Extended Epilogue
Kelsey
Five years later
The kitchen is a warzone of spilled milk, half-eaten toast, and tiny sneakers scattered like landmines. Amelia's giggles ring out as she chases Reynold around the island, his chubby fingers clutching a banana.
Timothy tries to corral them both, his voice stern but his eyes crinkling with amusement. "Rey, stop running in the kitchen! Mom said—"
"To listen to your older brothers," Damon finishes for him, rolling his eyes as he bites into his own banana.
I lean against the counter, my coffee mug pressed to my lips to hide my smile. The chaos is familiar now, comfortable in a way I never expected.
The back door slams, and Kieran's voice cuts through the noise like a blade. "What the hell is going on in here?"
Reynold freezes mid-stride, his eyes wide. "Uh-oh."
Amelia doesn't even pause. She barrels straight into Kieran's legs, her arms wrapping around his knees. "Daddy! Rey's being mean!"
Kieran scoops her up without missing a beat, his silver beard brushing against her cheek as she giggles. "Is he now?"
Kyler steps in behind him, his dark eyes scanning the room before landing on me. His mouth twitches. "Someone fell asleep again while the kids are playing."
I take a slow sip of my coffee, letting the heat ground me. "I was too tired. But I was still supervising."
Kyler's gaze drops to my chest, where Amelia's latest masterpiece—a drawing of a flower—decorates the front of my shirt. His smirk deepens. "Supervising. Right."
Kieran sets Amelia down, his hands landing on my hips as he pulls me against him. His lips brush my ear. "You're a mess. A beautiful mess."
I tilt my head up, meeting his eyes. "Who left me alone with these gremlins?"
His fingers tighten, just for a second, before he releases me with a low chuckle. "Fair point."
Kyler moves behind me, his chest pressing against my back as his arms wrap around my waist. His beard scrapes against my neck, sending a shiver down my spine. "We've got twenty minutes before we have dinner," he murmurs, his voice rough. "Plenty of time to make you messier."
I elbow him lightly, but my pulse jumps. "The kids are right here."
Kieran's hand slides up my thigh, his touch possessive. "They're too busy plotting world domination to notice."
As if on cue, Timothy groans. "Mom, Damon's going to ruin his appetite."
Damon grins. "I'll still eat a lot."
I exhale, shaking my head as I step out of Kyler's arms. "Alright, you little monsters. Clean this up."
Kieran catches my wrist before I can escape, pulling me back against him. His lips crash against mine, hot and demanding, and I melt into him despite myself.
When he pulls away, his eyes are dark. "Tonight," he promises.
"Tonight."
Kyler's fingers trail down my spine. "We'll hold you to that."
I swallow hard, my skin tingling where they touched me. Five years, and they still make me feel like a live wire… every nerve ending crackling, every touch electric.
Reynold tugs on my shirt. "Mom, can we get ice cream after dinner?"
I smooth a hand over his messy hair, my heart full. "Maybe. If you're good."
Amelia gasps. "But I'm always good!"
Kieran scoops her up again, tossing her into the air until she squeals. "Debatable."
I watch them—my family, my chaos, my everything—and for the first time in my life, I don't feel the need to run. This is where I belong.
Right here, in the middle of the storm.
* * *
The bedroom is warm, the kind of warmth that seeps into your bones and makes your eyelids heavy. Moonlight spills through the curtains, painting silver stripes across the rumpled sheets.
Kieran's fingers trace lazy circles on my hip, his touch light but deliberate, like he's memorizing the curve of me. Kyler's breath is steady against my neck, his arm draped over my waist, his thumb brushing the soft swell of my stomach.
The words slip out before I can stop them, quiet and hesitant.
"Do you still... think I'm beautiful?"
Kieran's hand stills. Kyler's breath hitches, his fingers tightening just enough to make me gasp.
Silence stretches between us, thick and heavy. Then Kieran shifts, his body rolling over mine until his face hovers above mine, his silver eyes dark in the dim light. His thumb brushes my cheekbone, rough and calloused.
"Kelsey," he murmurs, his voice low and rough, "you're always beautiful. Before, now, and in the future."
My throat tightens. I want to believe him.
I do believe him. But the doubt lingers, a whisper in the back of my mind.
The stretch marks, the softness where there used to be muscle, the way my body still carries the echoes of four pregnancies…
it's not the same. It's not the girl they first touched, the girl they first loved.
Kyler's lips press against my shoulder, his beard scraping against my skin. "You don't know how much we want you," he rumbles. "Every second of every day."
I swallow hard, my fingers twisting in the sheets. "I just... I don't look the same."
Kieran's hand slides down my side, his touch possessive. "No," he agrees, his voice rough. "You don't. And it doesn't matter." His fingers dip lower, tracing the faint silver lines on my hips. "Every mark on you is a story. Every change is proof of what you've given us."
Kyler's hand joins his, his fingers threading through mine. "You carried our children," he says, his voice thick. "You fed them. You loved them. And you think that makes you less?"
My breath catches. I don't have an answer.
Kieran's lips brush my forehead, his breath warm against my skin. "You're ours, Kelsey. Every inch of you. Every scar, every stretch mark, every soft curve… it's all ours." His hand slides between my thighs, his touch deliberate. "And we love it."
Kyler's fingers tighten around mine, his voice a growl. "We don't just want your body. We worship it. Every time we look at you, it drives us crazy."
A shiver runs down my spine, my body responding to their touch even as my mind struggles to keep up. Kieran's fingers tease me, slow and deliberate, his breath hot against my ear. "You're perfect," he murmurs. "And we're going to spend the rest of our lives proving it to you."
Kyler's lips find my neck, his teeth grazing my skin. "Every. Single. Night."
I whimper, my body arching into their touch. The doubt fades, replaced by something hotter, something deeper. Something that feels like love.
Kieran's fingers slide inside me, his touch slow and deep. "We want you," he repeats, his voice rough. "And we're never letting you go."
Kyler's hand slides up my body, his fingers cupping my breast, his thumb brushing over my nipple. "Never," he agrees.
I gasp, my body trembling as pleasure coils tight in my belly. Their touch is everywhere—hands, lips, words—each one a promise, a vow.
"Should we prove it now?" Kyler asks.
I smile. "Maybe tomorrow. When I'm less tired."
Kieran's lips find mine, his kiss slow and deep. "Sleep," he murmurs against my mouth. "Because we'll be doing as we always do."
Kyler's arms wrap around me, his body curling against mine. "Be ready for when you wake up. Because we're not stopping tonight."
I close my eyes, my body relaxing into their touch. The last thing I feel is Kieran's lips brushing my forehead, his voice a whisper in the dark.
"Sweet dreams," he murmurs.