Stronger Than Ever

Chapter 9: One Year Later

(another of my famous epilogues)

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Thanks again to femaleodd for pushing me to update. Sadly this is the last chapter. Please say in your review if you want more, as in another sequel.

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I laughed as Alexa and Andrea crawled about on the floor at top speed. Zack opened the door and walked in with Joanna. The girls had been trying to head outside whenever the door was opened lately, so I called a warning.

“Watch the munchkins!”

Zack and Joanna crouched on the floor with open arms and Alexa and Andrea crawled right into their arms, giggling happily.

“Happy birthday, twerps!” said Zack with a grin while Joanna reprimanded him for calling them twerps.

Andrea squirmed in Joanna’s arms, wriggling towards Hailee. “Mama!” she cried, words rising in volume.

Hailee took the little girl from Joanna and rocked her. Meanwhile, Alexa squirmed, twisting towards the door, crying “Orses! Orses!” – her idea of “Horses! Horses!”

Zack rolled his eyes. “A year old and already horse-obsessed. God.”

I grinned and lifted Alexa above my head to distract her from the “orses.” She squealed in delight and kicked out vigorously with her little arms and legs.

“Careful, Ian,” said Hailee as she gave Andrea some formula.

I lowered Alexa. She reached up to grab what she could of my hair – and pulled.

“Ouch!” I exclaimed as everyone – Alexa included – laughed.

When Alexa kept whining about the “orses”, Hailee and I bundled her up against the breezy spring wind of March twenty-third and took her outside, leaving Zack and Joanna to entertain Andrea.

I held Alexa while Hailee got Zip from his stall. Zip was growing quickly, and was a good horse despite the fact that he wasn’t quite two years old yet. Hailee and I were looking forward to training him, something which should be fairly easy because of his good and willing disposition.

Hailee slid away Zip’s blanket and I gently set Alexa on his bare back. Alexa grinned widely and buried her little fingers in his coarse mane, crowing happily, “Zip!”

Zip’s big brown eyes stayed perfectly calm, so Hailee supported Alexa while I led Zip around the yard. Hailee fit motherhood perfectly. She cooed to Alexa in a big gooey voice and didn’t let her come anywhere near falling.

When Alexa tired, Hailee pulled her off Zip’s back and went to put her and Andrea to bed while I put Zip back in his stall and checked on the other horses.

About twenty minutes later, I slid out of Zip’s stall. “Good boy,” I murmured. “Thanks for not letting Alexa get hurt. Good boy.”

Looking up the aisle, I saw many eager equine faces looking back at me. But I didn’t see Charcoal. Wondering where the friendly horse was, I moved towards her stall, knowing Hailee wouldn’t forgive me if I didn’t check.

When I got there, I saw Charcoal’s rump. I peered in and saw Hailee holding the dark gray horse’s neck, whispering to her with a huge, tremulous smile on her face. Quietly as I could, I slid into the stall.

“Hailee?” I said quietly. “You okay?”

Hailee stepped back and nodded vigorously. There was something about her expression that looked familiar, but I couldn’t pinpoint it.

“Come here.”

I did as she asked and was surprised beyond belief when Hailee steered my hand onto her stomach. I was even more surprised when I felt a strong kick tighten the skin under my hand… so surprised that my jaw dropped.

I looked at Hailee. “Are you?” I said, letting the rest of my sentence trail off.

She grinned. “Yep. Here we go again!”

So Hailee was pregnant. Again. That explained the mood swings she’d been displaying lately. I wondered why I hadn’t seen it coming.

Finally I recovered from the shock and grinned back at her. “No twins this time, okay?” I laughed.

Hailee threw back her head and laughed, but instead of saying something in return, she stepped forwards and kissed me.

“I love you, Ian,” were the first words she spoke when we pulled back.

“Love you, too,” I smiled, twirling a strand of her hair around my finger. “Now… do we have two sleepy babies to tuck in?”

“Yep,” she smiled, leading me to the house by the hand, both of us smiling serenely.

END OF CHAPTER 9: One Year Later

A/N: That’s the end… if you want more, tell me in your review. Thankies. Grin and thanks to femaleodd again… if it weren’t for you, I doubt that this story would have been completed. So kudos to you. Hug

Sayonara, all! Until we meet again…

Taka. (Shortened version of my Japanese name, Takadoshikuto.) :P