Epilogue
Aubrey
“Millie! Get down from there!” This two-year-old is going to be the death of me.
“Don’t be such a worry wort, punk,” Nate says from behind me.
“Listen up buddy, she is climbing a tree that I can in no way climb up behind her. Let alone help her up off the ground if she falls.” I rub my very large belly.
“What you need to do is go relax and put those feet up. They are so swollen I can barely tell you have toes!”
“Perhaps I don’t, I haven’t seen my feet in weeks!”
“Wolf! Come get your woman!”
I slap Nate’s arm. “You rat!”
My husband comes out through the back door of the farmhouse, with Violet trailing behind carrying food to lay out. “Aubrey Lawson. You get your ass up here on the swing right now!”
“Language!” I say back to him, and I see everyone around me roll their eyes.
“Of all the people to say that.” Dad comes out of nowhere and coaxes my daughter out of the tree. She hits the ground running to her dad. Wolf picks her up and swings her around. The sound of pure joy comes out as a squeal from her little body.
She then pushes out of his arms and says, “Up, Auntie!” to Violet, who instantly complies.
“She has you all wrapped around her finger!” I say as I waddle over to the steps. Wolf comes down and takes my arm to help me up to the swing.
“As if you don’t either,” he says as he props my feet up.
“Hey! There they are! Look, Nate! Toes!” I cry.
I am two days overdue with twin boys and even though I love being pregnant, I am more than over it now. Wolf makes me up a plate and brings it over to me at the swing while Dad gets Millie set up at the table with him, Nate, and Violet.
“Thanks, my love,” I say as he bends down to kiss me and rub my belly a little.
“You’re welcome. They’ll be here soon, baby.”
After I finish eating, I get to my feet to take the millionth trip to the bathroom today.
I reach the door to go inside and then I am suddenly wet. “Wolf!” He comes running from the kitchen where he was tidying up.
“What? Are you okay?” I look up at him with a huge smile.
“It’s time!”
* * *
Wolf
James David Lawson and Alexander Bishop Lawson were born at seven twenty-five that night. We barely made it to the hospital in time. I thought for a bit there that Aubrey was going to deliver the boys in the passenger seat. We figured we had more time considering Miss Millie took fourteen hours to make her appearance.
“Can we name them Bear and Tiger, Daddy?” Millie askes.
“You ask your mother and see what she says.” Aubrey vetoes it but tells Millie she could name our first pet when we get one. My little girl is pleased with the compromise.
Aubrey’s eyes are closed but I know that she is still awake, on high alert. Both boys are fast asleep after their first good feeding.
“Aubrey?” I whisper to her.
“Yes, Daddy,” she says as she opens her eyes and smiles at me.
“God, woman, don’t say that to me! You just pushed these cubs out. Call me Daddy again in about six to eight weeks, okay?” I say as I slide in next to her on the hospital bed. She nestles in next to me as I wrap an arm around her.
“We have quite the little pack now, don’t we?”
I look down at her and say, “You know the average wolf pack is around six? Wanna try for a few more?”
She chuckles. “Let me see how this goes and we can decide later, Sparky.” She looks up at me with tired but content eyes and says, “I am so happy, Wolf. All three of them are perfect.”
“You are perfect.”
She smiles at that and says, “Are you happy?”
“Oh baby,” I lift her chin and kiss her tenderly. “I am over the fucking moon.”