Epilogue
Morris
Six Months After That
“ Y ou know you wanna pull my hair,” I coo at Gracie, wiggling my fingers.
That child is a menace. She’s pure devilishness, which probably comes from being spoiled rotten by the three of us. We’re in the process of trying to coax her to walk, and there’s very little in life that Gracie loves more than pulling my hair and beard.
Spoiled damn rotten and cute as a button, that’s what she is.
Gracie grins, rocking on wobbly legs. Her chubby little hand flies up, and she points at me. “Dada!”
There’s no way to describe the joy that pulses in my chest every time she calls me that.
Hayes slams his shoulder into mine. “I’ve already told you, you’re not allowed to be the favorite.”
Hael laughs. “Face it. All the women in this house love him.” He flips me off from his spot on the couch. “We all know you’re the favorite.”
I don’t know why he’s talking shit. He’s the one with Arbor leaning against his chest.
She snorts. “We are not having this discussion again. You know I love all three of you equally.”
Hael grins, kissing her temple. “Yeah, sure. Whatever you say. I still can’t believe Angry Kitty likes him better than me. I’m the one who plucked her out of that engine block. Got ripped all to hell doing it too.”
“You are a valiant kitten saver.” Arbor laughs, running her hand over his.
“That is not my fault,” I say, pointing at Hael. “I don’t even like cats.”
I shrug, because I really don’t, but that damn kitten grew on me. She sleeps on top of my head in my hair every night.
Once the cat stops being a complete tyrant, we might rename her, but for now, Angry Kitty fits. She’s still unsure if she likes us yet, but it’s only been a couple of weeks. Unless it’s time for bed, she literally runs to a new part of the house anytime she spots us.
Gracie squeals, and I frown as she hits her knees, crawling to… Hayes.
Now that’s some bullshit.
He bends down, scooping her up and laughing. “Gracie, you just made my day.”
I chuckle, shaking my head when she stretches out her arms for me. “She was just using you because you’re closer to the ground.” Scooping her up, I pull her cheek to mine, and she proceeds to try to rip out a fistful of my beard.
The favorite, my ass. She really does love all of us exactly the same. We just enjoy talking shit.
Gracie turns, starting to fuss. She points and says, “Mama!”
And there it is.
Children are good at humbling the best of us.
Another Year Later
Gracie wiggles against my chest as I stare at the monitor, trying to determine what the hell we’re looking at.
Hael is at my side, appearing equally perplexed.
Hayes stands up by the top of Arbor’s exam table, holding her hand.
“Daddy,” Gracie grunts, stretching for Hael.
He plucks her up and grins, bouncing her as he continues watching the ultrasound. “Don’t you want to know if you’re having a baby brother or sister?”
Gracie’s head shakes. “Um, no.”
The ultrasound tech laughs. “Well, how do the adults feel because I’m fairly confident I can tell you if you’d like to know?”
Arbor nods. “We’ve talked about it a lot. Yeah, if you can tell us, please do.”
The ultrasound tech nods, moving the wand. “This is the cord, so don’t be confused by that.” She points at the screen. “This is the baby’s bottom. You’ve got yourselves another girl.”
“Gracie, I just lost fifty bucks,” Hael says, tickling her tummy.
Hayes snorts. “I knew it was going to be another girl.”
“I didn’t. I could have sworn this one was a boy,” Arbor says, sounding a little dazed. “I’ve just felt so different this time around. My mind is blown.” She shrugs. “Look at it this way—it’ll save us a ton of money. The new baby will be able to wear all of Gracie’s clothes, and we’re a lot less likely to get peed on while changing diapers.”
My heart races.
Holy shit.
I’m probably going to end up incarcerated once they’re old enough to date, but I had no preference either way. Although I wouldn’t have minded a boy, there’s nothing like Gracie’s giggles when she runs into my knees after a long day at work.
I’m happy as long as the baby is healthy. Finally stepping away from the machine, I move to the head of the bed and lean over Arbor.
I give her a quick upside-down kiss and caress her cheek. “Are you happy?”
She beams, and my heart thumps wildly, just like it does every time I look at her. “I really am. I love you.”
“I love you too.” I’m so fucking thankful we didn’t skip Sunday dinner at Nana’s that night. Honest to God, I can’t imagine what we would have lost out on.
Five More Years Later
Arbor whimpers, burying her hands in my shirt and tugging me closer. I grin against her lips and pull back before my dick can get any bright ideas, like thinking we’re in for a wall quickie.
It’s tempting to tote her back to my truck so we can pretend like we haven’t made it home yet. We might have three kids, but if I know one thing, it’s that I’ll never get enough of this woman.
Arbor groans as I run my tongue over my bondmark on her lip, making my damn chest tingle. I have no shame over how much I love my wife, and that extends to a constant attraction on a level I’ve never experienced.
“Are you ready to brave the chaos?” I ask, nuzzling my nose to hers.
She laughs. “Yeah, we probably should.”
Wrapping my hand in hers, I guide her up the steps and into the house.
The sounds indicate we’re about to find pure insanity. Gracie and Ally run into the hallway, take one look at us, and squeal before taking off toward the living room.
“You two are terrible helpers,” Hael calls from the direction of the kitchen. “You wanted to make Mommy cupcakes, that means you get to help with the dishes.”
Arbor covers her mouth with her hand, shaking as she silently laughs.
“At the very least, you could keep me company,” Hael grumbles. “Or prove to me that you aren’t currently making the next disaster for me to clean up.”
Hayes bounds down the stairs with Elijah on his hip. Our almost-three-year-old looks freshly bathed, and I vaguely wonder what the girls did to him this time. You can’t turn your back on Gracie and Ally for even a minute or they gang up on the little guy.
Arbor gives my hand a squeeze and bolts toward Hayes to take Eli. “Was this a normal bath or?—”
“Hael and I were focused on reading a recipe. The girls coated his hair in butter.” He laughs, shaking his head. “I’ll never understand how they’re so silent.”
Yeah, I mistakenly thought girls would be easier than boys, but at least in our house, the tiny ladies are the ones responsible for ninety-eight percent of my high blood pressure.
I’m sure it’s going to get worse before it gets better . I’ll gladly take buttering their little brother over boys and dates.
Speaking of which…
One of us should probably get eyes on them before they find the next way to create chaos.
Up next in this world it’s back to the Mercenaries for Hire series with No Escape .
If you’d like to follow the A Very Pregnant Omega Finds Her Pack series keep an eye out for With a Little Luck.