Epilogue
“Let me see.” I hold my hand out to Natalia and do the grabby hands.
“Again?” Her grin is smug.
“Of course again.” My smile cannot be contained to only my lips. Nope, my eyes are wide and my teeth are all in on the action.
“Not a chance.” Hota rushes to Nat’s side. “You’ve already had a turn.”
“Two,” Arlo reminds him while swirling the bourbon in his glass and smirking. Plink is curled on his lap in a near liquid heap. A far cry from his hissing and hiding a few hours ago. Mr. Judge better be glad he’s sitting at a safe distance on the loveseat he and Hota had been sharing.
I clear my throat with far more exaggeration than necessary. “Excuse you! The two of you are supposed to be on my side in all things.” I shake my ring finger at them.
“We’re on your side until you get greedy.” Hota scoops the ball of fluff from my aunt’s lap. The little pup’s tail wags so forcefully, the rest of its body wiggles in turn.
“Last I recall, you like it when I get greedy.” I grin.
Arlo groans and shifts in his seat, causing Plink to meow so loudly, the puppy yips several times. The racket sends my little boy back to his favorite perch tonight, high on the shelves where no one can reach him.
Hota covers the puppy’s ears with one hand. “Shhh. Not in front of the baby.”
Nat’s Frenchman laughs. “He’s already seen more than he should have.”
“Eeew!” I wave away his comment but can’t wipe the smile off my face. I rise from the club chair, walk over, and plop myself between my aunt and her lover. “Fine, I guess I’ll settle for this.”
I grab my aunt’s hand. The ever elegant five fingers aren’t ten times heavier. Judging by the size of the emerald-cut sapphire on her ring finger, they should be.
“Settle?” My aunt’s now fiancé scoffs. “That thing is twelve carats, was worn through seventy-six years of marriage by my great-grandmother, and I spent months designing the new setting that would suit ma reine.”
“Damn, my queen.” Hota shakes his head. “You sure are laying it on thick. She already said yes, right?”
Hota and Laurent love to antagonize each other. They start a passionate ribbing match in French.
“Have you given any thought to the wedding?” I ask Nat while turning the truly stunning ring this way and that, gaping as it catches the lights from the Christmas trees. Yes, multiple.
Arlo only thought I went overboard last year. I fully committed to it this year. It’s our first Christmas in our home as a married throuple. As a family.
We had our big Christmas party last week with Astor and the guys and everyone’s dates. Yikes for the second year in a row in that department. Then Nat surprised us all by showing up with a puppy and an engagement ring a couple of days ago.
“You know, I never thought about getting married. It was never in the cards for me. Never something I wanted until Laurent. And until you showed me what is possible.” Nat’s fingers hold tight to mine. She lifts them and kisses the back of my hand just above my three simple platinum bands.
Arlo sets his empty tumbler to the side and stands. He walks to Hota, steals the puppy from his arms, and heads for me. The poor guy doesn’t have a name yet, since my aunt and her fiancé continue to argue between Dior and Alain, fashion and Formula One. How very Parisian of them.
“Hey!” Hota has to stop arguing with Laurent to grimace after his husband.
“I have something better for you.” Arlo looks over his shoulder at Hota. “If you’re patient.”
Hota’s gaze drags down to Arlo’s perfectly-formed ass. “I’d say I’m immensely patient.”
“Not anymore.” Nat chuckles.
Arlo hands me the puppy, name to be determined. He kisses my forehead and then heads to the buffet. My heart stops for a moment, but he opens the cabinet door on the left, not the right, and pulls out a large box.
I put my hand over my heart and feel it kick over and over again, as he heads to our husband. “This isn’t under the tree because it’s not a Christmas gift.” He pulls Hota back to the loveseat with him and hands over the box. “It is a small token of our love for you that has been a long time coming.”
Hota’s gorgeous dark eyes shift from Arlo to me and back several times.
“Open it,” I encourage.
He tugs the lid off the long but shallow box. There’s a rustling of paper, and then Hota gasps. His mouth falls open. He blinks several times, and his head begins a slow back and forth.
“What is it?” Nat whispers in my ear, but I can’t tear my gaze or thoughts away from Hota to begin to answer.
I shove the puppy into her arms and rush over to my husbands. I kneel between them and shift back onto my heels.
Hota’s strong hand shakes as he reaches down. His fingers caress something inside the box. “Is this…? Are these…?”
“They were yours. I’m so sorry you had to part with them.” Arlo grips Hota by the nape. “Now, they are returned to their rightful place.”
“Shinjirarenai. Watashi no ai.” Hota gently scoops one of the gold medals he earned in the Olympics from the box and stares at it. “How, Arlo?”
My cheeks hurt from smiling so much.
“You knew about this?” Hota’s gaze jumps to mine. “Of course you did.” He sets the medal down and looks at another, and then another, until he’s touched each one. “I didn’t think I cared about these.” His head shakes, and he blinks in rapid succession. “Now, I’m about to cry over some hunks of metal.”
Arlo grips on Hota’s nape tightens, lending him support. Then he grabs my hand and pulls it to his thigh, squeezing my fingers.
“It’s not the medals.” Hota’s gaze lifts from the box. He looks from me to Arlo. “I’m happy to have them back, and I still can’t comprehend how you found them.” His voice is a whisper. “More than that, it’s how much you cared to find them. It’s how much you love me. It’s how well you love me and let me love you.”
I hold back my tears because I know more will come, but I can’t hold back my affection. Not even a little. I launch into their arms.
Over the past year, we’ve perfected the three-person hug. Plus, plenty of other positions. The awkwardness of the couch and the box between us barely registers. All I feel is love radiating through us.
From the moment Arlo walked into my office, I couldn’t have imagined how much my life, hell, all our lives, would change.
“What is it?” Nat begs, breaking up our little love knot.
Hota shows us all. One by one, he regales us with the story of how he won each medal and which one held the most significance. Then Arlo shared the trials and tribulations of the past year, trying to track them all down.
A little while later, Nat, Laurent, and Dior Alain head to their New York home only used in the summer months and for special winter occasions.
Nat kisses my cheeks and hugs me tight. “I’ll see you in the morning, but must it be so early? Should we call Astor to see if she’d like to push it back an hour?”
“It’s brunch, Nat. Not sunrise breakfast.” I grin. “Trust me, you’ll want to be there on time this time.”
“Fine.” She huffs and steps back, accepting the coat her fiancé drapes over her shoulders. “I just hate to crush Michael’s hopes.” She flashes her gigantic ring. “Now that I’m officially off the market.”
Astor’s father will probably breathe a sigh of relief that he no longer has to worry about Nat’s advances. “I’m sure he’ll manage.” I wink.
“Astor will be so sad that I won’t be her stepmother.” Nat places a hand over her heart as though she’s fully sincere.
“Crushed, I’m sure.” I hug my soon-to-be uncle by marriage, who is younger than me, kiss Dior Alain on the fuzzy head, and then join my husbands at the door to wave them off.
“Your aunt is insane.” Arlo laughs after closing and locking the door.
“It’s probably all the coke she did in the eighties.” I flip my palm up.
Hota doubles over with laughter.
Arlo scoops me into his arms and heads for the stairs while Hota trails us.
“Wait!” I toss my hand up and point toward the living room.
“We’ve been waiting all evening,” Hota reminds.
“Please.” I point again. “There’s one more thing.”
Arlo’s head cocks to the side. His gaze narrows on me and then shifts to Hota. “What is it?”
“Put me down, and I’ll show you.” I smile.
He groans but sets me on my feet.
“To the loveseat, the both of you.” I shoo them that way.
When they do as they’re told, I head over to the buffet. “I knew you were planning to give Hota his medals tonight.”
“I can’t believe the two of you have been keeping that secret for more than a year.” Hota grabs Arlo by the hair and pulls his face to him. “You’re going to pay for that.” He plants a brutal kiss on Arlo’s lips that has my thighs warming and my tits tingling.
“I hope so.” Arlo pants after they part. His smile is wide, and his demons are almost fully vanquished.
My heart goes squishy.
“You were saying?” Hota urges.
The smile that paints my face is nothing short of a miracle, and it’s put there by my husbands.
“Right, I didn’t know you were going to hide the box in the buffet.” I point to where he’d stowed the box of Olympic golds, and then continue down the massive piece to the right cabinet. “I’m just happy you didn’t choose to hide it over here.”
I open the cabinet and pull out the rectangular box with simple butcher paper wrapping, a butcher paper bow, and a small envelope tied to the bow.
“This is, as you said before, not under the Christmas tree because it’s not a Christmas gift.” I keep the it’s been a long time coming to myself. Compared to Hota’s medals, it hasn’t, though he wouldn’t agree.
I kneel between them, needing to see both their faces, and then present them with the package.
“Whose is it?” Arlo asks.
It takes every ounce of self-control not to laugh or at least grin like a lunatic. “Both of yours.”
“So we have to share it?” Hota, plucking the box from my hand.
“Yes.” I smile.
“We’re pretty good at that.” Hota shoves his elbow into Arlo’s side, but Arlo isn’t paying attention. He’s opening the envelope. “I think we are.” Hota smirks and rips into the butcher paper.
Arlo’s dark eyes scan the recipients’ names and the giver’s name. His lower lip quivers. His eyes go misty and then find mine. He smiles and muffles a sob with his hand.
“What?” Hota begs.
He looks at Hota and drops the hand from his mouth, letting him see his smile and his tears. We both know how much this means to him. He looks back to me and then hands over the card.
To: Daddy H & Daddy A
From: Mommy
“Oh my god!” Hota bellows loud enough to shake the foundation. Then he starts with a string of Japanese that even I can’t keep up with, and I’ve gotten pretty damn proficient in the last year.
Something about a puppy and please don’t be a puppy, though he loves puppies. Then something about loving me no matter what and loving the puppy.
“Open the box, Hotaru!” Arlo shakes his shoulders and gestures to the package seemingly forgotten in his lap.
“Hailey?” Hota croaks my name.
“Open it.” I smile and wipe at the tears slipping down my cheek.
He sets the small card and envelope reverently to the side and then lifts the box. It looks so small in his big hands. He presents it to Arlo. “Pull off the top.”
Arlo does as he’s told.
The scream that rips out of his throat reminds me of that night at Crave when Hota ripped him apart so that we could put him back together. Only this scream is one of triumph and joy.
“Hailey!” Hota bellows as he pulls the four pregnancy tests from the box and waves them in the air. “We’re going to have a baby?”
I can’t take it anymore. My heart floods with all the love, fear, and anxiety I’ve been holding in for weeks. After months and months of trying and negative test after negative test, I sob. “Yes, we’re going to have a baby.”
A baby with one mom and two dads who will love them unconditionally, a relationship that can weather anything life has to throw at it, and ironclad wills to protect them even after our last breaths. Though we don’t plan on going anywhere.
Arlo wraps his arms around me and heaves me off the floor until my feet dangle. Then Hota engulfs us in his arms and hoists us off the floor. He nuzzles his head between our chests. “My whole world is in my arms.”
We wrap our arms around each other and laugh and cry until Hota finally sets us onto our feet, grabs our hands, and tugs us toward the stairs. “Let’s go. I suddenly have a daddy kink I need to explore and a pregnant wife to worship.”
And they lived…
Happy EVERLY After.