Epilogue
Rory - 4 months later
Everything since Nathan broke the PPO is calm and smooth now, and my heart is content. I moved in with Kyle and Wes only a month after the incident, and while I miss my apartment sometimes, this feels right. It never felt right when Nathan suggested it, but Wes and Kyle’s place feels like it’s where I need to be. We even have space for Claire when she comes to stay for a night or two. My mom has finally given up on Nathan, but we’re still not talking about much. She acknowledges that what happened was awful, but she can’t seem to let the depression issue go. She’s polite, and I’m polite, and that’s where we’re leaving it.
In the last two months, Kyle and Wes convinced me to start therapy. I figured it was as good a time as any since they insisted they’d rather see me pay for that than any bills in the house. Part of me feels bad, like I’m taking advantage, but my therapist acknowledges that it’s okay to feel what I feel. I just need to make sure I don’t lose myself in the negative thoughts and talk through them instead of believing them. It helps me feel seen and I think it’s helped the guys to see me more clearly too.
My boss has been more supportive than I ever thought she would be. I’ve always liked her as a boss, but she has gone out of her way to ensure I know my job is safe and that Nathan has been put on their “do not admit” list. As for Nathan, last I heard is that he got put in the slammer overnight for how he acted towards the cops at my mom’s house. After that, he got slapped with a huge fine. Haven’t seen him since and I am very okay with that. Claire and I talked about that night, and I told her everything that happened with Nathan.
She may be a pre-teen, but I don’t hide anything from her. She got the watered-down version and when she’s ready, I’ll go into more detail if she wants to know. The big message that I shared with her was to not stay silent. Claire’s never alone and the guys and I will always be there for her. She’s starting to spend time with her own friends more often than not, so in the last few months I haven’t seen her as much. She still texts and I’m excited to see her continue to bloom.
After I finish reflecting on how the last four months have been, I heave out a sigh of contentment. I complete braiding my hair and give myself a big smile in the mirror, before walking out of our en suite bathroom. We’re all staying in what I assumed was Kyle’s room before, but it turns out the guys shared it. It cost a pretty penny, but we ordered a custom size bed so the three of us could sleep comfortably. Three tall adults in a bed is tricky to make work with standard size beds. Add in my additional weight and as much as we love cuddling, we quickly learned we need space too. Christening it was a blast.
“You slow pokes ready yet?” I call out.
I hear them panting and moaning before I see it. Wes is on his knees in front of Kyle. Both are still fully dressed, and Kyle’s head is thrown back in pleasure. My breathing hitches and I’m torn between being pissed and delighted. Pissed because I’m not the one involved and delighted because I love watching these two love each other.
And now my panties are drenched .
“Fuck!” Kyle exclaims as Wes’ head bobs faster.
I can hear Kyle’s breathing pick up as he gets close to finishing, and I’m not about to miss out on the experience. Crossing the room in a few swift steps, I grab Kyle’s hair firmly but gently and bring his face to mine. Our lips come together, frantic and desperate. His tongue wrestles with mine and I moan in delight as I feel his body tense. With one last nip of his lip, Kyle comes undone, groaning loudly in pleasure as Wes drinks all of him down.
“That was a fun surprise to see,” I tell them with a smile.
“He deserved it for being our rock,” Wes says, standing to give Kyle a kiss.
“You two are too much,” Kyle adds, a dopey smile on his face.
“No, there’s never too much love for you in this house,” I protest.
Kyle pauses as he looks into my eyes, searching for something. I know exactly what it is because I’ve been waiting to tell him for a couple of weeks now. I wanted the right moment. Wes stills, waiting on his knees for what I’m about to say. He’s known it, Kyle knows it, but they’ve both waited so patiently to hear it.
I look down and smile at Wes before turning my attention to Kyle. “I love you, Kyle. I love you , Wes. I’ve loved you both for months and I can’t put into words how much I appreciate your patience.”
“Can’t put into words, eh? You could always show us,” Kyle winks.
“Or we can show you ,” Wes suggests, wiggling his eyebrows.
His hands move from Kyle’s thighs to mine before he slides them up with a soft caress. He brushes past my hips and cups my breasts, rubbing his thumb over my nipples.
“As hot as this is, we’re going to be late,” I admonish breathlessly.
“Is that really the priority here? I imagine that you’re in need now,” Wes taunts me.
I hold out a finger and start backing away. “Oh no! No you don’t! You start that and we won’t be leaving this house and I promised Charli we’d come to their backyard hangout. But I love you both.”
Wes pouts, but when he hears my second confession of love, he relents. “Love you, precious.”
“Love you,” Kyle tells me, placing a kiss on top of my head.
We throw some shoes on and head over to Charli’s. I’m still better friends with Morgan than Charli, but we’ve bonded over the months with having multiple men and she absolutely is a friend. When we arrive, there are a few cars present already, which gives me some relief. I hate being the first one to something. We walk around to the back, noting that there’s a circle of mismatched camp chairs in addition to an adorable swinging bench. Charli and Jax are sitting together on the bench, and I note that Roman, Morgan, Olivia, Courtney, two men I don’t know and a woman I don’t know, are all sitting. Perhaps we’re the last ones. I’m okay with that, too.
“You made it!” I hear Morgan squeal.
She jumps up and runs over to give me a hug, which I return enthusiastically. We hold the hug for a few extra moments.
“I told them,” I whisper to her.
“Fuck yeah you did. Well done, bitch,” she whispers back.
We part and smile at each other before heading to take up some spots in the circle.
“Thanks for having us,” I say to Charli.
Charli gives me a wide smile and before I find a seat, she gets up to give me a hug as well. She turns and introduces us to her friend Amy, her younger brother Thomas, and her older brother Graham.
“Graham! I didn’t put it together that Charli is your sister,” Kyle exclaims as he walks over to shake his hand.
“Hey! Back at you. Nice to see you out of the office,” Graham says.
“You say that like we haven’t been going for drinks,” Kyle replies.
“Feels different at my sister’s house than a bar.”
Kyle chuckles. “True enough.”
We find seats and grab some drinks, settling in for the evening. The chatter doesn’t seem to stop, and there are moments where it could easily be overwhelming, but all I feel is content. I have two men who love me and a growing group of friends. I notice the few times Charli starts to twist her fingers together, but Jax always catches her and grabs her hand, and he always gets a relieved smile in return.
“They’re fucking adorable, aren’t they?” Morgan says to me as Roman drops a kiss on Charli’s head while walking by.
“They seriously are,” I agree.
“Did Charli tell you much about their struggles?”
“Yeah, we’ve been talking a lot and swapping notes on dating two men.”
“That’s so awesome,” Morgan says with a big smile.
“I think she’s a little jealous that Roman and Jax won’t sword cross, but I told her don’t discount it. They’ve been friends long enough that they might try it someday.”
Morgan laughs. “I can’t even imagine that. When Jax and I were together, he was straight as they come. Time changes, though, and maybe he did too.”
I hold up my drink and touch it to her drink. “To sex, may it be sweaty and breathtaking!”
At that moment, I hear voices rising and look over to see Courtney and Graham bickering with each other. Courtney leans over, getting right up in Graham’s face with a fierce scowl before standing and stomping away. Graham’s head flops back in frustration and he stares at the sky.
“What’s up with that?” I ask.
Morgan’s eyes alight with the opportunity for gossip. “We have been making bets on them for almost a year now. There’s some serious sexual tension there.”
“I can tell. Have they dated before?”
Morgan continues in a hushed voice. “Nope, and I think that’s some of the problem. Graham wants her bad, and Courtney’s not quite as invested.”
“Are you so sure? She cares or she wouldn’t get so angry. Hopefully they can work that out.”
“Seriously, Charli is driving herself crazy trying to get information out of either of them. They’ve all known each other for years. It’s like watching my own personal soap opera.”
Amy leans close to Morgan, looking between us as she does. “You guys talkin’ about Courtam?”
“What?” Morgan laughs.
“I’m trying out combined names. It’s not going well. One of them needs to change their name if we’re gonna see this come to fruition.”
“You’re such a psycho,” Morgan says with a smile.
“Thank you,” Amy says, batting her lashes at Morgan.
Smiling at their familiar banter, I see Graham stand up and start heading after Courtney, but Kyle stands with him, steering Graham away so they walk and talk. A smile comes to my face, and I can tell he’s subtly trying to insert himself into whatever is happening there. Wes shakes his head and looks at me, the same thought clearly running through his head.
“Aren’t you glad you have friends?” Wes says with a smile.
I think about the drama going on around us, and my insecurities about how long it will last, and I smile back. My mind wants to start down the negative path of saying they’ll eventually leave me, but I make it stop and think through. There’s no reason to think they will. We have solid connections. They know how to apologize when they fuck up and they don’t hold back shit. It’s somewhere I can really belong.
“I really am. This feels like family. I’m really hopeful.”
He leans over to give me a kiss, and Morgan grabs my other hand in solidarity.
“We’re glad to have you, and it’s hard to get rid of us, so suck it up, buttercup,” she adds.
“Where’s my kiss? Wes gave me one.” I pout.
“We haven’t signed that contract yet. You want my love, you gotta sign your life away,” Morgan teases.
“Good, she’s mine, no seducing her!” Wes retorts
Their banter continues, and my heart is overflowing. I think how far I’ve come over the last six months. How I’ve come out of my protective shell, and I’m in regular therapy to help my depression and to heal from Nathan. I have two men who love me, a group of friends who accept me, and I’m free of my crazy ex. I can’t wait to see where things lead next.