Page 38 of Hunny and the Bear (Bearly Yours #1)
Epilogue
H unny rubbed her hands over her swollen belly, her back aching as she leaned against the large porch Tank had rebuilt what felt like ages ago when he’d upgraded their cabin, adding several more rooms and furnishing it to accommodate their growing family. Staring out at the front yard, she watched her mate roll around on the ground, wrestling playfully with three small shifters, all under four-years-old. When one kit launched at him, Tank let out a dramatic yelp, catching the tiny male in his arms.
“I’m under attack!” Tank exclaimed, laughter thick in his voice as the two children on either side of him shrieked in delight.
“Surrender!” Henry Jr. yelled from the safety of Tank’s arms, only to shriek gleefully as Tank launched him high into the air, catching him a few seconds later. Despite Hunny’s sudden nerves at seeing her first-born fly a few feet into the sky, she couldn’t help the smile that stretched across her face as Henry Jr. exclaimed, “Higher, Daddy!”
She loved watching her mate play with their children, and she always felt like a fool that there was ever a time she worried he might not want to be their father. He’d taken to parenthood so naturally, so wholeheartedly, that her heart ached. Life had thrown a lot Hunny’s way, but she’d do it all a thousand times over to get this same outcome.
Tank might not have been her true mate, but he was her heart and soul.
“My turn, my turn!” Blake insisted, barely giving Tank a chance to sit up before the second kit threw himself at the burly male. Tank adjusted quickly, scooping him up and tossing them both into the air while their little sister watched, eyes wide with fascination.
Beonca was the quiet child among the three of them, more content to watch her brothers play than join in, like right now. Maybe it was her wolf’s instinct to sit back and observe—Hunny didn’t know; she’d never been an apex predator.
There were times Hunny found it overwhelming, raising a wolf shifter among rabbits, if only because she worried she was doing something wrong. Neglecting her daughter in some unknown way.
Tank wasn’t concerned about it, though, likely because bears were predators, too. He understood Beonca in a way Hunny didn’t, and that had bonded the father and daughter more than blood ever could.
Hunny still remembered the day she’d given birth to the three of them. Henry Jr. had come first. Healthy but disgruntled. He’d frowned at every noise, every tiny bit of light. Blake had followed soon after, ready to take on the world with a hearty wail as soon as his lungs had cleared. Both rabbit shifters had Hunny’s light, lavender-colored hair, and they’d looked almost identical.
Tank had let her choose the names for both boys, and he’d cried, smiling through tears as she’d handed him Henry Jr., and then again with Blake.
But their daughter had been different from the moment Hunny had laid eyes on her. Not only was she a wolf shifter, she’d looked like a replica of Jason. Blonde hair, steel-blue eyes, even the same nose shape and complexion. Although it pained Hunny to admit it, the first time she’d held her daughter in her arms, she’d worried about what Tank would think.
Stupid on her part, really.
He’d barely given Hunny a chance to hold their daughter for more than a minute before he’d scooped the baby girl into his arms, staring down at her little scrunched-up face like she’d hung the moon and the stars in the sky. He hadn’t just cried when he’d held her, though.
Hunny’s big bear, her stoic, grumpy mate, had wept, crooning softly and rocking Beonca gently as he proclaimed her the most precious baby girl in the entire world.
After Tabitha collected the boys and placed them back into Hunny’s arms, Tank had leaned over all of them, kissing her damp forehead tenderly. He’d cried as he’d thanked her for giving him their kids.
Looking back on it now, he might have just been trying to butter her up since he’d wanted to name their daughter.
Beonca wasn’t Hunny’s original choice for a name, but the first time she’d heard Tank utter their daughter’s nickname, she’d understood exactly why he’d chosen it, the sneak.
Hunny smiled as Tank pushed himself up from the ground, setting the boys on their feet. He looked down at their daughter, smiling gently as she tilted her head back, staring up at him with a small pout that was guaranteed to get her anything from the male. “What do you say, Honey Bee? You want to fly?”
Beonca shook her head.
“No?” Tank gripped his heart like she’d broken it. “What could my little wolf want?” he asked his sons, pursing his lips in thought, like he didn’t already know the answer. It was comical and endearing, seeing him like this. Around anyone else, Tank was a grumpy, snarly force to be reckoned with. But here, with them?
He was as sweet as the honey he loved so much.
“Chase!” Blake chanted, grinning when Henry Jr. repeated it.
Tank held out his hand, pulling Beonca up from the ground when she put her small palm in his. “Are you heathens ready to be chased through the woods by a ferocious, savage bear?” he growled menacingly.
Beonca smiled brightly. And then the three children burst into action, racing around the front yard in opposite directions. Tank chased after them, making ridiculous sounds in his throat as he caught each child. Once he’d collected them and the chase was over, he set them down to run around and turned toward Hunny.
Sending her a heated look, he moved to the stairs, up the porch, and wrapped a possessive arm around her waist. Careful to not squish her belly, Tank kissed her thoroughly, not stopping until her legs trembled and she was breathless.
“How’s my little rabbit doing?” Tank murmured the question against her lips, kissing her again.
Moaning lightly, Hunny pulled back as she felt a strong flutter in her womb, followed by a pang against her rib. “Good, except one of your sons wants to say hello.”
Tank’s brows rose. “Not both of them?”
“Ha. Ha.” Hunny narrowed her eyes. “You’re lucky one is being polite to his mother, otherwise she might snip you somewhere unpleasant while you’re sleeping tonight.”
Smirking, Tank cupped her belly, his large hands moving tenderly over her. “Can’t have that. I need all my parts in working order if I’m going to give you more kits later.”
Hunny gasped in outrage. “You are a menace, Henry Sinclair. There will be no more babies after these two.”
He frowned, sending her a forlorn look. “But Honey Bee said she wanted a little sister.”
Hunny snorted before she glared at him again. “No, she didn’t, you glutton. She loves being the only girl because you’re wrapped around her finger.”
Tank grunted. “What if I just want another little girl to spoil?”
“Is that the case?” Hunny asked primly.
“It might be.”
“Well then,” she began, wrapping her arms around Tank’s neck. Bringing his head down to hers, she kissed him once. “I might be inclined to try again. Just to see if we can even out the numbers. Five kids just aren’t enough,” she teased.
“True. Evening them out with eight is our best bet,” Tank agreed.
“Eight?! I meant six!”
Tank shook his head. “Six isn’t happening, darlin’. We both know it. Eight sounds perfect to me. If we have another set of twins, we’ll shoot for ten.”
“Ten?! No way, Henry. Absolutely not—”
Tank swooped in for another kiss, slanting his mouth over hers. His tongue explored her mouth until she could barely remember her own name, let alone what they’d been arguing over. “How about I have my brother watch the kids and give us a little alone time?”
Hunny smiled. “I already called earlier while you were trying to send our kids into orbit. They’ll be here in about five minutes.”
“God, I fucking love you.”
Grinning, Hunny hugged him. “I love you too.”