Chapter 30
Ileaned down to hug Yara carefully. “I’ll see you soon,”
I promised, reeling from everything she had told me. “Get some rest.”
My poor best friend had gone through so much, but never again. Not if I could make sure of it.
Stepping into the hallway, my dad stood against the wall.
A sentinel.
For me? Or for Yara?
“Do you love her?”
I asked, staring into him.
His lips quirked at the corners, the crease between his brow smoothed out, and his eyes softened.
I had my answer.
“I do,”
he confirmed.
“Okay, I love you dad, but don’t hurt her. She deserves the world. And listen…I’m sorry. I’m sorry I believed mom and never looked for you,”
I rasped out.
“Sweetheart, it wasn’t you. And I know you’re all grown now, and that this situation is a bit different, but I will be here for you from here on out. I won’t question your choices, you always did have a strong sense of character. But even still, if you ever need to escape, I can make it happen, no questions asked.”
He opened his arms for me.
I didn’t hesitate, I fell into his familiar embrace. He always smelled like the air after it rained and that was present even now. The nostalgia pulled forth a plethora of memories.
My dad and I had been close before my mother snatched me away. She stole years from us. It was hard to not be angry with her, but she was dead now. I couldn’t scream at her, I couldn’t question her choices. I simply had to accept it.
For a few moments we just stood like that. “I missed you, too.”
I sobbed into his shoulder.
And I had. But now that he was here, I felt a piece of myself healing.
“I think a part of me always knew you were alive. I never accepted your death.”
It was true, it was partially why I never looked for him. I didn’t want confirmation he was dead. It felt like I could play pretend without seeing the obituary. But now all I felt was regret.
“I failed you. I should have seen the signs that your mother wasn’t mentally stable. I just never expected her to take you from me.”
He shook as he held me.
We stood like that for a few more moments in silence. Soaking up over a decade of loss, of a thousand missed events. My graduation, my company, my first boyfriend, my marriage.
“I got married…to Emilio.”
I had almost forgotten in the chaos of the last few weeks.
My dad stiffened before dropping his arms around me and stepping back. He reached up, cupping my face carefully. “If he hurts you, I will kill him. Cartel boss or not.”
I cracked a smile. “I know.”
“Ellie!”
Maddox’s voice came from my left down the hallway.
“Go join your men. I’ll be here when you need me. I’m not going anywhere, and from what Yara has said, it seems we might all be moving here.”
On that note, he stepped around me and back into Yara’s hospital room.
“Isa,”
Emilio’s voice was a shock as he breathed the name into my ear.
“Isobel,”
Oliver was next to join our reunion in the hospital.
“Why must you all call me different names?”
I exhaled. “My name is Isobella, Izzy for short. Not Ellie, or Isa, or Isobel.”
“Is that right? She’s being feisty, isn’t she?”
Emilio cracked out, wrapping his arms around me from behind.
“She is,”
Oliver agreed. Stepping in front of me a devious expression, darkening his face.
They were crowding me, making me all hot and bothered. I needed to get out of here.
“We’re in a hospital! Not a brothel. And when did you two start agreeing on anything?”
Though I was secretly grateful for it; their bickering hadn’t been my favorite part of this arrangement.
“You heard her,”
Maddox grumbled, moving up next to us.
“See the voice of reas—”
“But there’s an empty closet down the hallway.”
Maddox yanked me from between the two men and threw me over his shoulder. “Finders keepers!” He laughed raucously.
“Get back here! Emilio, don’t just stand there! Help me get her from him!”
Oliver barked out.
Is this what my life is going to be like from here on out?
Emilio caught up, tripping Maddox, but Oliver caught me before I could fall to the ground.
“Mine now!”
“I’m not a football!”
I grumbled as I was jostled about.
Oliver spanked my ass before Emilio was there to take me onto his shoulder.
“My wife!”
He cackled.
“We’re going to fix that!”
I could get used to this life.
My face bounced against Emilio’s back as he ran and I came to the startling realization.
I didn’t think about my weight much anymore. The world’s oppressive hand wasn’t pushing me into the ground. I wasn’t trapped with vanilla men.
I was absurdly and astoundingly happy.
It certainly took me a while and the help of a few men to rebuild my confidence, but I had finally hit a point where I accepted that I may not be everyone’s type of beauty.
But I can at least be my own.
Epilogue: Izzy
Three Weeks Later
“Idon’t want to go on vacation! Yara just got out of the hospital, and I need to be there for her!”
I crossed my arms over my chest, staring Emilio down.
The barstool I sat on was the perfect height where I couldn’t quite touch the ground. Instead, I kicked my legs against the kitchen island as I continued my pouting.
Emilio turned from the stove, he was in the process of making breakfast. Oliver stood to his left.
“You’re going to overcook the eggs.”
Oliver fully distracted Emilio from responding and gained a spatula in the side for it.
Oliver was still struggling with Emilio, but at this point it was mostly comical to watch them bicker.
Maddox wrapped his bulky arms around me from behind.
“You’re home.”
I sank back against his chest, smiling softly up at him.
“Yes, Ellie. Your employees are all set and have met the new manager you chose. Uh—Susan?”
“Her name is Kathy,”
I stated smugly. “She was always such a good worker bee, I felt she could handle it.”
“She wasn’t quite as enthused when I educated her on your part in the company, but she couldn’t say no to the package you offered her.”
Maddox let go to reposition himself before placing something on the bar counter in front of me.
My sparkly stapler and pile of manhwas from my desk.
“You know you’re the best, right?”
Oliver broke from his squabble with Emilio. “Hey! I reminded him what items you wanted! How is he the best?”
I ignored Oliver, flipping through the manhwa pile instead, leaning to the side into Maddox. “Boss man is mad,”
I whispered conspiratorially.
“Isobel,”
Oliver griped. “You can’t call me that unless you want me to fuck you before breakfast.”
I gasped, mockingly. “Sacrilege!”
Maddox placed a brand-new laptop in front of me next. “Your work is all on this now. Everything you might need and all of the different programs you designed. Emilio backed it up and added extra security precautions.”
Oliver grumbled again.
“Oliver ensured all of your clients are on here and suggested the idea,”
Maddox admitted.
Emilio pushed the laptop to the side carefully and set a plate of food in front of me–eggs, bacon, homestyle potatoes.
My mouth salivated a bit. “You are all the best,”
I corrected myself from earlier before digging in.
Emilio propped against the counter just watching me, but I felt none of the typical self-consciousness.
When I was on the last bite of food, he spoke, “It’s our honeymoon.”
I choked, and Maddox knocked against my back.
Emilio sighed, glancing between the two men. “Go ahead. I know you have kept them on you.”
I set my fork down. Emilio extended out taking my hand, before lightly tugging the band there off.
I was confused until Maddox turned my chair to him, he helped me off the stool, before getting down on one knee, ring box in hand.
“Ellie, nothing in our life is typical, average, or normal, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Would you accept this ring as a token to represent the rest of our lives together?”
My vision blurred as tears formed, the whiplash from the playful to serious almost too much. “You’re all going to do this when I just ate, am wearing nothing but a T-shirt, and haven’t washed my hair in a week?”
I joked before nodding. “Yes, of course I will.”
Maddox slid the band into place; it was thin, but uniquely shaped, as if it were missing another part.
He stood up, offering a chaste kiss before Emilio was there to yank me in his direction. He dropped to his knee.
“This time, I want your full consent. Will you be my wife? My person for the rest of our days?”
I jerked my head in agreement. “Do I even have a choice?”
I quipped.
“No.”
He slid the second ring in place, it went perfectly with the first, a soft click sounding as it was secured.
I grew a bit nervous. “Um, guys, did the ring just make a noise?”
Emilio’s lips quirked at the corners, his eyes darkening. He stood, kissing my cheek before I was yanked again.
Oliver gracefully landed on one knee, his curls falling forward in disarray.
This time I wasn’t sure I wanted the third ring, but Oliver whipped one out without giving me a choice, his long fingers wrapping around my wrist.
“I think you know how I feel about you. I hope you are ready to handle a lifetime of three men vying for your attention and that you’re aware there will unfortunately be no escaping our madness.”
He shoved the third ring into place.
The click this time was clearly audible.
“Explain to her, she is going to panic.”
Maddox’s warmth pressed against my back, his hands trailing forward and securing my wrist in place. “You can take the rings off, but you have to click this button.” He showed me on the side. “Each has GPS tracking, and if you take them off, we’re pinged an alert.”
Why is this explanation turning me on? What is actually wrong with me?
“But what about washing my hands? Showering?”
Oliver stood now staring down at me. His bright eyes at odds with the shadows that enveloped his face. “Then we’ll know.”
He pinched my chin between two long fingers, turning my head side to side. “My vote was for a collar.”
I knew without a doubt he wasn’t joking and it caused my heart to beat even more aggressively in my chest.
“Now where are we going on our honeymoon?”
Emilio cut through the tension.
I closed my eyes, falling further back against Maddox’s chest. I knew for a fact that Emilio would have agreed with Oliver, it was most likely Maddox that vetoed the collar idea.
“Somewhere secluded.”
I heaved a sigh.
There was clearly going to be no escaping this honeymoon, and I could at least bring my work with me.
One Week Later
“Time to take off her blindfold.”
Emilio’s voice stabbed through the darkness.
Being on a plane blind-folded had actually managed to nearly negate my fear of heights. I was hoping it would have dissipated entirely with Sebastian’s death, but no such luck. Trauma worked in mysterious and disgusting ways.
Plus, there was the fact they wanted this honeymoon to be a surprise.
I blinked rapidly as the darkness was replaced with the very bright glaring sun. For a moment, I thought we might still be in Florida, but then I turned my head side to side, taking in the view.
“When I said secluded–”
I spun on my heel to face my three men.
Maddox at least had the decency to look sheepish, but Oliver and Emilio just appeared smug.
“I did not mean a fucking private island!”
A week on this private fucking island with my men, what could possibly go wrong?