15. Epilogue

Epilogue

Bren

Eight Months Later

"Dada!" My son's sing-songy voice echoed throughout the room. Kalwin sat on the floor about five feet from our son, camera in hand as it always was these days. Neale had been so close to walking for the past few weeks, and it seemed that Kalwin was determined to catch it on video. As if our life wasn't recorded enough.

"Shouldn't we be getting downstairs to his birthday party?" I asked.

Kalwin and I had put together a birthday celebration for Neale on the second floor for family and friends only. My sister would be visiting the palace as she did quite often since I had moved in. It had been eight months of adjusting to royal protocol, getting to know my new family, and being able to spend every waking moment with my now husband, Prince Kalwin. As odd as it was to think of, my son had been given the title of duke, as his cousins had also been named. I still couldn't wrap my mind around it most of the time. Sometimes I found myself making grocery lists, only to realize that I didn't have to do the grocery shopping. My life had changed so much.

"What are you smiling about?" Kalwin asked as he sat next to me. His camera was still on, directed toward our son just in case the little guy was going to take his first steps.

"Oh, nothing too exciting. What do you think our son will wish for now that it's his big one-year-old day?"

"I don't know that he will make a wish." Kalwin smiled. "Unless you count asking for uppies."

"Up up up," Neale cooed on queue.

"Only if you come to me, then you'll get uppies!" Kalwin held out his arms, coaxing our son toward him.

Neale went back to playing with his blocks.

"I think he wants to be a big brother," I said.

"Yeah?" Kalwin looked at me, a smile splitting across his face.

"Do you want to have another baby?" I asked. Ready or not, another child would be happening.

"So much. I just wasn't sure if you were ready. Neale's still pretty young, and you've got a lot going on."

It was true. Since moving into the palace, I didn't have to work as a barista. But I had picked up a lot of the duties that were important to both Kalwin and me, related to the charitable work that he and Iain did. I enjoyed it a lot. It helped me to get to know Swena and its people, and to give back. And I was still a member of the single parents' support group. Even though I was no longer a single parent, I still listened to their concerns. We had started up several programs to help the omegas, women, and even some alphas who were raising their children alone. We had several satellite chapters of the support group throughout the country, and we even planned a convention.

It was amazing, the work that I was able to do now that I had the resources to do it.

My life couldn't be more complete. Unless…

"I'm ready. I could still work while I'm pregnant. I may take a little bit of time off after the baby gets here."

"You've really thought this through?"

Well, I sort of didn't have a choice.

Kalwin put his arm around me. "You know, we don't have to have more children."

"Cort has two, Iain has two, Wendell and Augustus have three now."

"We don't have to do as they do. One is just fine with me."

"I know that, but we have such an amazing family. And I liked having a sibling growing up. I know that Neale will like having a sibling too. Plus, they'll be very close in age."

Kalwin grinned. "Well, we don't know that for sure. I mean, we're just now talking about it. It could take time."

"It could," I said, smiling. "Or..."

Kalwin looked at me curiously.

"I could tell you that I already took a test and it was positive."

The phone that Kalwin held in his hand, which I was sure was still recording, dropped to the floor. The noise captured Neale's attention, and he propped himself up on his wobbly legs. Then he took one step, then two, and then he was toddling over to where the phone had fallen.

"He walked! He did!" Kalwin picked up our little boy. "You're going to be a brother. Did you hear that? You're going to be a brother!"

"I take it you're happy?" I said.

"So happy, love. So happy."

"Me too."