32. Zoe
“I’m soproud of you, Zoe.”
I wrapped my arms around my dad, his words echoing in my head. Those words meant more to me than he knew. Honestly, they meant as much as someone telling me that they loved me.
Pride in someone else was special and strong, and I felt a lot of pride for a lot of people.
“Thanks, Dad,” I told him as we hugged each other tightly. “My boss was sad to see me leave, but I think I ended things on a good note.”
My dad smiled as we drew away from each other.
“A good note? You wrote the best story that newspaper ever published. That’s better than a good note,” he assured me. “I just can’t believe you really moved back home. I… I can’t even describe how happy I am.”
This was the right decision. I had no doubt about that. After taking a week to wrap things up in North Carolina and move my things back to Rockview, I returned here without the need to look back.
I didn’t know what came next career-wise, but I found comfort in the fact that I could take my time to ponder on my future. Not everything in my life was up in the air, though.
The cartel would be on their way to court and then prison soon. My article was circulating around the entire country, garnering more and more attention with each passing day. My dad and I could finally be in a room together and talk without things being awkward.
And I was in love with ten amazing men. I needed to tell them that, but I would have the perfect opportunity to do so soon.
“I’m glad to be back. It was about time,” I told him with a nod. “Mom would’ve wanted me to come back.”
It was a little bittersweet, but my dad smiled.
“I think so too. This has always been your home,” he pointed out. “She’d be so proud of you.”
I was proud of her. She put so much work into this case, essentially giving her life for it. I finally felt closure.
“I miss her,” I said, sharing a warm look with him.
“Me too. Every day,” my dad replied. “But she’ll always be with us. I see her in you.”
His words hit me like a bolt of lightning. Multiple people told me that, and it filled me with pride every single time.
“Thanks, Dad,” I thanked him sincerely. I checked the time on my phone. “I need to get going, but are you still good for dinner next week?”
“Absolutely,” my dad assured me. “Spaghetti. One of your favorites.”
Of course, he remembered. I hugged him goodbye one more time before leaving the house, the air feeling light and hopeful.
The town had a lot of healing and reconstruction to do since so many buildings were destroyed in the fires. Detective Jennifer and the rest of the police force deepened their relationship with the community through organized clean-up and fundraising efforts. Ann and Zachary got in contact with each other, and more than a hundred copies of the newspaper with my story in it were sent to the library here for people to read.
This town had been through so much, and I made sure to pay tribute to my mom and everyone in town who helped fight this terrible evil that plagued this place. So much destruction and pain had happened, but there was hope beneath the rubble. We could all grow and be even better than before.
It was safe to say that my life had become happier and more love-filled than I would’ve ever imagined.
Excitement spurred in my chest as I drove for fifteen minutes, turning into a nice neighborhood and seeing some of the guys’ vehicles parked in front of a two-story house with tall windows and a nice front porch. The vinyl exterior was white, but that could change.
Everything was about to change.
“Hey, beautiful,” Matty greeted me as he and the other firefighters lingered outside of their vehicles.
“Well, hello,” I quipped as I hugged each and every one of them.
Our relationship flourished ever since the night we agreed on it. It was a little bit of a learning curve since we were all used to dating just one person. Cohen and I had a lot of deep talks because of the emotional aftermath he suffered after his wife cheated on him. Plus, Paolo and I had been talking about me meeting his kids one day and figuring out how to explain the situation to them.
Everyone had to figure out how to twine their lives with mine and vice-versa. Our concept of dating in general had to shift and accommodate our new reality where I loved them all equally, and they were content with sharing their bond with me with each other as well.
There were lots of talks and research and experimenting.
But we had a hell of a good time. We went on dates. Hung out at the fire station. I slept over at their houses or spent the night at the station. What was important was that we were open and honest with each other, and I got to have a personal relationship with each and every one of them.
“I can’t believe today is the day,” I gushed as I turned toward the house. “This is really ours?”
Paolo pressed something cold and hard into my hand.
“It’s ours,” he confirmed.
I looked down in my hand, my eyes widening at the sight of a key. My key to our house. With an excited smile, I hurried to the front porch and unlocked the door, throwing it open to reveal an empty but beautiful interior.
When I started bouncing between houses, we all had a long discussion about living arrangements. It was soon decided that it would be easier on everyone to live together. The others could sell their houses for money or stop renting, and we didn’t have to worry about barely seeing each other.
We would see each other every single day, and our relationship could continue to flourish. It was the best arrangement and having our own place here made my heart soar.
As we all poured into the empty living room, I could already picture how it would look. We would have a huge couch where we could all pile on and watch movies together. Their awards and our pictures would be mounted on the walls. We would all fight over which color rug to get.
I couldn’t wait for every single decision that we would make to turn this house into our home.
A surge of emotion overtook me, prompting me to spin around and face them with awe in my eyes.
“I love you guys,” I blurted out. “I love this house. I love what we have. I just… I love it all.”
When they didn’t say anything or even move at first, I feared that I crossed a line too soon, but it wasn’t long before they moved toward me. Sweet kisses were pressed against my lips. Strong arms enveloped me in tight hugs. A chorus of “I love yous” greeted my ears.
“You truly are amazing,” Cohen told me as he rested his hand on the small of my back. “Everything is perfect.”
He was right. Everything was perfect, and I had finally found the men I would spend the rest of my life with. The men who I would start a family with and share a home with.
Of course, our situation was unconventional, but that didn’t make it any less special or real. The love we shared was very much real, and it bloomed with every passing day. That made me even more excited for the future and all that it would bring us.
“And nothing will change that.”
THE END