Epilogue One
EVE
Our last two years of being at Meadowridge were without trauma, accident, or death.
One might think that would make for a boring life after all we’d been through, but in reality they were the happiest days of my life.
To know I’d almost died and left them all was enough to give me nightmares, only there hadn’t been many for one very important reason: no one had left me alone since that day.
I was codependently obsessed with all of them as well, so it worked out just fine.
We were a team of six and had been from the morning I’d woken in the hospital to find all five of my guys sleeping around me, on the floor and couch. They’d stayed through every checkup, every follow-up, and every step of my recovery. Which, thankfully, had only been a few weeks.
From that day forth, we’d been living our best lives, and enjoying all that college offered.
Someone, and I still had no idea which of the guys managed it, worked out a way for all of us to graduate together.
Except for Ethan of course, who was already graduated and done.
On the day I got my cap and gown and walked across the stage, all my boyfriends were with me, cheering me on, even as they were all there for the same reason.
Nina and Lacey were there as well, graduating today with the rest of us.
It was nice to know we’d all be getting our new start at the same time.
Even if our futures moved us apart, we would always remain friends after everything we’d been through.
Mitchell and Karolyn made it to cheer me on loudly, sitting in the fourth row, standing and clapping like they were my actual parents. In truth, outside of not donating the DNA, they were as close to parents as I’d ever had, and I was so thankful for them.
Brodie apparently agreed as he stood by me, watching the final students cross the stage to accept their diploma.
“You told your parents about us yet, Evie babe?” he said, leaning in to brush his lips against my ear, sending shivers down my spine.
I’d had literal years with these five, and yet my body reacted like it was the first time every single time.
“Uh, yeah. Not exactly. Mitchell is fairly old-fashioned and wouldn’t take it that well. Maybe better to ease them into that once we’re out of Meadowridge and in the real world.”
Or never. Never was my choice.
Connor, who was on my other side, snorted out a dry laugh. “Baby, they’re going to figure it out when we marry you. Might as well tell them now.”
My throat went dry, and I cleared it twice before I could speak. “But…it’s not. We can’t. I mean…that’s illegal in America, right?”
Andrew leaned around Connor, and I was met with a melting pot of browns and greens in his eyes as they locked on me. “Sweetheart, legal ceremony or not, we’re going to figure out how to tie all our lives together. We would really love it if your parents could be part of it.”
I hadn’t seen Abraham since he almost got me killed, on purpose, as I’d completely blocked him from my life, so there was only one set of parents they could be talking about. “Sure, let’s worry about that after you guys propose.”
It was a joke, as I was certain they’d be years from that, but when none of them laughed with me, I had to wonder if they had something more planned I wasn’t aware of.
We had a lot of planning ahead of us, and in typical fashion, none of us had discussed our future outside of reiterating that we would all be staying together.
As the final students crossed the stage, their friends and family cheering for them, all I could feel was happiness. Whatever the future brought would be just fine as long as I had my guys by my side.
When I went to meet Mitchell and Karolyn, they were all smiles as they wrapped their arms around me. “Oh, Eve,” Karolyn gushed. “We’re so proud of you, hon. With all the challenges in your life, you’ve never stopped excelling and pushing for a better future. You should be proud of yourself.”
She pulled away, still holding my biceps, her blue eyes filled with tears.
She looked older than the last time I’d seen her, the make-up settling in the deeper creases by her eyes, and I decided that I needed to make more effort to see them.
We might be living on opposite sides of the country, but that was no excuse.
“Thank you so much for being here,” I said with force, leaning into her once more.
“And for everything you’ve done for me over the years. I just…thanks, Mom.”
She froze, and I wondered if I’d gone too far, but then she burst into tears and hugged me so tightly that I was fairly sure she cracked a rib.
“She called me Mom,” she sobbed over my head, and I figured she was talking to Mitchell, since the guys had been hanging back, giving me some space and privacy.
They knew I lived with them, but not the full extent of our relationship.
“You are our daughter,” she whispered, rocking me back and forth. “We love you so much.”
With that, she sniffled and handed me over to Mitchell. “I’m going to need a dad from you,” he said, sounding choked out.
I chuckle-sobbed against his chest. “Thanks for everything you’ve done for me, Dad. You’re a good man.”
His hug wasn’t as firm, as he’d always been excessively gentle with me. “We’ve had so much joy with you in our lives. We can’t wait to see what you do with your future.”
I caught sight of Ethan’s gaze around his shoulder, and the soft smile on his face had me almost blurting out my current dating situation. But I really didn’t want to ruin the moment, so I decided it could wait a little longer.
When all the hugging was done, I walked them over to their rental car, since they had a late flight back. “Please say you’ll come and visit soon,” Karolyn said, giving me one last hug. “We miss you, and your room is always there and waiting for you.”
“I will,” I promised. “As soon as I get settled in my new place.”
“We’ll put money into your account,” Mitchell said quickly, and I shook my head.
“I’m okay at the moment. I promise to ask if I need anything.”
They weren’t rich, unlike everyone else I knew. I wouldn’t be taking their retirement money unless it was a life-or-death situation.
With final hugs, they got in and drove away, and I waved until their black Prius was out of sight. Andrew and Haze moved in to take my hands. The two of them had been watching me closely, while Connor and Brodie joked around with Nina and Lacey.
Ethan had been stuck in conversation with Dean Attwood. He looked like he would like to be rescued, but no one was stepping in. “You ready to go, Evie?” Andrew asked, lacing our fingers together. “We’ve got to pack the last of our stuff at the house, and then we’ve got something to show you.”
“Yep,” I said with a nod, swallowing down my elevated emotional state. “Yep. It was really nice to see them. I need to get out and visit them more.”
Andrew pulled me closer, and Haze came with us, instead of trying to tear me in two. Which was nice. “My plane is your plane, babe,” he told me for what was probably the hundredth time. “Mom wants to see us again soon as well.”
Ever since President—well, former President Geraldine Knightsbridge—finished her last term, she’d been much more relaxed with her son.
When we’d met, she’d hugged me and expressed her sorrow at what happened with the Crusades.
She’d asked me to call her Mom as well, but I’d politely declined.
Even as I did appreciate how warm and caring she was.
“Yeah, we should find some time to visit her as well. We’re all essentially homeless and jobless as of right now, so we have plenty of time to do all the visiting. ”
Ethan had tendered his resignation to leave with us, since he was busy running his father’s empire with Connor.
When Vinnie succumbed to his cancer eighteen months ago, there’d been very little in the way of tears, but plenty of teething issues with the boys taking over.
Blood was shed, but only in small spatters of warning, and in the end, everything crossed over smoothly.
“I guess, technically Connor and Ethan are our sugar daddies now,” I said, tilting my head to the side. “Keeping us in the money.”
Haze leaned down and pressed a kiss to my head. “I just sold some database software to Homeland Security for one point four billion. I’d like to apply for the position of sugar daddy.”
I started to laugh before I realized he was serious. “I…What? Did you say billion? Like with a B?”
He shrugged again, in that way he had when he did something extraordinary, but it wasn’t registering with him as such. “Yep. Billion with a B. We’re going to be just fine with money for the rest of our lives.”
“Which starts right now,” Brodie shouted, all but slamming into me, as he wrapped his arms around all three of us, drawing us into his hug.
“Also, did you say I was unemployed, Evelyn Keller? I’ll have you know, I just wrapped movie three for Bellerose and got a huge pay packet to show for it. I’m totally the sugar daddy here.”
With a shake of my head, I extracted myself from their embrace. “All of you can be the sugar daddies. Now, let’s go start the rest of our lives.”
I ran to hug Nina and Lacey, who promised to see us later, and then I walked in the middle of the guys back to Bluebell House.
When we reached the steps, which were still fairly rundown, all of us paused and took a second to give thanks to the house that brought us together.
“I’m going to miss her,” I whispered, running my hand gently down the handrail.
When a splinter caught my finger, I winced and then laughed.
“Well, maybe not all of her. But this feeling of home.”
“That’s not the house,” Connor said with a huff, but he didn’t sound as blasé as usual. “It’s the people in it. And that part will never change.”