Epilogue

Ten years later…

“Maaaaaa!”

“Mamaaaa – OW!”

“Girls, no pulling each other’s hair…”

“But Grandma said that if someone pulled my hair, I could pull theirs,” a pair of tear-filled, angry eyes looked up at Willow mulishly, and the little female tyrant even went so far as to stomp her foot.

“Alec,” Willow chuckled and saw his eyes widen in alarm as he shook his head. “Your mother told the girls it was okay to pull each other’s hair, so you handle this one.”

“Now, wait a second…”

“Daddy, it’s true! Grammy said that if ‘Snort-ney’ pulled my…”

“Mamaaaa! Alice called me ‘Snort-ney’ again after you told her not to.” All the girls turned on each other, making snorting noises, less than a second later.

“Tattletale!”

“Alice…”

“Leah said it was funny and that you like people laughing or smiling better than frowning, crying, or calling you bad names.”

“Well, while that is true – if your sister is unhappy with being called ‘Snort-ney’ instead of ‘Courtney,’ then you need to respect her wishes.”

“But Courtney calls me ‘Timmy’ instead of ‘Kimmy’…”

“And Kimberly calls me ‘Blah’ instead of ‘Leah’… and you don’t see me getting mad or tattling like a big baby.”

“Let me see a show of hands if you have a made-up name for Fern,” Willow sighed heavily, seeing four sets of hands shoot into the air as their middle child frowned hotly.

“Well, that’s not nice,” Fern blurted out, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Calling me ‘Snort-ney’ isn’t nice either!”

“Or Timmy! I’m not some stupid boy…”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa…” Willow said loudly, putting her hands before her and making a ’T’ shape. “Time out ladies, and I am overruling your grandmother in this event. Nobody pulls hair in this family…”

“Except Daddy,” Alec volunteered – and Willow rounded on him, her eyes blazing as her face heated with embarrassment. His hands shot up in surrender immediately. “Uh hello? I’m absolutely allowed, remember? It was an accident one time, and you said that it really…”

“Would you just hush,” she hissed, trying not to laugh at her wild and rambunctious husband - or his mischevious grin. “Or you will never, ever do it again. Got me?”

“Yes, ma’am!” Alec yelped, pretending to zip his lips shut, and folded his arms over his chest – before wiggling five fingers at her and winking playfully at her with a telltale smirk in a silent language of love.

That rat, she thought silently with affection, fighting back a laugh.

Yes, they had five beautiful little girls and had finally drawn the line at trying for a boy. Her husband had wanted a son to continue the Beckett name for so long, but instead, they had shared five beautiful births – each one a blessed miracle drawing the two of them even closer.

What if we tried once more?She thought suddenly, hesitating, and focused on the five grumpy faces glaring at each other. They ranged from nine years old to four – and all with their father’s attitude, smile, and breathtakingly beautiful eyes. Oh the genes were strong on his side of the family, but still no boy.

“Now, in this family, we respect and love each other. You will always be sisters, no matter where you are in this world. If you are seventy years old, you will still have your sisters. If you are in Antarctica with the penguins – you’ll still have family. I do not want to hear about disrespectful nicknames or pulling hair anymore. Am I clear?”

“But Daddy pulls my pigtails sometimes,” Courtney said tearfully. “I don’t want my daddy to get in trouble. I love my daddy.”

“Daddy is the only exception because he does it out of love, not to hurt someone. Does he ever hurt you, or is it a gentle tug where he is playing?”

And she felt Alec’s breath on the side of her neck, tickling her ear as he spoke intimately to her. “See?”

“We’ll discuss this in a moment.”

“I can’t wait.”

Willow drew in a deep, shaky breath as she looked at their family, not bothering to hide a smile. Yes, they might not have a son to carry the Beckett name, but their legacy was just as breathtakingly beautiful and incredible.

“Am I in trouble?” Alice said grumpily.

“Are you going to pull anyone’s hair again?”

“No, ma’am.”

“Can we please start heading to the car so we aren’t late for Zane’s performance?” – and all five children scrambled to run toward the front door where a pile of shoes waited. Willow listened to the laughter, high-pitched comments, and the occasional nickname tossed about, saw the hugs, and realized what a blessed life they had, especially as Alec wrapped his arms around her middle, resting his chin on her shoulder.

“So am I a terrible person if I want to curl your hair around my hand and kiss your throat, wife?” his voice was husky and full of adoration for those beautiful moments they’d shared over the years. She closed her eyes, remembering every kiss, each touch, and the words they’d whispered in those stolen moments.

And felt Alec kiss her neck gently before nipping at her ear.

“If I’m doing something wrong, tell me…” he urged softly.

“You aren’t…”

“Mama, can I spend the night at Isabel’s house?”

“Hey! That’s not fair – I wanted to go to Isabel’s, you big meany!”

“Isabel said we could all come over because her Daddy is working, and Aunty Sabine said she didn’t mind.”

“Can I spend the night at Amy’s?”

“I told Charlotte I would ask if I could come over – Can I, Mama? Please! Please?”

“You hear that, my love?” he breathed, his voice tempting. “We might have an empty house tonight. How about I light some candles, open a bottle of wine, and…”

Her eyes met his – and he paused, his voice fading at that single look she gave him. They stood there, looking at each other, ignoring the chaos in the distance as they shared a silent message between them.

“Well, I’ll be…” he whispered. “Really?”

“There’s not much difference between five as there would be six…”

“Oh W-Willow,” his voice broke as he stared at her, lost in the memory of those moments greeting each child for the first time and beholding the beauty of life created with their shared love. “Are you sure?”

“Maybe our path has one more passenger to travel with the Beckett family,” she said tenderly, touching his cheek. “If it happens, then it does – and if it doesn’t… well, it still makes for beautiful memories with you.”

“Mama?”

“I thought we were going?”

“Ewww – I think they are going to be smooching again…”

“Aww. Mama is so pretty – I understand why Daddy is kissing on her all the time…”

“It’s gross…”

Alec chuckled and turned from her to look at their children.

“You are so right,” he replied in an exaggerated voice, rolling his eyes playfully. “It’s absolutely gross as could be, and Mama makes me do it all the time.” He stuck out his tongue, pretending to be dead, and made the girls giggle at his antics.

“Alec!”

“Let’s get in the van – and we’ll confirm all these mysterious sleepover arrangements. I suppose you have your bags already packed?”

Willow couldn’t help but laugh as all five nearly trampled each other to run for their rooms in an effort to get their pajamas and dolls. Alec turned to look at her and smiled.

“Have I mentioned how much I love you?”

“No, and frankly, I’m shocked. For someone who is wanting to roll around in bed all night and do who-knows-what…” she taunted – only to have Alec move suddenly, yanking her to him as his hand curled in her hair possessively, pulling her head backward slightly. He leaned forward and grazed his teeth against her throat, speaking.

“Ten minutes,” he urged, passionately. “Ten minutes at Colton’s house, wife. We’re dropping off the girls, giving pizza money to our friends, and then we’re leaving. You and I are coming home… so which of us has a stomach virus?”

“I’ll be the plague victim…”

“Good girl,” he praised, chuckling softly against her skin and laughing with her. “Now get your shoes on because I’m not kidding. I love our daughters, but they do not need to hear the sounds I wanna make with you in a very short time frame.”

“So no more fibbing about watching scary movies or suffering from a random Charlie-horses in the middle of the night?” she taunted, smiling as he released her and got a mockingly innocent look on his face of sheer disbelief.

“Willow… for shame. We don’t want to warp the children, you know. Heavens! We are absolutely not ever alluding to what or who is creating those noises,” he began – and out slipped a playful chuckle. “I could always tell them it’s their sainted mother…?”

“Oh, you wouldn’t dare…” she laughed, wagging a finger at him.

“Nahhhh,” he grinned, leaning forward to kiss her fingertips, before pulling her into his arms again. “It’s definitely from their lecherous father who can’t stay away from his soulmate. Maybe I’m still making up for all that lost time?”

“I’m glad,” she whispered, leaning up to kiss him. “Don’t ever stop either.”

“Me too… and rest assured, Wife - I’m not.”