Epilogue Rebecca

EPILOGUE: REBECCA

Three years later

If my smile stretched any wider, I'd start looking like a cartoon character. I couldn't help it. This was it, one of the most important moments of my life.

"Mama, wook." Emma stood on her tiptoes and pointed ahead.

"Yes, sweetheart. I see the bookshop." I picked up my baby girl and cradled her close. "That's where we're going."

"Yay!" Ryan shouted from behind me, safe in Ethan's arms. His voice trilled higher than the birds flitting across the sky.

Fingers danced over the back of my arm. "Are you nervous?" Cole moved beside me, his presence helping to part a group coming toward us. We all smiled and nodded at each other in passing.

I waited until they were out of earshot before I spoke. "A little. It's a lot to take in."

Giving birth to Emma and Ryan was the main highlight of my life. I loved them so much it hurt.

It had taken us three months from the time of my story going viral for us to make a decision about marriage and moving in together. A gold ring glinted on my finger and on the finger of each of the three men walking with me.

"Dean Scott said he might even come by." Ethan spoke from behind me. He carried Ryan while David rolled my suitcase of supplies.

Nerves fluttered and danced. "He didn't have to do that."

"I think he feels bad for how he reacted." Cole angled a look toward Emma. "You know."

I remembered. That day in his office when I'd told him I absolutely would not be transferring school was scorched into my mind. He'd gone red-faced and spluttering. I'd calmly explained that I was more than willing to swap to online classes with new professors, but I would be staying in California and continuing my relationship with my professors. Mine. God, I loved admitting that. In two more years, I'd have my creative writing degree like I'd always wanted. I'd had to cut back my college classes to take care of the twins, but I didn't mind. At this point, the degree mattered less than before. It was the accomplishment of it that I craved.

My heels clacked on the sidewalk, followed by the rumble from the suitcase wheels.

David whistled. "Holy…" He trailed off and cleared his throat. We'd been a little more cautious with our cursing since Ryan shouted "fuck" in the middle of dinner last week. "Rebecca, have you seen the line?"

"No." I looked up from wiping Emma's face. She'd picked up the habit of rubbing everything over her lips after seeing me put on lipstick, and in the few minutes I'd let her walk, she'd found her way into the bag of snacks and smeared pretzel salt over her mouth. My next step faltered as I caught my first look at the far corner of the bookshop.

People stretched in a double line that started at the door, stretched past the neighboring shop, and disappeared around the corner.

"How many people is that?" I almost stopped walking, but Cole's hand on the small of my back propelled me forward. I could do this. I'd been working on overcoming my shyness in crowds.

Ethan made airplane noises with Ryan and zoomed him up beside my face. "Does it matter? You're ready for this. Your publisher helped you prep. You know all the things you need to know. You're amazing. Your book is phenomenal."

"You're a bestselling author," David chimed in. "You hit number one on release day. This is the result of your fandom coming together."

I'd never expected it to happen like this. Never in a million years.

Emma pinched the lapel of my business jacket and puckered her lips. "Books?"

"Yes, sweetie. You'll get to look at the books." I couldn't do this without them. All of them. My publisher had been more than happy to accommodate my requests. After my first serial novel went insane online, I'd gotten so many offers that I'd been overwhelmed. Things like this did not happen in real life. I mean, they did to some people. But people like me? The nobodies? Never.

But it had happened and I'd been riding the high for three years now.

"Imagine what it will look like next year." Ethan moved ahead of us, bouncing Ryan on his hip. We'd never bothered with paternity tests. No one cared. We all fell in love with our children throughout my pregnancy, and the minute they were born, we became parents. They were all fathers, and they treated the roles with respect. Smoothing his tie, Ethan smirked at me, one side of his mouth pulled upward in my favorite grin. "It's book launch day, first book signing, and you said you had an idea for the next book. If none of that makes you smile, then take a look at this face and try to frown." He walked backward, crossed his eyes, and stuck out his tongue.

Ryan tried to mimic the look and ended up laughing so hard he fell into Ethan's chest. Ethan caught him with one hand and zoomed him around like an airplane again.

He'd changed so much since the twins were born. He was still gruff and growly, but he wore his heart on his sleeve when it came to the kids. Maybe he wanted to compensate for his own shitty childhood. I'd let him give me his backstory as he wanted without pushing, and from what little he'd admitted, there was no wonder he'd hesitated about being a father.

A cheer went up from the crowd. A year ago, when my first book released, I would have ducked my head. Now, I raised it higher and waved. The noise grew so loud that Emma clapped her hands over her ears. Everyone awwed and lowered their volume.

The bookshop owner, a dear woman I'd become friends with in the last two years, greeted me at the door. "Table's all set up. It's in the corner like you asked. Right beside the kids' corner."

"Thank you, Marybeth." I hugged her with one arm and stepped into the shop. It was like being transported back in time. The shop had the musty smell of old books, with the sharp tang of furniture polish. Dark, paneled walls crowded in on every side and row upon row of oak shelves stuffed to overflowing with books old and new, waited to be explored. Marybeth even had a shelf of antique first editions under lock and key near the register, which was an outdated thing that she cursed at more than she used. But it warmed my heart to see the blend of old and new together. It made me feel welcome.

David wheeled the suitcase over to the table and started pulling out pens, stickers, and the chocolates my publisher had supplied for me.

"Breathe." Cole twisted a curl around his finger and pulled it taut before releasing it. "You're going to be fine. We're all here with you."

They'd been with me every step of the way from the beginning. Once they read through my story, they were all in. I'd asked their opinions on scenes here and there, and they gave me excellent feedback that made my male characters "real and some of the best male characters ever written", based on my current reviews.

I checked the clock. "Okay, Emma. You and Ryan can go play."

She grabbed her brother's hand and zoomed into the corner behind the table where Marybeth had supplied them with a stack of children's books, some giant puzzles, and a whole stack of plushie toys that would keep them occupied for hours. They could spend half the morning looking at the shelves. My children had definitely taken after me. They loved books. Like, obsessively loved them. Ryan would stand in front of a shelf with his finger on the spine of a book and his eyes closed like he could see the story play out with a touch.

Emma dropped onto the circular rug and pulled a book into her lap. Her yellow dress and Ryan's yellow pants, combined with their favorite yellow hats, made them look like explorers headed out on a wild adventure. They'd demanded to wear the matching outfits after opening them yesterday. The outfits were a gift from Carrie. Another of her "I saw it and couldn't help myself" presents. Emma and Ryan loved her crazy flair for clothes, so I didn't mind letting them experiment with colors.

"You have about five minutes." Marybeth tapped her watch. "Those first few people have been here since midnight."

"Did you sleep in the shop?" I gasped when she nodded.

"Had to. People stopped by all day yesterday, pestering me about when they could start lining up. You've got them good, sister." She winked and backed toward the door.

Cole chuckled beside me and helped David organize the pens by color so I could grab what I needed. Some of my newest books had black pages, so I'd need the silver pens for those.

"Line goes all the way down the block on the other side." Marybeth clapped and rubbed her palms together. "Going to be a good day."

Breathe. Just breathe. I can do this.

"I have your phone. I'll be ready when your agent calls." Ethan waved my phone. "And Lily is on her way."

Seconds later, a bang sounded from the back door that led into the alley.

"That's Lily." Ethan raised an eyebrow at Marybeth. "Can I let her in? I'll make sure no one else is out there."

We'd worried about people trying to sneak through that way, so Ethan's concern helped allay Marybeth's fears.

"Go ahead. Time's almost up." She made her way to the door and held up two fingers. "Two people at a time. If you rush this door like a bunch of fools, I'll lock you all out. You hear me?" She stared them all down until those up front nodded. "Good. Spread the word." And that was why I'd asked Marybeth to let us use her shop. She didn't take any shit, and I trusted her to be protective of her shop, which would help keep me from being overwhelmed while she made money. It worked for both of us.

Lily rushed into the room, her wild curls flying. "Sorry! Sorry." She tossed her bag onto the nearest overstuffed chair and ran over to hug me. "My date with Robert went a little longer than expected."

"That's so unfair. You have to tell me everything." I grabbed her and pulled her down into the chair beside me.

"Later." She batted at my shoulder. "Today's about you."

It was a little bit about me. "I wouldn't be here without all of you." I twisted around to kiss each of them on the cheek. We never even bothered trying to hide our relationship. I'd worried about it at first, but then I decided to hell with it. If my readers shunned me because of my personal sex life, I didn't need them as readers. It was a harsh truth, but I would never manage to make everyone happy. So, I did my best not to flaunt what we had, but I loved my professors. There was no way to hide that and no shame in my feelings.

Ethan, Cole, and David sat behind me, the three of them dressed in business suits that had me drooling over them before we left the house.

Carrie had promised to watch the kids later, and I had every intention of making them wear their suits to bed. We had new things to try. They never told me no when it came to sex. Some things we learned we couldn't do, but that sure as hell didn't stop us from trying.

"Time," Marybeth sang out. The door opened and the first of my fans walked in.

This was it, the culmination of all my dreams.

My phone rang and Ethan answered. Seconds later, he jumped to his feet. "Number one. You hit number one again."

Holy fuck.

The cheers from outside, along with the jumping and dancing, brought tears to my eyes even as I smiled. I had it all. More than I deserved. More than I'd ever thought to want for myself.

My children were happy and healthy. I had three men who loved and adored me.