Epilogue

Sometime later…

The first thing I see when I open my eyes is a pair of beautiful blue pools. Her smile is small, the curl of her lips barely noticeable, like she's holding back a secret.

Cat's sitting on the bed with her legs crossed, facing me, like she's been watching me for some time.

Except when I look closer, I notice something. She's not Cat right now.

I stiffen when she reaches for my hand that's lying on my stomach. Picking it up, she holds it in her small hand as she places it on her lap. Her eyes are drawn to the black wedding band on my ring finger. She twirls it around, that small smile still in place.

"Presley." Her name comes out gruffly.

Due to her innocence, Presley has always been the easiest one to be around. She's also the one I struggled with the most. She's my wife. Looks like her, sounds like her, smells like her. However, her mind is that of a child. It feels fucking wrong for my body to still want her. For me to look at her and see the womanly curves and know how good they feel beneath my hands.

Rolling to my side, I pull the sheet further up my chest. Morning wood is a real thing, and the last thing I want to do is make Presley curious about the tent beneath the sheet. Especially considering I don't know if it's really morning wood or if it's because of the way Presley is lightly playing with my fingers and how close our hands are to her….

My thoughts trail off when she giggles. It's so girly that it reminds me once again how inappropriate our current situation is. I wince, wanting to pull my hand away, but leaving it in hers instead.

"It's okay, Hunter," she says, her laughing eyes drifting to mine. "I know all about penises and the nasty things guys do with them with girls." Her pert nose wrinkles in disgust.

"What do you mean, you know?" My question comes out a growl. "How do you know?"

She lifts a hand and taps the side of her head. "They're foggy and not very clear, but I do have her memories floating around up there."

"Jesus," I mutter.

I assumed Presley, Scarlett, and Athena were unaware of Cat, or at least, didn't carry her memories. Just as Cat doesn't carry theirs. Except for vague visions of seeing Presley, Cat never remembers when they come to the surface, so it was safe to believe the same applies to them.

"All of her memories?" I ask.

Her head bobs up and down, her lips twitching.

Fuck.

So this twelve-year-old female child has had front row seats to a fucking porno, starring Cat and me.

Jesus Christ, I'm going to be sick.

"She's ready, you know."

My eyes snap back to Presley. She gazes at me, her expression looking thoughtful and more adult-like than her young years.

"What do you mean?"

"Cat," she says. "She's ready for a baby. She wants one so badly, but she's afraid to tell you."

My gut drops and a heavy weight settles over my heart.

"Afraid, why?"

Presley puts my hand down on the bed, the tips of my fingers still touching her shin. Dropping her elbow to her knee, she plops her chin in her hand.

"She's worried that you'll think she's not ready. She is though." A small smile curls her lips. "She was always meant to be a mother longer than she was. And you were meant to be a father longer than you were." She pauses for a moment. "Eliana and Ryder were so lucky to have parents like you and Cat. The children you still have yet to have will be even luckier, since you'll know what a precious gift they are and how easily it can be taken away."

My throat tightens, and I'm forced to clear it before it chokes me.

"Thank you," I say gruffly.

There is no need for me to elaborate. Presley knows what my gratitude is for. If it wasn't for her and the other two women, I'm not sure Cat would have survived the shit that was forced on her. Scarlett was the darkest part of her that felt like she deserved pain for what happened to our children. Athena was the loner. Rather, she felt as if she should be alone. Like no one could ever love her after what happened, and even if they did, she didn't deserve it.

Both women took their places and carried the burden of those emotions so Cat wouldn't have to.

But it was Presley who kept that spark of life inside Cat. She kept the light on while the others navigated through the darkness. Through Presley, the innocence, the love of a child, the need to be loved, she held Cat's hand and guided her so she would never get lost.

"I don't know if I'll ever be back." My brows drop at Presley's softly spoken words. "But know that I'll never be far away."

Even though I want Cat to be whole again, I will miss Presley. Scarlett and Athena have only made a few appearances over the last year, which is a lot less than usual. Presley has shown herself more, but I don't think it's because Cat really needs her. I think Presley just likes to come out and play. To visit the world and see what we're up to.

Her deep blue eyes gaze into mine. "I'm going to miss you."

Rising to an elbow, I lean over and press a kiss against her forehead. "I'm gonna miss you too," I say quietly.

When I pull back to look at her, her eyes are closed and she has that small smile on her face again.

Seconds later, when her eyes flutter open, Presley is gone and my beautiful wife is back.

* * *

Some more time later…

Standingwith my shoulder propped against the doorway, my hands shoved in my pockets and my ankles crossed, I watch what's going on across the room.

A single lamp on the nightstand between the two twin beds illuminates most of the room, leaving much of it in shadow.

"Tell us a story, Mommy," Everly, our four-year-old daughter, requests with a hopeful look in her eyes.

"Yeah, Momma, please," chimes in River, Everly's twin brother, who's lying beside his sister.

When the twins were old enough to leave their cribs and have bigger beds, we put them in separate rooms. However, they weren't having it. Each night, one of them snuck into the other's room and climbed into their bed. They didn't like being separated. After six months of this, we moved them into the same room. They were okay sleeping in their own beds, so long as they were still close to each other. Even so, each night, they lay together while Cat or I tell them a story.

Cat laughs as she sits on the edge of Everly's bed. Picking up the framed photo of Eliana and Ryder, she brings it to her lap and gazes down at it, her eyes full of love.

"There once was a little girl," Cat begins. "A beautiful little girl with long brown hair that almost reached her waist. Her name was Eliana. She was sweet and kind and she loved her baby brother, Ryder, so much. The day her momma and daddy brought him home from the hospital, Eli sat for hours outside his bassinet and just watched him. Anytime Ryder moved or made the tiniest of sounds, Eli was right there, making sure he was okay."

She smiles and looks from Everly to River, both of whom were captivated by their mother's story.

"Eli used to tell her mother that she was going to have a baby just like her brother one day."

A twinge of pain hits my chest as her smile slips a fraction, but it's back a moment later.

"But sissy never got to have a baby, right?" Everly asks.

Cat reaches out and brushes hair from Everly's cheeks. "No, she didn't." She taps the end of River's nose and he giggles. "But you know what? Everything ended up the way it was supposed to."

I know how difficult it is for Cat to say those words, and for her to actually believe them. Eli and Ryder were prematurely taken from us. They should have both lived long and happy lives. We should have been given a chance to watch them grow and start their own families.

But sometimes things happen for a reason. While I would love to have our lost children with us, if we did, we may not have Everly and River. How do you choose one child over another? Jimmy tried forcing that decision on Cat. She wasn't able to choose, just as I wouldn't have been able to, because no good parent could.

"Eli's not sad though," Cat continues. "Because right now, she's up in Heaven with her baby brother, still looking after him. And you know what else?" she asks, lowering her voice and bending closer to our children. "She's looking down on her little sister and her other baby brother."

River and Everly look up at the ceiling with grins on their faces, loving that idea.

This is what we do every night. Through hundreds of different stories, Everly and River know all about their older brother and sister.

"Alright, time for bed, you two," Cat says, getting to her feet.

Before she can coax River from Everly's bed and into his, I walk across the room and scoop up our son. His slender arms go around my shoulders and his face sinks into my neck. I press my face into his thick black hair and inhale.

"Goodnight, Daddy," he mumbles sleepily.

I kiss his cheek before laying him down. "Goodnight, buddy." I pull the covers over him. "I love you."

"Love you too."

As part of our routine, I move from River's bed to Everly's while Cat goes to our son. Putting my fists on the pillow on either side of Everly, I drop down and press my lips against her cheek. My eyes slide closed when her arms wrap around my neck and she squeezes me tight.

"Love you, Daddy."

"Love you too, princess. Goodnight."

"G'night," she replies, her eyes already drifting closed.

The lamp is turned off and Cat and I back out of the room, but we stay in the doorway for several long moments. I wrap my arms around her waist and she lets her weight fall back against me. I drop my chin to her shoulder and we stand there, simply watching our beautiful family as they drift off to sleep.