Page 45 of Wrong Number, Right Gray Wolf

My first thought was for my older daughter. She didn’t appear upset, but I had to check. “Are you disappointed it wasn’t you, sweetheart?”

Posy shook her head. “No, this is much better, and now I think my little sister is a fox too.” She attempted to make the same foxy chirr-chirr, and Evie giggled harder. Posy bounded around the floor, not looking like a fox, but the baby loved it.

Clyde chirr-chirred too, and Posy told him he didn’t sound like a fox at all. But Evie thought it was hysterical, and her plump cheeks were bright pink. He joined Posy on the floor and they both pretended to be foxes.

“Come on, Papa. Show us how to be a fox.”

I crawled onto the floor and let my beast give his genuine chirr-chirr. My mate and Posy followed me as I made my way around the couch, and Evie’s laughter accompanied our shenanigans.

When we were done, we all flopped on the floor and kissed the baby. She quietened and her eyes began to close.

“Nap time.” I picked her up as Clyde and Posy blew her kisses and waved.

Taking her upstairs to the nursery, I lay her in the crib Hari had made and ran my fingers over the fox and wolf prints he’d etched into the wood. Though Evie was asleep, I could still hear her laughter in my head. I stroked her messy hair and thought about how lucky I was.

That night the landline rang had led to this moment. One was a ring that changed my life, and now that memory was joined by Evie’s laughter, Posy’s jokes, and Clyde’s kisses.

EPILOGUE

CLYDE

“Daddy, hurry up! Evie and Papa are waiting for us!” Posy shouted, running out the back door with a book.

We were at the cabin the three of us had rented for that first weekend getaway together. Only now, it was no longer a rental. Around Evie’s fourth birthday, we got a notification that the place we’d come back to multiple times was no longer going to be for rent. The owner planned to retire and was going to sell.

It didn’t take long for Stephen and me to crunch the numbers and decide that it was meant to be.

And now we spent good chunks of time here in the summer when Posy, and now Evie, didn’t have school. Some of the time, Stephen or I would commute, but most of the time we were able to get enough internet here to telework. We loved it. It was our home away from home, and this week was going to be extra special because, if Stephen and I were sensing things correctly, Posy was about to go into her first shift.

I grabbed the bowl of fruit I’d been cutting and brought it outside. Stephen had the bubble machine going, and both girls were running around and chasing after them. When Posy set out to be the best big sister ever, she accomplished it, and that included doing what she’d normally have considered baby things, like chasing bubbles as a young teen.

“Look what I got,” I said, setting the bowl down.

Both girls came running, giving Stephen what I was sure was a much-needed break. He was well into his third trimester with twins, and as much as he loved running around and playing with the kids, he was tired pretty much all the time. The bubble machine had been a great find, letting him still actively play with them without wearing himself out.

I strongly suspected this would be our last week here until the babies came. I nearly said no to this trip. But the midwife had given the all-clear for this weekend, and we were only an hour away.

“Hello, mate.” Stephen set the bubble machine down and kissed my cheek. “Thanks for cutting up the fruit. I’ve been craving pineapple all day.”

He sat with the girls. We were talking about our plans for the rest of the afternoon when Posy stopped, picked her head up, and scented the air deeply. I’d never seen her do that before.

“Everything okay, honey?” I asked.

“Yeah, it was just… weird. All of a sudden, everything smelled… a lot.”

“Posy, honey,” Stephen called, getting her attention. “Does your skin feel tight? Like, when you move your fingers, does it feel like it’s being stretched?”

She picked her hand up and slowly made a fist. “It is.” She jumped up. “Do you think it’s time?”

“I think maybe.”

“Time for what?” Evie said, her face already a sticky mess from the strawberries. She might’ve been in kindergarten now, but she ate like a toddler.

“Big sis is going to let her wolf out.” Posy squeed.

Over the years, she’d talked a lot about what it would be like for her first shift, and the girl had a plan. It was going to be Stephen and me shifting alongside her, and we’d run around and play with Evie. That vision had never changed over the years, but with the twins on their way, it wasn’t possible.

“Can we watch you be fast?” Evie was bouncing on the balls of her feet, nearly as excited as Posy was.