Bonus Scene Three years later

LEXIE

My mother-in-law smiled brightly at me as she tucked the twins into the car seats she’d bought just for her car. What a turnaround from when we’d first met. Me standing up to her that day of the wolf council meeting had been the best thing I’d done to shake her out of her narrowmindedness.

She had been begrudging in the beginning, but over time had come to accept me as her sons’ true mate. Our children had helped forge a positive bond, of course, and now there was one more on the way.

“Thanks, Anne! I really appreciate you taking them for the night.”

“Of course!” Anne said. “You know I’m always happy to have my grandbabies.”

I rubbed my huge belly, the baby shifting and kicking hard. “And... if we need you to keep the boys a little longer?”

She glanced down at my belly and smiled. “If you need time to rest or if you go into labor, I’ll keep them for a week. You don’t need to worry at all. I’ve got you.”

I blinked back tears of gratitude for the woman who’d moved heaven and earth to repair the relationship she’d almost completely shattered.

We’d had several heart-to-heart discussions since then, and when she’d learned more about the upbringing I’d had, she’d opened her arms and pulled me in for a hug. Then she’d told me she would try to be the mother I’d missed out on in my early years.

There had been lots of tears shed on both sides, and now we had a genuine bond that I truly enjoyed.

“I’m not due for a couple of weeks, but I just feel... different.”

She nodded with a knowing air. “Kaity was a month early, the little scamp. Always doing things before she was ready.”

I chuckled, thinking that sounded like my mates’ sister. “She hasn’t changed.”

“No.” Anne waved goodbye and got in the car.

I walked up and blew kisses in the car window. “Be good for Grandma.”

“Bye, Mama! Bye!” the twins chorused, waving as Anne drove away.

Nathan and Caleb had just turned two. My perfect pair. Nathan was as light and serious as Caleb was dark and carefree.

Their fathers couldn’t be prouder.

And speaking of... Markus’s truck pulled into the driveway, and I waved at him, a sharp twang pulling at my lower belly. I stifled a groan.

“Calm down, little girl. You’re not quite cooked yet.”

I was so excited to be having a baby girl after two rambunctious boys. Not that I should complain. The boys were healthy and strong, and that was the only important thing.

“Hey, beautiful!” Markus called out as he hopped out of his truck and came over to kiss me in greeting.

He had been the model husband and father since the moment he decided he was all-in on this relationship. Ollie, of course, had always been all-in.

“Your mom just picked up the boys, which gives us a couple of days to just chill a little.”

Markus laughed. “Chill? You’re nesting, big time. What did you start reorganizing today?”

I covered my face with my hands. “The pantry. But it needed a thorough tidying.”

Markus pulled me in for another kiss, then grabbed my hand and walked me inside our massive ranch-style home. Five bedrooms, three bathrooms, and sitting on ten acres. It was a dream property, and I still couldn’t believe it was ours.

“Well, I’ve got some of the guys coming out tomorrow to finish putting up the pergola you wanted, and we still need to do some landscaping around the pool.”

Ollie had joined Markus’s company and taken over all the day-to-day finances, freeing up Markus to do what he did best. Design, implement the projects, and manage people.

They were doing so well, and even though I hadn’t been able to work too long at Toni’s store because I’d gotten pregnant within a few months, I still stopped by almost every week.

Ollie and Markus had even bought me a bike for my birthday, though I’d rarely ridden it since I had the twins.

Toni and I still got along like a house on fire. She had become my best friend. It was still amazing to me that I had two husbands, two kids with a third on the way, a best friend, and in-laws who had done an about-turn and fully supported me.

Life had completely turned around and it couldn’t be better.

“Are you home for the whole day?” I asked Markus as I waddled over to the fridge.

“I have to go back to work, but I missed you. Was hoping I might talk you into coming back to bed with me for an hour or two.”

I turned around and stared at him, dumbfounded. “I’m thirty-eight weeks pregnant, hon. Aren’t you at all turned off by all this?” I waved to indicate my absolutely ginormous breasts and huge belly, most of which my clothes could barely contain.

Markus and Ollie had been incredible through both of my pregnancies, helping heaps at home, lavishing my body with praise, and hiring a housekeeper when I’d needed more hands and they’d been too busy at work to be home all the time.

Markus chuckled and slid closer. “Are you kidding me? You’ve never looked more beautiful. And if you take those clothes off, I’ll prove it to you.”

“Ow!” I bent forward, a large cramp rippling across my belly.

I took a breath, held it, then released it slowly. “Yeah... I think Anne coming to get the boys today was good timing.”

Markus rushed over, pressing a hand to my belly. “Our baby girl is on her way?”

“Not right now.” I lay my hand over his, loving the way Markus never seemed to stop touching me. “But I’d say it won’t be long. Can I take a rain check on that ravishment?”

Markus pressed his lips to my temple. “Absolutely. Though I read that orgasms help get your labor going even faster, so... if you want...”

I shook my head and laughed as Markus pulled me into the bedroom.

Our daughter was born the next day, and a new and even more amazing chapter of our perfect life began.

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