Stoneface

Epilogue

Gwen relaxed on the upper porch, looking out over the valley from the comfort of her chair. Golden-hued shadows were lengthening as they stretched across the landscape. She’d just submitted her fourth Pellington Pack novel to her publisher.

Shelaine and her horndog shape-shifter mates couldn’t even begin to keep up with Gwen’s real-life hunks.

She smiled at that thought.

Liam sat at the patio table, headphones on, iPod blaring and totally engrossed in his work. Late in the summer, while the daytime temperatures had reached nearly ninety, it was already pleasantly cool and would drop to almost chilly levels by the middle of the night.

Tim emerged through the sliders, drinks in both his hands. A beer for himself, iced tea for her. He handed it to her and took a seat next to her. He propped his feet up on the railing and slung an arm across her shoulders. “How you doing?”

“I’m okay.”

“Jack called a few minutes ago. He said your mom’s plane was a few minutes late, but they’re on their way.”

“Oh, good.”

She and Liam had built a good rapport with their mother over the past few months. Gwen could honestly say she was looking forward to her visit.

“And,” he playfully teased, “he said there’s a surprise.”

Her stomach rolled. She rested her hand on her belly. “What kind of surprise?” she nervously asked.

“Good surprise.”

“I should get dinner started.”

“Nope. I’m taking care of it, I told you that.”

The men had spoiled her rotten. Their wedding just days after their return to Rapid City had been a quiet, small civil ceremony with Liam, Pete, Jack’s father, and Celia present. Both men wore wedding rings.

Tim rubbed her belly. “You doing okay?”

“No morning sickness tonight, if that’s what you mean.” Now four months along, her baby bump was more like a baby mountain, in her opinion. The men had wasted no time getting her knocked up.

Not that she was complaining.

She was the happiest she’d ever been in her life.

After a few minutes, Tim returned inside to start dinner and Liam shut down his laptop. “You excited?”

“Yeah, I’ve missed her. I’m glad she came around.”

A shadow of a frown crossed his face. Their father had sent them a scathing letter, essentially disowning them unless Liam “repented” his homosexuality and Gwen gave up her “whorish ways.”

It didn’t surprise them in the least when their mom moved in with Ruthie a week later and filed for divorce. They couldn’t blame her. It saddened them to lose contact with their father, but they were relieved that a healthy bridge had finally been built between them and their mother.

Gwen had even managed to forgive Amy. She’d started e-mailing with her a few times a week.

Liam moved his stuff inside. Gwen waddled in behind him and sat at the kitchen table. When the front door opened a few minutes later, she heard Jack’s voice call out.

“We’re home!”

She was starting to stand when her mom hustled through the kitchen doorway, a bright smile on her face. “Gee! Oh my gosh, look at you!” Her mom engulfed her in a huge hug.

“Hi, Mom.”

Her mom touched her belly. “How’s my grandson?”

Gwen smiled and patted her tummy. “Already kicking up a storm.”

“Good.”

Gwen heard more voices and was shocked to see Ruthie appear in the doorway. “Oh my god!” Gwen hurried over and hugged her. “You sneak! I didn’t know you were coming, too!”

“Well, how the hell else am I supposed to give you a baby shower?”

“This was the surprise?” she asked Tim, who looked a little nervous.

“Um, sort of.”

Amy, holding Chesley in her arms, appeared in the doorway. “Hi, Gee.”

Gwen’s first instinct was to be mad that she’d shown up, too, then she stopped herself. No matter how mad she’d been at her sister in the past, she still loved her.

And she had missed her.

She opened her arms to Amy, who stepped into her embrace. “Thank you for coming.”

Amy broke down crying. “I’m so sorry, Gee,” she whispered. “I miss you guys so much. I’m sorry I screwed things up so badly.”

Their mom took Chesley and everyone left the kitchen, leaving the sisters alone.

“If it means anything,” Amy said, “I told Ruthie I was sorry, too. And I mean it.”

“I know. She told me.” That was the only reason Gwen could forgive her sister, because Ruthie and Gwen had several long, tearful conversations about it.

Gwen still wasn’t fond of Bob, and she and Ruthie had dubbed him Bastardo, but she would never call him that in front of her niece. She’d always be pleasant to him in front of the baby.

Didn’t mean she wouldn’t call him that in private.

And Ruthie was happy with Charlie. They’d gotten engaged and were talking about him possibly moving in with her in a few months. They both wanted to take things slow, but Gwen’s mom had reported that she thought they were perfect together.

Gwen didn’t know, didn’t want to know, the details of how Amy and Bob hooked up in the first place. All she knew was that she would hold her temper for the sake of the little girl she’d grown to love. Her unborn son’s cousin.

She didn’t know which man was her baby’s father. They’d figure it out after he was born. Not that it mattered, because his last name would be Ellis-Kelly.

After dinner, they all gathered in the living room to talk and catch up. Chesley wandered around between her three uncles. Gwen was hit by the thought that this was how a normal, healthy family did things.

Her eyes grew misty, but this time, they were happy tears.

She blamed her pregnancy hormones.

Liam, sitting next to her, smiled and gently nudged her. “You all right, Gee?”

She leaned her head on his shoulder. “Yeah. I’m all right.”

He kissed the top of her head and slung an arm around her shoulders. Jack and Tim were on the floor with Chesley, showing her how to build a Lego car. Liam whispered in Gwen’s ear, “You did good, Gee. They’re going to be great dads.”

“You’d be a great dad, too, you know. You could always adopt.”

“Maybe one day. For now, I’m happy to be Uncle Liam. Besides, you’ll need me around to babysit. I have a feeling those boys are going to want a houseful of kids.”

She smiled. “You might be right about that, bro.”

“That’ll make Mom happy.”

Gwen grinned. “It’ll make Dad blow his top.”

They stared at each other and burst out laughing. “All the more reason to do it,” she said.

They watched the men and the baby for another moment. “How does it feel to write yourself a happy ending?” he whispered in her ear.

“Damn good,” she whispered back. “Really damn good.”

THE END

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