Epilogue
Esme
Linking my arm through Amelia’s, I searched the crowd for a familiar face. There was an endless sea of our fellow graduates celebrating with their families, but I couldn’t find any of my daddies anywhere. I’d seen all three of them earlier that morning when we’d first arrived, yet from the time they had kissed me and gone to take their seats, I’d had a queasy sensation in my stomach.
If I didn’t know better, I would have thought it was morning sickness, like Amelia was experiencing. But I knew my birth control was working and that I was definitely not pregnant. It was way too soon in my relationship with my daddies to consider babies. I knew I wanted forever with them, but there was too much I wanted to experience first before we started expanding our family.
And I was still a little sore with them about their ambushing Amelia with Trevor the week before. Since then, I’d been dreading the day of my graduation, but I didn’t think it had anything to do with the Amelia/Trevor incident. Those two were happily in love. This was something else. Like a huge pit in the center of my belly, getting bigger with each day. When I first woke up that morning, I’d considered faking sick to get out of the event.
“Where are they?” I whispered, pushing up onto my tiptoes in hopes that I was missing something.
“Stop worrying,” Amelia soothed. “Trevor let me know he was sitting with them during the ceremony. I saw them myself when we took our seats. It was hard to miss all four of those men sitting there.”
A smile teased at my lips at what a sight they must have made. Amelia and I had entered the auditorium from different doors, so I didn’t get to see them, but I could easily imagine the stir they would have caused.
“There are your parents,” Amelia pointed out, waving to my papa.
Seeing him with Maman , I stepped forward to embrace them both, taking the flowers my mother gave me. It felt like forever since I’d seen either of them because they had been away on business. They never traveled without each other, and now that I had Malcolm, Parker, and Benson, I understood why. Going even a few hours without one of them was too long. That hollowness inside me was not something I could tolerate for an extended period of time.
“My girl, we’re so proud of you,” Papa said in French as he kissed my cheek. “Look at you, all grown up. Graduating with so many honors. Going off to one of the best colleges. Making plans to do amazing things to change the world. That’s the strong girl we raised.”
My gaze drifted over his shoulder to Astro and Otto, giving them a secret smile that they returned before going back to their vigilance of the crowd. I was the strong girl they had raised, but we wouldn’t argue about that. Not when the three of us, the ones who mattered the most, knew the truth.
“Lia, we’re so proud of you too,” Maman gushed, including her with a hug. “Your valedictorian speech was truly moving. Eloise was sobbing by the end of it.”
I jolted at the mention of my sister’s name. “Eloise is here?”
Astro and Otto moved in closer before Maman could blow out a resigned sign. “Of course she’s here, Esme. She’s going to introduce all of us to her boyfriends. I told you, she’s dating. We thought it would be the perfect time to get everyone together since you are finally letting us meet your men.”
That was something I wouldn’t forget. When my mother had texted me to give me the few details she’d discovered about my sister’s new relationship, I’d been relieved. With Eloise moving on from Benson and my other two daddies, I didn’t have to deal with her delusions regarding my men.
Regardless of her relationship status, however, I’d hoped she would skip my graduation ceremony. An afternoon celebrating my accomplishments with my loved ones without her crazy ass antagonizing me didn’t seem like a big ask. But apparently it had been.
I forced a smile that was more for Amelia’s sake than anyone else’s. “Great. Sounds like one big happy party.”
“Trevor!” Amelia called, relief in her voice. She lifted her hand to wave him over, her huge engagement ring and wedding band sparkling in the sunlight. We’d all flown to Vegas the week before for their quickie wedding. She was so happy, she was glowing, and that was only half because she was pregnant. I loved that she was getting her happily-ever-after with Trevor.
“Lia, what is this?” Maman asked with a dramatic gasp, grasping Amelia’s hand.
Pink filled her cheeks. “Oh, um… Well… You see…”
Trevor slid his arm around her waist, drawing my parents’ gazes to him. “Amelia is my wife.”
Excited congratulations erupted from them while I returned to searching the crowd for my daddies—and now, my sister as well. That queasy feeling intensified. Eloise was there somewhere, and so were my men. But none of them was in front of me. Just imagining them breathing the same air made my skin feel too tight.
What if they saw her and they changed their minds about wanting me?
What if she manipulated them into thinking I was a terrible person, not worthy of their love?
What would I do if they loved her more than they loved me?
Daddies…
I didn’t know if I thought it or if the word spilled past my lips, but when Astro touched my arm, I was startled back to reality. Inhaling deeply, I calmed myself, and as I slowly blew out the breath, I saw the three men walking toward me.
Everything around us faded away. All I saw was the three of them, their predatory gazes on me, their strides full of purpose. People stepped aside, making way for them as they approached. Vaguely, I was aware of Maman and Papa going abruptly quiet, but I was too focused on Malcolm, Parker, and Benson to care what had caught their attention.
And then Eloise was suddenly there, walking past me and straight up to Parker. Breathing the same air as him.
Don’t do it, Esme.
She simpered and giggled as her hands slid up his chest encased in the dress shirt I’d chosen for him to wear. I breathed in slowly. He flinched back from her, putting distance between them, but she was already moving on, doing the same thing to Benson.
Don’t react.
Her right leg lifted in that age-old foot-pop move as she looked back at Papa. I bit the inside of my cheek so hard I tasted blood. “This is my boyfriend, Parker Tatum. And my other boyfriend, Benson Crawford.”
A laugh bubbled out of me before I could contain it. Eloise looked right at me, her grin dimming before she forced it to grow bigger. “Benson and I are getting married, actually.”
Don’t do it.
“No, we fucking are not!” Benson roared, revulsion twisting across his face before his gaze shot straight to me. I saw pain in his eyes and a dose of fear, as if he was terrified I believed her. “Angel.”
Around us, the dull roar of chatter stopped, and people turned to look at us. I could feel everyone watching us, but our audience didn’t matter. All I cared about was untangling them from Eloise and going home.
“Do not talk to my sister!” Eloise screeched, releasing her hold on his shirt to slap both of her hands down on his chest. Once. Twice. He took a step back, putting much-needed and wanted distance between them.
Her blond curls tangled around her face, and I hoped our parents got her some therapy. Maybe some meds. No judgment. But she needed help—and to get the hell away from my daddies and me.
But she wasn’t done with her tantrum yet.
“You are mine. I saw you first. All three of you. But if I can only have one of you, then I choose you, because you were the first one I saw, Benson. I want you. I want you, and now you’re mine because I want you!”
“That doesn’t even make sense,” a female voice I didn’t recognize snickered from somewhere behind me. I stood there, my mind trapped somewhere between wanting to tear my sister away from Benson because she was touching what was mine and worried about her because it was so glaringly obvious that she needed mental help.
“No one asked you!” Eloise yelled, stomping one foot. Her wild eyes focused on Benson again. “You. Are. Mine. Esme can’t have you.”
“You don’t own me,” Benson argued, fed up with her. “I told you that more than once. I don’t like you. I don’t want you. And I never will.”
“No. No, no, no!” she screeched, turning faster than I anticipated and grabbing my hair, jerking my head back so hard I saw stars. “You dirty slut. You always take everything I want. Why do you get all the good things? It’s not fair.”
Wrapping my fingers around her wrist, I did exactly as Astro and Otto had taught me to. I swept her leg out from under her, the action causing her hand to tighten reflexively in my hair in an attempt to stop herself, but the bite of pain was momentary. And then she was on her back, and I was standing over her. I held her hand in mine as I kept her arm straight, ready to snap it like a twig. My heeled foot pressed into her throat, restricting her air supply a little more at a time as I stood over her, contemplating crushing her windpipe and ending it all.
I was sick of being called a dirty slut, and I was so, so tired of having to defend myself. Life was so much simpler without her. Easier. Quieter. I was calmer. Not volatile.
Less volatile.
“Whoa, angel,” Benson soothed. I felt him behind me, his thick, warm body carefully molding to mine. One arm slipped around my waist, his nose nuzzling my ear. “Think about what you’re doing.”
“Believe me, I am,” I told him, pressing my foot down a little harder. Around us, people gasped, but most of them were only pretending to be shocked and horrified. When in truth, they were eating this shit up like an episode of their favorite reality show.
Eloise gulped. I felt the movement more than heard the sound. She was scared, because she didn’t know if I would actually kill her. Why her guards weren’t there to save her, I didn’t know. But Astro and Otto wouldn’t save her.
A quick glance at our parents showed that they were too stunned by what they were seeing to step in. Maman’s eyes were startled and full of trepidation. Papa’s mouth kept opening and closing like a fish, as if he was seeing this type of interaction between his children for the very first time. As if I hadn’t broken Eloise’s nose the last time she’d pulled my hair and nearly caused me to fall down the staircase.
They were used to their daughters arguing, fighting. Shedding blood. But that was while under their roof, behind closed doors. Never in public, around people they couldn’t control not to speak about what was happening. It had never been more glaringly obvious to me than in that moment just how incompetent they were as parents.
My blood pumped loudly through my ears. It would be so easy to take my sister’s life from her.
I closed my eyes, letting the memories of how Benson had made love to me that morning play through my mind, replacing the ones from mere moments ago, when Eloise had touched him. Tried to claim him. I could still feel the slight sting of his handprint from where he’d spanked me because I’d taunted him during breakfast.
A shudder went through me.
If he’d really wanted to stop me, all he would have had to do was lift me away. My weight was nothing for him. He proved that every day when he carried me around the house or fucked me against a random wall. He didn’t care if I killed her or not. Fuck, he probably would have helped me hide the body if he thought I truly wanted my sister dead. This man…all three of my daddies, they loved me. They wanted what was best for me.
Benson kissed my neck. “You’re better than this, sweet girl. You’re better than her.”
“No, she’s not!” Eloise cried. “I’m the good one. Not her. I’m good. I’m a good girl.”
Nausea rolled in my stomach at the sickness I heard in her voice. She was twisted and broken. Lost. It made me physically ill to realize just how disturbed my older sister was, and I’d been blind to it.
Stepping back, I turned and hugged Benson, turning away from the sight of my sister on the ground. Malcolm and Parker cocooned me, protecting me, sheltering me. Loving me like I deserved.
She was sick, but I wouldn’t let her ruin my happiness with her petty competition.