Page 58 of The Alpha's Triplets

It was real, and it overwhelmed her. So while they spoke, she sat down and sobbed quietly. Only this time, they were not tears of pain, they were tears of joy. She had no way to express that joy, so she simply cried.

Epilogue - Eleanor

Joy.

It seemed like the perfect name for such a perfect child. Her pregnancy had been a massive roller coaster of events and emotions.

First, she saw Xander struggle with the reality of her relationship with Blake. He had given his blessing, but it took a long time for him to get comfortable with seeing them so in love.

If anything, the baby had been the perfect blessing. Xander couldn’t deny what he saw budding between his best friend and sister, and the baby was all the proof he needed to cement that acceptance in his mind.

He visited more and more, and he even managed to look remorseful for bashing in Blake’s face. They never spoke about their fight again, and it was easy to pretend as if it had never happened. Regardless, it had shown Eleanor that she didn’t know her brother as well as she thought she did.

Her parents also made the trip often. Her mom was thrilled about having a grandchild, while her dad spoke to her with pride. “Looks like my baby girl went and got all grown up,” he said on his first visit. “I’m happy you figured it out.”

And then there was Blake. He had turned into a superhero for Eleanor and their unborn child. He barely left her side and was the sweetest mate and husband ever. They didn’t need to pretend to be in love when they were out anymore.

When she thought about it, she realized she couldn’t pinpoint when the pretense had turned into reality. She would always thank Scarlet for hosting that couple’s workshop. That had set them well and truly down this path.

Blake couldn’t get enough of her, even when her bump started to show. He had an appetite that was terrifying and arousing at the same time. They constantly found new positions that didn’t disturb the baby, until just weeks before she was due. Even then, she had to keep him away with a stick.

And she loved having Blake around. She enjoyed the foot massages. It thrilled her when he got excited and rushed around to provide for her cravings, regardless of what it was. She sometimes sent him on wild goose chases just for the fun of it. He never complained.

They’d lie in bed together for hours, binging movies and eating whatever she wanted to eat. They had conversations about nothing, and Eleanor felt like she was finally getting to know the real Blake. He was the most open, most honest man she’d ever met.

The only thing he fussed obsessively about was the nursery for their baby. He converted a room on their floor into a nursery, and he made it a personal project to decorate it. Eleanor would watch him work for hours, creating the perfect bedroom for their child. And then, one week later, he would tear it all down and start all over.

“Blake, honey. I don’t think our newborn baby will care about the number of dolphins on the wall,” Eleanor eventually said, convincing him to leave the room alone.

All of that only worked to draw them closer to each other. They had fallen in love, and it didn’t feel wrong anymore. That, for Eleanor, was the best part. She’d hated the guilt that had hung over her head for so long.

What she and Blake had was special and beautiful. She hated that they’d had to hide it as long as they did. They didn’t have to anymore. And with her guilt went her fear of one day losing what they shared.

“Joy,” Eleanor said the moment she first held her baby in her arms. She looked at the tiny pink being bundled in blankets, and she was sure. She couldn’t think of any other name.

“What did you say?” Blake asked, leaning forward to hear her better.

“Joy,” she repeated, yawning from fatigue. “She’s Joy. That’s her name.” She fell asleep then, with her baby in her arms.

Joy became the center of their universe. Everything revolved around her. Eleanor’s parents and Blake’s were regulars in the house now, and Eleanor found that she didn’t mind having a full house. There was more than enough room to house everyone, and none of the grandparents seemed eager to leave.

Blake was impossibly protective of his daughter. At night, he went around the house multiple times to make sure the doors were secured. He would spend hours in her room, long after she had fallen asleep, watching her in her cot.

Eleanor’s morning runs with Blake turned to morning walks, with Joy securely strapped to his chest. Eleanor always looked forward to the morning walks. It felt like the only time when it was just her and her family. She loved how clingy Joy was to Blake, and she loved how much he loved his daughter.

To Eleanor, they were the two most important people in the world, and she wanted to freeze this moment in time. She wanted to experience it in a loop forever.

Today, with Joy playing with a chew toy while strapped to her father’s chest, Eleanor and Blake used their morning walk to go over their game plan for the meeting later that afternoon.

The moment they’d been waiting and preparing for since they got married was finally upon them, and they both had a good feeling about it. They were confident that they had put in the right work and that there was no better time than now to convince the pack to pick up some new, progressive traditions.

Months ago, they’d let Isabel in on their plans. She had worked to convert the other elders who she was allied with to Blake and Eleanor’s cause. She’d been careful not to disclose specifics of what they were planning to do, however.

“We have forty percent of the elders and voting members on our side so far,” Blake said, pretending to bite the toy that Joy shoved toward his mouth.

“Right.” Eleanor frowned. “Forty percent is a long shot from a majority.”

“It is,” Blake conceded. “But you’re forgetting that when we started, there was no chance of us coming as far as we’ve come. Plus, that’s the worst-case scenario. There’s really no way for us to know until we present our case.”

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