AllFreeNovel
Share Us
My mother chuckles softly. “I’m too young to be called Grandma, but I’ll settle for Gammy.”
I roll my eyes, knowing that she’s just joking. Not about being too young, but about being embarrassed to be seen as a grandma. She will embrace it openly and proudly.
“Is that a tear?” I ask my father. “I didn’t know you were capable of crying.”
“You’re lucky that you’re not a disappointment anymore,” my father replies, which might be the nicest thing he’s ever said to me. He subtly wipes his cheek, confirming my guess that even his dark heart was touched by this joyful news.
I’m the last to hug Gavin. Ever since he married Leia, he’s really come into his own. They’re a great team and an even better couple. The Lafayettes are lucky to have such fair leaders.
“Congratulations, brother,” I say as I hug him. “You always had to be first at everything.”
“Life’s a competition,” Gavin replies with a soft laugh. “One has to always keep their eye on the ball.”
“How’s Leia doing?” Lucas asks, inquiring about his daughter.
“She’s good. The baby and my wife are both good and resting,” Gavin replies, then glances at me. “There was a little complication at birth. Leon turned and insisted coming out with his feet forward. I’m glad that Helia was there, otherwise, we might be having a different conversation right now.”
I subtly nod at Gavin, accepting his wordless gratitude. We’re a family and while there might be some healthy competition between us, we won’t let any outside force hurt us. Not if we can help it.
Looking around the room at my entire family, both close and extended, I feel at peace. My heart is content, and my chest feels light.
We’ve been through a lot together. At times, it felt as if we were fighting each other. What matters is that when push came to shove, we found ourselves standing side-by-side.
This is the family that we became. This is the family that baby Leon was born into. This is the community that all our kids will grow up in. It will be one of peace, prosperity, and happiness. It will be something that Helia and I can be proud of, a place where we will all belong.
Long live the happiness! my wolf exclaims, joining the celebrations and sending a wave of pure joy through my body.
EPILOGUE
Helia
Grayden opens the car door for me and offers me his hand to help me out. Our fingers intertwine when I take it. My toes curl when he winks. He looks dashing in his tailored grey suit with a brilliant white shirt and black tie. I still can’t believe that this handsome man is all mine and only mine. Now and forever.
“I booked the entire terrace just for us,” Grayden tells me as we ride the elevator up to the top floor.
“You didn’t need to do that,” I tell him with a gentle squeeze of his hand.
The hostess leads us past the busy restaurant floor to an empty terrace with only one table for two and a set of colorful romantic lights woven around the roof’s beams. A single red rose in a glass vase has been set in the middle of the table. A bottle of wine has already been opened to breathe and as soon as we step toward the table, a tall waiter takes over for the hostess.
“It’s the one-year anniversary of the day we met,” Grayden tells me with a small smile. “One year since you saved my life.”
“Thank you,” I say to the waiter when he fills up my glass. I lift it and clink it with Grayden’s. “We’ve been through a lot this past year, but I think I can honestly say that we came out on the other side as better versions of ourselves.”
“I can’t argue with that,” Grayden replies and takes a sip. “Although, I’m not sure that Alyssa can be called kind.”
“It’s the hormones,” I comment. “Once she gives birth, she’ll be back to normal.”
“Fair enough,” Grayden agrees with a low chuckle. “What’s Garren’s excuse then?”
I roll my eyes. “If I haven’t seen with my own eyes how your relationship with your brothers has improved, I might actually be worried about some of your jokes.”
“No need for that, dear,” Grayden assures me with a wink, then turns a shade more serious. “I am very proud of him, though. He and Alyssa really took the kingdom to a whole new level. Even my parents were able to take a vacation. Just imagine my mother’s face as she treks through the Amazon Rainforest.”
“I’m more interested to see how your father is faring,” I reply with a little laugh. Grayden grins at the mere thought of it. “He must really love her to follow her on her adventures.”
“Sometimes I doubted it and even wondered why she stayed by his side, but now I know that they truly care about each other,” Grayden agrees. “Did you see Gavin yesterday? He looked better, yeah?”
“Leia did mention that Leon was sleeping through the night when I stopped by the Lafayette Manor to check on him. It would explain the bags under his eyes disappearing. I almost feel bad for his wolf for constantly trying to smooth them out,” I muse. “He must’ve cracked under pressure in sheer exhaustion.”
