Epilogue

This week had been great with my family being here for Christmas. All the kids, even the older ones, had spent most of each day together. Tonight, Shane and Maia had offered to decorate cookies with the younger ones.

The kitchen table was a mess, and I was pretty sure Blair had glitter in her hair. I glanced over and smiled when the table erupted into laughter again.

Addy stood, dusting herself off, little specks of glitter falling around her. The floor was going to be fun to clean up later. Her braids swung as she turned, looking at the Christmas tree that sat in the living room as her head tilted. "Why does your Christmas tree have eyes?"

"What?" A few of the kids asked before they all came over to look at the tree.

"What are you talking about?" Maia placed her hands on her hips. "I don't see any eyes."

Before I could even take a step that way, Diesel started barking at the tree and jumped, almost knocking it over

I reached for his collar. "Jesus, dog what has gotten into you?"

"It's the opossum," Blair screeched, pointing at the tree.

I looked up, and sure enough, two beady eyes stared back at me. Another lunge at the tree and Diesel almost toppled it over again.

The kids just added to the chaos with their screaming and dramatics. It wasn't like this was the first time—and it probably wouldn't be the last time—this thing was back in the house.

"Need to get it outside," I said to the group.

"But it's Christmas," Kai whined. "And so cold outside."

I narrowed my eyes. "Well, it's not staying in the house."

"I mean, we did have it checked for rabies," Ivy added with a shrug.

Oh, for the love of God. We were never getting this thing out of the house.

"Get the trap again."

Shane disappeared into the basement before returning a minute later with the metal cage-like thing.

"Why is there an opossum in your Christmas tree?" Chris asked Jayden, who just shrugged.

"Because she's our pet ghost," Kai answered for him.

"Ghost?" Addy wrinkled her nose.

"Yeah. She likes to hide during the day, and at night she looks like a ball of light floating through the house."

Wait, a freaking minute. I turned to Kai, narrowing my eyes again. "Kai, are you saying she's been back in the house for a while, and you've seen her before now?"

He smiled sheepishly. "Yeah. It's cold outside, and she's warm under my bed."

"It's a girl?" Addy asked, cocking her head. "Maybe she'll have babies."

Jesus Christ. I fucking hope not.

But I smiled, shaking my head as I looked around the group as we worked together to encourage the thing out of the tree and into the trap.

My life now might be crazy and chaotic, but I wouldn't change it for anything in the world.

This was home now.