Chapter 153 EPILOUGE
Chapter 153 EPILOUGE
Skylar
“Asher, I swear you and your kids are going to make me lose my damn mind!” I yelled as I walked down the stairs. Adriel was sitting there reading, and Elara and Blake were on their phones. I walked into the living room and stood looking at them. “What is it, Mom?” Adriel asked in his quiet tone. He was now ten years old and so much like his father—that quiet, sneaky attitude. He wasn’t rude or disrespectful; he was sharp and brilliant, just like Asher. He was always in cahoots with Miles, Eli, Chris, and Mateo. I looked at the other two. When I told Asher I was pregnant, I figured one more kid would even it out. I was in for a hell of a surprise when I heard "Twins"—Elara Skye Rhys (Asher chose her name) and her brother Lucian Blake Rhys. They were both eight years old. Lucian was a ringer for Asher, and so was Adriel. The older they got, the more it showed. And Elara? Well, she was me, even down to her attitude. But did that stop Asher? Hell no. Which is why I was yelling at nine on a Saturday morning.
“Kids, excuse us, please,” I heard him say from behind me seconds before I was lifted off my feet and into the air. He threw me over his shoulder and walked towards his office. He put me down to stand and took my mouth, kissing me. I kept looking at him.
“Sorry, love,” he said quietly. “Asher, they don’t need credit cards. Especially Elara,” I said.
“But…”
“Give it to me,” I said, stretching my hands out. He sighed, then pushed his hands into his pocket and handed me the cards. If he thought a ten-year-old and two eight-year-olds needed credit cards, his ass would get kicked out. I left him there and headed back to the living room.
“I told him we don’t need it, and I warned him you would get mad. He doesn’t listen,” Adriel said, not looking up from his book. Elara came to me and hugged me.
“We don’t need it. We let Dad do it because he wants to and feels like we need it, so we just let him,” she said. I saw the cars coming in, and I guess they saw too. When they walked in, I shook my head.
“Uncle Miles, Uncle Liam, Uncle Eli!” Elara yelled, running to them.
“Aunty Sky!” Aurora said, coming to hug me. Freya and Chris had a daughter. I saw Olivia and Grace. I went over to hug them.
“Welcome back,” I said, looking at them.
“It’s been too long. Three months,” Olivia said, laughing. This had become family. They had become our family.
“Ah, the miscreants are back,” I heard Asher say.
“We want to introduce someone to you all,” Liam said, so we were a bit shocked to see Miles walk in with a little girl about six years old.
“This is Tabitha, our daughter,” Miles said hesitantly, and I knew what had happened. I walked over to them, kneeled down, and looked at her.
“Hi, sweetie. I’m Aunty Sky, your daddy’s sister, and those are your cousins: Elara, Adriel, Lucian, and Aurora,” I said, and she smiled. Elara and Aurora came over to her. “Want to see my dolls?” Elara asked her, and she nodded. “Come on, let’s go,” they said, taking her hands and leading her away.
“Congrats, gents. Welcome to parenthood. Can’t wait for her to give you sleepless nights,” Asher said.
“Yeah, you got one too,” Miles said.
“Shit,” Asher said, and I just shook my head. We stayed outside barbequing and catching up. “How are the kids, Grace?” Freya asked.
“That damn girl is trying to send me to an early grave,” Mathew said.
“She has a boyfriend, but besides that, everything is good. College and part-time jobs—they’re thriving,” Grace said.
Asher
Yeah, my wife was crazy, but I loved her more and more each day. I looked inside and saw all the kids in the living room. My kids were fucking amazing. My boys looked exactly like me, and Elara was Sky through and through, even her attitude. She and her mother would clash sometimes, rarely, but she was Daddy’s girl. When I heard "twins," I almost passed the fuck out, and I did pass out when they were born. I expected Miles to taunt me, but he never mentioned a word of it.
Kira and Celeste died in that cell when Sky was nine months pregnant. It was a few months after that Sophia died. Samuel took care of it. Everyone knew they escaped from police custody, so no one besides the police was looking for them. After the twins turned one, I received the call at two in the morning from Fitzgerald. My mother had passed away from a heart attack. Sky was there for me in every single way possible. We had her body flown down here and buried her next to my father. Sky held me that night and let me cry, not saying a word. After that, I relented a bit and let Diana and Robert meet their grandchildren.
They were present for birthdays, school games, plays, and anything that had to do with the children. When Lucian and Elara were two, I decided to go back. I called the captain who had rescued me from that island and asked him for the coordinates back to the island, and he gave them to me. I went back, and I took Sky with me. She said I needed to thank them for saving my life, and she was right. But they had no use for money, so she and Miles, along with Freya and Daphne, went on a shopping spree. She bought seeds for different types of fruits and vegetables, small saplings, medicine, fruits, clothes, canned goods, and the works. When the helicopters landed on the island, it was empty, but one of the fires had smoke, so I knew they were there. I called out for Jacob. When he peeked around and saw me, he smiled. I introduced him to Sky.
She had Leon and Ron unload everything we brought with us. They didn’t want to accept it, but Sky told them it was the least she could do for saving her husband’s life. She showed Jacob what was what and what it was used for. Since that day, I have made it a habit of returning once a year. This year, I would be taking Adriel with me.
Later that night, when the house was quiet and she came into bed smiling like everything I loved, I pulled her into me.
“I’m sorry, love. Sometimes I get carried away. Next time, I’ll talk to you first,” I said, kissing her.
“Okay, I’m tired.”
“Go to sleep, love."
"I love you Asher" She sid tiredly
"I love you too babym, goahead and sleep I’m here. We’re all here.” I watched as she drifted off to sleep, thankful that I had this chance and happy the way I should be.