Celia

Epilogue

10 years later...

Celia

I add more blood to the cut across my cheek and let it slowly drip down my jaw. I turn my head from side to side, checking in the bathroom mirror, then drape the red hood over my head.

"Rawr!" A deep voice growls over my shoulder, breathing down my neck.

"Jesus!" I jump out of my skin, clutching my chest. I gape at Gio through the mirror. "Seriously?"

"Would you like some apples, little girl?" He smiles creepily under his lashes and whips his black cape open, revealing the woven basket in his hand.

"That's from Snow White, dumbass. You're a wolf, not a witch." I try not to laugh and bend down, picking up Asher from the basket. "Also, can you not use our child as a prop, please?"

I adjust his black baseball cap so it's backwards and pull some of his honey-brown locks across his forehead. He smiles at me, his hazel eyes sparkling under long eyelashes.

"Come on, baby. Everyone's almost here." Gio kisses my temple and taps my butt before leaving the bathroom.

I squeeze Asher, leaning close to the mirror. "Who's the cutest baby in the world? Who's the cutest baby? It's you! You, Asher! Yeah, baby. Look at you!"

"Celia!" Gio drawls from the living room.

"Is daddy calling for us? Is he calling for us?" I widen my eyes, too gone in the baby-voice to come back now. "Is the big bad wolf getting angry? Huh?"

I put the full head mask of the furry wolf in my basket, along with the fake bloody knife, and hang it over my elbow. "It's a good thing mommy beheaded him, huh?"

Gio shakes his head as I walk out of the bathroom, a smile forming on his lips.

"What?" I smirk.

He beckons over his shoulder outside, lowering his voice. "Ari."

He opens the main door, extending his arm for me to step out. Pumpkins line the oakwood steps, leading to the lush green front yard.

"Hi, grandma!" Ari smiles at Marilyn rocking in the reclining chair on the porch, then half-heartedly waves at us like the inconvenient roommates we've apparently become. "Daaad, I'm taking the bike!"

"Is that my shirt?" My jaw slacks open at her bold outfit. She paired my plain, cropped black t-shirt with baggy green bottoms and chunky white sneakers. Her sleek, brown hair shines under the sun, complementing her copper skin.

"Ari, wait up!" Liam runs behind her. He swipes his auburn hair back and pulls the neck of his green sweatshirt away, towering over her. "Jesus, woman. Do you not know how to wait?"

"Do you not know how to keep up?" She smirks, swaying her hips away to straddle the bike.

"Whoohoo!" Chanel calls in a sing-song voice, walking through the gate arm-in-arm with Arthur.

"Arthur, what the hell are you?" Gio scowls.

"I'm Bob Ross." He beams, standing in front of us with his ginormous perm wig.