Chapter 55
Chapter Fifty-Five
Three Months Later
Tigerlily
Damien was charged with first-degree murder for killing my biological father six years ago, attempted murder for shooting me, and obstruction of justice for fabricating evidence that led to my mother’s wrongful imprisonment.
California doesn’t have the death penalty anymore, but he got life without parole.
No appeal. No second chances. No getting out.
He’s gone.
For good.
I didn’t attend the sentencing. I didn’t need to. Marcus called with the news, and that was enough.
My mom went. She said she needed to see it with her own eyes. She said she needed to watch him get what he deserved.
She came back lighter, freer, and glad it’s finally over.
And it is.
Now I’m standing in my new kitchen—our new kitchen—making coffee on a Saturday morning while sunlight streams through the windows.
The house is bigger than the old one. Four bedrooms. Two bathrooms. A backyard with a fence. There’s room for all of us to spread out without tripping over each other.
Jax, Zephyr, Callum, and I live here. All together. Finally.
My mom and Zinnia live down the street. Three houses over. Close enough to walk but far enough for privacy.
It’s perfect.
I hear footsteps behind me, and then arms wrap around my waist.
“Morning,” Jax murmurs against my neck.
“Morning.”
“You sleep okay?”
“Yeah. You?”
“Better now.”
I lean back into him and close my eyes, feeling his warmth.
The coffee finishes brewing, so I pour two cups and hand him one.
“Zephyr still asleep?” I ask.
“Yeah. He was up late studying.”
“Finals?”
“Yeah. Last ones before graduation.”
Graduation. The word still feels surreal. They’re all graduating in two weeks. Moving on to whatever comes next.
Zephyr’s going to grad school. Sports psychology. He’s already accepted to USC.
Jax has options. A scout’s coming to meet with him next week. He wants to talk about going pro. Minor leagues first, probably, but it’s a shot.
Callum’s fielding offers too. Agents are calling and teams are interested.
Everything’s changing. But somehow it feels right.
“You nervous?” I ask Jax. “About the scout?”
“A little.”
“You shouldn’t be. You’re incredible.”
“We’ll see.”
“I’m serious. They’d be lucky to have you.”
He kisses the top of my head. “Thanks.”
We drink our coffee in comfortable silence. The house is quiet except for the distant sound of birds outside.
Then my phone buzzes. It’s a text from my mom.
Bringing Zinnia over for breakfast. That okay?
Me: Perfect. See you soon.
“Mom’s bringing Zinnia,” I tell Jax.
“Good. I’ll wake up Zeff.”
Twenty minutes later, we’re all sitting around the kitchen table. Zephyr’s pancakes are piled high. Jax made bacon and eggs. I pour the orange juice.
Zinnia’s chattering about her upcoming field trip. Sophie’s turtle is so last semester. God forbid I bring it up.
My mom’s listening. Smiling. Looking so healthy that my heart squeezes.
She has a job. Administrative work at a nonprofit. Good hours while Zinnia’s in school. Decent pay. Benefits.
She has her own house with Zinnia, and we lucked out to find one in the same neighborhood.
So, she’s here almost every day. For breakfast. For dinner.
For movie nights. To hang out. I’m so glad to have my mom back, even if the guilt sometimes hits me out of nowhere.
It’s been happening less and less these days.
“Lily, can I have more pancakes?” Zinnia asks.
My mom glances at me. I lift my brows. “My house, my rules.”
My mom smiles back, knowing I stole that line from her.
I stand to get the pancakes just as Callum walks in. His hair messy from sleep, and he’s shirtless. His morning abs are insane. He stretches his hands over his head, and I swear he could touch the ceiling if he tried.
“There’s the lazy one,” Zephyr says.
“Fuck off. It’s Saturday.”
“Language,” I say automatically.
“Sorry.”
I smile to myself as I plate the pancakes on Zinnia’s plate. Callum is always the laid back one. I love him for it.
He sits down and steals bacon off Jax’s plate. He grins when Jax glares at him.
Zinnia giggles. “You guys are so weird.”
Zephyr scoffs. “Not me.”
Jax adds, “Not me.”
Callum shrugs. “I guess that leaves me.”
“They’re ridiculous,” I correct.
“That too,” my mom says.
Zinnia nods and whispers, “So weird.”
After breakfast, my mom takes Zinnia to the park and gives us space.
Zephyr disappears to his room to study. Finals aren’t going to pass themselves.
Callum has film to watch. Some game footage Coach sent over.
Jax and I end up on the couch with a cooking show playing that neither of us is watching.
“You happy?” he asks suddenly.
I look at him. “Yeah. I am. Why?”
“Just making sure.”
“Are you?”
He thinks about it. “Yeah.”
“Good.”
“Never thought I’d end up here. Sharing a girl with my best friends. Living in some weird domestic bliss situation.”
“Regretting it?”
“Not even a little.”
I curl into his side. He wraps his arm around me.
“I love this,” I say quietly.
He goes still. “What?”
I sit up and look at him. I stare deep into his eyes and smile. I think I’m ready to say how I feel, how I have felt the whole time, ever since I laid my eyes on him.
I whisper, “I love you, Jax.”
“Tiger—” He leans over and kisses me. He pulls me onto his lap and asks, “Did you tell––”
I shake my head. “No, just you, Jax.”
That makes him smile. He kisses me again, using his tongue this time. He holds my head in place and devours me with his lips.
I pull away to catch a breath. But it’s not long before his lips are on mine again.
“I love you too,” he says against my mouth. “So fucking much.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
We kiss again. Deeper.
“We should go to—” I start.
“Yeah. We should.”
He stands and carries me down the hall. He kicks Callum’s door open and then he kicks Zephyr’s. Then we walk to his bedroom with the biggest bed.
Zephyr looks up from his laptop. “What’s happening?”
Callum appears in the doorway. “Did I miss something?”
Jax sets me on the bed. All three of them surrounding me.
“You sure?” Zephyr asks. “Your mom—”
“Has Zinnia for the day. We have time.”
“Good.”
What happens next is slow. Deliberate. Full of love instead of just need.
Jax kisses me first. He takes his time, making me feel everything.
Then Callum. He’s playful but tender, making me laugh between kisses.
Then Zephyr. Gentle. Careful. Like I’m something precious.
They work together. Touch me. Hold me. Love me.
And when we finally come together—all of us tangled and breathless and complete—I feel it.
This is home. This is family. This is love.
Not the kind I grew up with. Not the kind that hurts or controls or demands.
The kind that chooses. That fights. That stays.
“I love this,” I say.
Callum looks up. Zephyr does too.
“I love you too,” Callum says, looking at me with a softness I’ve never seen before.
“I love you,” Zephyr says, kissing my hand
I smile at them.
Jax watches me with a tiny smile on his lips.
This is better than anything I could have imagined.
Because I chose this. Chose them. Chose myself.
And they chose me back.
All three of them.
Equally. Completely. Forever.
This is my happy ending.
Not perfect. Not traditional. Not what anyone expected.
But mine.
And I wouldn’t change a single thing.