Happily Ever After (End)

Ten Months Later

During a break in the action the Gyros come together near the bench. As I trot toward the huddle I look up into the stands to see my own personal cheering section hooting and hollering and making a downright spectacle of themselves…as usual.

Leading the cheer is Julie who wore one of our jersey’s, though hers was stained with ketchup and mustard from her exuberant cheering while trying to chow down on fully loaded hot dogs. She makes me chuckle as she mouths the words “nut shot” to me, an ‘accidental’ hit to the groin being a reference back to our last ‘training session’ where she’d had all kinds of questionable advice for bringing a bit of the dark arts into Ultimate. My continued insistence on it being a non-contact sport had fallen on deaf ears. Though she had helped in in a myriad ways to toughen up and gain some stamina for my hobby breaking the rules was not something I was about to do, especially with my Queen and princess watching on. Catching her eye I lift my jersey just a bit and flex to give her a peek of my washboard abs. I chuckle as I see her clench her fist and bite her lip with hunger.

With her usual resting bitch face Rebecca stood beside her cousin with her arms crossed and looking bored out of her mind, though for those of us who knew her well the gleam in her dark eyes revealed she was very much enjoying herself. The fancy new professional looking jerseys we wore, the complimentary drinks waiting for us at the benches, along with us now playing our games here on the city’s premier disk sport field was all due to her efforts on our behalf. She and her mile long list of contacts among the state’s rich and powerful had lifted our little squad from our obscure sport and turned into something of a local craze. Though she hid behind excuse of being a canny investor who was getting ahead of a trend before anybody else I knew and she knew that she’d done it all for me. Standing tall among her family her thin lips crack into an almost smile and she gives me an ever so subtle nod. Equally subtle I bow my head back, both to Rebecca as well as Domina who could still make me howl like a blissfully tortured soul in the depths of her dungeon.

At her other flank Roger stood reading a program that Jenny had printed up for all our games that not only promoted our team and highlighted our sponsors but also acted as a colorful introduction for folks that didn’t know a frisbee from a dinner plate. When he notices me looking his way he grins and waves. He then turn to talk to the guy behind him, pointing at me and then at my picture in the pamphlet like a proud dad. In the previous months Roger and I had gone on a few of those fishing trips and I can honestly say I was a better man for them.

At his side, as usual, was the family prodigy. In her glasses, sweater and tartan skirt she looked like your stereotypical nerd who didn’t realize how achingly hot she really was. For those with eyes to see however the little choker she now wore around her slender neck gave a clue that this sweet girl was as kinky as they came. The song I had inspired in that genius mind of hers had been written, composed, recorded and was due to drop the following week. Though Mia was convinced it would barely make a ripple the rest of us knew that a tidal wave was headed Mia’s way that she was not prepared for. Lucky for her she had a shrewd mom, a wise dad, a supportive family and a ‘Sir’ who loved her to bits. I didn’t know how fame would affect her but I had every faith she would come out of it a shining star.

Singing and cheering alongside Julie was my best buddy with benefits Briana, looking positively dapper a fresh pixie cut and snug tweed vest. The friendship that had blossomed between us since we met that first day I practiced with the Gyros officially was something I treasured. Bri just ‘got’ me as much as I understood her. We laughed at the same things, our opinions while not identical were simpatico, and we were never afraid to dish out some hard truths when the other needed it. She’d been a big help in my health and safety courses and I had been able to bring some fresh perspectives from a man in the building trade to her experimental archeology that her ivory tower colleagues hadn’t even considered. And the sex…amazing! Of all the many sexual things I’d learned from my ladies I think I had learned the most with Bri. Not because she knew the most but because she was a fellow open-minded student of the erotic like myself. She shoots me a wink and I wink back.

Beside her was the slender giantess Juniper with her arm around her girlfriend Lily. She had been a beautiful addition to the family. From the first time Lily had brought her home to meet us she had been nothing but enchanting. It only took a month after Lily confessing her feelings to her for Juniper to leave her old partner. A week after that Lily had had a bit of ‘honey girl’ fun with her. It was only a few weeks later that Lily claimed her as her forever mate. Never had I seen a pair of happier women. Though she did not need my services as Prince any longer the girl’s nights continued. Every third Saturday of the month Ellie would make an appearance at their place and we would cut loose and dance the night away. Without fail I’d return home those nights with my belly sore from all the laughing. The smitten pair, as usual, were more distracted with each other to notice much of anything going on around them. I loved to see it.

Dotted around the bleachers were other friends I’d made over the past year. One of Bri’s college buddies, Diego and a couple of my work mates, a friend from my old life I’d gotten back into contact with and even Ms. Jackson from next door, who thanks to my wailing and moaning on that day my ladies ran a train on me was now ‘in the know’. Thankfully she turned out to be an open-minded and discreet neighbor.

And then my eyes settle on my Queen, my wife, my present, my future, my love, my everything. It had been over half a year together and still the sight of her leaves me weak in the knees. Glowing like only an expectant mother can Heather sat closest to the aisle for her frequent bathroom breaks, which Lily would invariable help her with. Her hands resting gently on her baby bump Heather’s big brown eyes never leave me as I make my way across the field. My gaze locks on hers and the world stands still. That incredible woman carried my child as proudly as she carried my heart. A boy! We’d just gotten it sexed a few days ago. For a Matriarch to survive the breaking of a bond and then to get pregnant with a new male was so rare that we had no idea whether our son would be a new alpha or not. Either way he would find the most loving family and the most supportive parents, though all of us now wise enough to keep his ego grounded. Heather blows me a kiss and I nearly swoon. I kiss my wedding ring then lay that hand over my heart.

“Family man!” Barks Cap. “Head in the game!”

Coop chuckles and slaps my shoulder as I join the huddle. “Every damn time.” Standing tall he waves at Heather. “EY, BIG MOMMA! Next point is for you!”

Heather laughs, rolls her eyes and waves back.

“Next point?” Cap says. “How about a FIRST point!” The dire score of 12 to 0 was not reflective of all of the sweat and effort we were putting in. In short, we were getting our asses kicked. One of the side effects of being the best funded team in the state was that we were being fast tracked into playing teams we really had no business competing against. We were getting better week by week but we were still a year or two away from being real contenders. For the time being we were the league’s ‘lovable losers’, a label that drove Cap crazy but that Rebecca and Jenny had been able to market brilliantly. “Focus!”

I clap my hands. “Come on, boys! We can turn this around! Spider, we NEED you on number 3. Dude’s passing is killing us. And Puke, more movement! You’re like a statue out there.”

Cee-Cee brings us drinks as Cap and I run through some tactics and hype the gang up. Soon we are back on the field, the pull is thrown and we at it again. On that very first sequence Cap zips a pass to Meteor who then floats another to Puke. As Puke twists and pivots Coop and I cross our runs, flummoxing our defenders just long enough to buy some space. Time slow, the shouts and cheers go silent, as I watch the frisbee leave Puke’s hand to sail to a spot ten yards ahead of me. Ten months of hard won muscle are put to the test as I sprint to meet the disk near the center of the field. Out of my peripheral vision I can see my defender closing as well, focused on the interception. With a burst of speed I snag the frisbee an instant before he does. Not pausing a second I plant my pivot foot, noting that Coop had continued his run out of the corner of my eye. We’d run this play a hundred times in practice and I knew EXACTLY where he was headed. The mark stands in front of me, arms out wide to stop any possible throws. I spin left. I spin right. All the while the cheers of my family and friends cut through chaos. Trusting in Coop I then do a complete 360 and send the disk flying, a no-look pass to the back corner of the end zone. I can only watch sails right then arcs sharply back left toward my target. Legs pumping, eyes narrowed in concentration, Coop runs the final few yards of his route with a defender mirroring him step for step. My lanky friend stretches to his full height, his long arms outstretched…and he brings it down with his toes JUST inside the lines!

***

Half an hour later we are walking out into the parking lot after our hard fought game. Cee-Cee is hanging off of a beaming Coop’s arm, eager to get her ‘man of the hour’ home for some private congratulations, Jenny is walking alongside Cap, their hands entwined between them, and I…am engulfed in a big bubble of love as my ladies surround me like a mob of groupies. At my side, my arm around her waist and my other hand resting at the side of her big baby belly, Heather walks while pressed into me.

“What a game.” She says cheerily.

“What a trouncing!” Julie quips. “15-1? Yikes.”

Lily chuckles and says. “But what a 1!”

“Not quantity but quality.” Bri chimes in.

“Damn right!” Coop crows.

The group of us continue to laugh and banter until suddenly I feel Heather go tense at my side. Ahead of us, about twenty yards away, stood a figure we’d not seen or heard from in a very long time. The chatter stops as we each in turn catch sight of him.

Tall, tanned and chiseled like the statue of a Adonis Liam stands in a t shirt and shorts just behind Heather’s SUV. At his side is a statuesque woman with bronze skin and long black hair that I did not recognize.

Catching the rising tension caused by the appearance of this brawny blond man Cap says in a low voice. “You need us to stick around?”

Coop echoes the sentiment. “We got your back if you need it.”

“No.” I say, coming to stop and turning to them. “This is family business.”

We say our goodbyes and they go on their way. Surrounded by family and with friends and teammates all over the parking lot I knew I was in no physical danger. It was the emotional damage that Liam could cause that worried me.

Wary of Liam due to the power of his alpha pheromones the others instinctively let me take the lead. The group hangs back a step but stays close except for Heather who remains glued to my side. Slowly Liam and I approach each other. He stops about five feet away, his keen eyes taking in the scene before him. His gaze lingers a few seconds on his mother’s stomach.

“Liam.”

“Elliot.” He says back, his face a mask of contained emotions. Heather’s hand grips my arm tighter as the tension rises. And then…he extends his hand for a shake and says in firm, clear voice. “I’m sorry.”

You could have heard a heartbeat in the stunned silence that follows.

He glances once at the woman at his side then back to his mother and I before continuing. “You were the bigger man, Elliot. You always were.” He says. “And I was a bully and a menace, selfish to the core. I am sorry.” He pans across his family behind me. “To all of you. I wasn’t the man you needed me to be.” After a deep breath he looks back at me. “I’m glad they found you to be the person that I wasn’t.”

“Oh, Liam.” Heather whispers, desperate to go to her son and pull him into an embrace but still hesitating.

I give him a long, hard stare, trying to read his face for any signs of deception or malice. I couldn’t tell. I just couldn’t read him. After a moment, for the good of the family and with faith in my heart, I step forward and take his hand for a hearty shake.

“If you really mean it, apology accepted.” I say.

He gives me a nod with something approaching respect and even gratitude in his familiar brown eyes. “Thank you.”

Unable to hold back Heather steps forward and yanks her son into a the biggest, hardest, most loving hug a mom had ever given a son. Holding him tight Heather whispers. “Welcome home!”

For the first time in my life I see Liam get misty-eyed as he wraps his mother in a hug. “I missed you, Mom.”

“Oh Liam.” She pulls back, hands still on his shoulders. She looks at me with a thankful smile, tears of joy in her proud eyes, then back to him. “Elliot always said you would…” Her voice cuts off as her nostrils flare once, twice, three times. For a moment she looks puzzled…before her eyes widen and dart to the mysterious woman who hovered nearby. “Liam! She…”

“This…” Liam says, stepping to the side and putting his long, muscled arm around the woman. “…is Lucia. My fiance.”

Lucia smiles and with a heavy Spanish accent says. “It is a pleasure to meet you all, at last.”

Heather looks at her son then back to the woman and begins to laugh. I look back at the others, most of which were cluing into the significance of what was happening a step or two before I did. Smiles begin to bloom among them. The same kind of grins I saw when Heather and I announced our pregnancy. That is when it hit me. Lucia. Fiance. The way Heather’s nose had caught something on the breeze, as if her son had changed somehow. Lucia and Liam had conceived! And in doing so Liam’s Alpha state had faded and a the next Matriarch was right now growing inside of Lucia! Liam was now no different than Roger or Alexander or I. His love for a woman had bound him in the same silken bonds of devotion.

“Congratulations!” Heather cries and throws her arms around this stranger as if she’d always been one of us.

The woman smiles and blushes at the sudden attention. “Congratulations back again.” She says with a nod toward Heather’s belly.

The family surge forward as one, physically and symbolically, bringing Liam back into the fold along with his beautiful bride to be. As the others hug and welcome Lucia and Liam the joy in his smile and his gleaming eyes told me that there was no play here. He’d come back because he missed his family and genuinely wanted to make things right.

In the chaos Julie and Roger take Liam to the side as the others swarm poor overwhelmed Lucia. I cannot help but laugh. Lucia had that same look I did early on when it fully struck me just what I’d gotten myself into with this family. Meanwhile Heather returns to me, beaming with a happiness that could not be measured. The one sour note in our otherwise perfect symphony was gone at last and the melody now was so very sweet.

Slipping her arms around my waist she pulls me close, her baby bump pressing into my lean abs, and gazes deep into my eyes. “Thank you.”

“Thank me?” I smile. “I didn’t do anything.”

“You KNOW that’s not true.” She boops me. “I love you.”

With a happy sigh I kiss her and say. “I love you too.”

Coming to my side and gripping my arm she lays her head on my shoulder and says. “Well, handsome, it looks like a year from now you’re going to be a dad AND a grandpa.”

“A…wha!?”

With a jolly laughs she pulls me forward and we rejoin the rest of the family in welcoming Liam and Lucia into our big, happy, ever-growing nest.

The End

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