10 Years Later

The first alarm barely woke me up, but I quickly snoozed it, falling back asleep.

The second alarm didn't wake me up.

The third alarm woke me up for good this time, and I groaned, not wanting to get up. I was too comfortable in my warm bed, Ransom's arms wrapped around my waist, as I heard his light, deep breathing from behind.

I look out the window in our bedroom, the sun still coming up. It was barely light outside.

Gross.

I look over to my bedroom door as I hear it squeak open, and my five year old son peers his head in.

I reach my arm out, and he takes that as a sign to run and jump on mine and Ransoms bed, and snuggling into my chest once he was under the covers.

Mason was a surprise to us about five, almost six years into our relationship, right after we got engaged, but we were more stable and ready for him than we were when we had first met each other.

He had Ransom's eye color, my medium/dark brown hair and, thankfully, did not inherit my werewolf gene.

I just want Mason to live a safer life, and it would also be really confusing for him to live as a rogue werewolf.

I comfortingly brush my fingertips up and down his arm. I remember my parents doing this to me when I was younger and how much it would calm me, so I did the same to him.

I scrunch up my nose thinking about how I have to go into work today.

Ransom stirs behind me, and half asleep, reaches one of his arms out a little further to wrap it around mason.

"Why is your alarm going off? Isn't it a Saturday?" He groggily whispers, and I shrug. I take my free arm out and unlock my phone, and sure enough, it was a saturday.

No work!

"Probably forgot to turn it off last night." I mumble back. Ransom breaths a laugh, and I felt it fan lightly against my ear.

Mason whimpers, probably mad at Ransom and I for talking so early in the morning.

He was not a morning person. Probably got that from me. Ransom, however, was a special soul and liked to go for runs every other morning.

I'm sorry, but who wakes up one day and says to themselves 'I want to run track/xc'?

Unless I'm running from something, I will not run.

So Ransom and I quiet down, and I at least slip back into sleep for another hour and a half.

Once I wake up in the mornings though, I tend to be a light sleeper, so anything can quickly wake me up.

Like Mason sitting up, and Ransom going to take a shower.

"When's breakfast?" Mason asks me, and I open one eye, and give a sleepy, lopsided smile.

"What are you hungry for?" I begin to sit up, stretching out my arms and yawning.

"Eggs." He immediately says.

"Sunny side up?" Mason gets out of bed and nods.

I get out of bed as well, and he quickly runs out of my room.

Aaaannndd theres his toddler energy.

I walk to the kitchen, Mason already sitting down at the table. I turn on the tv to keep him occupied while I quickly make us some breakfast, which never fails to work.

Call me old fashioned, but I will show him blues clues.

The time quickly begins to pass, and I'm soon almost finished with Breakfast.

I feel arms wrapped around my waist, and Ransom plants a trail of light kisses along the side of my neck.

"I. Love. You." He says in between each one, and I hum in satisfaction.

"Your turn to make sure Mason eats so he doesn't get cranky. I'm gonna go get ready for the day." I turn around and wrap my arms around his neck, and his hands never leave my waist.

He nods, and I lean up slightly, kissing him. He quickly deepens it, and I bite his top lip playfully before pulling away.

"Don't get carried away, Mason is right over there."

"We're just teaching him that affection is okay." He shrugs, kissing me again, and I laugh.

"Whatever you say." I roll my eyes, and let my arms drop.

He lets me walk away, and takes over with the cooking as I go to the shower.

———

I lean on the counter, narrowing my eyes in confusion as to why I was feeling a little lightheaded.

Suddenly, a wave of nausea came over me, and I quickly hunch over the toilet, letting my guts spill themselves out.

'Remember the last time you were sick like this?'

'Cairo, it's too early for your jokes.' I sass back my wolf.

'I'm not joking?' Cairo gives a head tilt.

'There's no way I'm pregnant. I'm on the pill, remember?' I respond, and he impatiently flicks his tail.

'That doesn't always work. Take a test?'

I sigh, and don't reply to my wolf as I search under the sink for a few pregnancy tests I had left over.

So I do as the boxes instruct, getting more nervous by the second. I feel Cairo comforting me in my mind, and I comfort him as well.

Healthy relationships with your wolf is important, and although I should have been extremely pissed off at him once he decided to show up, I decided to wait for him to tell me why it took him forever.

But as I suspected, Easton's wolf dying had just as much impact on him as it did me.

Soon my phone timer goes off, and I quickly pick up the white and blue electronics test.

Positive

2-3 weeks

Holy shit.

Oh my goddess.

I quickly put the box of tests back where I found it, and got dressed, hiding the test in my pocket.

I wanted to surprise Ransom, but I needed to get a few things first.

"Hey babe, I need to go to the pharmacy really quick. We're out of DayQuil, and I think flu season is starting." I roll my eyes, giving Ransom a comforting smile.

"Are you sure you don't want me to go get it for you?" He quickly asks, setting down his utensils.

I nod. "I'm not super sick yet, I'll be fine. I'll be back in a few."

He nods. "Be safe."

———

Before I walk back into the house, I tie the tiny shoes to the car keys.

My plan was to just casually place them down and wait until he notices them, and see how long it takes for him to figure it out.

I have to stop myself from practically skipping into the house, and I see Mason in the tv room, enamored by blues clues, and Ransom in the kitchen washing the dishes.

I place the bag of DayQuil on the counter, along with the keys, and I casually go to the fridge, opening a new container of apple juice.

"Are you feeling okay?" He turns to me, and I give a iffy nod.

Gotta play the part right.

"I'll just take medicine and I'll be fine. It's just the season to get colds." I pour the apple juice into a glass, and Ransom rests the back of his hand against my forehead.

"You don't have a fever." He frowns.

"They start out as a sore throat for me. You should know this by now." I roll my eyes, and Ransom shrugs.

"Right. I forgot." He reaches for the bag, taking out the medicine.

"You're taking it right now." He tells me.

"What?" I take a step back.

"I'm not gonna have you be sick. That's not healthy." He points a finger at me, and I shake my head, amused.

"Of course it's not healthy dimwit."

"Hey are you trying to argue with me...when did you put shoes on the car keys?" His eyes glance over to the keys, and he sets down the medicine, picking them up.

"Today?" I take another sip of my apple juice.

"They're cute." He sets them down, and I gasp. "What? Don't tell me you have a foot fetish."

I scoff, beginning to laugh. "What? Where did...ok more importantly why do you think I would tell you I have a foot fetish with tying tiny shoes onto car keys?"

He shrugs. "I don't know. It's not like you're pregnant, so I just assumed it was a foot fetish thing."

I stay silent.

"Holy shit." He looks back at the keys, well, the tiny shoes.

"Language." I scold.

I set down my cup on the counter behind me, waiting for him to snap out of his shock.

Ransom suddenly picks me up, spinning me around as I squeal, caught off guard.

"You're having a baby? We're having a baby?!" He sets me down on the counter, and I nod as he pesters my face with kisses.

"It's gonna be a girl." He says.

I shake my head. "I'm gonna have to say another boy."

"Twins?"

My face pales.

"Kidding. Honey I'm kidding." Random quickly tells me.

I would not be able to handle twins. Oh my god no twins, no offense. I'm not ready to be outnumbered with Ransom versus our kids.

"You're not actually sick, are you?" He asks me, and I hesitate before nodding.

"You're forgetting morning sickness and out of control hormones."

"Oh no." He rests his forehead on my shoulder, and I can't help but laugh.

I wouldn't want to go through nine tortuous months of pregnancy with anyone else.

Ransom, Mason, and our unborn kid were mine.

All mine.

———

(Man, y'all would not stop begging for a part like this 😂

Well here you go, I hope you enjoy! Also, before you ask- their baby's gender is all up to your interpretation.

Hope you're satisfied haha

Love you all!)