Spring is slowly turning into Summer, with the weeks of rain are finally starting to transition into days of sunshine. It feels great, the heavy weight that had been on my chest for months slowly starting to lift.

Elias lets out a small snuffle from his crib, and I know that he will be waking from his nap soon. Rowan picks him up before I can even think about getting up from where I was crouched in from of the fire, making us some lunch.

He has been extra clingy lately, and Rowan has been feeding into the behavior. The severing of the mating bond had really hurt everyone involved. And while Rowan had physically recovered the quickest, the experience has still left him psychologically harmed. It is hard for him to be away from us, and he has even talked about having another baby.

While I have always imagined having a big family with Rowan, I know that we are not quite ready for another baby. We are both still healing, and throwing a baby into the mix isn't going to help us with that.

So, he has been compensating by spending as much time with Elias as he can. We both have been enjoying it, not used to having Rowan with us during the entirety of the day. Elias is growing closer to his daddy, squealing whenever he sees Rowan. And Rowan has a much easier time getting our son to cooperate when getting his diaper changed and being forced into clothes.

"Did you have a nice nap, little love?" Rowan murmurs, pressing a few kisses on Elias' belly when he pulls off his onesie in order to change his diaper. "You are much happier than you were an hour ago."

"Oh just wait, he'll be yelling for food soon." Smiling, I stand up from where I was crouching in front of the fire, dusting off my hands before joining the two of them.

Elias is chewing on his fingers, giggling whenever Rowan meets his eyes. Our son has certainly grown, going from a scrunched up newborn to a little boy He is nearing five months, little rolls on his legs that are super ticklish.

As soon as he sees me, Elias starts whining, little arms waving. "He just wants me for my milk, Rowan. He doesn't even love me for anything else."

Rowan rolls his eyes at my sarcastic tone, leaning over to give me a kiss before handing me our son. "We both love you for more than just your milk."

Laughing, I bump his side, warmth spreading over me. "Dork."

Elias comes to me easily, face rubbing against my chest as I go to the chair next to the fire. Rowan takes over making dinner, turning over the fish so that it won't burn.

Elias gets worked up as I open my shirt, and only calms once he is latched. His little hand rests on my chest, and I rub my finger along his baby's soft skin. My heart clenches as I look at him, watching as he contentedly nurses. My mind immediately starts turning, thinking of another little baby to hold, cuddle, and love.

My eyes dart over to Rowan, who is watching us with a small smile on his face. The longing is clear as day on his face, and my heart clenches again. Letting out a quiet sigh, I look back down at Elias.

My little boy, so perfect in every way. Already so much attitude for being under a year old, crying whenever we try to feed him anything other than milk. We both give in, his cries too heart wrenching. He is part of our little family, bringing us closer than we ever were before.

Against my own will, my mind starts to think of expanding our family. The logical part of me is telling myself no, but the emotional part is fighting back with loud yes.

"We can have another baby soon," I whisper.

My eyes flick up, and the way Rowan's face lights up tells me that it is the right choice. "But, I want to wait until we figure everything out with Rosalie and Henry. I want to close that door before opening another one, love."

Rowan doesn't say anything for a minute. He takes the fish and veggies off of the fire, before coming to join us. His hand rests on my cheek, encouraging me to look up at him. "Of course, love." Bending down, he presses a kiss to my lips, Elias cooing between us. "Of course."

***

"There's my little man."

Mom takes Elias away from me as soon as I meet him in the orchard. The sun is out, not a cloud in sight. The sun is shining down, a perfect temperature of not too hot and not too cold. Most of the people out here tending to the trees and large garden I don't know their name. The only people I really know are Mom, my siblings, and Rosalie.

My heart skips a beat as I look at her, noticing that she seems to be staring into space, eyes barely blinking.

Swallowing, I move towards her. Elias is enraptured by Elias, the two of them moving over to join Gwen where she is standing in front of a long row of blueberry plants, tying up decorations to scare away the birds.

The grass is soft under my feet, cushioning the sound. Rosalie startles slightly when I stop next to her, obviously catching her off guard.

"Hi, Rosie."

She meets my eyes, some of the life returning to them. "Matty, hi."

"How are you doing?"

She looks away from me, eyes fixated on the ground. "Fine."

Her voice is quiet, and I can easily tell that she is lying.

"I-I know you probably don't want to talk to me right now, but I just want you to know that I am here for you, whenever you may need me." She nods. "And, I've been working with Noah and Avery to research how to restore the mate bond."

She looks up then, eyes wide. "You're what?"

"We're going to fix this, Rosie. You and Henry are true mates. The severing of the mating bond wasn't supposed to break the bond between you two. I'm so sorry, and I know Rowan is too. So, I'm going to do my best to fix this. Even if it takes forever, I'll keep looking,"

Her eyes are suspiciously shiny, and her voice is croaky. "Why? Why would you do that?"

Tentatively, I touch her hand. She turns it over, allowing me to slip my hand in hers, giving it a small squeeze. "Because you're one of my best friends. Everything that has happened in the last year has been intense. I hate that it ruined our friendship, and I want it back. But, besides my own selfish reasons, I want what's best for you, Rosie, and Henry obviously is."

Her lower lip wobbles, and seeing her so vulnerable has tears building up inside me. She pulls me into a hug, and I wrap my arms around her. "Thank you, Matty." She sniffles. "I've m missed you too."

We stay like that for awhile, only pulling away when I hear my baby whining.

Mom joins us a few minutes later, not mentioning our red eyes or the tear tracts on our faces. Elias leans over for me, and I easily take him.

"He refused to try and eat the strawberry Theo offered him."

Sighing, I pull Elias close, feeling him nuzzle my chest. "Yeah, he has been refusing solids. He's stubborn."

"Hm, reminds me of someone else I know." Mom raises his eyebrows, giving me a knowing look before walking away.

Elias is starting to really get worked up, but I shush him, turning back to Rosalie. "Do you and Henry want to join us for dinner? We would love to have you."

She pauses, eyes fixed on Elias before meeting my gaze, a small smile on her face. "Yeah, we'd like that." She leaves then, going to joining some of the others working on the strawberry patch.

Elias lets out a loud cry then, getting frustrated by my lack of feeding him. "Oh, hush, love. There's no need to cry." He scrunches his nose, obviously disagreeing with me.

With my baby on my hip, I walk over to a shaded area, where a blanket has been laid. While sitting there nursing Elias, I can't help the smile on my face. It feels like we have been trudging through mud forever, and finally, I can feel the solid ground beneath my feet.

***

This story has about five-six more chapters left, and then this series will be complete.

Also, I am going to see Infinity War tonight, so I thought I should write and post this chapter before I become a crying mess.