For a Moment at Least (Age Gap)

Epilogue

Epilogue

"Grab the green plate, she won't eat off the pink one." I told Deacon while he set the table. He smirked and picked up the pink plate, replacing it with the green one. I chuckled and set the salad down along with the rolls.

"Why do we still own the pink one?" He asked with a smart tone.

"Because she's three, she'll change her mind about the plate next week." I responded just as sassy. He chuckled and shook his head.

"Spaghetti!" I heard Thea shout. She ran past me and scaled Deacon's legs, begging to sit next to him for dinner.

"What if Mommy wants to sit by you?" He teased her. She shook her head and glanced over to me with her big brown eyes. Her dark hair was pulled back into the messiest ponytail I've seen.

"Say no Mommy." She whispered. I rolled my eyes dramatically.

"No Althea, I do not want to sit next to you today." I spoke in a pinched tone. She smiled before looking back up at him and changing her face to one of sadness and despair. He melted at her gaze, bending down to lift her up. She wrapped her small arms around his neck and smiled happily.

"Daddy will sit next to you. But you have to eat your salad." He raised his brows at her. She stuck her little pink tongue out at him and made a nasty sound.

"I will try..." she answered bitterly. He grinned and leaned into her, placing a small kiss on the tip of her nose. She wiped her nose and smiled. He chuckled and walked over to me, leaning down with our baby girl still slung on his hip.

"Daddy wants a Mommy kiss." He whispered before smirking. I leaned into him, happily pressing my lips to his. The tingles of his touch never did wear off.

"I love you." He whispered against my lips.

"Mommy." I heard Thea call out. I pulled away to darkness.

"Mommy!" I heard her soft voice again but louder. I quickly opened my eyes to my bright bedroom. My heart sank briefly before hearing my sweet Thea again.

"Mama I'm hungry." She whispered from beside my bed. I smiled and rubbed my eyes, fighting the urge to cry. Dreams like those were dangerous for me.

"You are? Whatcha hungry for baby." I perked my voice up and leaned over, pulling her into bed with me. She had her small bunny under her arm. Her dark hair was still messy from sleep. It was going to be a task to get her to let me brush it.

"Waffles." She breathed close to my cheek as she snuggled into me. I hugged her small body and closed my eyes again, picturing Deacon here with us. I needed to stop.

"Strawberry waffles? Or blueberry waffles?" I asked opening my eyes again to see her big brown ones staring back at me. She had doe eyes like me but the color was lighter, just like Deacon.

"Banana." She whispered. I smiled, leave it to her to pick a third option that was never mentioned.

"Let's stay in bed. For a moment at least." I nuzzled her. She wrapped her small arm around me and nodded. I loved snuggling her. She was my only escape from my constant heart ache. She was my only little piece of him. These moments were the only ones I lived for. I heard her tummy growl which made me chuckle.

"What time is it?" I asked myself, leaning over to look at the alarm clock.

"Damnit, we're late!" I shot out of bed pulling her with me.

"Damnit!" She yelled back happily. I huffed at my lack of word control. I got Thea dressed in a matter of minutes. I gave up trying to fight her about her hair, luckily she was good about brushing her teeth. I picked her up and scurried down the staircase.

"I didn't even hear you come in." I panted out of breath. Arlo smiled and already had Theas waffles wade with sliced banana on top. I sighed a breath of relief.

"Arie!" Thea screamed in my ear, I quickly set her down.

"Wow, look at you Thea! Did you brush your hair?" He asked her, throwing me a wink. He must have been here early and heard this mornings debacle upstairs.

"I wanted to wait for you to brush it." She responded shyly, while twisting her hips in place and fiddling with her dress. Something she always did around Arlo. I called him the baby whisperer. If it weren't for him I would have lost my mind.

"I can brush while you eat." He leaned down giving her his famous smile. She nodded and hopped into his arms. I silently thanked him before turning to go change.

"Elle relax, eat. I can take her to school." Arlo insisted.

"You sure? I feel bad, it's the third time this week." I admitted, feeling like a terrible mom. These dreams have been eating me alive. I've been feeling Deacon's pull so strong lately. His hugs have been something I missed the most. My heart sank again as I felt tears pricking my eyes.

"It's okay to not be okay." He whispered. I turned and wiped my eyes nodding.

"Thanks, I'm really grateful for you Arlo." I smiled towards him, making sure Thea didn't see my red eyes.

"Damnit!" She yelled through the silent room. I broke into laughter. Arlos eyes were wide with confusion.

"I don't even know how to address that." I told Arlo before ignoring it all together and pouring a cup of coffee.

Arlo gave Thea pigtails, he was better at doing her hair than I was, but then again she only let him do her hair. I grabbed her bag and walked them to the door. Thea held onto his two fingers and swung her cute little arm to be playful.

"Bye Mommy!" She shouted before he could put her in her seat.

"Bye baby! I love you!" I waved at her.

"Love you!" She responded in her squeaky voice.

"Hey good luck with your first day of college!" Arlo hollered while throwing me a smile. I thanked him and felt the nerves of going back to school all over again.

I closed the door, locking it before cleaning off the dining room table. After putting the dishes in the sink I looked up to see Theas bunny perched on the counter. There's no way she'll nap today if she doesn't have it.

"Shit." I mumbled under my breath. I had a pack meeting in town anyway, I can drop it off on my way there. Just as I was going to head upstairs to change there was a knock at the door. I grabbed Theas bunny assuming Arlo had more sense then me and came back to get it.

"I forgot to put her bunny..." I started as I opened the door. My words trailed off as I saw who was behind the door. A shiver that I thought died long ago ran up my spine.

"Sam?"

~THE END~

Thank you so much for the long haul readers that struggled with me through this book, as well as the readers who didn't have to wait months for updates. Writing this book got me through some tough times, and I truly enjoyed reading every comment, dm, and my message board. You guys are the best! Like I mentioned earlier I'm writing a sequel. The main characters are Althea and I bet you guessed it, Arlo! Thank you again lovely readers, you guys bring smiles to my face daily!

P.S. book 2 answers a lot of questions. There are many flashbacks etc. We also meet new dark characters☠️
Also this book sets the base for many stories and creatures to come. The series progressively gets more dark.