Page 44 of The Tiger's Secret Baby (Savage Shifters Special Ops 4)

Although the older ones would have never admitted their fear, I heard a sigh of relief go through the crowd.

I stood up. “I am really offended that my own children would think that I would abandon them. Am I really that terrible of a mother that you would think such things of me?”

Everyone quickly said, “No.”

Magnar said, “I told them that you would never leave us because you love us. They said that other people had loved them and had left them.”

I looked at every single one of them, dead in their eyes before speaking.

“Let’s get this straight, right here, right now. You are my children. I love you. We are a family. We are having two new additions to the family. That’s the only thing that is going to change.”

Damian stood next to me and put his arm around me. “I’ll be moving here. Since she is your mom, and I’m marrying her, that makes me your dad. I hope that’s okay with you guys.”

Everyone started talking loudly and excitedly, telling him that they had always wanted a mom and a dad.

He held up his hand to get their attention. “Well, guess what? You are getting a lot more than that. You are getting an Uncle Jared, Uncle Gage, and Uncle Lucian, along with some aunts and cousins.”

The kids started talking happily again. They hadn’t even been this excited at Christmas time, and they saw all their presents under the tree.

“You know what this means, don’t you?” I asked them.

They turned to me with suspicious looks in their eyes. They knew when I said those words that it usually meant more work for them.

“You guys are going to be adding a physical education class to your daily classes. Dad is going to be working out with you guys.”

Damian grinned. “Actually, not just Dad and not just PE. Your new uncles to be were very impressed with you guys. They were impressed with your willingness to learn and how quickly you learned everything perfectly. They want to start different training programs with you guys. Uncle Jared is a specialist in intelligence and how to use it. He said that all of you were great, but several of you showed amazing talent in the field. That would be great skills to have, whether you join the military or just to have in real life.”

A few of the kids smiled. They knew who Jared was referring to.

“Others of you had amazing skills and talents in different areas. We want to help you grow to your full potential, as shifters. Mom will teach you the stuff you need to know, like reading, writing, science, and math. We’ll work with you on your shifting talents.”

The kids were all ecstatic to hear that. I was just as happy. I always knew that was one area that I failed them, because I didn’t know what it meant to be a shifter. I only knew what it meant to be in love with one.

Epilogue: Ember

The wedding was amazing. It was also much larger than the one I had envisioned what seemed like a million years ago. Then, I figured it would be Damian and I, our families, and a couple of friends. Now, those friends have grown exponentially, as have our families.

Rose was elected to be my maid of honor and the rest of my ladies were my brides’ maids. I wore an ivory dress. The girls wore dresses in the colors of the fall – hunter green, orange, brown, red. Even the tough girls allowed someone to do their hair. It was under a great deal of protest, although I was certain that part of that protest was simply show to protect their identity as tough girls who don’t do “sissy girly stuff.”

Damian wore black tuxedo pants, a tux shirt, a cummerbund and bow tie. They were hunter green. Lucian was Damian’s best man and Magnar and the rest of the guys were his grooms’ men. Lucian and the groomsmen wore identical tuxes to him. They all looked very handsome. My boys put up a lot less fight about having to dress up than the girls did. I guessed they figured that it was manly enough to put on tuxes for a wedding.

We decided to say our own vows. Our pastor, who was the same man who recently married Lucian and Rainey, opened up the ceremony with the normal words.

“Dear Friends and Family. We are gathered here today to witness and celebrate the union of Damian and Ember in marriage. These two people have realized that that their hopes, dreams, and goals are more attainable and meaningful through their combined efforts and mutual support of each other.”

“It’s about time,” Rose whispered.

I thought the pastor was going to choke. He was grinning widely as he said, “I understand the bride and groom have written their own vows. Damian.”

He took my hands in his and said, “I promise that I will forever be by your side. I have loved you since we were children and I love you even more now. Never will I forget to write a letter, make a phone call, or send a text message to remind you how much I love you. Never will I forget that you are the beat of my air, the air of my breath, the light in my soul. I promise to love and cherish you, and all of these mongrel children, from now until the rest of eternity.”

“Ember?” The pastor asked, coughing.

“I promise that will hold no secrets from you no matter how much I want to protect you and those around me. I promise to trust you to help me through life’s difficulties. I promise that we will find time to talk about now and dream about the future no matter how busy life gets. I promise to love and cherish you from now until forever.”

The pastor then said, “Do you, Damian Reynolds, take this woman, Ember Tompkins, to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish, to be faithful to her, as long as you both shall live?”

Damian smiled at me and said, “I do.”

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