Epilogue - Zack

Micah's daughter perched on his hip, her blonde hair almost white beneath the summer sun. She tugged on his full beard, cooing and babbling all sorts of nonsense that made her daddy melt if his heart-eyes were any indication. We'd gotten together to help celebrate her first birthday.

I stood with him, Kellen, Sean, and Drake, watching our significant others goofing off in the new pool Micah had installed in his massive backyard a few weeks earlier. We hung out close to the water's edge, the occasional splash refreshing, considering the heat of the day.

Kellen and his husband JJ had adopted six-year-old twins, who were the main attraction, both of them rambunctious and thinking they could play with the big boys owning the pool.

"How'd we all get so damned lucky?" Sean asked, grinning as he watched Matteo pick up one of the twins and fling him shrieking with laughter toward the deep end.

None of us had an answer, but he'd nailed the truth. We'd all happened upon men who fit us perfectly. Me, doubly so. I'd been on the end of their teasing quite a bit after resigning as an escort and going public with my relationship but didn't give a shit because my Landon and Callum made life better in every single way.

"So how's Granny and Rhode Island?" Drake asked and sipped his sweating beer.

Laughing over the memory of the last picture Granny had sent me, I shook my head. "She's living it up in Austria—I think. Or maybe Switzerland."

"Still with that gardener boy she dragged along from home?"

I barked a laugh at Sean's prodding.

"She dropped him off somewhere in Spain. Claimed another named Julio? Horace? I can't keep up with her shenanigans."

"Good for her. To Granny!" Sean raised his beer, and we all agreed, clinking our glasses together.

"So what's the plan with that mansion of yours?" Micah asked, switching his little nugget who turned one today to his other hip.

Granny had already signed the Briggs's family home over to me, even though I'd told her countless times I didn't want it, that I hadn't had a single expectation in showing up for my grandfather's burial.

But Landon had fallen in love at first sight with the property and the woman who claimed him as her youngest grandson. She pinched his cheeks and everything. Spoiled him rotten too, much to his delight. And our favorite boy had come up with a great use for the stone monstrosity of a home.

"We've decided to stay," I admitted to what I hadn't been initially been thrilled about.

Eventually, I had agreed to the idea of fostering kids in need of love and a home until they could stand on their own two feet. Landon had hopped aboard with Callum's suggestion, using all his wiles to get me to agree.

"Are you still planning to fill the thirteen bedrooms?" Kellen asked, watching his own kids and grinning.

"Hell no," I replied, shuddering at the thought, "But we've got our first foster boy arriving next week. Johnny. He's thirteen and has been in the system his whole life. Two others will be here in early September. They're eleven and ten. We'll see how things go from there."

"I'm proud of you," Micah said, grasping my shoulder. His daughter yelled something and tugged at his hair. "Sorry, sweet pea," he cooed. "Daddy will stop ignoring the birthday girl."

Sean snorted and sipped his beer. "You're whipped."

"Wait until you have your own," Micah grumbled at his brother. "She'll melt your heart."

"No female will ever do what only Matteo can," Sean retorted.

Micah snorted a laugh. "I'll remember you said that." He kissed his daughter's forehead. "Let's go find Mommy."

He moved off, and Sean let out a string of curses.

I turned toward what had caught his attention.

His and Micah's parents had arrived.

Their father tottered on his own with a walker, but Sean didn't leave us to greet him or his mom. He ignored them, giving his Teach his full attention even though the light from moments before had dimmed from his eyes.

"Thought shit was a little better between the two of you and your dad," I said, keeping my voice low.

"Meh." He shrugged and sipped his beer. "It's not nearly as bad as it used to be, but things aren't exactly good. No biggie though. Matteo is everything I need."

Sean's Teach blew him a kiss before one of Kellen and JJ's boys attempted to dunk him.

Landon pulled himself from the pool, water rushing down his body as he stood beside me. He'd put on some muscle and had a gorgeous tan from our recent vacation in Tuscany, which we'd agreed would continue to be a family tradition no matter how many kids we ended up fostering.

"You're drooling," Drake teased, elbowing me and making Landon flush.

"Can you blame me?" I couldn't tear my gaze off the rivulets running over the muscles my man had packed on thanks to his new coach—me—pushing him at the gym for almost a year.

"I like mine a little more on the lithe side," Drake said.

Drake's husband, Preston, was indeed that, his red hair a beacon beneath the sun, his eyes like emeralds and set on Drake from where he treaded water a few feet away. They'd gotten married one year to the day they'd spent stuck in an elevator for four hours. It'd been there that they'd reconnected and had given into the love they'd felt for each other since childhood. They'd also recently begun the process of adopting their first child, something they'd both been dreaming about for years.

"We're all whipped," Kellen stated—and not a one of us argued.

"Sean."

We all turned at Mr. Fox's greeting. The old man had approached on his own, the wheels of his walker clattering over the cobblestone patio. He held out his hand.

Sean stared for a few uncomfortable seconds of silence before accepting his dad's greeting.

"I'm happy for you, son."

A hush seemed to settle over Micah's backyard at the old man's off the wall and completely unexpected declaration.

"Mom put you up to this?" Sean croaked, wariness like a shield over his face regardless of welling tears.

"No." Mr. Fox shook his head. "I just had a come to Jesus minute last night. Thought my heart was giving out and realized I needed to set things right before I meet my maker."

"You're too stubborn to give up the ghost just yet, old man," Sean argued, his tone jovial regardless of underlying shakiness and the lingering wetness in his eyes.

"Goddamn right, I am," Mr. Fox grumbled. "The wife told me I'm not allowed to go first. Said she can't live without me. Don't know what I ever did to deserve that woman's love."

"She's the best," Sean agreed, his tone still broken.

Mr. Fox nodded and glanced around our small circle. "I'm happy for all you boys finding your soul mates. Hang on tight because life is short. You never know when your time will be up."

A warm, damp hand slid into mine as Sean ambled off with his dad toward Micah and the rest of their small family.

My heart ached in the best way possible having gotten to hear in person the one reconciliation I'd never expected.

Gave me hope that Landon's father might eventually see the light too.

Speaking of…

"Hey." I turned and kissed Landon's temple as he tucked against me, soaking my hip with his wet swim shorts. "How was the water?"

"Cooling. You ought to come in."

"Maybe later." I glanced over to find one of Kellen's sons on Callum's shoulders, playing chicken with his twin atop JJ. Their laughter, smiles, and shrieks filled me with happiness, and I hugged Landon tight.

"Sure you guys are ready for a houseful of kids?" Drake asked, turning to better take in the ruckus and spray of water occasionally reaching us.

"Can't wait," Landon replied for both of us, his amber eyes glinting in the sunlight, full of contentment and happiness.

Another late arrival drew attention—Mason and Jasper. They approached and greeted us with handshakes before settling in all cozy against each other, Mason doing the leaning, Jasper while smaller in height and weight, acting as his oak.

Pink flushed Mason's cheeks as he glanced at the men in the pool.

Preston gave him and Jasper a little wave, his face just as red as Mason's.

Drake snorted. "How the hell you were an escort," he said to Mason, "I have no fucking clue, but you seriously need to get over this embarrassment every time you're face-to-face with your old favorite client."

Everyone but Mason laughed, and Kellen clasped his shoulder as though feeling the silver fox's pain.

"For the record again, I don't care about my husband's past any more than he does mine," Drake assured both men who'd had a taste of his stepbrother prior to their finally getting together.

It was a few minutes before Mason relaxed, same as always whenever the Elite found family got together to celebrate someone's milestone. The last time had been Drake and Preston's small wedding.

Callum eventually dragged his ass from the pool and leaned against me as though exhausted from entertaining the younger boys. I wrapped my free arm around his waist to hold him upright as Kellen dove into the deep end to take his place keeping his sons amused.

"You okay?" I murmured against Callum's wet hair.

"Yeah, but beat. Maybe we need to rethink this fostering thing," he said, his voice full of shit.

"Nope!" Landon argued from my other side. "It was your idea, and now my heart is set on it. No take backs. We're going to get right what my parents failed at."

He and his parents were on speaking terms, but there'd been no full reconciliation over the fallout of the potential second shitstorm and his loving two men. While he claimed he was over them, both Callum and I expected a part of him would always hope for understanding and acceptance. We'd made it our task in life to ensure he got every bit of the love and attention he needed from both of us.

I turned to kiss his hair, loving that no one looked at us strangely, no one cared about my being in apoly relationship. Even after a year, we were a seamless fit. Sure, we had spats here and there, but it'd been nothing but paradise to be with these two men.

That whole vow to always be honest made shit easier, that was for damned sure.

"They didn't fail," I argued what I'd said before. "And I'm not angry with them. Consequences aren't all bad."

"Yeah, I know," he said with a sigh.

We'd all learned that lesson.

Landon's poor choices had led to his meeting Callum then getting caught up in a whirlwind romance with two men he'd only thought attainable in fairytales like those he continued to write.

Callum had become more peaceful and had found acceptance of not being at fault for the ruination of the brother he was still estranged from. Even though he walked free, we were fine with continued distance, considering his record.

Granny had a shit ton of money to blow through and traveled the world without the old ball and chain, as she called her late husband.

And me?

Hell—I was rich beyond measure in every way possible. There was nothing I would change about my life. And there was one man deserving of my thanks.

"You're the glue, you know," I told Callum, pulling his soft smile off Landon, who leaned his head against my left shoulder.

"How do you figure?" He smirked, rubbing his thumb over my lower lip.

"You brought us together on the best vacation ever."

"I thought you said Tuscany last month was your favorite?"

I pursed my lips and pretended to think hard on what I had said after purchasing a second home in the hills of central Italy that was surrounded by cypress trees and olive groves. "Pretty much any getaway with the two of you can't be beat. Doesn't matter where we go."

Landon released his hold on me and shoved his way in between Callum and I until we both wrapped our arms around him as we did dozens of times every day.

"Feeling left out, greedy boy?" I asked, snickering at how he rubbed his cheek all over Callum's hard chest.

"Nope. Never. Just needy."

"No big surprise there," I murmured before leaning around his head to kiss Callum.

Someone catcalled, so Landon got in on the action for a quick three-way smooch.

"This right here," I whispered, our foreheads still pressed together, my arms full of warm, wet flesh I'd long since memorized every inch of. "You're all I'll ever need. Love you both so goddamn much it hurts."

"I'm sure we can find a way to take care of that," Landon teased, rubbing his ass against my groin.

"Promise?"

Someone shoved us from behind, and as one, we tumbled straight into the pool, hitting the surface in a tangle of limbs. Cool water washed over my head, and I stood, sputtering, wiping wetness from my face, chest-deep in salt water that was definitely cooling as Landon had said.

Drake smirked down at us.

"Asshole," I muttered.

He lifted his beer and started away, but I swung out an arm over the surface of the water and drenched him.

He pulled up and turned, eyebrow raised, mischief in his vivid blue eyes.

"Oh," Preston snickered from behind me as Drake set his beer bottle on the grass. "You're in for it now."

Callum and Landon dove away from me, but I held my ground.

"Bring it," I challenged with beckoning fingers.

Drake let out a caveman-like yell and cannon-balled fully clothed, creating a wave that washed over my head.

I was blessed with two lovers, found family, and friends who cared about me.

Life definitely couldn't get any better.

THE END