AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Something in my heart tugs at the sight of them standing there, and I almost consider turning back.
“No,” I say, more to myself than to them. “You can’t keep me anymore. My home isn’t with you.”
Burn in Hell, motherfuckers.
Epilogue
JUDAS
Five yearslater
“Don’t go too far out, Jonah!” Raine calls towards the lake.
The little boy looks at her with a gap-toothed smile and laughs as he splashes in the water with his little orange floaties on his arms. He looks just like his mother, with his thick curly hair and big brown eyes. I’m surprised he doesn’t have an ounce of my or Micah’s genes.
Looking at Raine’s rounded belly, I wonder if our next one will.
After Raine’s deception that night, the three of us have created our own little piece of paradise out here on the lake. Life has been peaceful and rewarding: we have two kids, one on the way, and plenty more to come in the future.
The weeks after that night were rough for all of us, but five years later, I’m secure in the belief that Raine will never try it again. She was just feeling emotional that night, what with her being pregnant and everything. She made a mistake, a grave one that nearly cost Micah and me our lives.
I wasn’t sure we’d make it out of the house. Once I saw all the flames, I knew we were done for, but the strong winds made it harder for the fire to sustain itself.
It didn’t take long for us to find her, and when we did, we dragged her right back here, kicking and screaming. She wasn’t allowed out of the cage until she went into labor, and even after she gave birth, we forced her back inside. When we finally let her out, she was a completely different person—the one who’s now pregnant with our third child, and the most amazing mother to both of our kids.
The fire mostly scorched the ground around the house, but some of the flames licked the exterior. It didn’t take long for me to repaint the parts of the house that had been burned; you wouldn’t even be able to tell there was a fire here.
Once I’m done grilling the burgers, I walk over to my wife and place a hand on her shoulder. She looks up at me with so much love in her eyes that I know Micah and I have made the right decision to keep her.
She’sperfect.
Raine turns into my arms and snuggles closer to me. I pull her close and press a soft kiss to the top of her head, inhaling the sweet scent of her shampoo.
Kara, our daughter, toddles over to us with outstretched arms. I pick her up and pepper her cute, chubby face with kisses, making her squeal with delight. She’s the spitting image of her mother, too.
“Sides are ready,” Micah says as he walks out of the house with his arms full of dishes and plates. Raine hurries to help him before he drops it all and starts setting the picnic table. I hand Kara over to Micah and go to get Jonah out of the water for lunch.
The three of us adults work quickly to dry the kids off and get them settled at the table. I start making the plates and watch as Jonah plays with Raine’s hair, admire the way Micah comforts Kara when she falls off the bench.
Because the kids look so much like their mother, we have no clue who fathered which one. A part of me wonders sometimes, but it’s not something that keeps me up at night. Micah and I are the fathers of both children, and that’s all that matters.
After making the plates, I sit back and continue to watch my little family. I’m still in awe of the life we’ve created with each other out here on the island.
We have no plans to leave. We’ll raise the kids out here, and Raine will homeschool all of them. After that, we don’t know. We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.
