Epilogue Lila #2
They all know by now about our unique love story. And, just as I suspected, there wasn’t an ounce of negative judgment from them when word began to spread in earnest.
It’s just like Evan said at the custody hearing last year. We’re all very lucky to be surrounded by the best, most supportive people anyone could find.
“I’ll see you tonight, Blondie,” he says.
He leans in for another kiss, stops himself at the last minute, and opts instead to kiss my cheek.
I’m still giggling when he lets himself out.
***
I smell garlic, tomato, and fresh pasta when I let myself into the apartment that evening.
Evan is standing by the stove, stirring sauce in a simmering pot while Leo perches on the counter nearby.
“You’re home!” Leo shouts the moment he sees me.
He proceeds to launch himself off the countertop at such an impressive height and velocity that both me and Evan brace ourselves for a consequent tumble directly onto the hardwood floor, but Leo sticks the landing and barrels toward me at top speed.
“Hey, cutie! How was school today?”
“Good! Daddy showed people how to make a sling with a bandage thing, like if someone has a broken arm or, like, a sprained wrist or something like that. And he also explained all the important stuff to do when there’s an emergency, like how you’re supposed to call 9-1-1, and then find an adult as soon as possible. And then he talked about…”
I listen to his chatter as he pulls me into the kitchen.
Evan smiles, leaning over to kiss me. Leo skips over the table, where colored pencils are scattered in every direction.
“Dinner smells good.”
He winks. “You smell good.”
“I smell like corporate America.”
“Mmm, my favorite.”
I roll my eyes, but lean in to kiss him again.
“Love you,” I murmur against his lips.
“Love you,” he echoes softly.
At that moment, the sliding door to the balcony opens and Hale comes inside. He breaks into a smile when he sees me, but then is immediately pulled toward the table by Leo, who needs to consult him on what color to make the bird he’s drawing.
The final piece of the puzzle slots into place when Noah comes wandering around the corner from the pantry, a bottle of wine in hand.
“—dude, I know you said the corkscrew was in the plastic bin in the pantry, but I don’t think it is… oh, hey, beautiful.” Noah pauses to wink at me. “Fancy meeting you here.”
At the table, Leo bursts out laughing. He’s the only one who is still entertained by the ongoing joke, but I’m just glad Noah has such an eager audience for his goofiness.
And so the evening goes on, a magical version of normal that I am grateful for every single day. We eat together at the table, taking turns tonight trying to make the most realistic bird calls for Leo’s amusement. Noah, of course, wins that game easily.
Soon after, Evan disappears to get Leo ready for bed in their section of the house, and I head to the kitchen to start cleaning up.
Before long, Noah is close behind me and his hands are sliding around my waist. Hale steps in close beside me, turning off the faucet and brushing a strand of hair out of my eyes.
“You know,” Hale murmurs. “We all still have a few hours before we have to be at the station.”
“Is that so?” I smirk, tilting my head to the side as Noah pulls my collar aside to press a kiss to my neck.
Hale ducks his head and captures my lips in a heady kiss. Noah nibbles and kisses my neck, caressing my waist and palming my breasts through my clothes. I’m sandwiched between them, trapped in utter bliss, when we hear a quiet chuckle at the entrance to the kitchen.
“Started without me?”
I turn to look over my shoulder, where Evan is grinning at us. I reach out a hand for him, beckoning him forward, then twist my head to kiss Noah deeply.
Things heat up fast. It’s been a while since all three of them have had a chance to enjoy me at the same time, and with Leo being an even heavier sleepier than Hale, I know they’re eager to take advantage of this.
So, leaving the after-dinner mess for later, I lead them down the hall toward my room and shut us away in our own little paradise.
Later, when I walk them to the door and kiss them all goodbye, I watch them head off into the night.
I’ll wait for them happily, knowing that I carry their love with me.
Four hearts in one home, and a future that only gets brighter as the days go by.
And in the morning, they’ll all come home to me. They always do. Just like they always run toward the fire.
The End
Thank you for reading!
I hope you fell hard for these characters—
but their story isn’t over yet.
I couldn’t stop thinking about Lila and her firefighters, so I wrote a special extended epilogue just for my readers.
If you’d like a glimpse of where they are five years later, click HERE to read your FREE extended epilogue, available exclusively to my newsletter subscribers.
And if you are ready to dive into another steamy, chaotic, can’t-put-down reverse harem….
Your next obsession starts right here:
I was supposed to text my best friend…
Instead, I accidentally sexted my brother’s three gorgeous best friends.
Minutes later, they’re on my doorstep—
And none of them want me to choose.
One stolen photo.
One leaked secret.
And the town suddenly thinks I’m sleeping my way into power.
But they don’t see the truth.
That Devlin makes me burn.
Aidan makes me brave.
And Miguel makes me feel safe in a world that wants to tear us apart.
We swore my brother could never find out.
We swore we could keep it quiet.
But two pink lines change everything.
Buckle up for a scandal-soaked, small-town why-choose romance with accidental sexting, brother’s best friends, political chaos, and a surprise pregnancy that turns every rule upside down.
Here's a sneak peek of Chapter One
Skye
I’m convinced that hell is an eternity of zoning meetings. It’s not just boring, it’s mind-numbing. But having the three most eligible bachelors in Verbena Bay staring at me at the same time rattles me.
Especially considering they’re also hot as hell.
I started the group chat so that we could share files and plans while the “experts” drone on about environmental impacts and tourism influx and other hot-topic words. It also gives me cover so I can text my best friend Delia while I’m trying to stay awake.
I take a picture of the three men—Devlin, Aidan, and Miguel. I tell them it’s for the record of the minutes, but the truth is, I’m sending this to Delia.
I label the picture prudishly as “my brother’s best friends,” like that would keep my brain from diving headfirst into the gutter every time I looked at them.”
They grew up with my brother, Simon. I spent enough time on boats and beaches with them as a teenager to know exactly how good their abs look wet. Now they’re grown men—richer, cockier, and still completely off-limits.
Even if my brother would be okay with me being with any one of them. Which he would not.
“There is a real concern about increasing tourism.” I’m proud of myself for taking part in the discussion as though I wasn’t splitting my attention between Delia and the hunk table.
“We, as a community, are already spread thin trying to accommodate the number of visitors was currently have. There are so many bed and breakfasts and other short-term housing that the local population cannot find adequate places to live long-term.”
Don’t get me wrong. I like to see our little town grow, and the beach is a great attraction, but I don’t want to see it grow so fast that it jeopardizes what we have.
The three friends are focused on the meeting. I know they want their plans approved, but I just can’t bring myself to green light it. That’s a real shame because I wouldn’t mind celebrating with any one of them.
I text Delia again. I’m about to scream. I can’t sit here and twiddle my thumbs, but I need to concentrate—and with these three?
A moment later, my phone vibrates. That looks like the Mount Rushmore of hunky guys. And they’re all rich?
I suppress a smile. Between them, they own a good two thirds of Verbena Bay. Probably own part of the Pacific Ocean for all I know.
So…you’re saying that you get to sit and stare at that for an hour or so and you’re bored? Speaking as a trained psychologist… you’re nuts.
“The tourism industry is failing.” That’s Tanya Moore. If there are bed and breakfasts that no one else will touch, she owns them. I think she has the record for the most citations of any tourism trap. “Since the fires, there aren’t nearly as many people coming here as there used to be.”
“It’s hard to get people to come see burned trees.” Aidan’s smile has teeth. If I weren’t sitting in a public place ostensibly taking notes, I would be squirming right now. He might look easygoing, but this is a guy who doesn’t back down from a challenge.
“We’re not increasing tourism, we’re replacing it.” It’s not so much that Tanya disagrees with me, it’s that she says it like I’m a stupid child who can’t see the obvious.
“Infrastructure will follow the requirements.” Devlin says. “I have some numbers here…” He taps on his phone and mine dings. He sends a spreadsheet to me and the others, but not to Tanya or the resident “expert” who is still droning about impacts.
Look. Delia follows instantly. My phone is doing double duty today. You’re horny. Pick one and ask him out. Or ask him in. That’s probably closer to what you need anyway.
I can’t repress a snort, but Devlin thinks I’m reacting to his spreadsheet.
“I would ask you to look at the totals on line 120.” He glances down at his phone; the other two join him.
Tanya didn’t want to be in the group chat, so she gets left out. I try to care, but she’s been a pain in my backside for too long. She cut herself off from this, so she can just stew in her own resentment.
“The economic influence of our proposal is significant.”
I switch back to Delia. So…what would you have me do?