we belong together | luke hemmings ✓

epilogue

WE BELONG TOGETHER,
EPILOGUE

—YEARS LATER—

"BE CAREFUL, GUYS!", Zain called in amusement after his kids. "You're free to check it out, just don't get lost!" They had two kids now, with a third on the day. Gina was the egg donor and surrogate for their daughter, Emma. Emma was their first born, and looked a lot like Zain, since his sperm had been used. She had long, dark, curly hair and his tanned complexion. Because Gina carried her, she did end up with blue eyes, which Zain felt was a win, as they were a similar shade to Luke's. Juliet had carried their second born, Caden, who looked more like Luke. He had a mop of golden curls and chocolate brown eyes.

To Luke, it didn't matter whose sperm was used, he was just glad that their children shared similar features to both of them. Most importantly, he was glad they had children at all. He couldn't help but to laugh at Zain's attempt at being strict. "You and I both know they're not going to listen to a word that you just said."

"At least I tried", Zain chuckled.

Now that Caden was big enough for his own bed, they were finally moving out of the two bedroom apartment they'd been calling home and into an actual house. It just seemed like the logical next step for their family. They didn't choose some huge, luxurious mansion or anything like that and instead opted for a nice, modern, suburban home with a pool. (That Zain insisted they keep constantly covered until the kids were older.)

Zain grabbed a stack of boxes, peering around them at Luke. "I'm gonna go check and see what the damage is", he joked.

"I'll be right there", Luke smiled.

Once he was in the house, he set the boxes aside and went upstairs, as that's where he heard the tiny voices. "Daddy!", Emma called in excitement, bounding up to him in excitement before grabbing his hand and tugging him. "Can I have this room?"

The room in question was a corner room. It had fancy windows and light pink wallpaper. Zain briefly remembered that the elderly woman, and her husband, that they purchased the home from mentioned having had two daughters. They were only moving out because they needed a place that didn't have stairs with her husband's hip condition. Zain picked Emma up with a smile. "You like this one, huh?"

"Yes!", Emma said cheerfully. "It's my favorite. I know what curtains I want too!"

"Then this one is all yours", Zain reassured. "Let's go find your brother, yeah?" He went in a few different rooms before he finally found Caden, who was setting up his dinosaur toys in the windowsill. "I see you've chosen a room too."

"Yeah!", Caden said cheerfully. "I can see the whole neighborhood!" He stumbled over the word 'neighborhood', but at least he was trying. That's all that mattered to them. That their kids were trying.

"You can?", Zain asked in faux amazement. "That's amazing, bud! Alright, come on. Let's go help papa with the boxes." He led them back out to the car, where Luke was unloading things. "Rooms have been selected. Everyone is happy."

Luke smiled cheerfully. "All by yourselves, huh? I'm so proud of you guys!", the blonde grinned. "And I'm even more proud of you for dragging daddy out to help too", he added, causing them to giggle.

"Wow, I get no respect around here", Zain tsked.

They spent the rest of the day bringing in boxes and unpacking things. Movers were in and out too, which was a necessary nuisance, Luke supposed.

As Luke was bringing in the last small box, his phone began to ring. Juggling the box with his left hand, he fished his phone out of his pocket with his right, his tongue poking out in concentration. Eventually, he slammed the front door closed with his foot, noticing that it was Daisy attempting to FaceTime him. He set the box down and answered it, making his way over to Daisy. "Hey, Dais", Luke greeted cheerfully.

"You guys missed the appointment", Daisy informed.

"Oh, shit", Zain groaned, smacking a hand to his forehead. "We were so busy with the move that it completely slipped our minds." Daisy was the egg donor and surrogate for their third baby. For that reason, they used Zain's sperm again rather than Luke's. (Which Luke was fine with it. He didn't mind Caden being his only biological kid. And this baby would be closely related to him, at least. He was content.)

"Yes, well, I know that moving can be stressful, so I'm not mad at you for it", Daisy assured. "Noah came along with me instead today." They were still going strong. They'd had their first child, a little boy named Keanu, a year and a half before Emma was born. Daisy was ecstatic to be their surrogate, and Noah didn't mind it, so it was a win for everyone. "Anyway, I have some news!"

Luke raised a brow. "Good news, I hope. What is it?"

"It's good news depending on how you look at it", Daisy shrugged. "You're having twins!"

Luke's jaw dropped, and so did Zain. Of course, they knew that it was a higher chance, but they didn't really expect it to happen to them. Luke and Zain shared a look, before eventually smiling. Zain took Luke's hands in his and gave it a gentle squeeze. "That's great news, Daisy! We're so excited!"

They didn't really know what the future held. Would it be hard? Probably, but they'd already had their fair share of ups and downs, so what did that matter? Whatever happened, they would go through it together, and that was all that truly mattered in the end. Their family was strong, and it was filled with love. That made all the difference in the world.

THE END.

SEPTEMBER 6, 2023
POPPY SPEAKS !
well, that's the end, folks! i really don't know what to say here, if i'm being honest. i hope that you guys enjoyed reading the story, even if it did get a little rushed in the end! honestly, i was just super ready for it to be done, but i don't hate this book at all. i look back on it fondly, and hope that you guys will too!