Shattered World (Shattered #3)

Epilogue

Ten Years Later

T he mural before me was filled with images I hadn’t seen in a decade. Reds and oranges and yellows painted the fall leaves, a large oak holding them all up. The bright blue sky was dotted with clouds, animals crawling underneath the rays of the sun.

A body came up to my side, a strong arm wrapping around my shoulder. “Do you think the kids will like it?”

I turned into Murphy’s embrace, pressing my lips against his as I nodded. “They’ll absolutely love it. It reminds me of our time in the woods.”

A secretive smile curved Murphy’s lips and he pulled me tighter against him. As one of the primary teachers for the elementary students, this had been his latest project. They were currently on a lesson about the environment of the Earth. Sadly, few, if any, of the kids remembered those times.

Three of those little children belonged to us and even though we shared stories, they didn’t have any idea of what we spoke of. Murphy thought that having this mural painted would give the kids something to look at, to dream of for when one day they got to step foot back on the surface.

Of course, by then it would look completely different, if we were lucky enough to still be alive the day the bunker door was opened.

“Stop stealing my wife from me,” Rainer groaned, dragging me from Murphy’s embrace.

He stole a kiss from my lips, his smirk as devious as the day I had met him. Only now I was privy to more smiles than back then. His words to Murphy were a tease, given I was married to both of them. Plus a third.

The first few years, we had been the odd ones out. Stares followed us as we walked together, more curious looks when I became pregnant with our first child, all three men doting over me. But soon, those looks faded. There wasn’t much they could say, not when our happiness was evident for everyone to see.

“Where’s Warner?” I asked, checking the clock on the wall.

We only had around an hour before we were all meeting for the night.

“One of the heating systems broke, he’s been down there all day fixing it,” Rainer responded, linking his fingers with mine as he led me down the hallway and toward our home.

Murphy walked at my side, slinging an arm around my shoulder as he followed us.

Just as we had spoken about years before, Warner had immediately taken a job as an engineer, making sure that the systems in place to keep the bunker survivable continued working. Aiden and I both worked in the hospital, treating any and all injuries and illnesses that walked through those doors.

Sasha, although adamant at the time that she would work with Warner, had taken a different path. The bunkers had been prepped for fifty years, thousands of books inside for continued learning. She decided on returning to school, learning everything she could about agriculture. And each day when she came back from the greenhouse, a sad smile tilting her lips, I knew she thought about Mina.

Stephanie and Lucas had graduated a couple years ago and both were currently in school. I wasn’t sure where either of them would end up, but I did know that Elizabeth and Emmanuel would be proud of the adults they had turned into.

Walking through the door of our home, the same one we had lived in since the first day, three squeals met my ears.

My two daughters and son sprinted through the living room, Aiden not far behind them. “You’ve raised little hellions.”

I laughed as their three bodies collided with mine, not holding on for long before turning toward Rainer and Murphy.

Our home, although it was nowhere near a house, was perfect for us. There were four separate bedroom areas, each of them occupied. My three men and I took one, Stephanie and Lucas the second, our daughters the third, and our son the fourth.

Aiden had moved out three years ago after the birth of our third child, moving in with his new wife. Sasha had left even earlier, only staying with us for two years. I knew eventually Stephanie and Lucas would leave, but I loathed the day that came. They may have not been my children, but we had raised them, loved them as our own.

“Shit, are we late?” Sasha voiced as she opened the door into the living room, her wife, Nadia, at her side.

“No, Warner isn’t even here yet. Or the twins.” I rolled my eyes, out of all of us, Warner was always the one I was hunting down.

Ten years later and he still seemed to prefer the shadows, always making me track him down until he gave me what I wanted.

Thirty minutes later, the room was almost filled, everyone lounging around the room. Although we all gathered like this often, especially for birthdays and holidays, today was different.

Warner was the last to walk through the door, our little hellions, as Aiden said, jumping on his body. He gave them each a hug, tickling their sides, before shooing them away. His dark gaze landed on me as he stalked forward, pulling me into his arms and planting his mouth against mine.

I sighed into the touch, still as insatiable to this day as I was back then. Although, I had fewer worries these days, allowing me more time to spend with the amazing men I loved.

Releasing me, he took a seat on the couch between Rainer and Murphy, everyone else quieting. A somber mood fell over us as the purpose of the day settled in, but there was happiness as well.

The grief of our losses no longer sat heavy on our chests day in and day out, instead finding its way into our lives like the whisper of the wind.

“Who wants to start?” I asked and Stephanie was the first to pipe up, starting in on a story of her father.

Ten years ago, on this day, we entered the bunkers, starting a new life and leaving our past behind. But each year, we gathered, reminiscing. For the rest of the night, we all shared memories of those we had lost.

There was laughter and lots of tears. And as I sat here with my family, thankful for every day I was gifted with them, I knew those we had lost were still here with us. Constructing together the messy yet perfect pieces of our shattered world.