Forever in the Past and Forever in the Future novel Chapter 129

The smell of pine needles and lavender fills the room. I keep my eyes closed and hide my smile as the giggles get closer.

“Mommy? Are you awake?” Maya’s little voice whispers loudly. I can feel her weight climbing onto the bed.

“Shhh, Maya, Mommy gets to sleep, because it's her birfday,” Andreas giggles at her while he climbs onto the bed as well.

I roll over and pretend to yawn witha big growl and stretch my arms out wide, grabbing them both and bringing them toward me. Their happy squeals fill my heart with joy.

“Hello, darlings,” I squeeze them tightly in my arms.

“Mommy, happy birfday!” Andreas says happily and gives me a wet kiss on the cheek.

“Mommy, Auntie Delilah said she’s made a cake for you,” Maya says with big gray eyes. She lays in my arms and plays with my white hair. She gives a sly little smile, “I think she made chocolate.”

“Oh, she did, did she?” I smile back. The twins talk excitedly at the same time, telling me about all the things they want to do with me today for my birthday until it’s time for cake. I listen intently as I wipe the sleep out of my eyes.

“Daddy has a surprise for you too!” Andreas says proudly. His light green eyes sparkle and he pushes his light brown hair out of his face.

“Oh, he does?” I muse, helping him brush his bangs to the side. I had specifically told him not to get me anything, but that has never stopped him before, “Are you going to give me any hints?”

“No, Mommy. Not even for chocolate chip cookies,” Andreas says solemnly. I laugh, “Okay, fine. Speaking of which, where is Daddy?”

“In the living room with Uncle Marco,” they say almost in unison.

“Okay, why don’t you go let them know I’m awake and I will be out as soon as I’m dressed,” I kiss them both on the cheek and send them out of the room. When my heart started a few minutes after they deliver the twins, the entire pack rejoices. That's what I'm told, anyway. I am too weak to find out for myself. Bronx arranges for me to live in the suite next to his apartment. For the first four months, I cannot get out of bed without help from the nurses. When she gets back from maternity leave, Diane becomes my personal nurse. She also gladly accepted the position of nanny for the twins.

A month after I move back into the apartment, I get back to the bakery part time to help Delilah and the team with the wedding season. I come home one day to find Bronx alone in the apartment. He tells me he had Diane take the babies for the afternoon so he and I could spend time together. He announces he made me dinner, and the menu is comprised of his signature fruit salad with a side of saltines. The first meal he ever made for me. When he comes out of the kitchen with my bowl, he gets down on one knee and asks me to take him back as my mate. I gladly accept him back. Three months later, we go through a formal ceremony to make our bond official again.

A few days after my twins were born, Bronx listened to what Milo and Reggie had to say about what I was actually doing while I was gone. They released Marco from the dungeons that day. From what I’m told, Bronx had to beg him not to leave the pack. To make up for how he treated Marco, Bronx was more than willing to let him go ona sabbatical as long as he wanted. They also agree that when he comes back, they will find a different position for him, one where he is not assigned to protect me.

During his sabbatical, Marco is a stay at home dad for his own twins. He comes to visit me often and tells me he and Bronx are working on fixing things between them. Bronx wants him to work on a special assignment because of the pack expanding so rapidly over the last couple of years, but typical Marco, he doesn’t like to talk much about himself. We mostly talk about the children and sometimes trade cooking tips. When I ask Bronx, he simply says he needed a protege and Marco was the best candidate for the job.

With Marco reassigned, Tyree and James become my guards, but at my insistence, on a much more relaxed schedule. One of them escorts me when I leave pack territory, but only if I'm not with Bronx. If the twins are with us, they both come with us to keep photographers at bay. It takes a while, but I convince them to start my training again. We begin slowly and find that I am not nearly as strong as I used to be. Lex is extremely frustrated at this development, but she tries her best to be patient, knowing we have centuries to practice and that she no longer needs to be a warrior.

The Manae are flourishing at Kardia tou Manae. They have created a strong community and are thriving with their newfound freedom. I check on them a couple times a month, but try to give them the space unless they specifically ask for my help. They also make it a habit to come see all the children and develop relationships with them instead of waiting until they have all their memories. We hope it will help the emotional aspect of things when they come of age and their memories come back to them.

Every year eases us into a more comfortable routine. While none of us will ever forget the traumatic past of this lifetime, we know we can overcome anything to be together. We honor and respect each other and listen to each other much more than we ever had before. Iam thankful to my Mother every day for giving me a choice to come back.