A Game Of Love (A Forbidden Game #2)

Epilogue

Three years later

Lillianna

“You look beautiful.”

Glancing in the mirror, I see Bennett leaning against the entryway to my room.

“Thanks.” I grin back, placing the lipstick I just put on down onto my vanity.

It’s crazy that Bennett is already sixteen. It feels like it was only yesterday he was talking to me about his first crush.

A crush on his best friend. Helping him through the pain wasn’t easy, but seeing him grow into the young man before me has been a gift.

When he was fourteen, he was caught by a group of kids at school kissing a boy. Instead of running in shame or hiding, he kept his head high and owned his sexuality.

After a talk with Jax and Brody, Bennett gained a lot of confidence and officially came out to the family, then the rest of the world.

I’m so proud of him for not being ashamed of who he is and not allowing anyone else to make him feel that way.

“Can’t believe you're graduating college.” He grins, pushing off the doorway and stepping into my room.

“Same,” I sigh, spinning around in my chair. I’m dressed in a baby blue dress, hair and makeup done. Looking at my black graduation gown, I groan. “You wanna help me put that on?”

“Sure.” He goes over, grabs it, and brings it back. Carefully, we work together to get it over me, making sure my hair and makeup don’t get messed up.

“You know, this is going to be you in a few years.” I grin.

“Gotta graduate high school first,” he chuckles.

“You will. With flying colors.” I wink.

Bennett is smart as a whip, just like Mom was. I wasn't too bad in school, but I wasn’t a valedictorian by any means.

With the way Bennett is going, he very well could be.

His life is exciting, that's for sure. Between playing hockey, school, and his friends, I’ve hardly seen much of him the past year.

Still, he makes time for me every Sunday. We do family suppers, only we’ve made them into movie nights, too.

With the school not being too far from the house, I’ve been able to keep up with seeing everyone pretty regularly.

Once the guys graduated, we moved into our own apartment that was only a few blocks away from the school.

After Toby’s and my relationship came out, and we no longer hid our love, it was the most freeing thing to feel. Being able to hold both of their hands, to kiss them, to show affection, it was everything I’ve wanted so badly.

Some people didn’t like it. They whispered mean things and gave us dirty looks. And while sometimes it did hurt to hear, I had my guys supporting me, showing me that other people’s opinions didn’t matter and reminding me that there was nothing wrong with our love.

Katie was expelled for her little stunt. I ended up pressing charges because I knew if I didn’t stop it now, it would have turned into a lifetime of harassment from her.

Thankfully, after that, we didn’t hear from her again. Still haven’t to this day. I’m not sure where life took her, I just hope she found happiness and became a better person.

For the most part, the rest of that year was fine. People left us alone and our friends were accepting.

Some of the team joked around about me having a high sex drive that I needed two guys to keep me satisfied. That earned them a black eye from both my men. I’m not a fan of fighting, but it was kinda hot, and we ended up having really dirty sex that night. I mean, I guess when it came down to it, they weren’t wrong.

But come on, if you had two tattooed hockey gods with fat cocks who knew how to use them at your disposal, you’d be riding them any chance you got too. Don’t lie to me.

After they graduated, we traveled for the summer and saw some amazing places I’ll never forget.

Toby started working with Jax, and Bishop bought his restaurant. It took a year for renovations and everything to get up and going, but once it opened, there hasn’t been a slow day yet.

It was smart of him to buy something within walking distance of the school. The property was a bit on the pricey side, but Brody helped as a graduation gift. At first, Bishop didn’t want to take the money, but I reminded him that this was to help our future and our family, so he agreed.

As for me, I’ve been slowly writing my first book. While I would have loved more time to write before now, I chose to use my free time making memories and enjoying my college years.

That looked different for me than most. Because my best friends were parents. That's right, Bee had a baby! A beautiful little girl named Sofia.

When Bee told me, I was over the moon and by her side every step of the way. She thought she was being a downer because it meant no more parties, but I reminded her that I’ve never really liked them anyways. It was always about the people I was there with, not the party itself.

Weekends turned into hockey games and movie nights at the dorm or the hockey house.

The guys welcomed Bee into the house, treating her like the mother of the place. It was adorable, and they were all so protective of her. I’ve never seen a group of jocks change so much to make sure it was a safe place for Bee to live while she was pregnant.

Once the baby was born, they moved into an apartment in our building, and I’ve been in full auntie mode ever since.

Seeing Bee as a mama and Jonas as a dad is adorable. He loves that little girl more than anything, and seeing how he is with Bee, I know soulmates are real.

Their lives are about to change big time now, and my heart hurts to see them go because Jonas got drafted by the LA Timberwolves. They’re set to move to California in a few weeks.

Knowing I won’t be able to see my best friend and her little girl all the time sucks, but a perk of having a rich dad means I plan on flying out whenever I can. For every game Jonas is in. I’ve already made my promise.

Thankfully, I’ll still have Ryan and his partners staying nearby. So, I’m glad I get to have at least one of my friends close.

“Ready to go?” Bennett asks.

“Yup.” I snatch my phone off the vanity. “Just got to text the guys.”

“No need. I’m bringing you to the school. They said they would meet you there.”

“What? Why?”

Bennett just grins and takes off. “Come on. We’re going to be late.”

He refused to answer any of my questions on our way there, and the little dickhead blasted music to drown out my questions.

“Are you going to tell me now?” I huff as I jog to keep up with him.

“They’re here. In the audience. Now go, you have a graduation to attend.”

“I wanted to see them before, though,” I pout. It’s not like I didn’t see them this morning.

It’s a lovely way to wake up with two stiff cocks pressed against your thighs. Don’t worry, I had no issues helping them out with that.

“Too bad, so sad,” he says. “Now suck it up, buttercup.”

“You suck,” I mutter, parting ways with him once we get to the football field.

“You love me, and you know it!” he calls back with a chuckle.

Sighing, I rush to join Bee and Jonas.

“Heeeey,” Bee says, looking overly cheery.

“What's going on?” I narrow my eyes.

“Nothing. Nothing at all, why would you think something was going on?” she asks.

“Because you look happy.”

She laughs. “Because it’s graduation day!”

“Uh-huh.” I look at her suspiciously.

“She’s just happy because Sofia didn’t wake up last night, and we got to sleep from eight to eight.” Jonas chuckles.

“Oh my god, it was amazing!” she moans. “Better than sex, for sure.”

“Thanks, Bumblebee. Way to make a guy feel good about himself.” Jonas laughs.

“Tell me I’m wrong?” Bee crosses her arms.

“No, you’re not. I mean, sex with you is literally heaven, but going a week with only a few hours of sleep, it’s damn good getting a solid twelve."

“Right.” Bee grins.

“You two are oddly cute and very weird,” I point out.

“Thanks,” Jonas beams. He wraps his arm around my shoulders. “You ready for this?”

“For this part of our lives to be over and you two to move away? Fuck no.” My eyes well with tears.

“Don’t!” Bee points at me. “You're going to make me cry and mess up my makeup.”

“No crying,” Theo says.

I spin around to find my dad standing nearby. He’s grinning from ear to ear. He’s gotten some grey hair around the edges, but the man can pull it off. Mom doesn’t seem to mind. She keeps calling him her sexy silver fox.

I’d be grossed out, but if this is what Toby is going to look like in twenty-five years, I’m not complaining.

“Hey!” I beam up at him.

“Hey, Lillypad.” His own eyes well up with tears.

“No crying. You said so yourself!” I point at him.

“I know.” He chuckles. “That’s why your mom and Chase aren't here right now.”

“They would be blubbering messes.” I laugh.

“We’ll see you later, okay?” Bee says, placing her hand on my arm to get my attention.

“Okay.” I wave them off, then look back up to Theo. “I wanna thank you.”

“For what?” he asks, tilting his head to the side.

“For a lot.” I smile softly, knowing there’s no hope of me not crying by the end of this. “Like being the man who stepped up and loved a kid who wasn’t his blood. Then, the man who stayed after. The man who loved my mom and never gave up on her. Who loved me and has been by my side since I was three. You’re my dad, no blood needed.”

“Lilly,” his voice cracks, pulling me into his arms. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” I whisper, tears spilling down my cheeks.

“Well, I want to thank you for being an amazing kid. And for loving my son even in his darkest days. You never gave up on him.”

“And you never gave up on my mom through hers.”

“Two amazing women, that's for sure.” He grins.

Theo walks me to where I’m meant to be sitting, then takes off towards the stage for the ceremony to start.

The opening speeches go by quickly. Then, it’s time for students to go up and get their diplomas. It’s fast: people lining up, getting their names read quickly, going up on stage, giving a wave, receiving their diploma–not the real one, that will be mailed later–and leaving the stage for the next person to have their turn.

It’s going by so fast. When Bee gets up on stage, she has Sofia on her hip. I get to my feet and cheer as loud as I can for my bestie. I’m so damn proud of her. Going to college with a baby isn’t easy. But between the help of her mom, me, and even my moms, she never had an issue. She nor Jonas had to give up anything they loved. We made sure of it.

Now it’s my turn. I get up and get in line with the other students with the last names starting with T. One by one they get read off, and I’m confused because despite where I am in line, my name doesn’t get called until the very end. Out of order.

Confused, I just go with it and get on stage when Theo finally calls my name.

“Lillianna Tatum!” he says with a lot more enthusiasm than he did with the other students.

With warm cheeks, I make my way on stage. I can hear my parents screaming their lungs out as they cheer for me. I don’t look for them, but I can feel their eyes on me. I’m too focused on getting up there and not falling on my face.

But then Theo surprises me by giving a little speech. “As some of you might know, Lilly is my daughter. She’s been in my life since she was three years old. Watching her grow up and become the amazing woman she is today has been an honor. I can’t wait to watch her continue to flourish and see where her life leads her. I want only good things for her. But I’m not the only one who wants that for her.”

I’m confused when Theo looks behind me, and the crowd starts to murmur. I turn around to see Toby and Bishop standing there. They’re both wearing black business suits.

“What are you doing?” I ask, my heart pounding out of my chest.

Toby steps forward. “Lilly. From the moment I met you, I knew you were the one for me. Throughout our lives, my love for you grew and evolved as we did. You’ve been my rock, my strength, the reason I keep going. You’ve never given up, only stood by my side no matter what. I owe you my life. And that's what I plan on giving you. I love you, Lillianna Tatum. My Lillypad. My flower.”

I’m not sure what’s going on. I’m kind of low-key freaking out, but also, my heart is fucking swooning right now because, ugh, why is he so damn cute.

“ Il mio cuore, ” Bishop says, and my eyes snap over to him. “Since we were kids, you’ve been my best friend. The person I trust with everything, including my heart. I knew since then, I always wanted you to be mine. At one point, I accepted the fact that it might never happen. Because your heart was with another. But you proved me wrong, showed me that there’s room in our hearts to love more than one person at a time. You gave me the honor of letting me in yours, right alongside him. It’s us against the world, Shorty. My life is yours.”

And then they both drop to one knee, pulling out a damn black velvet box, one in each of their hands. “What is going on?” I whisper, tears dripping down my cheeks as nervous excitement and shock makes me feel like I’m going to puke.

“Will you do us the greatest honor–" Bishop starts.

“And become our wife?” Toby finishes

My eyes flick between the two of theirs, heart pounding so damn hard. I only hesitate because my brain is playing catch up. The moment it clicks, I’m laughing, grinning like a fool, and screaming, “Hell yes!”

The guys laugh, jump to their feet, and pull me into their arms. The whole crowd cheers for us.

Bishop sweeps me up and rushes us off the stage so the ceremony can continue.

Once I’m on my feet again, away from everyone else, their lips are on mine.

Pure and utter joy fills every cell in my body as they slip their rings onto my finger. A perfect set.

Then I’m in their arms again, crying happy tears as the men who mean the world to me surround me with their love.

So much has happened in the past four years. It feels like a lifetime of happy and not-so-happy memories. But the thing is, our story has only just begun. Now, I can take those four years and turn them into a lifetime.

With these two men by my side, whatever life brings our way, I know we’ll be okay.

The End