Ten Years.
I sigh.
A lot can happen in ten years. A lot has happened in the last ten years. By December, six month after Kade was born everyone in our group of friends had a child. What mother nature was thinking, allowing us all to have children in the same year I will never know. That was just asking for trouble. The only one who didn’t have a child was my brother - Na’ali’i - thank goodness for that. If he would have had a child at the age, I would have had a heart attack. He and Samara did welcome their twins into the world a few years ago. A boy and a girl. Cutest little ones ever. Than again I thought the exact same thing with everyone’s kids.
I smile to myself as I look out at the pack grounds and reminisce. It’s Summer time so school is out. The children are home running around the grounds with carefree smiles on their faces. It makes my smile broaden. Then from the corner of my eyes I spot my son running out from the side of the house. Following behind him are Mana and Sierra’s two daughters, Dean and Jas’ son, Austin and Amy’s son, Nate and Ash’s son and daughter, Kai and Reese’s daughter as well as Na’ali’i and Samara’s twins. It makes me so happy to see them all together again. I would love to have them together everyday but with almost half of them living in Hawaii with my old pack, all I can look forward to are the breaks.
“You know,” says Ashlee coming to stand next to me on the deck. “I love how happy and free they all are.”
I nod “Me too.”
“I love how much more fun they have compared to when we were that age.” Jas added
“We had our share of fun but I know what you mean.” I say “Unlike before, they don’t have to grow up looking over their shoulders wondering when the next hunter or rogue will attack.”
“Thank god for that,” Amy says.
After the incident at the school we hadn’t heard a peep out of whatever remaining hunters there were. It felt freeing to no longer have to worry about them. Another plus was the fact that less and less wolves were going rogue and the rogue numbers had dropped drastically. But who was I to complain, the less threats around these children the better.
“I’ve gotta get going,” I say to the girls.
We say our goodbyes and with a steady hand on my growing belly I make my way down the stairs. Just about six months ago Cain and I found out we were expecting our second child. The thing about it was, neither of us figured it out before the other. Kade told us about it one night during dinner. How he knew when Cain and I didn’t was something I couldn’t wrap my head around at the time. But then again, we learned something new with Kade every day.
“Kade! Sweetie, it’s time to go!”
“But, mom” he whines
“What did I say about the whining?”
“It get’s you no where.” he grumbles
“We need to go,”
“We were just about to head to the pond.”
“It’ll still be there when we get back. Besides, it’s Sunday.”
His eyes light up and a grin splits across his face. “We get to see uncle Isles today!” then his face falls. “But... But dad’s not here.”
