Chapter 5 Ivy
Ivy
Iwas really starting to count down the weeks until the midwife arrived. Twin pregnancies—actually, multiples—were hard on all pregnant people. Not just humans, but creatures, too.
Vampires didn’t hold them well at all. It turned out during my research, it was advised for them to not go on with the pregnancy at all. Vampire birth rates were really, really low. Non-existent with Changed vampires, but for those Born? They struggled—hard. Something to do with the blood diet.
Shifters were better at handling multiples, but the pack mentality meant care for them was so much easier. They could carry to term, birth naturally, and their care systems provided a lot of support for all birth givers in their packs.
Demons and Fae were wildcards. Demons were sort of like shifters; they could carry up to triplets, but no more, and they had some of the best midwives in all the realms. Damon ensured the best was coming for my birth, which I appreciated.
Then there was the Fae. Similarly, they could only carry up to triplets—albeit rarely. Like, one female every century. Multiples were just rare for them. And usually, they were a one and done kind of creature. Only sometimes did they have more, and that depended on mate circles.
The witches were a lot like humans anatomy-wise, more so than the other creatures, so births were similar. I sat on that edge, though my connection to my mates and their abilities afforded me a little more help.
But it was the support that was still so, so shocking to me. Even Thea struggled with how hands-on everyone was.
“You know,” she said, folding a baby blanket, lips pursed, “this almost makes me change my mind about kids.”
I couldn’t help but gape at my staunchly child-free friend.
“I thought spending a month alone with my sisters would have been good enough birth control. You haven’t had sex since…
Jase. Before all of this!” I grabbed the onesie and folded it while watching my best friend, who wouldn’t look at me. “What about this changes your mind?”
She shrugged, setting the yellow blanket down.
“Well, for starters, you aren’t punished for getting pregnant here.
Could you imagine having twins back home and working?
Boss-man wasn’t horrible, but the way he treated some women when they got pregnant…
” She shuddered, grabbing a handful of clothes from the laundry basket—we were nesting.
“And especially in the kitchen. Plus, back home, they’re so expensive.
Granted, you’ve got Prince Charming with generational wealth, Prince Broody with more.
And I think even Maeve has like stashes of cash. ”
I snorted as I added to the growing pile of clothes for the twins. We’d decided against a baby shower. It was just one of those things I couldn’t bring myself to commit to. A small part of me still thought this wasn’t real. That I would wake up tomorrow and it all would have been a dream.
Some days were still better than others. I would wake up more excited to meet my babies. The ones who defied us all and survived Dante. Their nursery was almost done, our bedroom was set up for their first few months—well, year—co-sleeping, and everyone was preparing for what came next.
But there were other days when I struggled. Where I still wondered if this was the right choice. But they were becoming rarer. Especially as everything else fit into place.
“But was support really what you were worried about?” I asked honestly.
“No.” Thea eyed a t-shirt one of the kids must have thrown into the load before folding it and setting it aside. “I mean, if it happened, then I always knew I had you. We would have raised little monsters together, though we would have had to fight Mrs Peterson for her three-bedroom upstairs.”
I giggled as I considered the older woman trying to say no. For starters, she loved Thea. Well, Thea’s baking. Enough brownies and muffins and we could have made a switch. But then she would have had to move her seven different parrots and other birds, which would have been a mess.
“I mean, we are seriously lucky here,” I replied, wiping my eye. “Other than the support, you’re right. We wouldn’t be punished for being pregnant. And we’re not punished if we aren’t.”
“Being a woman in the modern, human world sucked ass,” she muttered, setting aside her pile of laundry.
“I think I’m still a no on the baby front.
Kids are a little easier, so I’m not opposed to like…
sort of grown ones. If that makes sense.
But being in a world without that sort of struggle… it changes your perspective a bit.”
I looked around the large living room; at the photos now hanging on the walls, some new, some old, all of our growing family. At the space my mates built for us, at the life we’re building here. “I never thought I could have this life,” I admitted, voice quiet. “Sometimes I still don’t.”
“Well, you deserve it,” Thea said, taking my hand. “We both deserve whatever future we fucking want.”
“Agreed,” I murmured, smiling.
Thea’s hand tightened around mine for a moment before pulling away. “Let’s get these to the nursery.”
I groaned, pushing off the sofa. It was really becoming a struggle. “Then I need to find my mates. Where the hell are they?”
All my bonds were quiet. Sneaky. They were doing something, either something I wouldn’t approve of, or they were hiding from me.
Either way, I was both curious and a little peeved.
Thea and I made our way slowly upstairs, then turned towards my bedroom and the nursery.
Waiting outside the doors, Eloise, Ginny, and Maisie were in violet dresses of similar style; floor-length satin with thick bows around their waists and high necklines.
They each carried flowers, with their hair done and nails painted.
The sight of them had tears burning my eyes. “What are you guys doing?” I asked softly, throat tight with emotion.
Thea took my load of laundry from my arms as Eloise stepped forward. “There’s a surprise waiting for you,” she stated, tears shining in her bright blue eyes. “And your mates would like you to get ready for it.”
Ginny rushed to the bedroom door and threw it open, revealing my friends waiting for me. Vanya had a dress in her arms, while Blythe held a bouquet. Even Thea’s mom was there, tears falling from her eyes.
Now I understood why my mates had been so secretive these last couple of months.
Get ready, flower, Orion whispered. And meet us downstairs.
A shiver raced down my spine, but I took Maisie’s hand as I approached the bedroom. Is this what I think it is? I asked.
The response came from Elias. And what do you think this is?
You never technically asked me to marry you, I said, feeling the warmth of all nine bonds rush through me.
Mating isn’t enough, a mhuirnín, Maeve murmured.
Now, Adrian said, we’re making it official.
Again, Damon added.
I wouldn’t fight that logic. I was already pregnant, our lives tied together by our bonds, and we lived together peacefully. A ceremony wouldn’t change it, but I also wouldn’t argue the logic—or the memories it’d create.
It was just the final piece falling into place.
Makeup and hair done, I stepped into the soft, gauzy white gown made for me.
The material slid over my skin just like the dress Damon had given me in the Underworld, but instead of silk, it was a soft material that fell from my body like liquid.
It didn’t accentuate my pregnancy bump necessarily, but it cascaded over it gently.
I could almost get lost in how comfortable it was.
“You look beautiful,” Thea’s mother whispered as she snapped a photo of me. “Goodness. Your mother would be so, so proud. Well, maybe a little shocked about you being with nine—”
“Okay, Mom, thank you,” Thea muttered, wrapping an arm around her. “You look amazing, Ives.”
If I spoke, I was pretty sure I’d break down.
I was barely holding back my tears. My best friend was in a violet dress like the ones the girls wore, her hair curled and neatly pinned back.
Thea’s mom also wore a dress, though hers was a deep purple, almost mother of the bride style, which made me want to cry more.
It was hard to wonder what it would be like for my mother to be here.
Thea’s mom was right about Kerry. Some part of her might have felt pride, but she also probably would have found it difficult to accept that this was my life.
That I loved nine people equally, that they loved me, and we were building a future—a long, happy one—together.
Thea offered me a small smile as Eloise took my hand. “Mom might have been weird about it, but she would think you look really pretty,” she murmured, entwining our fingers. “I think you do.”
“I do!” Maisie announced, jumping up to me. “You look the best.”
I chuckled, holding back the tears. “Thank you, nugget. And you, too, El,” I murmured. “You don’t know how much that means to me.”
She hadn’t spoken about our mom in months.
Sometimes, the younger two mentioned her.
Mostly in passing, in a reminiscent way.
They cried some nights because they missed her, but they still didn’t quite grasp the heaviness and the finality of death.
I had to wonder if some part of them thought she was going to come back, no matter how many times we explained it to them.
Eloise, though, was more reserved with how she spoke about Kerry. She kept it to herself or her therapist.
“So,” Vanya said, clearing her throat. “Are you ready to meet your mates?”
A shaky breath fell from my lips as I smiled, taking in everyone around me.
My friends, the ones who truly meant so much to me, were here with me on one of the happiest days of my life.
Who somehow hid all of this from me. But who cared?
I didn’t. At least my mates knew me well enough to know I’d want them here with me.
Thea’s mom, stepping in for my own, offered a comfort I didn’t know I needed. It hadn’t occurred to me I would miss my mother on a day like today, or feel so conflicted over her. But somehow, this woman who helped nurture and protect me growing up, was exactly who I needed at my side.
And my sisters. My sweet sisters, who had experienced so much loss, were the lights of my life. They were so excited. It was clear they’d known for a little while by the way they talked about it, which made my happiness grow.
It was the perfect start to forever with my mates.
As they helped me downstairs, I found the house itself had been transformed. There were flowers everywhere: purple and white ones creating a path towards the back of the house, white rose petals all over the ground. How they’d managed it was beyond me.
At the back door, I saw them, and my breath lodged in my throat. They were all in white tuxes—even Maeve. Their suits were perfectly tailored to them, almost like the ones they’d worn the night of the ball, only this time they wore ties the same colour as my magic.
I came to a stop, heart pounding. “Wow,” I whispered, looking them over. “You guys…”
Maeve stepped forward and offered her hand. Glinting in her palm was a silver band I never thought I’d see again. “Marry us, a mhuirnín. It isn’t the traditional ceremony you are used to, but this will be ours. Before the eyes of our friends and family. A completion of our bonds.”
I blinked hard to stop myself from crying, but it was difficult. My answer, though, wasn’t. “Yes,” I whispered, stepping towards them. “I will marry you.”
This was a forever I could easily commit to.