Epilogue

Dylan

I press a kiss to Madeleine's head as we finish the birthday dessert for Melodia. It's hard to believe she's been mine for eight years now. Especially when she hardly looks older than when I first saw her. Our little girl is seven, born nine months after Melodia and her friends came to town. None of our girls had to worry for long about us being in danger.

Shortly after they told us the truth of what they were, they went down to the beach and told their mothers they were never returning to the ocean or to them. That they'd found where they belonged and would never use their powers to harm. It wasn't easy to stay where our girls told us to, to watch as their mothers screeched and shouted and berated them. Calling them traitors, while trying to put us under their spells to get us into the water.

Just as we felt no pull towards Aphrodite that day at the diner, their attempts did nothing to us except anger us because we couldn't help our girls, or at least stand directly behind them in support. We wanted to, but their worry that the others might somehow manage to drag us into the water kept us from pushing it. We wouldn't ever do anything to upset our girls and let them handle the confrontation themselves since we knew they wouldn't risk dying themselves by attempting to kill our girls.

It ended with their mothers crowing that they'd come back to them when they learnt the truth of how men behaved. We can gladly say to this day that's never even begun to be a thought that's crossed their minds.

Our daughters got their mothers' beauty but also their ability to transform in natural waters and seeing our girls swimming freely is something we enjoy. Which is why we tend to do events here at Duncan and Serenia's house so the girls can swim to their hearts' delight without fear of anyone seeing them.

Today is the girls' birthday, and of course Madeleine and I made the dessert. Our little girl definitely can cook, unlike her mother, but since I love it and my girl loves to eat, it works out well still.

"I don't know, I just…it can't be real, can't really be happening, right?" I overhear Melodia say to Serenia and Celestia as we come out, the worry in her tone makes my heart tighten. Her hand is wrapped around her necklace—the one with the pearl I found for her. She never takes it off, but she touches it when she's feeling extremely emotional—happy, sad, or worried.

"What can't be happening, angel?" I ask surprising them as we set the crepes on the table, and the look of heaven the slips across Melodia's face makes me smile, even if my heart is still worried about what she meant.

"I…well…" she stops, looking up at me with a little grin. "I'm pregnant."

"What?" falls from not only me but also Dane and Duncan as well as Madeleine, Hazel, and Jasmine. Although the guys' tone is shocked and disbelieving while the girls' are squealing shouts of joy.

"I'm pregnant." Melodia nods when my eyes bore into her, and she slips into my arms, bringing my hand to her still incredibly flat belly. There's a warmth there that is different, was only ever there when she was carrying Madeleine, and I lift her into my arms, devouring her lips in a kiss that sends the little girls into more squeals of laughter.

"How?" I ask, holding her to me, her legs wrapped around my waist, my hand fisted in her gorgeous, still pink and white hair.

"I don't know. I've felt it for the last couple of days but swore I was just imaging it because I've wanted another baby with you so much for so long. I love seeing you with our girl and wanted to give you more of it. I woke up this morning and it was so much deeper, I couldn't begin to deny that it was real, but none of us know how," she says, and I rest my forehead against hers as her friends echo their agreed disbelief over it.

"Are you surprised?" a new voice questions, and I turn with Melodia still in my arms, staring in surprise at the woman surrounded by a glowing brilliance.

"Aphrodite? Did you do this?" Melodia asks, her tone hopeful.

"No my dear, you made it happen with your love. It's true that a siren can only have a child when she wants it enough, but there's never been anything to say she can only ever have one. There is however a little caveat that a siren can only mate with one man, and since most of them end up killing that man once they're with child, that is why they can never have another."

"So this is really happening? We're having another baby?" Melodia says and Aphrodite nods giving us a smile as I bury my face in Melodia's neck in pure, unmatched joy. I can feel how much it fills her through our bond, and I would never not want this.

"Another little girl like you," I manage to get out, shaking a bit at the hunger for it.

"Or a little boy," Aphrodite says pulling loud, ‘What's?" from everyone. "Now that might be something I suggested to the fates to allow to be a possibility for a happily mated siren to have."

"We could have a baby boy?" Melodia asks as the air hangs heavy in my chest, not daring to breathe in fear it might be a lie, especially with the depth of the desire for it in Melodia's voice.

"Anything is possible for you all now. You just have to listen to your heart to make it happen," Aphrodite says before she disappears, and I sink into the chair, holding my angel as she cries happy tears.

"Mommy, you need to eat so the baby doesn't think you're sad," Madeleine says, holding out the fork to her, and I take it, cutting off a bite of the crepe, my body blazing with hunger when Melodia moans softly as the flavors wrap around her tongue.

"Perfect, thank you, cookie," Melodia says, giving our daughter a kiss before giving me one, sinking further into my hold. "Best birthday ever. My best friends and their sweet girls, my amazing little girl, incredible husband, and a baby on top of it was sheer perfection already, but these crepes on top of it? Best day ever."

"With another to come clearly," Serenia says hugging her around me. "Who knows, maybe you won't be the only one then to have another."

"Anything you want, honey," Duncan tells her, making me chuckle because he's even worse than me when it comes to giving our girls what they want.

"I guess we can't complain that you figured this one out first as well since without you learning about the loophole, we wouldn't even be here," Celestia adds, also giving her a hug before Dane pulls her back to him, and I sit feeding my love until she's full and the stars are fighting to be seen through the clouds.

Celestia waves her hand towards the sky, and the backyard brightens with their glow, making Hazel giggle as she rests in Celestia's arms.

All of our girls have their own gifts. Different from their mothers, following more in line with ours, which still amazes me. Madeleine's powers seep through her cooking occasionally making every taste like heaven. While Hazel's energizing ability occasionally hits when she's happiest and it makes one forget the need to sleep. Jasmine's ability to change the air around us normally doesn't bother anyone, until she makes it smell like the one thing you're hungriest for, but of course, don't have on hand.

I wonder what a new baby's might be, especially if it's a boy. Will he have any powers? Will he be able to transform like our girl? I can't wait to find out but for now, our new gift is safest inside my love, just as she's safest within my arms.

"I love you, Dylan. You and this life. I wouldn't want anything different," Melodia says, her head snuggled on my shoulder while Madeleine rests on my chest, a yawn slipping from her lips but it's too sweet to get up to go home just yet.

"I love you too, angel. Especially when you sing for me," I tease, because it's not really singing but her moans and cries that come when I'm pleasuring her that truly enchant me most.

"Show me later?" she muses, and I nod, claiming her lips softly as we enjoy a little more time with our best friends. After all, we have eternity for her to enchant me. A few more minutes or hours is nothing compared to forever.