EPILOGUE
Avery rushed down the hall. Okay, rushed wasn’t the right word. She padded quickly but stopped every few moments when little Rylee squirmed in her arms. The baby didn’t enjoy her sleep time being disturbed, but Avery had missed little Noah’s first birthday two months ago, when she and Jae had been on their honeymoon.
They’d decided to have a small ceremony in New York on Jae’s yacht over a sunset cruise of lower Manhattan. It had been beautiful to do in spring. But leaving right after to their honeymoon in Thailand meant she didn’t get to enjoy little Noah’s big day. She’d been dying to see the big portrait Morgan had ordered of Noah from a professional photographer.
It was amazing how big that castle was. The more she walked with her chunky bundle in her arms, the more she realized she was in for a hell of a lot of exercise. The place was massive. They were all able to have giant suites there and still not bump into each other unless they chose to. Or by chance, which happened a lot when they all went searching for coffee in the kitchen every morning.
Ker was the earliest riser or better said, the last one to go to bed, so he always had several fresh pots brewed for them all. She finally reached the family room, where portraits of the brothers and their family lined the walls. The paintings were clearly done by an artist and everyone wore their best outfits.
Then there was Noah. A giant eight-by-ten-foot framed portrait of him hung between the older family photos. It was so funny it brought a huge smile to Avery’s face. She had a hard time swallowing the giggle that kept trying to escape her.
The portrait was hysterical and adorable. Noah sat in little shorts with a half-destroyed cake in front of him, the number one looking like it was ready to fall over. The boy’s upper body was bare, his hands mouth and cheeks full of frosting and a six tooth smile wide on his lips, his beautiful golden eyes bright with his little dragon.
“That has to be the cutest thing in the world.”
Morgan and Lexi turned around to look at her, their gazes on the baby. They both made grabby hands but Morgan got to her first, so she got Rylee first.
“Come on, Morgan,” Lexi whined. “It’s my turn to hold her. You had her the longest yesterday.”
“I don’t know why either of you are trying to hold Rylee when she should be visiting with her Nana this morning.”
Nana came in behind Avery.
“Sorry, Nana,” Avery said. “I just wanted to see this portrait before I came by to drop her off.”
“It’s okay, child. I am happy to wait to spend some time with my newest bebé.”
Morgan handed Lexi baby Rylee and they all watched Lexi cuddle her.
“Where are the kids?” Nana asked Morgan and Lexi.
“The playroom with their dads,” Morgan said.
The play room was a set of four rooms they had converted into the biggest little kid playground in the castle. It was in the first level so the loud playing didn’t bother anyone.
Nana raised her brows at Lexi and Morgan. “You two should be sleeping. Resting. Those little ones will drain all the energy out of you,” she said, pointing at their pregnant bellies. Both Morgan and Lexi were expecting again. Only this time Morgan was having a girl and Lexi a boy. They were only off by a few days so they were always talking about who would give birth first.
“We’re going,” Lexi grinned. “I wanted to see Rylee and this portrait of Noah is priceless.”
Morgan tapped her cheek in thought. “I think it will be fun to fill this room with portraits of our babies and their daddies. Nothing so formal like their parents did with them, but fun real moments.”
Avery agreed. She’d already ordered her first framed photo of Jae and Rylee. He’d fallen asleep with her snuggled up on his chest. It was one of the cutest moments she’d seen between father and daughter. She’d taken a candid and had it framed for their suite.
“All right. Now that I have you three here, there is something I need to tell you. Why I came back to earth.”
They listened to her quietly.
“Your babies. They are Drachen. That means they will need to learn to shift. The dragon will not want to be let out until they are close to two years old, but the dragon will want out. That means your children will need me here to walk them through this.”
“Is it dangerous?”
Nana nodded. Avery appreciated the woman’s candidness. “Yes, but I can reach their dragons like no one else can. Their fathers should be able to reach their animals to an extent with their own, but I can help them shift back to human if something goes wrong. If I hadn’t come and one of them couldn’t figure out how to shift back, they could die.”
“Oh god,” Morgan whimpered, taking a seat. In fact, they all sat once they heard that.
“No need to worry, my children. I am here to help.”
“But what if something happens and you’re not there for one of them?” Morgan asked, panic in her voice. “What do we do then?”
Nana looked at each of them in the eyes before replying. “A mother will always know by instinct how to save her children. If it gets to that, the answer will come to you. Believe me. Your bond and connection with your children is stronger than any I have with their dragons. You are not without your own powers. The longer you are mated to your Drachen men, the stronger you all become.”
Avery, Lexi and Morgan all nodded. They glanced at each other quietly. They all knew that their children and their husbands were the most important people in their lives, but at least they were reassured if Nana wasn’t around, they would be able to help their babies.
Avery’s cell phone started buzzing. She pulled it out of her pocket. Jae was waiting for her outside.
“Where are you two going on your date?” Lexi asked with a grin.
“He’s flying me to do a picnic at a lake he swears I’m going to love.”
Morgan snorted. “AKA he’s going to take you to a lake to get you naked.”
They all laughed, but Avery had a feeling she was right. “After that we’re going to visit my mom at her new private living community.”
“How is she liking it there now?” Lexi asked. “I know she’s only been a few weeks, but has she adjusted?”
Avery nodded. “Yes, thank god. I worried for a while, but they treat her so well that she loves it there. She’s made friends and the security is top notch, which means I don’t have to worry she’ll up and leave and nobody will know where she is.”
Her mom had given both her nurse and Avery such a big scare one day when she disappeared over night, that they’d decided the private elderly community with medical help was the right place for her.
Star and Chris asked to buy their house, but now that she and Jae split their time between the castle and all his properties, she saw no sense in keeping it. She gifted it to them as a wedding present. It worked out great because they rented one level and lived on another so when Chris was away on work, Star didn’t feel completely alone.
Avery still had to ask Jae to have Star flown to the castle on weeks Chris was out of town. She got to spend time with the women and the babies. She was an amazing babysitter.
“Go,” Morgan said, cutting into Avery’s thoughts. “We’ll all take care of Rylee. Stop worrying.”
They’d decided on doing weekly dates. Everyone babysat for everyone else. It’s what made their dates comfortable. They trusted each other with their children. They were a big family.
She rushed over to Lexi and gave Rylee another kiss. Then she turned to Nana. “I’ll come get her from you later.”
Nana winked and smiled. “Go, have fun. Make another little one with your man. Help us grow the Drachen name again.”
“Since you put it that way,” she giggled and ran out to hoots of laughter from the other women.
Once in the back yard, Jae was there. She threw herself in his arms and hugged him tight. She could honestly say she didn’t foresee growing tired of this man. Her feelings for him had been enhanced by the mate mark, but she already knew she loved him from the moment she met him.
After a deep, hungry kiss, he met her gaze. “I got the picnic basket and a blanket in the duffel bag. I just need to strip and shift and we can go.” He stopped when he noticed her staring at him. “Are you okay?”
She nodded, happiness filling her heart to near bursting. “More than okay. I love you. I don’t even know how to explain how much.”
He cupped her cheek, pushing her long red and brown curls back and holding her captive with his golden stare. “I love you, too, Avery. From the first moment I saw you, I knew no one else could ever take your place in my heart.”
She smiled. “I know. Love at first sight does exist. I know because it happened to us.”
THE END