My Name is NOT Cupcake

Epilogue

"Eli! Kennedy!" I yelled up the stairs before I wobbled back to the dining room. I was pregnant... again, and almost to full term. Kennedy came barreling down the stairs first and met me in the dining room. I was still setting up for dinner.

"I can help, mom," Kennedy said as she went to get more food from the kitchen. Kennedy-Estella was 14 years old now and every bit as beautiful as the day she was born. She had curly copper-red hair and clear, radiant blue-gray eyes. She was pale and inherited my freckles. She actually burned in the sun very easily too. She was every bit of me as we expected. She was a feisty diva, strong-willed, stubborn, and very athletic.

Kennedy finished setting the table as Elias strolled into the dining room. He held me gently and kissed me.

"Hi, cupcake," he smiled. I chuckled. He never stopped calling me that, but I learned to live with it.

"You said that ten minutes ago when you came down to check on me... again," I emphasized. Elias chuckled and shrugged. Oh yeah, his protectiveness never died down. In fact, he was even more protective over me because I was pregnant again and due any day now with our second child:

A baby boy.

Just then, the doorbell rang. Kennedy smiled and ran to the door.

"I got it!" she yelled. Elias and I exchanged a knowing look.

"Oh boy," Elias sighed. I chuckled and went to greet our guests.

"I wasn't expecting them to be back so soon," I admitted as we met up with everyone in the foyer.

"Oh, Nova, you look absolutely stunning!" Alexa gushed as she pulled me into a hug. I laughed as Mathias clapped his son on the back at the same time.

"I thought you guys would be gone for another week," Elias asked his parents. They looked at each other before they shrugged. Kennedy held onto Elias' hand as she practically bounced in place; her eyes darting everywhere.

"Jessie was getting home sick, and frankly, so were we. Plus, we didn't want to risk missing the birth of our second grandchild," Mathias explained with a laugh. Jessie was a boy who was the same age as Kennedy that we took into our home after his parents died when he was only four years old. Jessie had brown hair and green eyes. He was just as athletic as Kennedy. Jessie was a Lycan also. He actually shifted when he was 12 years old. Kennedy and Jessie have been inseparable since they met. They were best friends. Once a year, Alexa and Mathias would take Jessie on vacation and spoil him rotten. Alexa claimed it was to make him feel more apart of the whole family, but after their trip to Italy, I was convinced that Alexa just wanted an excuse to travel.

"Where is Jess?" Kennedy asked excitedly. Every time Jessie and Kennedy were separated, they got antsy and anxious until they were reunited again. I had a theory that they were mates, but we wouldn't know until they turned 18 years old.

"He's getting the bags out of the car," Mathias answered with a chuckle. Kennedy smiled before she darted out the front door. We all chuckled at her excitement.

"I tell you, that girl..." Alexa shook her head with a relaxed smile. "Has she shifted yet?" Alexa asked. My smile faltered as I shook my head. It was a common question concerning Kennedy and the answer was always the same. Early in her childhood, Kennedy showed great promise for the gene. She was a fast learner, she was athletically gifted, she had Lycan hearing and sight, and so on, but she hit puberty when she turned 14 years old almost a year ago now and... nothing. Of course, growing up with me as a mother, she knew about werewolves. I didn't care what the rules were. I told her when she was 8 years old because I didn't want her to be blindsided, or lost and confused like I was when the werewolf world was thrust onto me. Elias and I argued long and hard about telling her since the day she was born, but I eventually got my way... as usual.