My dad is glowing. He keeps wiping away tears of joy. I know he’s been waiting twenty-two years for this moment, for the day his oldest son and only omega would find his happiness and reconcile with us. He dreamed of this for years.
River’s sons crowd around the couple too, wrapping them both in tight hugs. It’s really sweet to see how much harmony there is in their family and how well River’s kids have been raised. And it’s surprising, in a good way, how even though Archer is so young, everyone respects him and treats him like a real father, not some patch-on stepfather.
Finally it’s my turn. I walk up with Alex, and I give my brother a tight hug.
"Congratulations, River. I wish you both all the happiness in the world and a lot of joy with the kids," I say. River lifts those big dark green-blue eyes to my face.
"It was you, wasn’t it?" he whispers so quietly only I can hear it. "You’re the one who called Thomas."
My smile turns sad. "I hope you can forgive me, River, but the current of Fate demanded it. It had to steer us all to this point, and I was only his… dark messenger."
A tear slips down River’s cheek.
"It all could have gone differently. But these were my mistakes, the ones that set everything in motion. It’s a hard life lesson, realizing that not everything that glitters is gold. I let myself get swept up in a reckless impulse of youth, convinced I had the world in my hands, and I paid for it dearly for years."
I nod slowly. "Well, that’s one of the hardest lessons of adulthood, one we all have to face," I sigh. "But what matters most to me is that you’re happy now, that your family is safe, and that Archer is genuinely a great guy."
River quickly wipes the tear from his cheek, then pulls me into a tight hug.
"Thank you, Bay. You have no idea how happy I am to be part of this family again. I missed all of you so much through those years."
I nudge him lightly in the side.
"Hey, at least I’m not the only redhead in this family anymore. We’re a tiny redhead gang again, you and me," I say with a wink.
River laughs, and I’m honestly happy, seeing the cheerful energy radiating off him. It feels like something has finally settled in our family.
Alex and I step aside.
The garden is filled with small and bigger tables, and people are gathering around them. There are a lot of guests.
To my surprise, I notice name cards on the tables. Dad seated Alex and me at the same table as… Summer and Snow. What a twist.
Their twins, Wind and Wave, now over a year old, are playing next to them in a shallow little warm-water pool with tiny streams flowing from the sides. The kids splash and giggle.
These last six months since Gem was born, Alex and I have been busy, caught up in being new parents, completely fascinated with our little Gem, deeply in love with his tiny being. I didn’t have much time to build any deeper bond with my older brother…
But maybe at an event like this, I could try to bury the hatchet?
The impulse hits me.
We start eating, and I watch him. I see the way his violet eyes soften whenever they rest on Summer, who’s a little shy and keeps sneaking uncertain glances at me, like he’s afraid we’ll end up in another one of those weird apocalyptic showdowns I once won against him…
At one point, I catch Snow looking at me with an expression different from what he usually had. There used to be distance and… resistance in his eyes, a kind of quiet distrust, but today there’s something like ease there.
Snow leans a little toward Alex, who’s sitting closer to him, and looks at Gem’s face.
Gem’s eyes are just like Alex’s but also… kind of similar to Snow’s.
A small smile appears on Snow’s face as he reaches out and gently brushes his hand over my son’s cheek.
"He’s adorable," he says.
Alex suddenly speaks up, "Want to hold your nephew?"
Snow raises his brows a little, and Summer glances at him too.
"Sure."
