Epilogue

"Mate, a big car just pulled up out front." Bjorn stuck his head into the nursery where I was feeding Dune. "Are you expecting any company?"

"No." I kissed our little boy's downy head. At three months old, he was alert and adorable, but we would not be taking him out camping until the nights were warmer closer to summer. For the moment, Bjorn was doing the trips alone or with one of the assistants we'd taken on. I missed him, but nobody else on staff could do just what he did. "Clients?"

"I don't think so."

"I'll see if they are home." Salem's voice carried into the cabin, followed by my brother-in-law who looked about as determined as I'd ever seen him. "Are you at home?"

"What?" Bjorn looked confused, but I had a feeling I knew what was going on.

"Two stuffy older wolves who think they're better than anyone else?" I asked. "Might be claiming to be my fathers?"

Salem nodded. "Want me to send them on their way?" I had never had a conversation with him about this, but obviously Bjorn had. "It's no trouble." He had always been kind to me, but since the baby, he'd gotten almost as protective as my mate.

Bjorn also looked to me for an answer. I thought about it for a moment, but in the end, I couldn't do it.

"They can come in," I decided. "I just wonder how they found me."

"With all your internet presence?" My alpha father pushed into the nursery, unused to being denied anything he wanted. "It wasn't hard. This is quite the setup you have here." He was no doubt referring to the offices we'd added onto and updated and not our modest cabin. My mate wanted to build me a bigger place but I loved this one. When our family grew, we'd add more rooms.

"Hello, Father, Dad." I lifted the sleeping baby from my chest and wiped his mouth before adjusting my shirt. "Nice of you to stop by."

"You have a baby," Father said.

"Yes, we do. This is Dune, and over there is Bjorn, my alpha, and Salem my brother-in-law."

"When were you going to tell us?" Dad asked, coming to my side, his jaw tight. "Are you ashamed of us that you wouldn't introduce us to your family?"

"The rest of your family," Father said. "Unless you've disowned us."

My head was swimming. Me ashamed of them? Disowning them? Wow.

Bjorn, with his straightforward manner, stepped up and shook Father's hand. "I had the impression you had other plans for my mate, and he feared that his decisions might upset you."

"Upset us?" Dad reached out a finger and stroked Dune's soft hair. "What upsets us is that you don't want us to be a part of your life."

"I messaged you I was moving." I shrugged. "You didn't even reply."

"We never got any message, and we've been looking for you," Father gritted out. "Then, one of my employees was talking about planning a survival training trip with ‘Bjorn and Lennon,' and I wondered…I asked for the link."

Dad reached out. "May I hold him? Our grandson?" Tears were streaming down his cheeks. "How old is he?"

I handed him over. "Careful. He's three months." My vision was blurring now. "Dad, I just assumed you done with me. You gave me all kinds of chances to do what you thought was right, and I went another way."

"We'd never be done with you." He sat down on the second chair in the room and cuddled Dune close. "We just wanted the best for you."

"And this is it." I offered him a watery smile. "So, accept me as I am, or don't. I should have said that a long time ago."

"Yes." Father came to look over Dad's shoulder. "Son, we pushed too hard, but we thought it was for your benefit."

"I think we could have communicated better," I said, moved to my own tears by my fathers who had driven me nearly mad with their ambition for me but who were now completely absorbed by the tiny scrap of a baby who was doing nothing more than sleeping.

"He looks like you, Dave," said Dad."

"He has your nose, Roger," Father replied.

I met Bjorn's eye, noticing the amused twitch of his lip.

Dune did not look like either of my fathers, but it hurt nothing for them to think so. And I loved these success-driven old guys. They could be proud of me or not, although I gathered they were, from their talk with Bjorn about our business as we all sat around the table eating dinner. They would never have the opportunity to try to push their dreams on our children, no matter whose nose they had. But I'd grown up, too, and had done exactly what they told me in our last conversation. And what I wanted. I was living a dream with an alpha and baby and a business and a life, all of which I adored. My dads could visit anytime and maybe, just maybe, they could take their grandchildren to an amusement park vacation or something one day. We'd see. For now, this meal, this day, was enough.

I was proud of me for being smart enough to know that.

And for living a life that honestly made me happy. Bjorn's fingers linked with mine under the table and squeezed. Best life ever.

I was picking up my fork to take a bite of the blueberry cobbler I'd made for dessert when I remembered something I'd wanted to ask them. "Hey, Dad, Father. Why did I have such an awful time swimming? My wolf always could."

They looked at each other and winced. "When you were three, you ran into the lake and we were right behind you, but we were too far behind to keep you from falling over and getting a mouthful of water. After that, you refused to go near any body of water in human form." Father shrugged. "You were a stubborn little guy."

I came by it naturally.

Stubborn enough to land in the lap of love.