Possessing Liberty (Claimed 1)

Epilogue

Killian

One Year Later

"Is that him?" Sebastian asks, grinning at me as the nurse slips inside Liberty's room with my son in her arms.

I take him from her, holding him carefully. They say he's big, but he's still tiny if you ask me. I could probably hold him in one hand, which I won't do because you have to hold babies carefully. They're fragile.

As soon as he's in my arms, pride swells in my chest. He's sleeping, his little lips pursed. He's as perfect as his mom. And she gets more perfect every single day. The last year of my life has been better than perfect. Every day, I love her more. She's the sun in my world…and our little boy is the moon. Both vital, both beautiful.

She's resting peacefully in the hospital bed beside me. She hasn't gotten much of that the last few weeks. She says it's impossible to get comfortable with a baby digging his toes into your ribs. I'm taking her word for it. But she never complained. Not once through her pregnancy did she complain.

She's the strongest person I know.

"He's so little," Kennedy whispers, reaching out to touch his hand.

"He looks like you," Caroline says, smiling.

"He's much cuter than Killian," Sebastian says, fucking with me. I see the look in his dark eyes though. See the way they move from me to his wife, lingering on her growing belly. He can't wait for his own baby to get here. She's not far behind. Their little girl is due any day now.

"What's his name?" Rowan asks, cuddling up against Sebastian's chest with her hand on her belly.

"Spencer."

"Aww," Kennedy and Caroline say at the same time.

"After her mom?" Rowan asks.

I nod. Nothing else fit right. Spencer is perfect though, a little piece of Liberty's mom that she can pass on to our children. She still doesn't talk much about her past, but it doesn't hurt her as much now as it used to. She talks about her parents sometimes, about the happy times they shared and how much they loved each other and loved her. I think she knows that her dad never stopped loving her. He just lost his way.

It helps her to see the men and women we serve, to hear their stories. She spends most of her time working out of my office now. Alessi doesn't seem to mind. He thinks it's good for her. Hell, I do too. She's blossomed in the last year, becoming a fierce advocate for veterans. They love her, which is a never-ending source of irritation for me. I love that my wife has people in her corner, but I'm still a jealous, possessive motherfucker. I think, if anything were to happen to me, she'd have a whole army at her back, ready to help take care of her for me.

That's the only reason I let the men in our care close to my wife. She deserves the peace that comes with knowing she isn't alone in this world. And she isn't alone in this world. With me at her side, she will never be alone again.

I've loved seeing her grow over the last year. She knows her worth now, knows how important she is and how much she is loved. That confidence never really leaves her eyes now. She's happy. Happier than I've ever seen her. And I love every minute of it.

"You did good, brother," Sebastian murmurs to me while the girls all coo over Spencer.

"I did, didn't I?" I say, smiling down at the baby in my arms. Hell, I did better than good. I hit the fucking lottery when I found Liberty. My wife is a goddess, and my son is perfect.

When I was in the desert and tried to envision a future for myself, I never could do it. I'm not sure if that's because I didn't know Liberty was out there waiting for me to find her, or if it's because I couldn't even comprehend the kind of happiness I've found with her. But if I had been able to imagine it, it would have looked like this.

My son in my arms, my siblings around me, and my wife resting peacefully at my side.

This is what we fought for. This is what so many died for. This is the dream.

And it is so fucking beautiful.