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“Jo,” my mom chokes as she pulls me into her warm arms.
I melt into her embrace, crying happy tears. My dad wraps us in a tight hug, kissing the top of my head. “Welcome home, baby girl.”
“You guys up for snuggling your grandbabies,” Maceo says. We all turn to see him holding Cruz and Easton in his massive arms.
My parents drop me like a hot potato and scoop up the twins. They can’t seem to get their hands on them fast enough. Can’t say I blame them; the boys are super adorable.
Punk and Gauge come into the living room, hauling tons of gear from the mission. As soon as Opal sees Gauge, she pounces on him.
“Shit,” Gauge chuckles as he teeters. The weight of his pack throws him off balance, causing him to fall backward with Opal on top of him. All you hear is their laughter from behind the couch.
“Get a room,” Punk grumbles, dropping his load on the floor. He throws an arm around my shoulder and pulls me over to the bar. “You’re pumping and dumping tonight.”
“Hells yeah,” Maceo says, lifting me to sit on top of the bar.
“HOOYAH,” the rest of the crew shouts, charging the bar to pick their poison.
A shot of bourbon is shoved in my hand, but my attention is elsewhere. “Where’s Hades?”
My dad rubs the back of his head. “He’s not been the same since you were taken. Runt refuses to leave his side, and Hades won’t leave Opal and Gauge’s room. The vet has come out to headquarters to check him, but she said there’s physically nothing wrong with him, just severely depressed.”
Well, there’s no need for him to be anymore. “Hades! Runt!”
The house begins to rumble. Jesus, you’d think a herd of elephants lived upstairs. My boy comes flying down the stairs with a streak of silver racing after him.
“Ah, fuck.” Maceo throws back his shot and steps in front of me with his arms out and ready.
Hades flies into his arms, rocking my husband into the bar. My big boy tries to crawl over Maceo’s shoulders to get at me, licking the air in my direction.
Hopping off the bar, I get down on my knees. Maceo sets him down and he immediately sits in my lap, attacking me with kisses.
“Mommy missed you too, big boy.” I rub him down, feeling the tension leave his tight muscles. Runt runs around in circles, too excited to settle down for cuddles. Since I last saw her, she’s grown significantly, still small but bigger than the puppy I remember. When she finally settles, I’m able to love on her, alternating between petting both my fur babies.
Hades sniffs the air and turns his head toward the sitting area. I follow his line of sight and notice he’s spotted the twins. Maceo helps me up and we walk the dogs over to the babies.
Cautiously, Hades approaches. The closer he gets, the more he drops ‘till he’s belly crawling. Once he’s next to them, he turns his belly up, showing his submission. He and Runt look between the twins then up at me. Their nubby tails wiggle with excitement.
“Hades. Runt. Meet your baby brothers.”
Unable to resist himself, Hades’s big tongue swipes out at their heads, giving them giant cowlicks. Runt sits up on her hind legs like she is begging for a treat.
Maceo wraps his arms around me from behind, his shoulders shaking with amusement. “They’re too little to play, but soon they’ll be crawling after you.”
All around me, I see our family and friends gathered together. Captain Warren strides into the room and leans over the couch where my parents are cuddling the babies. He smiles at them before winking at Maceo. Red is bouncing in place, eager to get a turn with the twins. Ebony is at the bar with Tony and the rest of the crew, throwing drinks back and putting the men to shame. Candy sits in the corner with Butch, their heads bent together in deep conversation. Lloyd jokes about the mess his barbershop is going to look like after cleaning up all the crew. Darnel is convincing my husband he needs to do an inked piece for our boys. And I’m snug against the love of my life, safe in his arms.
A little over a year ago, before Maceo, my life felt empty and my future was uncertain. I thought I needed to be alone, to build my life and business by myself. To think a chance encounter on a running trail would lead me to a dream life with Maceo. He gave me his heart, shared his soul, and built a world with me—one I never knew I wanted but grew to love. All the puzzle pieces have finally come together to show how perfect life can be.
I’m truly blessed.
Maceo holds me tight, laughing at the jokes his crew is making, smiling brighter than the sun. My heart swells in my chest, filling me with warmth.
Life is good, but life is wondrous with Maceo.
