After a few days in the hospital, Sarah and William returned to their apartment with Owen. Now that Owen had met his inner family, Sarah and William wanted him to meet his extended family.

  Becky, Rachel, Lisa, Naomi, and Darby all gathered around to see Owen in his crib. Owen looked up at them with wonder.

  “He’s so adorable!” Becky said with a restraid voice. Normally she would be shouting with joy, but she was quiet this time because she did not want to scare Owen.

  “You and William made a beautiful child.” Rachel said.

  “I just love how he was your ears and tail.” Lisa added.

  Sarah gently brushed Owen’s head. “Thank you. To be honest, making Owen was a LOT easier than taking him out of the oven.”

  Everyone burst out ughing. Owen then squealed and a foul odor filled the room.

  “It seems like Owen just took something out of his oven.” Darby said as he held his nose.

  William walked over and picked up Owen. “I got him.” He then walked away to get Owen changed.

  “So do you and William still intend to stay in the apartment?” Naomi asked.

  “Actually, we’ve decided to move into a house in the suburbs. We’ll be moving out in a couple of months.”

  “Oh, the suburbs!” Becky said as she held her hands together. “I grew up in the suburbs just outside of the capitol. I have so many great childhood memories growing up there.”

  Sarah smiled. “Well, that’s what we want for Owen. A happy childhood.”

  William then came back into the room with Owen after changing him. “All nice and clean!”

  Everyone then took turns holding Owen. Aside from Sarah and William, Rachel and Lisa looked the most natural holding him. After Becky, Naomi, and Darby left Sarah asked Rachel and Lisa to stay for a bit longer.

  Sarah sat on the couch beside William who held Owen. Rachel and Lisa both sat on chairs across from them.

  “Are we in trouble?” Lisa asked jokingly.

  Sarah and William both chuckled. “Oh no, far from it. William and I wanted you two to stay because we have something important to ask of you.”

  “Okay. What is it?” Rachel asked.

  “William and I have been doing a lot of talking. We both want what is best for Owen. But we can’t guarantee that we’ll always be there for him.”

  William put his arm around Sarah. “We want to make sure that Owen has a happy, healthy time growing up. But if worst comes to worst, then that’s where we want you and Lisa to step in.”

  “Rachel, Lisa. We want you both to be Owen’s godparents.”

  Both Rachel and Lisa’s eyes went wide. “Are you sure?” Rachel asked.

  “Yeah, why us?” Asked Lisa.

  “Because the two of you are perfect.” William said. “You’re a loving couple who always take care of each other.”

  “And Rachel, you were there when I first came to the WildLands.” Sarah added. “You let me stay with you when I had nowhere to, and you helped me to adjust to this society. And Lisa, I know we got off on the wrong foot. But since then you have become a great teammate and even better friend. So what do you say? Will you grant us the honor of being Owen’s godparents?”

  Rachel and Lisa held each other’s hands and looked one another in the eye. They smiled, and then turned to face Sarah and William.

  “We would love to be Owen’s godparents.” Rachel said.

  Both Sarah and William lit up with joy. “Thank you! This means so much to the two of us!” Sarah said. She then handed Owen over to Rachel.

  “Hello Owen, I’m one of your godparents. My name is Rachel.” Rachel said with a big smile on her face. She then booped Owen on the nose which made him giggle.

  Lisa wiped away tears from her face. Everyone saw this.

  “Lisa DarkCw, are you actually crying?” Sarah asked sarcastically.

  “She does this all the time in private.” Said Rachel. “She cries waterfalls when we watch romantic comedies.”

  Lisa ughed and shook her head. “Shut up!”

  Two months ter Sarah and William began moving into their first house together as a family. It was a simple two story home with white panels, a garage, and a big backyard. The house was just across the street from a cul de sac.

  Sarah and William had Owen in his stroller while they took turns helping the movers. They were then approached by a grizzly bear and an alligator. The two had a three year old iguana with them and a newborn lioness cub in a stroller.

  “Hello, and welcome to the neighborhood!” The grizzly bear said. “We’re the RedWoods! I’m Crk, and this is my husband Bruce.”

  Bruce extended his hand. “It’s very nice to meet you!”

  Sarah and William shook hands with Crk and Bruce. “Thank you for welcoming us to the neighborhood!” Sarah said. She then knelt down beside their kids. “And who are these two?”

  Bruce put his hand on the iguana’s head. “This is our son, Chris.”

  Chris looked at Sarah. “You’re famous!”

  Sarah giggled. “Yes, I am famous. But I am no different than you. I’m just your new neighbor.”

  William looked into the stroller. “And who is this adorable little cub?”

  “This is our daughter, Zoe.” Crk said.

  William picked up Owen from his stroller. “Look Owen, you have a future pymate that is your age.” William then leaned Owen over Zoe’s stroller so that he could see her. Owen and Zoe looked at each other. They then reached out and touched each other’s paws.

  “It looks like they’re friends already.” Sarah said with a smile.

  “We just wanted to let you know that the neighborhood will be holding a BBQ in the cul de sac this weekend.” Bruce said. “Consider it our way of welcoming you to the neighborhood.”

  “Thank you! We’ll be gd to attend.” Sarah said.

  Sarah and William then waved goodbye to Carl and Bruce as they left with their kids.

  “What a nice couple.” William said.

  “And did you see how cute Owen and Zoe looked when they reached out and touched each other’s paws? I think Owen might have a girlfriend.” Sarah said.

  William chuckled. “I think he’s a bit young for that.”

  “Still, he is the most handsome guy I know.” Sarah then tickled Owen in his stroller, making him giggle.

  William put his arms around Sarah. “And who’s the second most handsome guy you know?”

  “I’m looking right at him.” Sarah and William then kissed.

  When the weekend came around, Sarah and William brought Owen with them to the neighborhood BBQ. There were numerous grills with pnt based hot dogs and hamburgers, various games for the kids to py, and plenty of snacks and beverages.

  Sarah and William were instantly greeted by Carl and Bruce.

  “Hey! You all made it!” Carl said with a big smile.

  “Would you like anything to drink?” Bruce asked.

  “I’ll have a beer.” William said.

  “I’ll just have sparkling water.” Said Sarah.

  Bruce went and got Sarah and William their drinks. “So, how has parenthood been treating you two?” He asked.

  “It’s been a lot more busy than pying soccer, that’s for sure!” Sarah said with a light ugh.

  “Owen constantly keeps us on our toes.” William said after taking a sip of his beer. “We go by his schedule. Sleep, cry, eat, py, poop, repeat.”

  “Yeah, that’s what life was like when we adopted Chris.” Said Carl. “But being a parent changes you. It puts things into perspective.”

  “It certainly does.” Sarah replied. Owen then became fussy, and Sarah knelt down to calm him down.

  “There is a pypen for the younger kids.” Bruce said as he pointed over to it. “Zoe is already in there, I’m sure she would love to see Owen again.”

  “Sure. They looked so cute together st time.” Sarah picked up Owen from his stroller and carried him over to the pypen. After she set Owen down in it, he and Zoe looked at each other. Zoe then grabbed a ball and rolled towards Owen. Owen caught the ball, and rolled it back to Zoe. They continued to do this with smiles on their faces.

  Sarah, William, Carl, and Bruce all D’awwed at the precious moment.

  Sarah and William sat down to eat, all while watching Owen py with Zoe.

  “They sure are adorable together.” Sarah said.

  “Yes they are. Owen really seems to enjoy pying with that ball. Do you think he might have inherited your athletic skills?” William asked.

  Sarah thought for a moment. “I’m not going to lie, it would be nice if Owen decided to follow in my footsteps and become an athlete. But we need to encourage him to do whatever he wants to do.”

  Chris then ran up to Sarah while holding a soccer ball.

  “Miss Foxtail, will you py with us please?” Chris asked.

  Sarah looked at Chris and smiled. “Of course I will.” Sarah then walked over with Chris to the other little kids and pyed soccer with them.

  As the weeks went on, Sarah and William worked out their schedule with Owen. Sarah would return to py for The Warriors next season, and William worked out a part time schedule with his boss at the bistro that would allow him to work part time so that he could be at home with Owen. When Sarah and William needed some private time, William’s parents and brother would look after Owen.

  During their first year as parents, Sarah and William went through a lot of ups and downs. They didn’t get much sleep, as Owen would wake them up in the middle of the night multiple times for food or to be changed. Sarah breast fed Owen, but once he started to get too clingy she used a breast pump to put her milk in bottles.

  Sarah and William were able to encourage Owen to crawl by sitting on the floor and calling him over.

  “Owen! Come here sweetheart!” Sarah said while smiling and cpping her hands.

  William did the same thing. “You can do it bud!”

  It took a little bit for Owen to concentrate, but he eventually focused and crawled towards his parents, wiggling his fox tail the entire time. Both Sarah and William lifted Owen up and gave him a hug.

  A year passed, and it was time for Owen’s first birthday party. Sarah and William didn’t want to overwhelm Owen, so they threw a small party at their house and invited close friends and family.

  There were a ton of presents along with lots of food. Sarah and William even put together a video of moments from Owen’s first year.

  “He just gets cuter and cuter everyday!” Becky said.

  “So, what have you learned from being a parent so far?” Rachel asked.

  “I have learned to only get a couple of hours of sleep a night. And I have gotten used to being covered in pee, poop, snot, and vomit.” Sarah said with a smile.

  “The same thing goes for me.” William added.

  “Now you know how your father and I felt.” Victoria said with a ugh.

  Soon it was time for Owen to blow out the candles on his birthday cake. He was pced in his high chair and everyone gathered around him. A round marble cake covered with thick frosting and a big candle in the shape of the number 1. The candle was lit, and everyone began singing.

  “Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Owen! Happy birthday to you!”

  Sarah and William helped Owen to blow out the candle.

  “So, what did he wish for?” Norman asked.

  William looked at his dad and smiled. “If he told you, then it wouldn’t come true.”

  Everyone then had some cake. Owen smeared it all over his face, which made everybody ugh.

  When the party was over, Carl and Bruce were the st ones to leave with Chris and Zoe. Bruce carried Zoe in his arms.

  Sarah picked up Owen. “Wave bye bye, Owen.”

  Owen looked at Zoe and waved. Zoe reached over and hugged Owen. Sarah, William, Carl, and Bruce all went “Aww!” Chris was too busy pying with his tail.

  After the RedWoods left, Sarah put Owen down in his pypen while William cleaned up after the party.

  “So, what do you think Owen wished for?” William asked.

  Sarah thought for a moment. “Whatever it is, I know it will come true.”

  William walked over to Sarah and put his arms around her. “Well, I made a wish a long time ago that came true.”

  Sarah smiled at William. “And what is that?”

  “You came into my life.”

  This made Sarah burst out ughing. “You and your sappiness.” The two of them then kissed each other lovingly.