Wild Forever-Bonus Scene

Grant

Ten years later…

Cold bites at my fingers as I take them out of the thick gloves. I hand over the cash for the hot chocolates and stuff them into a cardboard carrier before sliding my gloves back on.

The pop-up hot drinks stand has a line curving around the side of it, and my girls will be wondering where the hell I got to.

I trudge through the snow to the area of the lake where I last saw them. It doesn’t take me long to pick out April’s bright red coat as she glides over the frozen lake.

She’s skating backwards and holding Ella’s hands, who moves unsteadily like Bambi on ice.

April catches my eye, and I hold up the carton of hot drinks. She calls out to Bailey and Cora, who are skating far too fast for my liking on the other edge of the lake.

The pair comes skating over, and my heart leaps into my throat as they barrel towards the edge of the ice where the wooden barrier to the lake is. 

Bailey slows as she gets to the edge, but fearless Cora keeps coming at top speed. She skids to a stop at the last minute, kicking up ice like a pro as her skates make a slicing noise in the ice.

I swear that kid is going to give me a heart attack one day.

There’s a picnic table that’s been cleared of snow, and I sit down and take the hot drinks out of their holder. The girls clomp through the snow, their movements slowed by the skates. Their cheeks are rosy red, like their mother’s, and long dark hair hangs from under their wooden hats. 

Bailey hangs back, letting the younger girls go first, but Cora bowls on in and grabs a cup, making her younger sister wail as she pushes past.

“Did you see that skid, Dad?” she asks, unaware of the pout her little sister’s throwing in her direction.

Cora’s eyes shine, and she talks excitedly about the ice. “I was like…” She holds her arms up in sharp angles like a pair of skates. “…shurrr.”

April settles Ella with her hot chocolate, one again expertly diffusing a potential conflict between the sisters.

The girls slurp on their drinks as they talk excitedly about who can do the best tricks.

I slide over on the seat, and April joins me. She rests a head on my shoulder, and I slide my arm around her waist. 

Ice skaters move around the lake, and the sound of laughter is dulled by the snow. Our girls talk excitedly, their cheeks red and rosy and my wife leans against me. It’s a perfect moment, and my best swells with happiness. 

“I love you,” I murmur into the top of April’s hair. She turns to look up at me, and her eyes are shining as much as mine are.

“I love you too.”

My wife is tired, and I sweep the hair out of her eyes. 

She works too hard, but she won’t cut back her hours. People need me, is what she says whenever I suggest it. And she’s right. April works at the refuge with Trish and does private counselling. She’s helped numerous people kick their additions over the years.

She’s the best mom to our three daughters, tirelessly running them around and being there for them when they need her. And in the last few years as Bailey becomes a teenager, she’s needed April more than ever.

The girls finish their drinks, and they’re already fidgeting. 

Ella’s playing in the snow, and Cora joins her in a rare moment of sibling truce. At almost six years old, Ella’s as timid as her sister is bold, and she never strays far from her momma. 

We stopped at three kids. It’s a lot, and I didn’t want to put any more stress on April. She never once relapsed, but parenting is hard. 

We planned our family, and the age gaps are spaced out so we never had two small children at once. Not like some of my MC brothers who have broods of children. 

Emotion floods my heart as I look at my family. I look away quickly to hide the tears that spring to my eyes. I’m the luckiest man on the mountain, and I thank my wife for that every day.

A snowball hits the side of my face, and there’s a gasp of breath from Bailey. I turn to see her shocked expression.

“I was aiming at Cora,” she says. 

We stare at each other, and she tries to hide her giggle.

“Then you’d better practice your shot.”

I jump up from the table, and the girls squeal as I grab a chunk of snow and loosely aim it at Bailey. She dodges, and I dart down the hill as a snowball from Cora hits my back. 

Chucks of snow come flying at me as the girls unite under a common target.

I scoop up snow to fire back, but before I get the chance, three girls jump on me and I tumble to the ground. They squeal and squish snow into me, and I pretend I can’t get away.

Behind them is April in her red coat, laughing at our antics and looking as beautiful as the day I first laid eyes on her.

I laugh, and my chest feels light. When I was in the military, I never dreamed I’d be a father. I found myself with my girls and with April, and I can’t imagine life any other way.