Page 159 of Labor of Love

As our son grew even more, he became protective of his father. He shifted into his wolf form and marched in front of him any time I couldn't be around. Judy thought it was the funniest thing ever. Especially since Kris had gotten snapped at more than once for getting too close.

It made sense that when our second child, a little girl we named Ellie, came into the world, that Johnson was eager and happy to hold her.

I eased her on his little lap since he was the size of an overgrown toddler by then. He kissed her little forehead as he whispered, "Love you” over and over again.

As I held my mate, we cried. Not because we were sad, but because we were so happy it felt like it couldn't be contained.

We had been blessed with two beautiful, healthy children. And though he hadn't said anything, I knew this wouldn't be the end. My husband wanted a horde of children, as did I.

The loneliness I had felt before Clynt showed up in my life vanished after our meeting. Having his constant presence in my chest and in my head filled that emptiness from before.

With our children, there was another layer of connection there. We were building our own path. Something far stronger and far more sustaining than anything I'd known in centuries.

As with Johnson, I had written Ellie letters too. I continued to write to them after they were born, though those became more like journal entries than actual letters.

With each subsequent child, Xander, Noel, and Franklin, I did the same. There were stacks of letters and notebook for each of them tucked away in various boxes in the closet. No matter what happened, they would always have them from me.

Years passed and more events arose. I found myself cataloging them all. I still wrote the letters to say what the future held, but I also talked about the present and the past.

All my deepest emotions went into my words.

I couldn't tell you why I kept going. Maybe it had become my own personal form of therapy. Maybe getting the words out felt like saying them to the people themselves.

Either way, it was simply routine.

Then one day, when our kids were visiting Clynt's parents, I walked into the bedroom to find my mate sitting on the bed with a familiar notebook in his lap. Tears poured from his eyes as he traced his fingers along the page.

“You wrote to them all?” he whispered hoarsely. His gaze met mine, and I saw so much in it.

Love. Confusion. Happiness.

I eased on the side of the bed and faced him. “I did write to them. It was something I needed to do. You're not mad I never showed you this, are you?”

He shook his head quickly.

“No, not at all. I'm sorry for invading your personal space. I was looking for a piece of paper to jot something down and thought I could just rip one out. After I saw the first one, I kept going.”

I smiled as I took his hand between mine. “These are just the more recent ones. I have others too.”

His jaw dropped. “Others?”

I stood and went to the closet. Then I pulled out the box I had kept hidden. In it were a couple of the older journals along with the letters. The collection was so big it couldn't fit in one.

He was so excited. He covered his mouth watching as I unloaded everything.

“Since the minute I found out you were pregnant with Johnson, I started doing this. I used to write to my parents too. Sometimes I still do. But our kids and our family take up so much more of my life. I don't want to dwell on what I've lost. I'd rather enjoy what I have now. I want to be happy for what we have and what we will have. The children will probably go on to have their own packs eventually. Then I'll get to look back at all these memories and maybe even share them with their kids.”

Clynt wiped the tears from his eyes. “Don't go making us grandparents just yet. We’re not even out of our prime.”

I scoffed. “Maybe not you, but I'm closing in on far too old.”

His hand moved down to his stomach. “Hopefully not too old.”

My eyes widened. “Another one? Really?”

He bit his lip and nodded. “You're not mad?”

I pulled him into a searing kiss.

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