Butchered Beasts 1: Darren & EJ

Chapter 31: Epilogue

Darren POV

Six months later...

My wife, yes. My wife and I had just tied the knot a month ago. It took us four months of 'being official' before I admitted I planned to propose to her the night we were ambushed and she almost...ya know? That night, she told me to ask her. So,

I did. I went to our room, grabbed the ring box, and got down on one knee. I asked her to marry me. I also had gifts for the kids when I asked EJ. I got Emery a charm bracelet, and I'd gotten Calloway a watch. I wanted to get them something they could keep with them forever. Both of the items were too big for them now. So, I got them little ones they could wear now.

"A watch?" Calloway asked me.

"Because I feel it's time to be your stepdad. If you'll let me." I said, kneeling in front of this not-so-little, six-year-old boy. He looked at me, tears in his eyes.

"You want to be my dad? What about Emmy?"

"I got her a bracelet because I want to be her dad too." She was only three and didn't understand as much as her big brother did. She started crying because he was. I held my arms open and the kids walked right into them. Crying themselves to the point of exhaustion. We all cuddled on the couch watching movies until late that night.

We'd only taken a month to plan the wedding. Which we held here at the house. I hired a caterer and staff, Crew was the officiant, and we had the club and her family and friends there to watch us say "I do".

Now, here I was a month later, and my wife was calling me from work. There was a little boy whose foster home had sent him in and they said they didn't want him back. I knew she'd wanted to adopt. I wanted to adopt. We felt like one more would complete our family.

"He's a little boy, about a year. He was left at a firehouse by his bio dad after his mom was killed in a home invasion. She had a custom blanket made for him with his name on it. Can you please come meet him? Please?"

I reluctantly agreed and went to the hospital.

"Do they know who his parents were?"

She got quiet as we walked to the room where the little boy was. "I didn't know it at the time. Okay? I swear."

"Okay?" She knows this will be something I don't like. Fuck. Open mind. Keep. An. Open. Mind.

"I got attached to him. And he's attached to me. And he's such a sweet boy. I think he just needs love and a family to care for him like he's theirs. He's only one." She was pleading with me to keep an open mind.

"Please meet him first. Then I'll tell you." I nodded. EJ opened the door to the hospital room and there in one of those metal cribs that looked like cages so the kids couldn't crawl out, a little boy looked at me. He had dark hair and dark eyes. He looked familiar. He didn't spend more than a second looking at me as he beamed at EJ and reached out for her. She opened up the crib and got him out. He giggled and babbled at her. She brought him over to me, and he just stared at me. He stared into my eyes like he was trying to see if I was the right one for him. He looked back at EJ who just smiled at him, and he lunged for me.

Thankfully I caught him. He just giggled and smiled at me. Touching my face, and then he wrapped his little arms around my neck and buried his face in my shoulder.

"His name is Cedar. Destiny and Jed were his parents."

EJ POV

Two years later...

We were celebrating Christmas at our house. Crew, Keys, and Bear were with us, as were my family and all three of our kids. They got along so well; you'd never know they weren't biological siblings. Calloway was a moody eight-year-old, but he was going through a lot with school and being so much taller than everyone else. Emmy was in her first year of kindergarten and Cedar was in his first year of Pre-K. We'd had to do a lot of therapy with him to get him back to where he needed to be. Both of the kids helped us with it, making it into games instead of 'work to be done'.

Everyone was opening gifts, and Keys' seemed to be a bit off. Constantly check his phone. Darren said there was lady trouble. Crew was his normal quiet self, but he was extra awkward whenever Hunter was in the room. Darren was hyper-focused on me and the kids, making sure we all had a great Christmas. We couldn't wait for them to open their 'big gift'. They always got a book from us, something to do, something to wear, and an adventure.

We'd worked hard to plan this, so I hope they would be excited about it. We handed the kids a folder filled with pictures of where we were going.

"The beach?!" Calloway screamed. He loved the beach. We've only been once, and Emery was too young to remember. "Which one?!"

"Myrtle Beach. The condo we're staying in has an indoor and outdoor pool and a lazy river. It's right on the ocean. They have a game room for you guys. And we can go do some put-put while we're there, and we'll be able to check out some other fun stuff," Darren excitedly told them. He was just as excited as the kids. Calloway was excited. Which meant the other two were excited as well. I sat smiling, happy at our little family. We also talked about buying a bigger house, but we love this one so much.

After everyone left, Darren and I sat in our room, on the little window seat he'd made for me all those years ago. I was leaning back into him. Waiting. Hoping this would go over well.

"Do you think we could get a zoning permit to do another addition? Or should we buy a bigger house?" I asked. Trying to start this conversation on an easy note.

"Probably buy a bigger one so we can do what we want with it. Plus, we should get a good return on this one."

"Will you give me anything I want in the new house?" I ask, playing with his hands that are wrapped around me.

"Oh course, my wife. Anything you want." I felt him press a lingering kiss on my head.

"Then...could I have another window seat like this?"

"Anything. Anything for you. Do you want me to build our own home?"

"Could we?"

A year later, our home was finished. A big, beautiful four-bedroom home with a home office for Darren so he could be here with us more than he was away, sat on three acres of land. We added a larger in-ground pool, a hot tub, and two tree houses for the kids. It was my dream home.

And it was where I'd get to spend forever with the love of my life.