EPILOGUE
CELINE
It's moving-in day.
Travis, Elias, and Dornan arrive bright and early to help me shift my boxes and bags down the stairs into their waiting cars. I'm embarrassed about how much stuff I have, but they don't complain. Maybe it's because there are three of them, and they all want to be manly in front of each other. Or maybe I really have just hit the jackpot and found three perfect men.
I think it's the latter.
Since Travis returned, and we all admitted wanting the same thing, my life has transformed.
I'm not the Celine I was when Eddie was constantly forcing himself into my life. I'm not the Celine who wanted to take revenge on my ex and used three men to play ridiculous games.
I'm the real Celine, and they make me feel like a goddess every single day.
"Last one." Elias lifts the big box of books like it contains a feather pillow. His biceps bulge, and it takes every ounce of my self-control not to cross the room and lick him.
He lumbers through the door, and I'm left alone in the space that's been mine since the beginning of the year. It's seen some changes, that's for sure. Eddie helped me move in. Three different men have helped me move out. I felt trapped at the beginning of the year. I now feel freer than I ever have in my life.
It took Dad cutting me off to realize that it wasn't good for me to rely on him for money when he wasn't prepared to give me the love and affection that he should. It was an empty link with him, impacting my attitude toward money and my sense of self-worth. Now I'm working and earning for myself, I see everything differently. I don't spend out of anger. I spend it out of necessity.
I have love to fill the empty parts of me.
I look in the mirror and touch my dark hair. It's grown out at the top, and I have to use a brown spray to touch it in so my red roots aren't visible.
It's the last thing left over from a time when I wanted to be a different person.
Now, I want to be true to who I really am. I want my little niece Lonie to touch my curls that are just like hers and tell me how pretty they are. I twist my hair into a bun and decide it’s time, then I take one last look at the place I used to call home and leave it behind, ready for a new start.
Gabriella throws open the front door before any of us gets a chance to ring the bell and jogs down the front path before enveloping me in a fierce hug. "I can't believe we're going to be roomies. This is so exciting."
She's been saying the same thing since her mom told her I'm moving in. She doesn't know yet, but I bought us some sheet face masks and hand treatments so we can do them together later. It's been a while since I had Marie to do those kinds of girly things with.
Travis walks past us, smiling at his sister's excitement.
Last week, he asked me to move in with him rather than here. We've been hanging out so much since he returned from Germany. We all spend at least three nights a week at his place, thanks to the extra giant bed he added to his bedroom. It's the only place we can all get a good night's sleep together after our shenanigans.
And I need all the sleep I can get.
I turned Travis down, though.
Moving in is a big step, and if we're going to do it, I want it to be something we all do together. Travis's place isn't big enough for us all, and when we're together, our priorities aren't in the right place. Exams are looming. We need space to get through this chapter of our lives, and then we can focus on our relationship and not risk our futures because we can't keep our hands off each other.
I can't wait for the next chapter.
"Let her go," Travis tells his sister. "We need to get these boxes inside."
"Bossy."
Gabriella tosses her hair over her shoulder, grabs my hand, and marches us into the house. "I hope he doesn't boss you around like that," she hisses.
I snicker because she has no idea just how much I love his bossiness. I'm grateful that she's never asked me if Travis's kinky porn mags are reflected in our sex life! It's probably because she'd find her brother's sex life a gross topic to broach.
It takes thirty minutes for all my stuff to be taken upstairs. My men won't let me lift a finger, so I sit in the kitchen, eating chocolate muffins and strawberries while Darleen tells me about the trip she's planning with her boyfriend, Lucas.
When Elias and Dornan leave for practice, I make my excuses and head to the mall.
The same hairdresser who dyed my hair chestnut leads me to a chair. "What am I doing today? Touching up your roots?"
I shake my head, grinning at her in the mirror. "I want to go back to my natural color."
She smooths her hands over my hair and grins back. "I knew you'd regret losing those beautiful red curls." She fluffs my chestnut curls. "It's going to take some work."
"That's fine," I say. "I enjoyed being a sassy brunette. It was fun. But I like the real me better."
It does take serious work and a lot of hours, but when she's done, my hair is almost the same as it was before. The color is slightly darker than my natural shade, but it's fine. It'll probably fade a little over time, anyway.
"My boyfriends are going to have a heart attack when they see me."
"Boyfriends?" She frowns, but then her face splits into a broad grin. "Boyfriends plural…those sexy boys you showed me last time?"
I laugh and scrunch my curls, so happy to have them back, already anticipating how Elias, Travis, and Dornan are going to react. "Yes. All those sexy boys."
"Good for you." She rests her hands on her wide hips. "If I was a few years younger…"
"I don't think there's an upper age limit to harem living," I say. "You just need to find men who like to share."
"It's not easy to find one man at my age who doesn't snore. Forget about men who want to share."
We both laugh, but I tell her not to give up on the idea. I never thought I'd find the kind of love I have.
I use my new key to open the door at Travis's family home—my home now. Inside, the TV is on at full volume, and a sportscaster is roaring out a play-by-play commentary. Men's voices rumble, and the sound of the extractor in the kitchen builds it into a cacophony of sound.
I make my way down the hall, finding Gabriella and Ellie in the kitchen with Darleen and Dalton. There is food everywhere. Dalton has his sleeves rolled up, revealing the intricate tattoos that his brother has inked for him over the years. He lifts a large tray of food from the oven and the steam is so intense, he has to hold it far away from his body.
Gabriella's the first one to notice my transformation.
"Your hair!" she gasps, leaving the salad she was dressing to look at me. "I'm so happy you're red again."
"Me, too," I smile, already feeling more like myself.
Travis, hearing the commotion, looks up from the game, his mouth falling open in shock. Ignoring the screen, he rises to look at me, followed closely by Dornan and Elias. "You went back."
"Celine's back," Elias whoops.
"She was only gone for three hours," Darleen laughs. "You guys are too needy."
"Not back back." Travis laughs. "Her hair." He fluffs my curls, making them even crazier than they were when I left the salon.
Dornan touches them, too. It's like they're discovering a rare plant or marveling over an alien from outer space.
"Okay, guys," I laugh, swiping their hands away. "It's just hair."
"No, it isn't," Dornan says. "It's a sign."
He gets it. They all get it, and I kiss them tenderly, one by one, despite the audience.
"Food's ready," Dalton says, and there's a rumble from all the football-watching men. They fill the kitchen one by one, hovering around the table, waiting for a plate.
Colby, Seb, and Micky ensure Ellie puts her food first, then follow her around the buffet, heaping all the delicious options onto their plates. Kain and Blake compliment Dalton and Darleen for their efforts. The doorbell rings, and it's Lucas, Darleen's boyfriend, coming to join in the fun.
Travis is quick to hand me a plate and urge me closer. He slaps my ass and tells me to eat well, or I'll make his momma sad. He urges Elias forward, too. He knows how much he loves Darleen's cooking and is more than happy to share his mom's culinary skills with the two men he's joined with to love me.
I look around at the happy groups that have come together through love.
Our brand of relationships might not be considered normal, but I don't care what anyone else thinks.
We're not playing games. We're making a future filled with friendship, commitment, hope, and love.
I can't wait to see what happens next because I know I have Dornan, Elias, and Travis by my side through thick and thin.
No more games.
We're playing for keeps.
Thanks for reading PLAYING THEIR GAMES COLLECTION. Want to read more from HUGE DARE, HUGE DEAL, and HUGE GAMES.