Page 134 of Conquering Oz

Rogue curled his lip, obviously not heeding Oz’s warning until Trey stepped closer.

“Rogue.” It was a clear warning.

Rogue snorted, then laughed, shaking his head. “Oh yeah, it’s fucking great.” His tone was laced in sarcasm. “So fucking great, I’m gonna share it with Quinn. She’s gonna love this shit.” Rogue stepped forward, glaring at Oz. But to his credit, Rogue didn’t share his true feelings.

“He doesn’t have to share,” Elodie said. “I made plenty.”

Oz sighed, glancing over at Trey. He’d always been the most polite and considerate out of the three. He smiled at Elodie as he passed. “I’m going to make myself a plate now before it’s gone.”

Oz glanced down at Elodie. Her glow embraced everything she was feeling. And Oz was feeding off it. He was still counting the minutes until everyone left his house, but Elodie made it worthwhile.

He clasped his hand on her jaw and leaned down, kissing her. PDA was something Oz never did, but Elodie had changed a lot of things.

“So?” She inched closer. “Are you enjoying your party?”

“No.”

Elodie laughed, and the sound settled him. “Not even a little? Everyone loves birthday parties.”

“My birthday was months ago.”

“It’s never too late to celebrate.”

“On the contrary, I would prefer never.”

She cocked her head. “Well, you’re going to have to make some changes. Because there’s going to be a lot of birthdays in your future that will be celebrated with macaroni necklaces, homemade cards, and probably finger-painted art. Yoursonis going to want to celebrate his daddy.”

Son?Without thinking, his fingers dug into her back, pulling her closer to his chest. The corner of her mouth curled.

“That was going to be my gift. I found out last week at my appointment.” She leaned closer, brushing her lips against his cheek and whispering in his ear. “We’re having a boy.”

A boy. A son. A legacy.

He may not have deserved this life with her and their son, but he’d spend the rest of his life earning it.

Epilogue

Four years later

“Can I help with anything?”

Elodie slowly turned to face both of her sisters-in-law. She adored Quinn and Dahlia. They’d grown so close that they often dropped the in-law part when introducing each other. To say they’d become a close-knit family was an understatement.

Elodie arched her brow, pointing to the food on the buffet counter. “It’s catered.”

Dahlia chuckled, holding up her hands. Her small belly protruded from her fitted shirt. There was no pregnant woman cuter than Dahlia Serra. Though Quinn was equally adorable. Their bodies just seemed to bounce back immediately. Elodie, on the other hand, was still struggling to lose the last five stubborn pounds from over three years ago.

She scanned the counter where all the food had been setup. She’d come to terms with her lack of culinary skills. They had a full-time chef on staff at home. But she refused to completely give up. The meal might’ve been professionally cooked, but she’d added a few sides that she’d made, though she wouldn’t be sharing that information with anyone. Over the years she’d built a reputation as a bad cook. While most were polite enough to try, others were less willing. One in particular.

“Will you call everyone for dinner?”

Quinn rounded the counter, heading toward the French doors overlooking the yard and the lake. It was the perfect oasis. If Elodie had it her way, they’d live there all year round.But it was an hour outside of the city. Oz had made the surprise purchase three years ago just after their son was born. Renovations took over a year, but when it was done, it was magnificent. Probably larger than it needed to be for a small family, but it became everyone’s weekend getaway. No one loved it more than her uncle. He’d come on weekends or a week at a time when no one else was using it. Hank called it his happy place. On one rare occasion, over too much wine, he broke down when it was just the two of them sitting on the dock.

“I can feel her here.”

My mom.

“She would’ve loved this,” Hank said.

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