Epilogue
Ready For Forever
Tessa
18 Months Later
I stared at my reflection in the mirror, trying to decide if my something blue should be the sapphire earrings Archer had given me or the lacy garter Evan had presented with a shit-eating grin. Knowing him, he’d check during the ceremony.
“Wear both.” Ava appeared behind me with a champagne flute in each hand. “Always both. That’s kind of your brand now, isn’t it? Why choose when you can have it all?”
I snorted, accepting the champagne. “You make me sound so greedy.”
“You do have three smoking-hot men committing to you and only you.” She clinked her glass against mine. “Speaking of which, how exactly does this work? Do you say ‘I do’ three times? Is there a specific order?”
“They drew sticks.” I adjusted my dress, a flowing ivory number that managed to be both elegant and comfortable enough for the summer party that would follow the ceremony. “Liam won, which he won’t stop gloating about. Evan’s still convinced he cheated somehow, and Archer said, and I quote, ‘As long as I get to kiss you, I don’t care about the order.’” I smiled, remembering his intense expression when he’d said it. “Then he made me sign about forty documents to make everything legit since we can’t legally get married.”
“Romantic.”
“Hey, nothing says ‘I love you’ like jointly owned property agreements and medical power of attorney forms.”
I glanced out the French doors leading onto my small balcony. The sun was starting to set over the trees, and I still couldn’t believe it was real.
We’d finally given up house hunting after the eighth property turned out to be either too small, too far, or had a kitchen that made me want to cry. Instead, we’d built exactly what we wanted: four bedroom suites (because sometimes a girl needs her space), a chef’s kitchen that made me weep with joy, and a primary suite with a giant bed that fit all of us comfortably.
The sound of something crashing downstairs, followed by Evan’s laughter and Archer’s cursing, made us both jump.
Ava looked toward my bedroom door. “Should we check on that?”
“Nope. They don’t get to see the bride before the ceremony, so they have to deal with their own chaos for once.” I took another sip of champagne.
Twenty minutes later, I stepped onto the patio, my arm looped through my dad’s. The late afternoon sun filtered through the pine trees, casting long shadows across our backyard. My dad squeezed my arm as we paused at the start of the aisle leading to where my three loves waited beneath an arch of wildflowers.
“You sure about this, sweetie?” he whispered, though his smile told me he already knew the answer.
“More sure than I’ve ever been about anything.” Including that time I thought bangs would be a good idea.
The small gathering of our closest friends and family turned to watch us, and I fought the urge to wave awkwardly. My mom and sister were both full-on crying; Liam’s moms were dabbing at their eyes; Archer’s cousins were failing to hide their excitement; and Evan’s mom sat ramrod straight, her expression nervous. The fact that she’d come at all was progress.
As we walked toward the arch, I couldn’t help but notice how different my guys looked from each other despite their matching suits. Evan was practically bouncing on his feet, Liam kept running his hand through his hair, and Archer... well, he looked like he was about to argue a case before the Supreme Court.
Dad kissed my cheek when we reached them, and I had to bite my lip to keep from crying as he placed my hand in Liam’s waiting one.
“First!” Liam whispered triumphantly, making Evan roll his eyes and Archer shake his head.
Our officiant, Frank, cleared his throat. “We’re gathered here today to celebrate something unique and beautiful: the commitment of four people who found love in the most unexpected way.
“Love, as we all know, doesn’t follow rules or expectations. It doesn’t care about convention or what others think it should look like. Sometimes it strands you in a snowstorm. Sometimes it serves you breakfast at midnight. And sometimes it gives you not just one perfect match, but three.
“In a world that tries to put love in neat little boxes, these four have dared to think outside the box entirely. They’ve shown us that love isn’t about fitting a mold, but about breaking it to pieces and building something better.
“So today, Tessa, Archer, Evan, and Liam, you stand before us to declare your love and commitment to one another through your vows. Liam, you may begin.”
Liam squeezed my hand, his eyes bright with emotion. “Tessa, when you first showed up at your snowboarding lesson, I thought you were the most frustratingly entertaining student I’d ever had.” That pulled a watery laugh from me. “But then you showed me that sometimes the best rides aren’t down a mountain—they’re the ones that take you exactly where you’re meant to be.”
I was already crying, and we weren’t even halfway through. Evan stepped forward next, his usual playful expression softened with sincerity.
“I promised myself I wouldn’t make any jokes, but then I remembered you fell for me because of my sense of humor. And into that hot tub.” He winked, then grew serious. “You showed me it was okay to be exactly who I am, that I don’t have to pretend or try to be what others expect. You make me feel like enough, just as I am.”
Archer cleared his throat, as he took Evan’s place. The emotion he usually kept so carefully controlled was written clearly across his face. “You walked into our resort and somehow made it infinitely better. You taught me that sometimes the best things in life can’t be planned or put into neat little boxes. You make me want to close my laptop and actually live in the moment.”
My hands were shaking as I looked at each of them. “You three have shown me that sometimes the best love stories don’t follow the usual rules. That it’s okay to want more and to be more.” I took a shaky breath. “You make me feel brave enough to be completely myself, even when that means word-vomiting at inappropriate moments.”
Frank pulled out three rings—we’d decided on matching bands for the guys, while I would wear the unique engagement ring they’d designed together.
“Do you, Liam, Archer, and Evan, take Tessa to be your partner in all things, to love and cherish, to support and challenge, and to share your lives together?”
“We do,” they said in unison, and my heart squeezed like it always did when they were in sync like that.
“And do you, Tessa, take these three men to be your partners in all things, to love and cherish, to support and challenge, and to share your life with them?”
“I do,” I managed, though it came out somewhere between a laugh and a sob.
“I now pronounce you committed to each other. You may kiss your bride.”
Liam’s kiss was playful and sweet, Evan’s was dramatic and involved a dip that made everyone laugh, and Archer’s was intense enough to make me forget we had an audience.
As applause broke out around us, I caught sight of the resort through the trees. The place where it all began, where a stuck car and a lost thong had somehow led to this moment.
“Ready for forever?” Evan whispered in my ear.
I looked at my three men. “Absolutely.” My heart was so full it might burst.
Thank you for reading The Proximity Effect. Want more reverse harem romantic comedy standalones? Check out Stuck On Them, available now!
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