“Give me five minutes,” he murmurs into my hair. “Then it’s your turn.”
“You don’t have to—”
“I want to. You’re my whole world now, Fern. You and this baby.” His hand slides down to rest on my stomach. “And I’m going to spend every day for the rest of my life proving it to both of you.”
I snuggle closer to him, feeling warm, safe, and completely loved.
“I’m going to hold you to that.”
“I’m counting on it.”
Epilogue - Connor
My daughter has my eyes.
She’s barely a month old, wrapped in a soft white blanket and cradled against Fern’s chest, but I can already see it. The same shade of blue. The same curious way of studying everything around her, like she’s trying to figure out the world one piece at a time.
“Stop staring,” Fern teases without looking up. “You’re making me nervous.”
“I’m not staring at you. I’m staring at her.”
“You’re staring at both of us.”
“Can you blame me?” I reach out and brush my finger against our daughter’s cheek, marveling at how soft her skin is. “You two are the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen.”
Fern finally lifts her head, and her smile makes my heart stutter the same way it did the first time I saw her. “You’re ridiculous.”
“I’m in love. There’s a difference.”
“Is there?”
“Not really, no.”
She laughs, and the sound echoes through the small room where we’re waiting. Beyond the door, I can hear the sound of voices as the pack gathers in the Hollow. They’re all out there—Nic and Luna, Skylar and Dylan, Thomas and James, every member of Silvercreek who could make it tonight. All of them are waiting for us.
Waiting for this.
“Are you nervous?” I ask.
“A little,” Fern admits. “Is that stupid? We’re already mated. We’ve been together for over a year now. This is just… a formality.”
“It’s not stupid. And it’s not just a formality.” I move closer and wrap my arm around her shoulders, pulling both her and the baby against my side. “The first ceremony was about the lottery. About tradition and obligation. This one is different.”
“How?”
“This one is about choice. About standing in front of everyone we care about and saying that we choose each other. Not because some ancient ritual told us to, but because we want to.” I press a kiss to the top of her head. “Because I can’t imagine my life without you anymore.”
Fern leans into me, and I feel some of the nervousness drain out of her body. “When did you get so good with words?”
“I’ve been practicing.”
“Practicing?”
“I wrote down what I wanted to say tonight about fifty times. Kept throwing it away and starting over because nothing sounded right.”
“Connor.” She tilts her head back to look at me. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“Yes, I did. You deserve the perfect words, Fern. You deserve everything perfect.” I glance down at our daughter, who has started to squirm in her blanket. “Both of you do.”
