Page 222 of A Curse On Black Lake
I take a deep breath, resting my hand on her grave. “I wanted to be mad at you for not telling me who my birth mother was, but I understand why you didn’t. If I know Dad, he was well aware of the past regarding the Radcliffes. It doesn’t matter now though, I know you’re happy and with Dad. Neither of you is in pain anymore. You can rest easy now.”
I check on Eliana, and she’s walking up the hill towards me.
“Dad? I’m sorry I was lost for a little while and so … angry. God sent her to anchor me in the storm. I see that now, and I’m grateful for it. I wish both of you could have been there to see us get married. But I could feel you. I miss both of you so much. Though maybe you were spared from what happened the past few months. It wasn’t easy, but I had her.”
Eliana comes up next to me and drops onto her knees. “When the kids come, we’ll come and visit you. I want them to know who you are.”
“It’s nice to meet y’all,” Eliana says and places her hand on Mama’s grave.
“Thank you for raising a son like Killian. He’s so special, and I promise to cherish him until I’m dust in the earth.”
I smile and kiss her on the temple.
She looks up at me while tears flow freely from her eyes. I wipe them away with my thumb.
“Darlin’, I think it’s finally time to let ourselves grow.”
Epilogue
4 Months Later
Killian
Itrarelysnowsinthis part of Texas, but this year we got a white Christmas.
Eliana is running around the kitchen finishing up dinner before Wyatt gets here. I told my wife I’d help fifteen times, but she kept telling me I was in the way. So I left her to it.
After we got married, she asked for a kitchen remodel. We’ve both always worked with old things, I couldn’t say no to her. So, I redid the kitchen and added a space for her to work. She loves being in here. It doesn’t matter if I’m capable of cooking. But Eliana calls itherkitchen. I’ve been thinking about building her a separate building or an add on to the house purely for her apothecary, but I’m not sure I could get it done before the baby comes.
“Are you sure it’s a good idea to have Wyatt here?” I ask her.
She spins around and rubs her belly. Our first kid is due sometime between the end of April and the beginning of May.
“Yes, Killian, it’s a good idea. He doesn’t have anyone else either, remember? Who are we if we don’t hold our family close?” she asks.
I sigh and drag my hand through my hair.
“I know he thought you were a serial killer, but you need to get over it.”
“He never said he was sorry,” I grumble.
“Then man up and tell him you’re mad at him,” she says.
I chuckle and watch her go back to cutting out biscuits and setting them on the tray. Placing my beer on the table, I stand from my chair and come up behind her, resting my hands on her belly, and my chin on her shoulder.
She turns to the side and kisses my cheek. “Will you please let me help you? I don’t want you on your feet like this.”
She grumbles and leans back into me. “You are literally incapable of cutting out a biscuit, cowboy, what makes you think I’ll let you try again?”
I chuckle and kiss her neck. “They’re just biscuits.”
Eliana snorts and pats my hand on her belly. “Fine, but if you mess them up, you’ll pay for it later.”
“Thank you, darlin’,” I tell her and kiss her on the cheek.
She goes into the living room and sits down while I carefully cut the biscuits out, careful not to twist the cutter or they won’t rise, as Eliana has told me ten thousand times. I made the mistakeonce.
The oven dings, and she gets up to check the ham. “Alright, it’s done,” she says.
