MADDY

“You two! Hey! Who is helping me with the tray?”

I walk onto the pool deck and watch my two favorite guys in the water. Raven is with his back against the pool wall, his arms splayed on its sides as he watches Sonny run out of the pool and jump in again with a loud splash.

This is our new villa. It’s three bedrooms, with an extra one for Sonny who lives with us now. There is a pool, because Sonny requested it. A TV, because, yeah, Sonny. Sonny doesn’t like to be called Little anymore. Raven takes him to the gym and teaches him boxing. So, Sonny thinks he is a tough guy now.

Raven has a tan, and nothing is sexier than my guy in swim shorts, his wet, dark hair slicked back, water droplets covering his scarred, inked skin. Sonny coaxes Raven to spend a lot of time in the pool with him. Archer said he’s never seen Raven in such a state of undress until now.

Raven has “guys’ days out” with Archer and Kat’s dad, Kai, Bishop, Marlow, Ali, and others. The Change seemed to have driven us apart. What happened on Zion half a year ago made us thick as thieves. Bo and Raven became friends. They have beers together, and Raven doesn’t even like beer. He’s trying for me, I know. He is enjoying being around people, and that’s a big step.

I cut up fruit and snacks that I bring to the pool.

Both Raven and Sonny are whispering to each other, conspiratorially sneering in my direction. Rave swims to the poolside closest to me, pushes himself on his arms, and gets out of the water.

I set the tray down on the little pool table and squint at him, trying to figure out what the deal is.

“Come for a swim,” he says, licking his lips as he straightens up, water dripping off him.

Oh, I see. “No,” I say with a smile. These two are like fish in the water, whereas I’m a little tired lately.

“Yeah, Maddy!” Sonny shouts. “Swim! Swim! Swim!”

Rave’s smile grows as he smoothes his hair. I start backing away, laughing and telling him that I will do something awful if he dares touch me, but in a second, he scoops me up in his arms, and though I pretend to be trying to get away, I secretly love it when he carries me around.

Sonny still chants, “Swim! Swim! Swim!” as Rave, still holding me in his arms, jumps off the side of the pool into the water. These are simple things that we cherish every day now.

Six months have passed since the day Butcher attacked Ayana. It was a horrible day, with several lives lost, but it was also the end of the menace that Butcher and his gang were.

The service personnel came back to Ayana. Port Mrei is no longer under martial law. Things are changing for the better fast.

Government subsidies and private donations helped restore Port Mrei’s infrastructure. My father’s investment as well as several of his partners’ help speed up the process.

Shepherd is the new mayor.

The Ashlands were cleared out in preparation for the construction of rehabilitation facilities. Food aid and other supplies arrive weekly. There are more guards on Zion than ever before, but that is until life goes back to normal.

Schools are now open again. Many kids are in social facilities. Many adults are in forced rehab. The Lab processes DNA testing for all Port Mrei residents. Kids are being reunited with their parents. Reconnecting many families will take a while, but we are determined.

Malala said, “If you want to end the war, then instead of sending guns, send books. Instead of sending tanks, send pens. Instead of soldiers, send teachers.” I read it in Raven’s book of quotes.

That’s what we are doing in Port Mrei, hoping to raise a new generation that believes in peace.

The most incredible and heartwarming projection, as per Archer, Bo, and Ya-Ya, is that if everything goes as planned, they will remove the Ayana gates in several months. Which means, Zion is going to be a fully-integrated community.

Like the old times, they say. Before the Change.

And I am just enjoying life with my two favorite guys. Well, the third one, my dad, visits every month. Dad is… well, being Dad. He can be annoying and controlling. His men are now in the Center and at the port and overlooking Port Mrei reconstruction. But Archer looks at it as a new opportunity. I am happy to have Dad back, on my terms. As long as it’s not too often—Dad can be invasive.

Sonny laughs hysterically and splashes water at me as I get out of the pool. I smile when he does a backflip into the water off of Rave’s hands. Rave is still a bit awkward when Sonny is overly affectionate, but he is getting used to it. There is a new light in his beautiful eyes when he watches Sonny or me, or both of us—he is happy. Sonny and I conspire to snuggle with him more often. Rave went through hell on this island, and we are determined to show him all the love we can.

Water drips off me as I walk back into the villa, wiping my wet hair with a towel. I throw on a beach coverup and head to the kitchen to grab a bottle of juice.

And there it comes again, the slight nauseousness that makes me swallow repeatedly, and I run to the bathroom and retch out the quinoa and avocado lunch.

I smile as I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand. This is not the first time it’s happened. And it’s not food poisoning. I dig into the bathroom cabinet and find the pregnancy test I’ve kept around for a couple of weeks now.

I haven’t taken out my birth control implant, but it’s been way overdue. No contraception is foolproof. Mine is not effective anymore. It’s not a surprise. I’m a nurse—I should know. Raven asked me to take it out. I said I would.

So, here we go. Five minutes later, I stare at the positive test in my hand and grin like a fool.

Sonny and Rave are still in the pool, arguing about the right way to do a backflip. Rave turns to look at me standing in the doorway, and I beckon him with my finger.

Noticing my smile, he gets out of the pool, dripping with water, so freaking sexy that my heart twists at the sight of him.

We agreed that I will go by Maddy. I like it. It’s almost like a nickname. But apparently, he still can’t get used to the fact that he is with Milena Tsariuk when I dress up for occasional parties—high heels, short dresses, full-on makeup, and hair done. Maybe, he feels like he is with a different person. Or it takes him back to the first time I danced for him. Because we never make it to the party on time. Not until he has his way with me, heels still on, dress lifted up, against the wall, on the bathroom sink, in the bedroom. We still can’t get enough of each other.

Rave gives a quick once-over of my body clad in the beach coverup over the wet bikini, then leans in and kisses me on the mouth.

“Sorry, I was going to help with the tray. But our kid is, you know…”

“Can I talk to you inside?” I tip my head toward the living room and lead him in.

“What is it?” he asks, intrigued, his hands on his hips when we stop in the middle of the room.

I gaze at him for some time.

His smile starts growing. “What is it, tease?”

I pull the pregnancy test from behind my back and pass it to him.

He doesn’t take it, only stares at it. His lips part to say something, then close, then part, but no words come out.

“It’s two stripes,” I say, wondering if he even knows what that means.

He swallows hard, but still doesn’t take it, only tilts his head just slightly as if confused.

“Two stripes means—” I raise my brows, prompting.

“But how?” He raises his eyes at me. “You never took out the implant.”

“Nothing is impossible with you, right?” I chuckle.

Before I say anything else, he sweeps me into his arms, squeezing me so tightly that it’s hard to breathe. I laugh into his wet hair, then close my eyes, taking a moment to feel this, him. After what happened six months ago, I never stop appreciating these little moments of his affection.

He sets me down gently and strokes my hair, his eyes shiny with love.

“Mayflower.” He smiles and buries his face in my hair. “I love you,” he whispers and doesn’t pull away.

I know Raven so well. I know he is vulnerable right now. He needs a minute. So we silently stand in the middle of the room, hugging and smiling in happiness.

And then he starts shifting down my body until he is down on his knees. He takes my hands in his. His steely-blue eyes are sparkly and magnificently beautiful when they lock with mine.

“I know it might be too much at once,” he says and swallows hard. “I didn’t plan it, but… Will you marry me?”

I laugh loudly, though my eyes well up with tears. That’s Raven. He is always too much, too intense, making me too emotional.

“Yes.” I nod, and now I’m crying. It must be hormones. Because in less than several seconds, the tears suddenly spring from my eyes.

“Hey-hey-hey, Mayflower,” Rave whispers as he gets back to his feet and cups my face. “No tears, beautiful girl.”

“I’m… Just happy. Also…” I chuckle through a sob. “I’m just… just impossibly freaking happy.”

His hands drop from my face abruptly. He turns and runs out of the room, making me wonder if he really-really needs a moment.

But he returns in seconds, a small jewelry box in his hand.

“Here.” He hands it to me and awkwardly ruffles his wet hair with one hand, the other on his waist. He looks nervous, his smile so shy it’s freaking cute. “I thought I would wait for a perfect moment. But then… Well, you are perfect.”

He chuckles nervously. Mathew Levi is nervous! Ha!

I open the box and take a deep breath. The pink gold ring is crowned with a pretty mayflower made out of gold-rimmed mother-of-pearl petals with a yellow diamond in the center.

“It’s beautiful,” I say as Raven takes it out and puts it on my ring finger, then brings my fingers to his mouth and kisses them.

“I love you,” I say, unable to stop the tears.

He laughs. I laugh. He lifts me in his arms, and I sniffle, unable to control my tears. “Jesus, baby, I am a mess.”

He puts me back down and studies my face as I try to wipe away the embarrassing waterfall of tears.

“What?” I ask.

“The little guy… I was thinking…”

I know what he’s going to say. I was thinking about it, too, but I want him to say it first.

“I will talk to Archer and Ya-Ya. She’s in charge of the town’s records. Let’s adopt him legally?”

I nod repeatedly and can’t help my grin as tears start sprinting from my eyes.

“Oh. My. God!” I exclaim, wiping them away and laughing as Rave grins and kisses my forehead.

“He’ll be our oldest.”

“Yeah.” I smile. “Sonny Levi.” I want Rave to be proud to hear his last name attached to the little guy who stole our hearts.

“Sonny Levi, yes,” he repeats.

“Ra-ave!” the loud voice comes from the pool. “Ra-ave! Come! On!”

In seconds, Sonny darts into the living, then notices my tears and halts to a stop.

I nudge Raven. “Tell him.”

“Which part?”

“All of it.”

He turns to Sonny. “Maddy is pregnant,” he says.

Well, jeez, if he could make the news more kid-friendly, he wouldn’t be Raven.

Sonny’s eyes dart between me and Raven.“With a baby?”

I grin. “Yes, with a baby.”

His smile falls. He takes a tiny step back. His chest starts rising and falling fast. His fingers start twisting the hem of his swim shorts. I know the signs—he is nervous or upset.

“What’s wrong, Sonny?” I ask, disheartened.

“Does that mean I can’t stay with you anymore?”

My heart does something strange. It contracts, then skips a beat.

Oh, god, I’m going to cry again. Yes, it’s happening. Tears well up in my eyes at the sight of Sonny looking so lost while we thought we gave him the best news.

I put my hand on Raven’s back, signaling for him to deal with it, because I don’t think I can speak.

Rave motions for him to approach and sits down on his haunches to bring his eyes to Sonny’s level. “Maddy and I are getting married, okay?”

Sonny nods. “Okay.” He tries to force a smile.

“We decided that the day we get married, we will sign adoption papers.”

“Adop—” Sonny scrunches up his forehead.

“That means we will legally be your parents.”

Sonny’s eyes widen so fast that they look like they are about to fall out of their sockets. His jaw drops. His eyes start darting between Raven and I.

“So, that means three things.” I can hear a smile in Rave’s voice as he talks softly. “One, you are going to be our son. Legally. And there is no way we are letting you go. You’re stuck with us now.”

Sonny nods so vigorously that it looks like his head is about to fall off. His smile is back.

“Two. You are going to have a brother or a sister.”

“Sister!” Sonny blurts out and bites his lower lip as his grin grows.

I laugh as Raven looks up at me over his shoulder, grinning too.

“We’ll see about that,” I say.

“Sister! Sis-ter!” Sonny grins. “What’s number three?”

The third is a mystery.

“Three,” Rave says sternly. “Because Maddy is pregnant, she can’t be stressed out or upset. You will have to listen to everything Maddy tells you, okay? You will not complain about your classes. And you have to be really patient at learning Spanish.”

“Ugh.” Sonny wrinkles his nose. “Do I really have to?”

I laugh. Of course, Rave snuck in additional duties.

But before I can say anything, Sonny lunges at Rave, his little arms wrapping around his neck. Rave rises to his feet, with the little dude in his arms, and I kiss Sonny’s shoulder then kiss Rave as I smile at our new family.