Another One (Book 3 of selection fanfics)

Epilogue 3

10 years later

"Last one in is a rotten egg!" Sam called out, sending all the kids in a frantic dash for the ocean that lapped gently onto the beach. I smiled at the excited squeals as the water splashed under their feet, enjoying the feel of the warm sun on my bare skin.

We'd needed a vacation more than anything and when Liana and Samuele suggested a trip to Italy, we'd jumped at the chance. Between raising four kids and running a kingdom, Derek and I figured we deserved a break.

"Come on, Ellie," Rosalie called out to our youngest and easily the shyest of our children, Eleanor, who currently had herself wrapped around my leg. "You've got this!"

Rosie had taken her role as a big sister to another level when Ellie was born. She'd always done a good job with her brothers, Callum and Declan, who were eight and six respectively. But she'd wanted a sister more than anything and had begged us for one for years.

"Yeah, you got it!" Gabe called out from beside her, his dark hair dripping with water. Liana and Sam's oldest, Gabriel, had been born only three months after Rosie and the two of them were thick as thieves. Best friends, just like their fathers. And at ten years old, they'd already taken it upon themselves to lead our ragtag group of children.

Someday, Gabe would become King of Italy and Rosie Queen of Illea. Derek and I had had our coronation after Callum was born and I was grateful to Maxon and America for extending their reign long enough that Derek and I could start a family without the pressure of ruling the kingdom. And now that both Liana and I knew what it was like to be a Queen, we wanted our kids to enjoy their lives as normally as possible for as long as possible before they assumed their thrones.

Eleanor looked up at me, green eyes wide, and I gently nudged her forward with an encouraging smile. Soon enough, she was wobbling forward, running as fast as her legs would let her as cheers erupted from the water.

Liana laughed from beside me, where she was lounging on a towel with a book. "As cute as that little girl is, I don't know how you managed to have two more after Rosie and Cal."

"Believe me, we almost stopped after Declan," I shook my head with a chuckle as I watched my second son splash in the waves like a maniac. He'd matured in the last few years, but I hadn't known how terrible a toddler could be until he turned two. Rosalie and Callum had been relatively easy babies, but Declan sure knew how to throw a tantrum. "Derek and I grew up with four siblings each. I think our parents would have seen it as a crime to stop at two. And we wanted more anyways."

She rolled her eyes, looking out at her own two kids with a smile. Rosie had certainly been a surprise, but Gabe was even more of a shock. I knew Liana herself had wanted to wait longer before having kids. The fact that we were pregnant at the same time was one of the few things that eased her concerns. They managed to wait three years before having Matteo, who was a year younger than Callum, and one of the smartest seven year olds I'd ever met. Where his older brother Gabe was charismatic and charming, Matteo was responsible and bookish. The most surprising was his friendship with Declan, who was his opposite in nearly every aspect.

I shuddered to remember the strain Liana and Sam's arguments over having another kid had put on their marriage. Sam had wanted a daughter more than anything and Lia refused to have another when there was only a fifty percent chance it would be a girl. Eventually their arguments ceased but I could still catch Sam watching Derek with Rosie and Ellie, a wistful expression on his face. Nonetheless, the two of them loved their boys more than anything.

As she watched our kids play, a slow smirk spread across my friends face as I sat beside her. She nudged my shoulder, giving me a knowing look as she inclined her heads towards Rosalie and Gabriel. I watched as Rosie jumped on his back for a piggy-back ride, Gabe's face flushing a deep red as my daughter laughed, oblivious to his expression.

"Just a little crush, that's all. Mom's always know," Liana said with a chuckle, as if she was telling me not to worry, but I could sense she knew too that it was more than just that.

I'd known Gabriel from the moment he was born. He and Rosie had been best friends since they were in diapers, but as he'd gotten older I'd watched his feelings grow more and more evident. Soon enough, Rosalie would be the only one oblivious to how he felt. Only time would tell what would happen between them.

Before I could respond, I felt a pair of strong arms hoist me off the ground, and I shrieked as the kids giggled.

"Derek!" I gasped in surprise but found myself laughing as my husband carried me to the bright blue waters.

I heard Liana squeal a moment later as Samuele tossed her over a shoulder, running over to Gabriel and Matteo who laughed in delight.

"Hello, darling," he grinned and kissed my temple. "The kids requested you."

"Mommy!" I heard in confirmation as Derek set me down, the cold water shocking me a little bit before I felt four pairs of arms wrap themselves around me.

I smiled, looking down at the four best gifts I'd ever received. My little ones, each with their own bits and pieces of Derek and I, but still with their own quirks and personalities. I didn't know how I'd gotten so lucky, to have been given arguably the best kids in the world. All because I'd filled out a form and miraculously been chosen for the Selection.

And as I looked at Derek, his blue eyes shining in the sunlight as he gave me a loving smile, at the life we'd created together...I felt at peace. At peace with the tragedies that brought us together, apart, and back together again.

Life had its own way of surprising us. And I would be eternally grateful to it for surprising me with life, love, and family.