standing near Joel and a bunch of shirtless alphas.
I had to stop going to his office with him, which caused me a lot of anxiety at first. I was also upset that my progress would be interrupted.
More therapy sessions with Dallas eventually made me realize that I could work on myself in other ways in the interim and that, after the twins were born, I could go back to working on my courage around alphas.
Painting helped to ease my mind, as well as working with the animals.
When that became too much, Ren took over my duties, but I still visited the goats.
I checked my watch. I’d been sitting in the goat pen for nearly forty-five minutes.
Raising my head, I looked past the ranch at the long stretch of land leading to my house.
I was not looking forward to the return walk.
I should have driven the golf cart we bought not long ago, but I’d set out to get exercise.
I hadn’t realized my stamina had deteriorated so much in the last couple of weeks.
A quick check of my pockets told me I’d forgotten to take my cell phone with me.
This had been happening for months, because evidently pregnancy seriously fucked up a person’s short-term memory.
My friends who had been through the experience told me I might as well get used to it, as taking care of kids just made it worse.
Great.
Knowing Jet would be home from work soon and frantic if he couldn’t contact me, I stood—a complex maneuver that involved twisting my body so I could push myself up with my hands on the bench. Saying goodbye to the goats, I slowly left the pen and lumbered toward home like an overfed bear.
“Elliott!” Zeke called to me from the barn as I passed it. “Where are you going?”
“Home!” I called back, out of breath. It felt like one of the twins was lying on my diaphragm. I wasn’t sure if that was physically possible, but that’s definitely what it felt like.
As I walked, I fervently wished I could blink my eyes and immediately be at home again, lying on the big bed I slept on with Jet with its colorful quilt Gail had sent us for our mating celebration.
Due to her work with the omega x’s, she hadn’t been able to attend, but she’d promised to visit after the babies were born.
Hands on my pregnant belly, I said, “You two are going to have to come soon. I can barely breathe and getting this tired while walking is just embarrassing.”
In answer, my little darlings began kicking inside me with a vengeance, making me wince and stop to lean against the fence. As I rested, Guy stopped grazing in the middle of the field and trotted up to me. With a rumble of his lips, he rested his muzzle on my shoulder.
“I don’t suppose you can give me a ride home?” I asked tiredly as I stroked the coarse hair of the sorrel’s muzzle.
Guy snorted, and, smiling, I leaned my head against his for a moment and closed my eyes.
The sound of a motor brought them back open.
“Is this a mirage?” I asked.
“Nope. I’ve come to save you.” Zeke grinned at me from the driver’s seat of the four-wheeler.
“My hero,” I said, giving Guy a final pat and pushing myself away from the fence.
Zeke reached out to assist me into the seat. “Wow, you look ready to pop,” he said before started up the small rise I’d been dreading climbing.
I grunted in reply. It only took a few minutes to get to my house, and when I saw Jet’s car, I groaned.
“Oh, no. I’m in for it. Save me, Zeke.”
Jet came running down the front porch steps.
“El, where have you been?” he demanded when he reached me, his gaze examining me from head to toe as I attempted to get out of the cart. When I couldn’t, Zeke pushed me from behind while Jet took my hands and pulled from the front.
“Well, that was humiliating,” I said, leaning against Jet. “Thanks for the ride, Z.”
With a wave, he drove away.
“El…”
“I took a little walk, that’s all. Zeke brought me back.”
Jet’s dark eyes narrowed. “Where did you go?”
“The goat pen,” I mumbled.
Frowning, Jet leaned closer. “Where? I couldn’t hear you.”
“The goat pen,” I said, looking at him defiantly. “I was tired of being at home.”
“Elliott, that is too far for you to be walking in your condition. And you left your cell phone here! What were you thinking?”
“I wasn’t thinking because my mind no longer works,” I said. Then, plaintively, “Can we go in so I can sit down, please?” I swayed slightly, and with an agitated grunt, Jet lifted me off my feet and carried me up the steps.
Nuzzling my neck, he said softly, “I was so worried about you.”
“I’m sorry.” I leaned my head against his shoulder.
He went straight to the bedroom and set me on our bed.
Immediately, I grabbed as many pillows as I could reach and arranged them around myself, needing to feel the security of being surrounded by their softness.
Jet brought me more from the basket where I kept them and put them where I directed.
As soon as I became still, the babies started kicking vigorously. In my exhausted state, the discomfort brought tears to my eyes.
“That hu-u-urts!” I exclaimed, clutching my swollen midsection.