42. The Conclusion
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
THE CONCLUSION
Sophie
I breathe it in, leaning against the register with a soft smile as sunlight pours through the front window. The pink facade reflects against the glass, casting a rosy glow over everything. Chase and Juliet are curled up on the teal chaise lounge near the cowboy romance section, half hidden behind a tower of new releases I haven’t shelved yet. Stella and Miles are by the fireplace, arguing over which of the leg lamps needs to be repositioned:
“It looks crooked,” Miles grumbles.
“It’s meant to look like that,” Stella fires back, hands on her hips.
Liam is at the back, whispering something into Zoe’s ear as she flips through one of her own romantasy books, the corners of her lips tugging upward. I can’t wait to display it front and center, with a handwritten note next to it that reads local legend.
And Kai?—
Kai stands by the front window with Julian, their heads bent together as they laugh about something I can’t hear. I know that sound, though. It’s soft and easy, as if seventeen years of weight has finally slipped from Julian’s shoulders. It’s a sound that feels like home.
“Stop staring,” Stella teases, nudging me in the side. “You look like you’re about to start reciting poetry about your beautiful men.”
I swat her with the back of my hand, laughing. “Can you blame me? Look at them.”
She sighs dramatically. “Yeah, well, I look at Miles the same way. Sometimes I cry about how handsome he is while he’s sleeping.”
From the fireplace, Miles deadpans, “I can hear you.”
Stella smirks. “Good. I meant for you to hear it.”
Juliet snickers from the chaise, and Chase pulls her closer, dropping a kiss onto the top of her head. The sight of all of them here, crammed into this tiny, chaotic bookstore, makes something twist tight and warm in my chest.
The doorbell jingles as Orion and Layla walk in, carrying a box of custom Kindle cases Layla’s been designing for me. “I hope you don’t mind,” Layla says, grinning as she sets the box on the counter. “I might’ve added a few with naughty quotes on them. You know, for your more adventurous clientele.”
“Oh, please. I love those,” I reply, already rifling through the box. One of the cases reads: I like my books like my men… thick and hard.
“Perfect,” I say with a grin, turning to Kai and Julian. “Look! This one practically screams your name.”
Julian hums thoughtfully. “I think the one that says Sinfully yours might be more fitting, don’t you, Kai?”
Kai smirks but doesn’t answer, his eyes on me instead. There’s something in his expression—quiet, steady, the way he watches me like I’m the only thing in the room.
That look still undoes me.
Before I can respond, my phone vibrates on the counter. I glance at the screen.
Mum.
I raise an eyebrow, waving the phone slightly in Julian’s direction. He leans over, reading the contact name with mild amusement. “She must’ve seen the feature in the LA Weekly. ”
Stella whistles low. “Is this the part where she tells you she’s proud, but in the same breath insults you?”
“More like telling me that pink bookshelves are scandalous,” I mutter, swiping to accept the call.
“Hello, Mum,” I say brightly.
“I saw the article.” No greeting. Classic.
“Oh?”
The line crackles for a second. I brace myself.
“You know… I suppose it’s charming in its own way,” she says begrudgingly. “Though I don’t understand the fascination with displaying large neon cocks?—”
“It’s whimsical!” I protest, biting back laughter.
“Your grandmother would faint.”
Julian, overhearing, snorts softly. Kai’s shoulders shake with silent laughter.
Mum sighs, the sound distant but somehow fond. “Regardless. I saw the photo of you and Julian with his friend. What’s his name? He’s very handsome.”
“Mum, I can’t really talk right now,” I tell her, trying to hide the amusement from my voice.
“I just wanted to tell you that you look happy.”
I glance toward the front window where Julian is now perched on the arm of Kai’s chair, leaning against him like he belongs there. Because he does.
“I am,” I say softly.
She pauses. I wait, half expecting some sort of unsolicited advice about propriety or how “ladies don’t open sex-positive bookshops.”
But instead, she says, “I’m glad, Sophia. I mean it.”
My throat tightens unexpectedly.
“Thank you,” I whisper.
There’s another pause, but this time it feels lighter.
“Well. I’ll let you go. Tell Julian I expect him to send something nice for Christmas this year.”
“I will,” I say, smiling.
I hang up just as Julian strolls over, hands in his pockets. “So… what did Her Majesty have to say?”
“Oh, she loved the flashing neon cock, obviously,” I tease, wrapping my arms around his waist.
“Obviously.” He presses a kiss to my forehead, and then lowers his voice just enough for only me to hear. “Wait until she finds out about us being a throuple. It might kill her.”
I laugh softly, pressing my face into his chest.
Kai joins us a second later, sliding his arm around my shoulders and pulling me in the rest of the way. “If it helps, my brothers love you and we’re all incredibly proud of you,” he murmurs against my temple.
I tilt my head up to meet his gaze. “Thank you.”
Behind us, I hear Orion grumble something to Miles about book placement, Liam teasing Zoe as she flips through an age gap romance book, and Stella already planning the next window display.
Julian sighs, nuzzling into my hair. “We should have a name for these family gatherings. Like a fraternity.”
“Or a cult,” I joke.
Kai hums thoughtfully. “ The Ravage Cult does have a nice ring to it.”
I lean into them both, soaking up every second of this. The bookstore. The people. The family we’ve built.
Maybe I’ll tell Mum about the throuple someday.
Or… maybe I’ll save that conversation for another year.
As the afternoon wears on, I mingle with everyone here. I’m introduced to Luna, who works at Ravage Castle, and her lovely wife, Emma. Jackson and Mark show up with a tiny newborn in tow, Theo Parker. He’s adorable and I can already tell he’s the light of their life. Beatrix runs through the store carrying her Batman action figure, making exploding noises as Miles chases after her. When Stella tries to get up, he makes her stay seated, the product of her finding out she’s pregnant with their second child just a couple of days ago.
Juliet and Chase tell us about an old house they just bought across the bridge in Marin County with massive amounts of land. They plan to fix it up before moving in. Zoe and Liam tell us about a possible, tenured creative writing position at NYU for Liam, and Zoe hints at trying for a baby soon, too. Her aunt Carolina is here as well, and I’m grateful for all of the family support.
“Did someone order pizza?” a man jokes as he steps through the front door, grinning. He’s carrying ten boxes of pizza.
Layla and Orion walk over, taking the boxes from him, and Stella nudges me. “That’s Scott, Layla’s dad.”
I nod, watching as Scott claps Orion on the back. I remember the story, how Orion moved in with their mum and Scott as a teenager, making Layla his stepsister.
He notices me, walking over and pulling me into a surprised hug before I can shake his hand.
“You must be Sophie. Orion has told us all about you and your husband.”
I glance at Orion over his shoulder. The youngest Ravage brother just winks as we make introductions, and then Scott is hugging Stella.
“Where’s your old man? Still gallivanting all over Europe?”
Stella laughs. “Of course he is. But he promised to come visit next month. He can never stay away from his granddaughter for too long.”
After Scott congratulates her on the pregnancy—prompting an eye roll at Miles and a muttered “gossiping meddler”—Stella taps her glass of nonalcoholic champagne with a nail, the soft chime cutting through the chatter.
“I’d like to say a few things, as Sophie’s newly appointed favorite person.”
“Um, you’re going to have to fight me for her,” Juliet jokes from the couch, already cradling another glass in her hand.
“Oh, please. Sophie’s heart is big enough for all of us,” Zoe smirks, sticking her tongue out. “If you’re good, I’ll allow you to be her limited-time sidekick when I’m not around.”
Laughter ripples through the room, warm and easy, but the playful banter does more than make me smile, it makes me feel included.
The Ravage family isn’t just something I’ve stumbled into. They’ve claimed me. Just like Julian did all those years ago. Like Kai has, in his own quiet way.
Stella lifts her chin, her eyes scanning the room as if daring anyone to interrupt. “I was here when Sophie came to tour the place for the first time. And let me just say, it did not look this good two and a half months ago,” she starts, drawing chuckles from around the crowded bookshop. I feel my cheeks flush as my eyes dart around the shop—my shop. The soft pink bookshelves, the cascading plants in the window, the little corner with mismatched chairs and a cozy sofa for book clubs… it looks so put together now. Pride stirs quietly in my chest, a fleeting but powerful reminder of what this moment means to me.
“And I know when The Story Nest officially opens tomorrow,” Stella continues, her voice softening just a touch, “there’s going to be a queue around the block?—”
“We call it a ‘line’ here in America,” Orion interjects from the armchair, grinning as Layla elbows him hard in the ribs.
“Queue, line, whatever,” Stella retorts, rolling her eyes dramatically but smirking all the same. “My point is, I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who works as hard as Sophie. She put her blood, sweat, and literal tears into this space, and you can see it. You can feel it. This isn’t just a bookshop; it’s a love letter. To the books we devour, to the stories that make us believe in love again, and to the people we choose to share those stories with.”
My chest tightens as she speaks, and I have to blink against the sudden sting behind my eyes. Damn it, Stella.
“I know she thinks she’s the lucky one,” she adds, glancing over at me, “because she’s with Julian and now Kai—and because, let’s be honest, who wouldn’t want to bang my husband’s ridiculously hot brother?”
Kai barks out a laugh from the kitchen, and Julian arches a brow in mock offense. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“It was,” Stella replies breezily, lifting her glass higher. “But in reality, you’re not just lucky, Sophie. You’re also brave. I’ve never seen anyone dive headfirst into a new life with so much vigor and heart, with so much passion. And let me tell you,” she adds, looking at Julian and Kai. “Love stories like yours belong in books. The steamy, messy, and beautiful kind. The ones that don’t just have a happily ever after, but the ones that fight for it.”
A soft sound escapes my throat, but I swallow it down quickly, forcing out a watery laugh.
She isn’t finished.
“Which brings me to my actual point,” she says, her voice gentler now, as though she knows she’s brushing up against something fragile. “I think it’s safe to say that you’re one of us now. Officially. We’re a lot, but”—she grins, glancing around the room at Chase and Juliet, Liam and Zoe, Orion and Layla, Miles sipping a beer on the windowsill—“you fit right in. I mean, you opened a romance bookshop. You practically manifested your place in this family.”
I can’t hold back the soft laugh that spills out, but the tears gathering in my eyes betray me. I sniff quietly, but Julian notices—because of course he does. He walks over and wraps his arm around my waist from behind, pulling me against his chest.
“I’m proud of you, pet,” he murmurs, pressing a kiss against the crown of my head.
Kai moves beside me, pressing his palm against my lower back in silent solidarity. The weight of their attention—their love —makes me want to cry harder, but I bite my lip and try to hold it together.
Stella lifts her glass one final time. “To Sophie. To The Story Nest. And to the happiest of ever afters.”
Everyone cheers, glasses clinking together in bursts of sound that echo across the cozy shop.
Julian’s voice dips low beside me, just for me to hear. “I hope your parents come visit sometime. Wait until they notice the ‘Staff Recommendations’ shelf has a whole row of nothing but why choose romances.”
I snort, half gasping as I wipe my eyes. “Oh God. She’ll definitely need to lie down for a week after that.”
Kai chuckles softly, brushing his knuckles against the small of my back. “I’ll pray for her.”
“You might need to,” I whisper, leaning into him. “Especially when she sees the title Seven Brothers and a Baby. ”
Julian hums thoughtfully. “I thought Claimed by the Team was bolder, but sure, we’ll ease her into the shock. Or you could just put a ‘For Mum’ sign on it and let nature take its course.”
I swat at him, laughing despite myself. “You’re lucky I love you.”
Kai squeezes my waist gently. “We’re both lucky.”
The moment stretches, warm and easy, and as I glance around the shop—at the people who have become my family, the men who love me, and the life I never imagined for myself—I feel whole.
Glancing at Julian and Kai as they bicker softly over something or other, I realize this isn’t just happily ever after.
This is the beginning of something even better.