At the end of the week, it was time for them to collect their family. Jacob was beside himself with joy knowing that Darren was going to take him home with him forever. It was the best gift anyone could have ever given him, and Aaron and Kelly were pleased to have been able to provide that for him.
Kelly had a secret however, that she had been wanting to tell. But she didn’t want to take any of the excitement away from the new addition to their family, so she decided to wait until a good time to tell everybody.
“Darren!” Jacob exclaimed.
“Hey buddy. Are you ready to come with me now?”
Kelly smiled at the huge eyes on the child. She and Darren had been hard at work all week as they attempted to create a safe and comfortable space for Jacob to begin to spend his days. The guestroom that she had originally stayed in was designated for Jacob, and all of the extra things had been moved into a different room down the hallway.
“Yes!” Jacob exclaimed. I have always wanted to see where you live! Now I get to live there too! This is the best day of my life! And I get to have a friend.”
He turned his eyes to Kelly and smiled. “If you guys get married, then you will be my mother.”
The simple statement sent a surge of warmth through Kelly’s body, and she smiled deeply at the man. “Yes, if I married Darren, then we would all be a family.
“Speaking of that,” Darren said, shifting with a sly smile on his face. “Do you remember what we talked about buddy?”
Jacob nodded and ran out of the room. Kelly followed him with her eyes, confusion and amusement etched on her features. “What’s that about?” She asked Darren.
But Darren only smiled mysteriously. When Jacob arrived again, he was carrying a small bag. He handed it to her and she looked inside. Inside was a note.
We are all going to be a family soon. Why not make it official? Marry me and make me the happiest man on earth. And if you can’t say no to Jacob, then you shouldn’t be able to say no to me.
“Here, I’m supposed to give you this and you get to think about it and tell us what you decide.”
Kelly looked at Jacob in a daze as he offered her a small box. He bounded over to Darren’s side and they both stared at her expectantly. She opened the box slowly, her heart pounding wildly at the sight of a beautiful wedding ring made with sacred shifter gemstones.
“Are you sure?” She asked, her voice hushed.
Jacob and Darren were huddled beside each other, smiling in anticipation and excitement. They really wanted her to say yes.
“We are sure. We want our family to be whole, and the whole family includes you.”
“Yes,” she said, walking over to Darren, and embracing him and Jacob into her body. “I guess there is something that I should tell you guys as well. For our family to be whole, there’s going to be another edition. I’m pregnant. I’m going to have a baby.”
Jacob let out a gasp of disbelief and stared from Darren to Kelly, to Kelly’s stomach, in shock.
“You mean I’m going to have a baby sister or brother?” He asked, gazing up at them in complete excitement.
“That’s right,” Kelly said, holding her family tight against her body again. “You are going to be a big brother.”
“And my son,” Darren said, ruffling his hair again.
“And my son,” Kelly added, laughing, and swooping down to kiss the top of the little boy’s head.
They walked out of the children’s home together, chattering animatedly as they made their way to Darren’s car.
“I can’t believe that I’m going to be a big brother,” Jacob said, gazing at Kelly in disbelief from the back seat as they all got settled in. “This is the best day ever!”
Darren and Kelly laughed at the little boy’s words and Darren started the car. “If you think that’s good, you should see what your bedroom looks like. All baseball!”
Kelly and Darren had picked everything out themselves and set it up, and now she smiled privately to the man she loved and gripped his hand.
“I wanted to tell you sooner, but I wanted Jacob to know the same time. We’re going to have to set up a room for the new baby.”
“No, you don’t!” Jacob said quickly. “The baby can sleep in my room. I don’t mind! I will share all my things!”
Darren smiled serenely at the sound of the little boy’s happiness and Kelly chuckled. “That is a good idea, but we don’t want you to get bothered when the baby starts to cry. We will give it its own room.”
“That’s right,” Darren said, reaching over to grab her hand as he drove them back down the mountain to his home. “We will give these two children everything we could ever possibly give them. Because we are capable of it.”
“I want a baseball bat,” Jacob said decidedly. “What do you two want?”
Kelly smiled as she looked from Darren to the young man to the mound that had suddenly shown up in her abdomen a few days beforehand. Her pregnancy was already well underway, as the shifter children always grew and developed faster than normal human children. She was already having food cravings and tremendous nausea. But she was thrilled and happy.
“I don’t know, Jacob,” she said, touching her stomach, and squeezing the hand of the man she loved most in the world. “It seems like everything I could ever possibly want is right here in this car. I love you all.”
Darren and Jacob both smiled and they sat in a comfortable silence as they headed down the road. When they made it back to Darren’s house, Jacob ran inside, and Kelly and Darren laughed at his enthusiasm. He wanted to see everything. But especially his very own bedroom.
“Oh cool!” they heard him exclaim as he stepped inside. They exchanged happy looks and Darren looked down at Kelly’s stomach, pressing a palm against it.
“So, I’m going to be a father?” he asked her quietly, his eyes flashing with happiness.
“Yes,” Kelly said. “A biological father too.”
“That reminds me,” Darren sad. “I have one more surprise.”
Kelly frowned. “What?”
Darren walked over to the desk and handed her a thick envelope.
“What’s this?” she asked quietly.
“I was speaking with one of the shifters I know. He’s a professor. I want you to look through this and tell me which school you want to go to. You should have an education. You should be happy here. Truly happy. Not just happy to be here and have us. But something you can be proud of and passionate about outside of us and for yourself. Just like you always dreamed of.”
Kelly’s eyes welled with tears and she gazed at the man before her, awestruck by how lucky she was. She tried to open her mouth to articulate it, but no sounds came out. She just stared.
“Thank you,” she finally whispered.
“You’re more than welcome. I love that we did this,” Darren said softly. “This is the family I have always wanted.”
“Me too,” Kelly said.
They embraced, and Darren dropped his lips onto Kelly’s. they held each other close as they kissed; a tender and passionate kiss that brought all of Kelly’s feelings to the surface. She was finally happy. Everything she had ever wanted had somehow managed to culminate right here on Oak Mountain.
She held Darren close and gazed into his eyes, happy tears springing to her eyes. “I love you,” she said softly, pressing a tender kiss against him.
“I love you too,” he said.
“I love you three!” Jacob exclaimed, jogging toward them from the staircase. They laughed and included their son in their embrace. All they could ever want was under their roof.
THE END