The Next Heir (Book 2)

Chapter 2

Vixen POV

4 years since Kegen's death

Today is Ava's birthday and Emily's getting the whole town together to celebrate the princess's birthday.

I can't believe it's been 4 years since Kegen has been gone, and Ava is turning 6. Everything feels like it's moving fast around us, and Ava is growing faster than I'll like her to.

She's starting to understand what she likes to wear nowadays and doesn't like for anyone to help her get dressed anymore, even though I'll still have to help her because sometimes her things are on backward.

She's become more like her mother every day and she doesn't even know it yet. I try my best to remind her about her mother, so she doesn't forget her, which brings me to having Ava sitting on my lap while we are in my office.

"Mama, will I get a crown like you for my birthday?"

"We'll have to wait and see what aunt Emily put together for you this year, but I have something better than a crown."

She looked at me with a big smile and waited for me to hand her my present. I placed a long black box in her hands with a bow tied to it.

When she opened it, she smiled big because it was one of the things she kept asking for. She wanted to have something like mine, which is a golden necklace with a small heart at the end of it and small diamonds outlining the heart.

I grabbed the necklace from the box and showed her how to open the heart. On the inside of the heart are a picture of Kegen on one side and a picture of me and Ava on the other side.

"That's mommy."

"Yes, now she'll be with you wherever you are."

I opened my own necklace and showed her that they are both the same. Whenever Ava slept in my bed, she'll hold onto my necklace until she fell asleep. Well, she sleeps in my bed almost every night now.

"Can I wear it now?"

"Of course, baby girl."

I placed the necklace around her neck and closed it, placing my hand over the heart that lays over her own heart."

"The older you get; we'll change the necklace out to fit you better."

She nodded her head and jumped off my lap calling out to Aunt Sara. The bond they share is something I'll never understand.

While Ava is busy with Aunt Sara, I left my office and headed to the garden to visit Kegen. Once I got to the door of the garden, I grabbed the flowers and walked toward her grave.

I let out a deep breath and sat next to her headstone and removed the old flowers before placing the new ones.

For a while, I just sat there and stared into space. Everything we were supposed to do together, I am now doing on my own.

"Hey, my love, I know it's been a few days since I last visited you, but everyone has been running around trying to get the town together for our baby girl's birthday party that Emily wants to have.

I'm not even sure if Ava wants this or not, but she's obsessed with having a crown like mine. She doesn't know that I already had one made for her, that'll be the first gift she'll open when it's time to open gifts, but I don't think the crown will beat the gift I gave her early.

She wanted a necklace like mine with your picture inside it, now she's running around the castle showing everyone her necklace."

I looked around the garden and took in a deep breath of the fresh air that was surrounding me. The smell of the fresh flowers caused my body to relax.