Olivia Bauer's P.O.V.
Four Years Later.
"Dad, I want the bear! Please get me the bear!" Alisha, our four-year-old daughter, begs with excitement. She's like the female version of her father with brown hair and hazel eyes.
"Uh...but look at the wolf, angel. Don't you want that –"
"No dad!" She pouts as she crosses her arms. "I want the bear!"
I snicker when Atticus huffs in disappointment. Then he turns to our three-year-old, Phoenix, with hope. "What about you, Nix? You want the wolf right?"
"Lion!" He grins as he points to the stuffed toy hanging near us.
I burst into laughter as Atticus shakes his head before paying the man at the booth. Phoenix squeals and wiggles in my arms every time Atticus hits a tin can. He's a mix of Atticus and I with brown hair but my green eyes too. Alisha is all but bouncing on the spot in excitement and cheers loudly when he wins her the bear she wanted. After another round, Atticus hands Phoenix the lion which he takes happily before turning to show me.
Arcadia and Elias find us then before taking Alisha and Phoenix off us. Atticus and I chose Jason to be Alisha's godparent and Arcadia to be Phoenix's. However, with how much Arcadia is spoiling the little guy we may have started to regret our decision slightly.
"Absolutely ridiculous!" Atticus mutters as I loop my arm through his. "They never have stuffed wolves and the one time they do my pups don't want them!"
I chuckle at his disappointed expression before we follow the kids to the next ride. Emilia and her mate, Zane, fall into step with us while their son Jayden runs over to Alisha with his stuffed animal. Savannah and Leon wait for us by the candy floss stall with their daughter, Avery. While I was pregnant with Alisha, Emilia finally found her mate. Her and Savannah had Jayden and Avery four months after me so all our kids are around the same age.
Bastian too had found his mate, Lucia, two years ago and they now have a two-year-old daughter called Maisie. However, they didn't accompany us today as they're away visiting Lucia's family in Sweden.
We all decide to get candy floss before the kids go on some more rides and finally end the day with the Ferris wheel. I hold Phoenix in my lap while Atticus has Alisha, who is going to give me a heart attack with how much she's leaning forward the higher we go. I playfully glare at Atticus who's finding it funny as I freak out. I know he has a firm grip on her but I can't help but worry regardless. Nix, on the other hand, doesn't really care as he chats animatedly to his lion toy.
The view of the sunset is incredible from up here and Alisha gasps in wonder as she points at the clouds. "They look like candy floss!"
"They do, don't they?" I laugh when she looks at me with wide eyes.
Once the ride is over we get off and meet up with the others who also went on with us. We agree that it's getting late and decide to head home. After finding our cars we buckle up the kids before driving off. I yawn tiredly before scrolling through social media apps on my phone and checking my texts.
Unfortunately, we get stuck in traffic which makes Atticus growl under his breath. He's not the most patient person when it comes to traffic and his road rage always makes me laugh. He'll never admit it though. We move slowly and eventually round the bend after ten minutes of waiting.
"Oh shit..." Atticus whispers just low enough for only me to hear.
I glance up from my phone at him before turning my head to where he's looking. A groan escapes me when I immediately spot the golden arches. And not even a minute later Alisha gasps from her car seat before Nix catches on too.
"McDonald's!" She screams excitedly and Nix cheers in response, both automatically thinking that we're going there.
"You've already had food from the fair." I try and reason with them and they pout adorably.
"But, I want a happy meal." Alisha mumbles and I sigh heavily when she gives me the puppy dog eyes.
"I want the happy meal too! I want a toy!" Phoenix exclaims with a cheeky grin.
"You try." I whisper to Atticus who only glances at me incredulously.
"I tried convincing them to get a stuffed wolf but did you see that happening? What makes you think I can convince them not to get McDonald's, woman?!" He whispers before our children whine from the back just as we start moving in the line of traffic again.
"Dad, please can we get a happy meal?!" Alisha begs and Atticus bites his lip in response.
"How about next time –"
"Dad!" Both kids shout in protest which makes us wince and glance at each other.
"Alright, fine!" He gives in and glares at me as I shake my head in mock disappointment.
Alisha and Phoenix cheer in response all the way until we get to the restaurant. After getting them their happy meals and having a quick bite ourselves we finally head home. Thankfully, they're too engrossed with their toys the entire ride and only pay attention when we tell them that we're home.
When I was pregnant with Alisha, Atticus and I decided to move out from his parent's house into the one we had built for ourselves. It's much more spacious and has plenty of room should we decide to have more children.
"Grandma! Grandpa!" Alisha and Phoenix yell as soon as we walk in and spot Atticus' parents.
"Hi, my little angels! Did you have fun at the fair?" Vasilia asks as she hugs them and peppers kisses to their cheeks.
I smile as they chatter away to Tobias and Vasilia about the fair and their toys from the happy meals. Arcadia and Elias are lounging on the couches as they watch television. Verity, Elias' mate, has come back from university too. She had an exam to take so she couldn't join us. They found each other when Elias started attending the same university. She's slender with delicate features, stormy blue eyes and black hair.
Atticus and I don't hesitate to join them as we relax after a tiring day out with the kids. I'm so glad Vasilia came up with the idea of making dinner at our place tonight because I certainly don't have the energy to.
At some point in the evening, Leon and Emilia's families join us too. They all laugh at the fact that we had to stop at McDonald's on the way back but thankfully, both Alisha and Phoenix finish their food without a fuss. I thought they wouldn't be hungry after having food twice.
While the kids spend the rest of the night in the play room us adults relax and watch a movie in the sitting room with desserts. I cuddle up to Atticus under the blanket and rest my head on his shoulder with a sigh. He drapes his arm across my shoulder as we share our food.
"So, I have some news." Arcadia starts nervously which makes us all frown in confusion. "I-I found my mate."
"That's great! When and where?!" Vasilia asks excitedly while Tobias stares at his daughter with a protective look.
"Uh...at the fair. His name is Ezekiel. He's from Italy and is over visiting his cousins." She explains as she fiddles with the hem of her jumper.
"Well, we'd love to meet him. Why don't you call him over for dinner this week?" Atticus asks and I catch him sending a knowing look to his father and Elias.
I swat his chest and glare at him knowingly when Arcadia groans. The poor girl is already so nervous about her mate meeting her family and Atticus is only adding to her stress by confirming that they're going to give him a hard time. He stares down at me with a mischievous glint in his eyes and I shake my head in response.
"You three must promise me that you will not interrogate or threaten him." Arcadia growls warningly as she stares the three men down.
"We would never!" Tobias exclaims yet everyone can tell that he's going to do just that.
"Dad!" She whines and he huffs in disappointment before reluctantly promising her that he won't give Ezekiel a hard time.
After Atticus and Elias have done the same she squeals before rushing up to her bedroom to ask Ezekiel about coming over for dinner. Tobias grumbles unhappily while the rest of us laugh at his protective side making an appearance now that his daughter has found a mate. Nevertheless, I'm delighted for her and can't wait to meet her match. I know after Elias finding his mate she's been feeling down in the dumps about not finding hers.
"Momma! Nix won't give me my doll!" Avery screams from the play room which has us all groaning.
"Well, our time to relax was great while it lasted." I mutter as I get up to talk some sense into my child.
After getting Avery's doll back everyone starts heading out to rest for the night since we can tell that the children are getting tired and grumpy. I thank Vasilia for handling dinner before shutting the door and cleaning up the sitting room, play room and kitchen. I'm exhausted by the time I lock the doors and turn off the lights before heading upstairs.
Thankfully, Atticus has bathed Alisha and Phoenix who are now in their beds and drifting off to sleep as he finishes up a bedtime story. He smiles when I step in before closing the book, kissing their foreheads and leaving the room with me. We make our way to our bedroom and change into our pajamas before settling under the covers.
"Tired?" He asks with a chuckle as I cuddle up to him.
"Very." I mumble sleepily before feeling him wrap an arm around my waist.
He doesn't speak again for a long time and I almost think he's asleep when I move and look up to see that he's in fact wide awake. I frown in confusion when I see him staring at the ceiling. He snaps out of it and smiles at me when I poke his cheek.
"What were you thinking about?"
"Just how far we've come." He grins which makes me smile. "I find myself thinking about it from time to time and how crazy it is."
"Me too. We sure did have some obstacles to face but now we're here. Two beautiful kids, our pack with loving family and friends." I sigh happily as I count my blessings.
"And you."
"And you." I agree as his lips come crashing down on mine. "We really were meant to be, Atticus Bauer."
The End.
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Thank you all for the constant love and support on another book of mine! I hope you enjoyed Atticus and Olivia's story as much as I enjoyed writing it. Uploading chapters, reading everyone's comments and interacting with you guys is why I love what I do so thank you for always sharing your excitement with me!
P.S. there will be no sequel to this book.
I hope to have a new book out maybe in January 2020 so see you then!
- R.W. ♡