Things slowly returned to normal in the months that followed the incidents with Flint. The town began speaking less and less of the horrific tragedy with Ben Smith and my mother, and though Anna's mother decided to move back to New York, she remained in Madison with Raziel as his fiancé.
With the addition of Anna, my family also returned to how we had always been. Well, at least, how we'd been since I'd come there a little over a year before. The other difference with us was that Sean and Sara were now completely part of our lives.
I admit that I loved how my life had become. For the first time ever, I felt normal, even with all of the things that I'd come to know and somewhat understand. I graduated high school that May with Raziel, Anna, and Sean, and my life was moving on very smoothly.
I'd also grown even closer to my fox in this time. Sean was always around now, and he was much more open with me about things between us. In a way, the whole fiasco from that Fall had brought us much closer. Maybe that was the one good thing to come out of it.
That particular afternoon, the two of us had headed to the marina. We'd graduated the week before, and Sean and I had decided to enjoy a nice day out since we both had the day off from work and the weather was so beautiful. We'd already been to town and done a little bit of window shopping, but it was much more enjoyable to walk out there.
"I can't believe we've already graduated. It feels like just yesterday when I started school here." I was saying.
"It is incredible how time can make you feel. You've been here for over a year, yet it feels like forever." Sean commented.
"No kidding."
It did feel like we'd been together forever now, even if it had only been a little over a year. Being here with my family, and with him, felt like being where I belonged.
"It's funny when I let myself think about things now. It really is like I was destined to come back here and meet you." I continued.
The two of us stopped as I spoke, looking at the calm waters that were lapping the piers and shoreline near us. The sun glittered on the surface, adding to the beauty of the day.
"I've felt the same way. My mother and I never intended to come to Madison like we did. It was only a chance thing that we were passing through here and happened to like the area." Sean told me.
"Really? So, you weren't planning on staying here?" I asked.
"No." Sean shook his head, "I just decided that I liked how rural the area was, and we didn't know that your family was already here. We did consider leaving when we learned of it, but I decided to stick it out, and in doing so I even ended up seeing you come to Madison late that night."
That answered the question of what I'd seen that Christmas Eve when Michael was bringing me home. I knew that I saw something large run into the woods, but it had been so quick that I only caught the flash of white. That something had been Sean, out roaming as a full fox.
I turned to face him, "Out of curiosity, is that why you started stalking me right after I came here?"
"Not at all. I didn't even know who you were when I first noticed you. All I knew was that I saw your father's car out very late on Christmas Eve with a passenger that I didn't recognize. I did assume that you may have been his daughter since I'd heard that he had one, but I didn't think any more of it at the time. However, when I saw you at the high school a week later, it all clicked, and unfortunately, it raised that bad part in me too. I am grateful for your breaking me then since that nature made my intense feelings towards you so dangerous, although I probably should be saying that to the other who's been taking care of your family as well." Sean explained, smiling a little at his own words.
"Trust me, I'm sure that they already know." I assured him as I played with the bracelet around my wrist. I looked out at the water with him as I continued, "Anyway, what are you planning to do now that we've graduated? Are you going to keep working at Jameson or take college courses?"
Sean shrugged, "I'm not really feeling college, although having a few courses later might not hurt. I plan on staying at Jameson too so that I can keep helping my mother, not to mention your uncle has offered to let me start working with him doing some bookkeeping."
"Really? That sounds great." I told him.
"I think it will work out very well for us. Things like that are right up my alley, and neither are very demanding jobs, so it will give me the time I want with you too." Sean responded.
"I'm glad. At least I'll be able to have plenty of time with you, not to mention Michael's been letting me work part time with him too. Maybe we'll be able to save up some money in the next year to get a place of our own." I suggested.
Yes, this was one of our goals now. We wanted to establish ourselves working and save up to buy a house. Even though we knew that my dad and Sara would help us in any way we needed, Sean and I wanted to do things like that on our own.
Yet there was one snag that I'd had to think about recently, and I felt like this might be the time to find a way to bring it up. I just needed the right opening.
Sean continued speaking to me as we sat on a nearby bench, "By the way, I was also very surprised by the recent news too." he was saying.
"You mean about Anna being pregnant?" I guessed.
I had known about this for the last two weeks, although she'd only told Raziel a few days before. It wasn't like we weren't expecting it to happen eventually. Those two were planning on getting married in the next month, and I had the distinct feeling that Raziel had been hoping that she'd have a baby soon. He was ecstatic about becoming a father too.
"I do." Sean nodded, "While it did surprise me, I admit that I envy it too. Not only has Raziel gotten to have the one he loves, now he will have his own family as well, even if they did end up with a younger start."
"Well, it's not like they don't have a good foundation for it, and Raziel's had the same goals that we do in getting a place of their own. He's been working with Raphael for the last three years anyway, so he probably already has a lot saved." I told him.
I knew my cousin very well when it came to all of that. Raziel might've had some expensive tastes in a vehicle, but he also was a lot like his dad when it came to handling finances. He was very good at saving money and being goal oriented with it.
"Indeed so. I have the sense that he's been planning these things for quite a while." Sean agreed.
I shifted a little where I sat, "Out of curiosity, what do you think about having a family one day?"
"Like I said, I'm quite envious of the thought." Sean answered, "I've heard before that as a half fox, I may have trouble with such though. I try not to think about it, but hearing that news did get to me a bit."
He hadn't mentioned that one before, but I went with it.
"It really bothered you to think that we might not have children?"
"It did. I suppose I like the idea of being a father now that I can settle down with you, but then, things that are meant to be also come in time. I have learned that much in all of this too."
Maybe it was time to come clean to him. I had to Michael and Sara already, and it had been kind of hard to keep quiet around him for the last week.
"Well, you know, we were talking about how funny time is before." I spoke up after a few minutes of silence.
Sean looked confused, "What do you mean?"
I shrugged, doing my best not to act too excited or nervous, "Just what I said. Time can feel strange and go by really fast."
Silence fell between us again as I looked out at the water. I could feel him looking at me. There was no way that he wasn't reading between the lines with this, even if I was being kind of vague. Sean was very perceptive about almost everything.
He finally spoke, sounding hesitant, "Mia, are you...?"
"I totally get where you'd be worried about maybe not having kids, but you shouldn't anymore. Besides, I think you'll be a great dad." I continued.
Nope, I couldn't face him as I said this. Instead, I was looking down at my belly, envisioning the life now going inside of me. Anna wasn't the only one in this position now, and I confess that I was glad of that. Even if it was tough at times, I wanted this more than anything now that I had the guy I loved.
Sean was finally pulling himself out of his shock.
"You're pregnant?"
I smiled at him, "I found out shortly after Anna did, but I wanted to tell you at the right time."
Sean let out a breath as he looked down, shaking his head and smiling. I couldn't believe that he hadn't even suspected this before. With the morning sickness I'd been fighting for the last two weeks, I would've thought anyone would, although now that I thought about it, he had been leaving a little earlier than me for work and all.
"Looks like I'll have to rethink a few things, but it'll be worth it." he stated as he stood up.
I let him help me up so that I could stand with him, "It'll be fine. Even if we don't have our own place right away when they're born, we'll still take good care of them." I reassured him.
"I know, and I want to give them a happy life as they grow up." Sean agreed, laying a hand on my belly. He gently kissed my forehead, "No matter what comes, we'll take care of our family now."
"Yeah, we definitely will." I nodded, hugging him, "I love you Sean."
"I love you too Mia." he whispered back, "Always and forever"