Rescuing His Captive Mate: Saving The Future Luna

[The Family Is Growing Again]

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Artem

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 There had been something that we waited a little while to tell everyone. Something major that we didn't want to make it seem like we were trying to lessen the tragedy of what had happened.

I hadn't noticed when I first got home because I was swarmed by everyone, their scents mingling together, but Star was pregnant again. She had apparently gotten pregnant the night before I left for the war. I had been a little extra passionate with her that night, just in case. I had known that dying was a possibility, we all had. And that possibility came true for one of us in the house.

Still, I had been happy about the baby. I just didn't want to show that joy to the others just yet. I wanted to give everyone time to grieve the loss. The night that we decided that we were going to tell everyone was the night that Julian came home for the summer. His semester ended in the middle of May, and Star was just about a month pregnant by then. We couldn't hold off with telling people though, she was already starting to show, more than she had before.

"Can I have everyone's attention please?" I stood at the table full of friends and family. Julian had been getting so much love from his brothers and everyone else that he was flushed in the face and smiling happily. Spencer was here as well, having dinner with us since they had gone to have lunch at Will's before coming here.

"I am so happy to finally have all my boys home with us. It has been a hard year for everyone, and we have missed Julian so much. I am also glad to have my bonus son, or should I say my future son in-law. Thank you, Spencer, for being part of Julian's life. We are all lucky to have you."

"Frankly, Mr. Cooper, I feel like the lucky one." I saw the way that he looked at my boy and smiled. It was nice to know that they were happy. And I couldn't believe that in October Julian and I would both be in our twenties. That just sounded weird and made me laugh.

"That's good. Now, Star and I have an announcement to make. Something that I don't think we should wait to tell all of you."

I turned to look at Star, at how beautiful and radiant she was. She had just turned twenty-two and I was about to announce that we were going to be having another baby. With the adopted boys this would make sixteen children. I wonder if anyone ever looked at either of us and thought that before I turned twenty-eight, or just a little after she turned twenty-two, that we would have sixteen children? I highly doubt it. Still, it was an amazing thing, to have this much love in our daily lives.

"What is it, Dad?" Flint asked me. I looked at him, tall and strong and about to become an adult soon himself. He had the look of a confident and capable person, so unlike the scared little thirteen year old boy I met so long ago. And I am happy to say that he was still dating Rebecca, two years and counting now. I had a feeling that, like Julian, he had found his mate early. That was good, these kids deserve all the breaks they could get. 

"Well, Flint, I am proud to announce to all of you that your mom is going to have another baby."

The uproar was instantaneous and deafening. Everyone started to cry out with joy and excitement. Even Brayden and Jodan, who were three and a half and two and a half years old now knew what we were talking about.

"Mommy is having a baby?" Brayden cried out.

"I want to see the baby." Jodan added. The two of them had been such early talkers, and their development was way beyond what you would normally expect. I guess that they had a lot of examples, lots of older brothers after all.

"You have to wait until October to see the baby." I told them. "The new baby should be here by the beginning of the month."

"No fair." Dalton joked with us. "I want to see my baby brother now."

"It could be a sister this time." Benton informed him.

"I want a sister." Gil was excited. "There are way too many boys already. Mom and Dad deserve a daughter."

"I don't know, it's just been brothers for so long." Zack laughed.

"Yeah, but I think a sister would be nice." Timothy was grinning.

"Yeah, I want a sister." Marcus was bouncing in his seat.

"Yes, give them a break from all us guys." Ricky laughed.

"Yeah, and we can protect her." Will nodded at me as if that was a given.

"I think a little baby sister would be amazing." Julian was grinning. "I can't wait."

"Yeah, no more brothers, bring on the sister." Cohen cheered.

"Sister, sister, sister." Kevin chanted.

"Yeah, I hope it's a girl too." Leslie beamed.

"I think most of us are in agreement then, we hope Mom has a girl. Oh, and we're all very excited." Flint summed up the responses from them all.

"Well, I am glad we have the approval of all fifteen of them." Star laughed. "Thank you boys, all of you. I love you so much, and I am happy that we can add one more to our family."

"Yeah, us too Mommy." Dalton smiled. "I can't wait to meet the baby, whether it is a boy or a girl." He nodded at her and that left the discussion open for the rest of them.

Now, over the course of the next five months there were going to be two new babies in the house, since Star and Dakotah were both due around the same time. I just know this is going to be a positive for us all.

"I should get the clinic ready and do some ultrasounds for you both soon." Doc beamed at them both.. "I have to do my job after all."