The Set Up

Epilogue

**Put down the pitch forks LOL. Sorry for the late updates! My sister just had her first baby, so I was with family these past couple weeks! Hope you guys enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed writing it! Be on the lookout for a second epilogue soon!**

Scarlett's POV

"Alexander?" I hollered at my son. My tone conveyed everything I wanted to say without even needing words. At eleven months old, he was already showing what a mischievous little boy he was going to be.

"Just like his father at that age," Vanessa chuckled. I huffed.

"Well he's his clone. I'm not shocked he acts just like him too," I grumbled.

"Those two are thick as thieves," Andrew commented as he approached where his wife and I were resting by the fireplace in their living room.

"Alexander loves his daddy," I conceded, sighing as I kicked off my sandals to give my swollen feet a break. I watched Xander wrestle with our son on the carpet. The high-pitched boisterous laughter from our infant echoed off the walls, bringing a soft smile to my face. My breath caught as I thought about how this moment could've been so different. It had been almost a year and a half since Xander lay bleeding to death and fighting for his life on the bathroom floor of a foreign pack.

"Dad, take my place for a minute?" Xander called out. I opened my eyes when I felt him relax into the couch cushion next to me. I rested my head back and let it roll toward him, appreciating his handsome face.

"You're thinking about it again," Xander stated, his tone slightly chastising. I released a slow sigh. He always knew when I was reminiscing on the past - even if I blocked him from my mind.

"How could I not? You weren't supposed to survive that," I hissed, getting more upset by the second. The 'that' in reference being Xander getting stabbed mere centimeters away from his heart.

"No. I wasn't. But I did because I love you far too much, sweetheart," he insisted before nuzzling my neck. The Gold Sun's pack doctor said Xander should've already died before he even started tending his wound. It was only because of Xander's wolf's persistence that he held on as hard as he did. The thought choked me up as Xander pressed a few soft kisses against my delicate skin. His hand smoothed over my massive belly a few moments later.

"You look ready to pop, baby," Xander commented. Our children - yes, plural - kicked frantically in my stomach at their father's touch. They always went crazy whenever he was near.

"Baby is exactly what I'm about to pop. And it's all your fault," I mumbled grumpily. Xander laughed softly in return.

"If I do recall, you were just as eager as I was as soon as we got the medical clearance from the pack doctor," he stated. I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah but you were supposed to remember the condoms. Having three kids all under two was not the plan," I chastised. He just smirked and sought out my lips for a sweet kiss. We were soon interrupted by our uncoordinated son slamming into our legs. He had learned to walk quickly. There was no crawling for him. One day, he just got up and took off. 

His toothy grin gleamed up at me as he bounced on his feet, thrusting his little butt up and down as he did so.

"Are you dancin' for momma and dada?" I asked. He gave a non-committal screech of happiness that had Xander and I both laughing. He leaned over to press his face against the side of my belly before wrapping one arm around the opposite side. I smoothed my hand over his head of soft, black hair, treasuring the moment.

The skin on my back burned with the pain of having to stretch to accommodate two children this pregnancy. Every move pulled at the scars that would never go away. However, the reminder wasn't unwelcome. Not anymore. It reminded me of everything I had endured to get the things I had today. As my son pulled back, calling out 'mama' in his sweet voice, I knew I would bear it all over again 1000 times just to be right here.