Epilogue
Golden light from the setting sun streams in through the glass walls of our penthouse. Far below, the city spreads out around us like a glimmering sea of lights and stone and steel. I smile out at the view before turning back to where Jace and Rico are standing by our marble-topped kitchen island, chopping vegetables and mixing herbs.
Isabella, Eli, Raina, and Kaden are sitting on the barstools on the other side of the island while Alina popped out to get the surprises that she and I have bought for our husbands.
Husband.
The word ripples through my whole soul like warm sparkles, and I glance down at the beautiful ring on my finger. Nothing has ever felt more right than this. Than him. Than us.
From across the room, Jace catches me looking at the ring and flashes me a sly smile. He looks just like he did when he walked into my father’s office that first time. A white t-shirt that complements his muscular body, his brown hair effortlessly messy like he has just rolled out of bed, a grin on his face, and a bright sparkle in his eyes. The only difference is that he looks steadier now. Like he has finally found his place in the world. Which is here. With me.
I grin back at him as I close the distance to the kitchen island with the bottle of wine that I went to get.
Confusion trickles through me as I glance down at the bottle and find it already open. “I swear this wasn’t open when I put it there.”
All eyes slide to Raina. She continues drinking for another second before she realizes that everyone is staring at her.
“What?” she asks, raising her eyebrows as she looks from face to face. “I haven’t touched it since I gave it to Kayla.”
Isabella heaves a sigh and raises a hand. “It was me.”
We all blink at her in surprise.
“Raina brought it,” Isabella says while stabbing a hand towards Raina for emphasis. “I had to check it for poison.”
Jace chokes out a laugh while Kaden snickers into his glass of wine. Eli just shrugs and nods as if that makes sense.
Raina, however, rolls her eyes and then shoots Isabella a look of exaggerated affront. “Oh, come on. It was one time.”
“Yeah, well, I learned my lesson after that,” Isabella replies.
“And it wasn’t poison.”
“No, it was like smoking psychedelic mushrooms. On steroids.”
Rico chuckles while he continues grinding some herbs in a mortar. “I found her dancing naked in the living room when I got home.”
While struggling hard to suppress a smile, Isabella shoots Rico a look that promises revenge before she shakes her head at all of us. “You guys are still the craziest people I have ever met. And I grew up in a literal cult.”
Laughter ripples through the kitchen. Eli and Kaden even clink their glasses together as if that was the highest of compliments. Warmth spreads through my chest.
“Aww, come on,” Jace says, grinning at Isabella. “You know you love us.”
Her blue-gray eyes dance with light as she once more tries to hide the smile on her face while she sweeps her gaze over all of us. “Yes, I do. Unfortunately.”
We laugh again. I top up her glass of wine before I refill my own as well.
“And speaking of love,” I begin, and cast a glance between Eli and Raina. “You two are the only ones left now. Which makes no sense, because you were the first ones to get together. When are you getting married?”
“Ugh,” Raina scoffs, and rolls her eyes. “Marriage is for normal people.”
I arch an eyebrow at her. “You’re not getting married?” With confusion flickering through me, I hold up my left hand to motion at the ring on my finger. “Then how do you stop people from flirting with your significant other if you don’t have a visible mark of ownership?”
“I just poison them,” Raina replies at the same time as Eli says, “I just shoot them in the head.”
Silence falls over the kitchen for a few seconds.
Then Jace and I burst out laughing. Isabella once more shakes her head at us while Rico and Kaden exchange a knowing look and take a sip from their wine.
Eli and Raina, who were dead serious, just glance between us as if they don’t understand why we’re laughing.
Then a scheming glint creeps into Raina’s green eyes, and she turns back to Eli. “I do like the sound of visible mark of ownership, though.”
A considering expression has descended on Eli’s features as well, and he nods slowly as he holds her gaze. “So do I.”
“Perhaps we need to reconsider this whole marriage thing.”
“Perhaps we do.”
Before anyone else can say anything, the front door is opened. We all turn to look as Alina sweeps into the room, her long blonde hair fluttering behind her. Wicked glee pulses through me at the sight of the two large white boxes in her arms.
“Sorry it took so long,” she says as she practically skips across the floor towards us. There is a matching smile full of wicked anticipation on her lips as well, and she winks at me as she reaches the island. “But I promise it will be worth it.”
Kaden, who is casually spinning a knife in his hand, arches a dark brow. “What’s going on?”
“We bought you gifts,” Alina replies, that brilliant scheming smile still on her mouth.
She hands one of the boxes to me. The others shift their glasses aside so that we can put the boxes down on the island. Alina places hers in front of Kaden while I saunter over to set mine down in front of Jace. He pushes the cutting board aside and sets down the knife he was using to chop scallions.
“You have been talking about it for so long,” I say. “So we figured that it was finally time for you to have your very own set.”
Jace and Kaden exchange a look of confusion. Around the island, the others watch us with similar expressions of befuddlement. Eli cocks his head, studying Kaden’s box next to him as if he is trying to see through the white cardboard. To Jace’s left, Rico stops grinding the herbs and instead picks up his wine glass. A considering look blows across his features as he glances down at Jace’s box while drinking from his wine.
“Well, open them,” I say.
After Kaden slides his knife back into its holster, he and Jace exchange one more look. Then they shrug and grab the lid on their respective boxes. They lift them off at the same time.
Rico spits his wine across the counter.
Isabella gasps.
Raina grins like a little villain.
And Eli doubles over, his laughter booming across the apartment.
Absolute astonishment pulses across Jace and Kaden’s faces as they hold up matching French maid costumes.
“I expect you to already be wearing it when I walk into our bedroom tonight,” I tell Jace.
Alina gives Kaden a nod. “Same.”
Eli is laughing so hard that it sounds like he’s choking. Rico actually is choking on his wine as he tries to breathe and laugh and swallow at the same time. Across the counter, Isabella is pressing a hand over her mouth to stop her own laughter. But her shoulders shake with it.
Raina’s green eyes glitter like emeralds as she raises her glass at me and Alina in a salute. “I think you just became my new favorite people.”
Thuds echo across the room as Eli slaps his palm against the marble countertop while he continues laughing like he can’t breathe.
Kaden narrows his eyes as he yanks out a knife and points it at his older brother. “I will fucking stab you.”
Eli just laughs harder.
Alina and I exchange a smug grin full of victory.
“I know you’ve always been part of the family,” Eli presses out as he tries to rein in his laughter. His golden eyes glint in the light from the setting sun as he looks between me and Alina. “But now, you’re really part of the family.”
Warmth spreads through my whole soul.
Jace drops the French maid costume back into the box and rounds the edge of the counter, advancing on me. His warm brown eyes dance with the promise of delicious revenge as he slides a hand up my throat.
Keeping a firm grip on my throat, he leans down and slants his lips over mine. His breath caresses my mouth as he lets out a low humming sound that makes my spine tingle.
“I’m going to make you crawl for this, you little demon,” he breathes against my lips. And I can hear the smile in his voice. “You know that, right?”
A thrill of dark desire races down my spine. Burying my fist in the collar of his shirt, I hold him firmly to me as I whisper back, “Oh, I’m counting on it.”
He chuckles, the sound vibrating against my lips. “I love you so fucking much.”
I yank his mouth down to mine and claim his wicked lips for myself. He kisses me back like he’s starving. Even after all this time, he always kisses me and touches me and fucks me like he simply can’t get enough of me. It makes my heart flutter every time.
A sharp thud sounds right next to us.
“Keep it in your pants, Golden,” Kaden says from the other side of the kitchen island. “No one wants to see your cock before dinner.”
I laugh against Jace’s mouth and then steal one last kiss before releasing him. Stepping back, I find one of Kaden’s throwing knives buried in the cutting board right next to us. Jace just brushes a lock of my hair out of my face and hooks it behind my ear before he turns towards his brothers.
There is a broad grin on his face as he says, “I know.” His eyes glitter as he gestures down at his cock. “Because this just makes yours look so tiny in comparison.”
Rico scoffs.
“Keep telling yourself that if it helps you sleep at night, little brother,” Eli says, smirking as he adds emphasis to the word.
Jace shoots him a look full of challenge, but then simply yanks out the knife now stuck in his cutting board and points it in Kaden’s direction. “And stop throwing knives in my kitchen.”
“I’ll stop throwing knives in your kitchen when you stop leaving bats in my house,” Kaden retorts.
“You never know when you might need a good bat.”
“Or a knife.”
“Bats are far superior. You have the range. The strength. The…”
A soft laugh escapes me, and I shake my head as I watch them bicker about which weapon is best. Rico takes a long drink from his wine and then goes back to grinding the herbs while Alina carefully folds up Kaden’s French maid costume, a glittering smile of anticipation on her face. Isabella inspects the wine bottle and casts a suspicious look at Raina before refilling her glass. But Raina is too preoccupied to slip poison into it because she and Eli have resumed their discussion about marriage.
Watching them all with a smile on my lips, I gently stroke the watch I’m still wearing. My brother’s watch.
I think you would’ve liked them, I think to Victor, hoping that he can hear me. I think you would’ve liked them a lot.
Jace tosses Kaden his knife back and then bends down to pull out a bat that he had apparently hidden in one of our kitchen cabinets. He flashes me a brilliant smile and winks at me as he straightens. Then he turns back to Kaden and starts demonstrating something about how the bat produces force when he swings it.
My heart is so full that it feels as if it’s bursting with light.
Not only did I manage to find the perfect man, I also gained three unhinged brothers and three insane sisters in the process. A family of my own. People who always have my back. People who I will protect with everything I have.
My gaze drifts back to Jace, and a smile blows across my lips.
This is everything I ever wanted.
Heis everything I ever wanted.
The future is bright.
For all of us.