Epilogue

Errol

"Evelyn!" I called up the stairs. "We're leaving in five minutes!"

The smell of fresh-baked cookies filled the air as I walked into the kitchen. Evelyn was taking them to class in the morning for her birthday treat. It was hard to believe our baby was already in kindergarten. Time really did fly.

Davien stood at the counter, balancing our son, Davies, on his hip while trying to gather the last of the birthday party supplies with the other. On the table in front of him was Evelyn's present in a brightly colored birthday pack with balloons on the front.

"I'm going to load up the car. I'll stop on the way and let Grams know we are leaving in a few."

"Sounds good."

Today wasn't just a special day for Evelyn. It was special for all of us. I tried not to look back at the scary part of her birth, the part that reminded me that we so easily could've lost her that day, but birthdays were always a reminder. Thank gods, Davies' delivery was easy peasy. I had an uncomplicated natural birth a week before my due date.

Evelyn came bouncing into the kitchen, her energy as contagious as ever. "Look at me!" She grinned, eyes wide, waiting for our reaction.

We did, and as soon as she saw she had our attention, Evelyn twirled in her dress, the poofiest skirt we could find, layers upon layers of tulle flying out like a fairy around her. There had to be more tulle in that one skirt than the entire fabric store. I was sure of it.

She was beaming. Not just because it was her birthday, but because she had picked the outfit herself. Normally, Evelyn was a jeans-and-mud kind of girl, always running outside to play, coming back with dirt smeared across her face and twigs tangled in her hair, and if I wasn't careful, something alive in her pocket—a worm, a frog, a grasshopper? It was anyone's guess. But for days like today—special occasions—she became a different version of herself, diving headfirst into the world of glitter and sparkle.

Today, she was a birthday fairy princess.

Her silver shoes caught the light as she bounced from foot to foot. Who needed light-up shoes when you could have glittery ones? They were adorable, but I was going to keep them as home shoes. I could only imagine the distraction they'd cause the way they constantly reflected the light back at you.

"I'm so going to meet a fairy today."

While meeting Davien had taught me that not all mythical creatures were truly mythical, fairies weren't on the list of real creatures. There was no dissuading her, though. She was sure we hadn't been patient enough to meet one, and she was going to be the first. A not-so-small part of me hoped she was right.

"You look amazing, birthday girl—very fairy-esque." I picked up her birthday present and the diaper bag. Everything else had been loaded in the car already.

We were heading to Davien's favorite place, the orchard, for her family birthday. It wasn't the kind of place you typically dressed up for, but Evelyn was very much like her namesake in that way. She didn't care about what was expected. She wanted what she wanted, and today she wanted to fairy hunt with her papa in what had become her favorite place, too

I looked in the diaper bag from the counter, making sure to double-check that we had everything: extra clothes for Davies, wipes, bottles, a binky… It was all there. I followed them outside to the car. Evelyn skipped ahead, her tulle skirt bouncing with every step.

Grams was already waiting when we reached the car. She cradled the cake she had made. I was no longer allowed to make cakes for anything but an after-dinner treat. She said the one I made for Davien when we first met proved I couldn't be trusted, especially for special occasions. She wasn't wrong.

"I can't believe it's been five years," she said as I popped the hatch for her. "Five years with two of these Evelyns in the world—what a lucky place."

"Oh, Grams!" Evelyn giggled as she spun, her dress flying high just the way she liked it.

We piled into the car and set off, singing songs the whole way. Davies wasn't a huge fan of long car rides, but if we sang, he was happy enough to be a part of them. So sing we did, every time, and it was fun.

"I wonder if our next one will like music as much as Davies," Davien mused aloud, resting a hand on my already growing belly.

"Hard to say. They might be the silent type… or maybe they'll prefer classical music."

"Or maybe they will like bugs." Evelyn was so ready for another sibling. It was adorable.

Once we arrived at our destination, it didn't take long before our meal was spread out across the blanket. Grams had made her famous chicken salad sandwiches, and Davien had made Evelyn's favorite—mini deviled eggs. There were bags of chips, fresh fruit, and homemade lemonade. We ate slowly, savoring the moment… everyone except Evelyn. She couldn't wait to dive into her presents, and wanted to be done before we even began.

"Can I open them now?"

"Go ahead, birthday girl," I said with a smile. Cake could wait.

Evelyn tore through the tissue paper, her laughter filling the air. Grams had picked out the miniature fairy garden, and Evelyn made plans for them to build it together next weekend. The look of pure joy on her face when she opened the last box—a unicorn stuffie, one that looked just like Papa. We'd had it custom-made by a unicorn he knew, and it was his spitting image.

We had offered to throw her a big birthday party with all her classmates, but Evelyn had insisted all she wanted was to spend the day with her papa's unicorn. Being a papa's girl, of course he made it happen.

I glanced over at Grams, remembering the first time she had seen him in his shifted form. She initially questioned if her medication was off again, and it took a while for her to accept that what she was seeing was real and not her "imagining" it. We came to find out, she'd always had a way of sensing things others couldn't, a gift she never talked much about. It made sense now, looking back, why some of the things she said during those early days with Davien when she said things that sounded like she knew more than she should have. She probably did, even if she hadn't realized it then.

After cake, Davien got ready to shift. It had become a tradition for them to go on a fairy hunt each birthday, and it was something Evelyn looked forward to.

"Do you think I'll be able to find one today, Daddy?" Evelyn asked, her eyes wide with hope as she watched Davien.

"I don't know," I answered honestly. I wanted to believe she would, but as far as any of us knew, fae weren't real. But then again, I hadn't known unicorns were real until I did.

"Maybe when I'm a unicorn. I'm going to be one when I'm big, right?" It wasn't the first time she asked, and I wished we had the answer she wanted.

"The odds are good," Davien said gently. "But we can't promise. And if you aren't, that means you're alot like Daddy, and he's my favorite human." That had her smiling.

I understood why we couldn't tell her that she'd definitely shift. Her grandparents on Davien's side sensed her beast, but that didn't mean they'd come out. It was all a waiting game.

It would be a thousand times more soul-crushing to grow up believing you could shift into something magical one day, only to find out you couldn't when the time arrived. We didn't want to set her up for disappointment, just in case.

"We'll know in about ten more years," Davien added.

"That's so long, Daddy!"

"I know, but in the meantime, your papa is here, and so is his family. All the unicorns."

We'd spent time getting to know Davien's family over the years. Though we didn't see them as often as Grams, who lived next door, they were a part of our lives. The kids adored them, and the feeling was mutual.

As Davien shifted, Evelyn's eyes lit up. She grabbed her new stuffie and walked over to him, wrapping her arms around his neck with a big hug. They disappeared into the forest together, Evelyn pretending to be a fairy princess, with Davien—now his majestic unicorn—her loyal companion, by her side.

Grams and I sat back, watching as Davies drifted off to sleep in my arms.

"It's all kinds of adorable," I said, my heart swelling with love for my little family. "Seeing them create this tradition."

"It really is," Grams agreed. "I think she's going to shift one day, too."

I smiled softly. "Same."

"Is that okay with you if you're the only one in the family who doesn't?"

"I'm also the only one growing a new baby. Everyone has their superpowers, their own magic."

Yes, everyone really did have their own magic—my family just happened to include a unicorn, or possibly four. Only time would tell, and we had our entire lifetimes to find out.

Sometimes the wrong Santa is the exact one you need.

I didn't volunteer to run the Winter Pines Community Center Christmas Spectacular. I know my limits, but when I miss a meeting thanks to a stupid flat tire, I find myself the proud owner of the position. With the event less than a week away, I have everything in place; the food, the gifts, the decorations, even the music. All that's left is waiting for the big day.

That is until I get the one phone call that threatens to unravel the entire event: Santa quits and every person I call to replace him is booked. I'm about to give up and order a Santa suit for myself. Hopefully none of the kids will notice I'm not even thirty. But I find a business card for Santa that includes his address at the North Pole. He's probably already booked, but it's worth a call. The kids are counting on me.

Wrong Number, Right Santa is a sweet with knotty heat MM Mpreg Christmas romance set in the world of Dial M for Mates featuring a reindeer shifter looking for a Santa to give out presents, the actual Santa who accidentally (fine with a little help from a nosey elf) gets the call, tree decorating, enough cookies for the North Pole, hot chocolate on a snowy night, Christmas magic, a dog named Max, holiday cheer, true love, fated mates, an adorable baby, and a happy ever after.