Chapter 100

Renee’s POV

One Year Later

The doorbell chimes and echoes throughout our tall white ceilings.

“I’ll get it!” Debbie says while running to the foyer. She’s seven years old but is already a head taller than all her peers, her long shapely legs allow her to make vast strides and she’s out of the living room where Eric, Liam, and I still remain on the floor.

Liam squeals with delight and flaps his chubby arms. He’s so darn cute.

“They’re here!” Debbie’s voice sounds a second layer. Eric gives me a playfully sarcastic shocked expression.

I laugh and toss the back of my hand against his chest. “I’ll go get them,” I say and rise to my feet. Eric hurries to help me stance. “I’m only in the first trimester,” I tell him, “I’m fully capable of getting up on my feet,”

Eric ignores me. Considering how traumatic Liam’s birth went he’s been extra cautious despite the fact that Liam has is perfectly healthy and exactly within normal range of his peers. Still, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy Eric’s attentiveness.

Liam lifts his little arms up signaling that he wants to be picked up. Eric scoops him up and we go to meet Debbie in the foyer.

Emily and Jasper stand hand in hand and listen to Debbie as she tells them all about her new school and new friends she’s making. Emily sees me and throws her arms around me.

“Your new house is so cute!” She exclaims. I smile proudly.

“It’s not done yet,” I say modestly but the truth is, it’s near perfect.

We decided that after everything that happened and all the press that it would be best to move. That old house has too many bad memories, starting from when I decided to leave Eric, maybe even before then.

Besides it was too big, too flashy. It was too Mia. Eric and I bought a house twenty miles away from the city.

It’s a Victorian-cottage hybrid and it’s gorgeous. The house exceptional detail is evident in the handcrafted wood on the railings, gold molded-tile ceilings, butcher counter tops, original hardwood flooring, and floor to ceiling gothic windows.

The best part is that that it’s tucked into a Forrest with a river that runs through our backyard. Nothing has been better for the flourishing of our inner wolves.

“Could’ve fooled me!” Emily brushes me off and gives Eric a friendly hug just as Jasper shakes his brothers hand. They’re relationship has thawed in the past year, but it’s still a little icy. After all, they’ve spent more time as adversaries than brothers but I believe in time they’ll forget their past.

“How’s Mark?” Eric asks. It isn’t lost on me that he won’t call Mark his father, but still cares enough to check-in on me.

“Apologetic,” Jasper says.

“Good,” Eric says trying to sound indifferent, but I notice the catch in his voice. Maybe no one else does, but that’s just what happens when your fated bond is strong.

After a beat too long, Emily breaks the silence. “Anyway,” she draws out and wiggles her fingers on her left hand so that a large diamond ring sparkles in beneath the candle chandelier. I gasp and take her hand into mine.

“No way,” I say as I inspect the rock that somehow sits on a dainty gold band. I look between Jasper and Emily my mouth hanging open. Jasper couldn’t hide his smile even if he tried, which he isn’t.

“Asked her last night. Nearly had a heart attack while doing so,”

“Well, it’s a good thing you’re a doctor!” Emily says pressing her back into his chest and examine her ring for probably the millionth time she n the last twenty-four hours, but she looks just as enamored with it as I’m sure she did when Jasper popped the question.

“Congratulations, man.” Eric says this time pulling Jasper in for a bro-hug.

Emily and I glance at one another with raised eyebrows and instantly can read each others expressions- not fated-mates, just best friends.

“So,” Jasper says awkwardly. “Do you think you’d be my best man?” Jasper blurts out and my heart stops as he extends this olive branch. Please say yes, Eric. Please”

“Of course,” Eric smiles easy. We erupts into applause. Emily beams at me.

“And will you-?”

“Yes!” I cut her off. “Of course!” I throw my arms around her. I’m so happy for my best friend.

“Can we eat, I’m starving,” Debbie whines.

“You gotta stop growing them!” Jasper teases her and Debbie sticks her tongue out at him.

We fill into the spacious kitchen and circle around the circular island in the middle of the room. Eric pops some champagne causing the cork to go flying and the golden fizz to overflow on the floor. The sudden pop causes Liam to cry. But despite the mess, I can’t stop smiling.

Emily gushes about the proposal story, explaining how she started the night furious because Jasper was running late and couldn’t even bother to call.

“You’d know something was up the second you heard my voice on the phone!” Jasper explains.

“I knew something was up the literal minute you were late,” Emily points out and I don’t doubt that for a second.

Emily’s story is interrupted by the sound of Eric’s phone ringing. “Sorry,” he murmurs and turns it off.

“Do you need to get that?” I ask, but Eric chakra his head.

“Family is more important than work,” he says and puts his hand over mine. “Besides, the call will be directed over to Andrew if I don’t answer,”

I nod in gratitude. Eric’s business has been flourishing, we’ve needed to delegate the work and now Andrew is Eric’s assistant.

“By the way,” Emily interjects. “How is your work going?”

A smile spreads across my face. “Cmon, I’ll show you,”

I lead Emily upstairs to my art studio. It’s in a large room that overlooks our forest backyard. The tall canvases lean against the broad windows, smocks and buckets of paints are strewn across the floor. It sort of looks like a mess, but I know where everything is.

“This is the latest painting,” I show Emily. It’s a large canvass embodying a water-colored meadow.

“This is gorgeous,” Emily says bending at the waist to get a closer look. “Can I have it?”

I laugh. “Unfortunately no, this one is already sold,” I come to stand next to her. “Besides,” I tease, “you can’t afford it,”

Emily feigns insult. “Excuse me, I’m marrying a doctor,” I roll my eyes knowing that this won’t be the last time I hear that sentence. “Who bought it anyway?”

“Natalie,” I smile. Emily raises her eyebrows at me. “Yes, the one who also bought my business from me. She said the building needs a piece of me in it, so rather than a self-portraits I decided a field of flowers was more suitable.”

I had gotten so behind on all my design orders when everything started to come undone, then I’ve been on maternity leave- unexpectedly, and Natalie felt so horrible that someone was pretending to be her and it almost resulted in my death that I suppose the only way she felt she could apologize was through a very generous offer on my business.

I almost turned her down, but then I thought about it and realized I don’t want my own business anymore. I just want to create art and if I make money for that then that’s great- but Eric’s business is plenty successful enough for the both of us.

Now, I get to be with my children more.

“I like it,” Emily says.

“Me too,”