Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 79332 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79332 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
“It’s okay,” I say. “You’re my best friend.”
His ocean eyes blink once, twice, surprise raising his blond brows. He pulls me into a relieved bear hug, and I sink happily into his warm embrace.
“Hey, not too long,” Colby growls, even as he smiles. “That’s our girl.”
“Baby momma,” Celine says with a wink.
“Can we not start using that phrase?” Mom says, shaking her head.
“Girl is fine,” I smile, drawing away from Dornan and gazing around the room at all the people I love. The people who love me.
My heart feels fuller than it ever has. The space in my chest that I didn’t realize was empty is warm and happy, and I blink quickly in surprise.
It started as a dare, but Seb, Colby, and Micky have shown me I have the strength and conviction to take my own steps forward to a bright future with them by my side. The baby growing inside me is just the beginning for us all.
EPILOGUE
COLBY
When Lara insisted on throwing us a huge graduation party, I thought she was crazy. Yes, it’s an important day, but since Noah’s arrival, nothing else holds the same weight. If I’m honest, I would rather dad and Lara spend the party money on things for the baby than alcohol for our friends, but this goes back to what dad said that night in the den. He wanted to make sure we don’t miss out on the important things.
They have decorated the yard with congratulations banners and what seems like a million shiny gold balloons. Caterers have provided a buffet table that would have been perfect for a wedding, and a bar has been set up next to the kitchen where beer, wine, and spirits are available.
I look around, finding our friends chatting in groups, holding plates, and balancing plastic cups. Seb is at the center of the football team, telling them a hilarious story that has half of them bent at the waist with laughter. Micky is introducing Lara to some students from his course, and they’re all cooing over my beautiful son as he lays sleeping in her arms.
I can’t find Ellie, so I turn, heading back into the house. Our girl isn’t graduating with us today. She should be, but she took a year out to be with Noah. She’s signed up to finish her studies next year. Dad insisted she go back as soon as possible. He realizes that any more time out would make it harder for her to pick up the student lifestyle again. Sure, she’s going to miss Noah, but it’s important that she doesn’t compromise the life she had planned for herself before she got pregnant.
That’s one of the major benefits of there being four of us in our relationship. There is always someone able to pick up the slack.
Ellie’s not in the kitchen or in the lounge. The front door opens, and I find her in the driveway, greeting Celine and Gabriella. I swear, her friends are the craziest girls on campus. They arrived in fancy dress to a party with a smart dress code. Gabriella is dressed as an angel with huge silver feathery wings, and Celine has painted her face with moons and stars.
“There you are,” I say when Ellie turns and sees me.
“Checking up on me, Big Boy,” she laughs, shaking her perfectly curled black hair. In her shimmery black dress, she looks like one of those old Hollywood movie stars. Classy and sassy, strong and bold. Ellie is everything I ever wanted in a woman, and she’s mine.
Well, ours technically.
But sharing with my brothers isn’t like sharing would be with anyone else.
“Of course,” I say. “It’s my job.”
“Why can’t I find a big sexy man who wants to check up on me?” Gabriella moans.
“Maybe because you’re dressed like a celestial being,” I say.
Gabriella rests her hands on her hips and scowls at me. “Don’t criticize the costume, Colby.”
“I thought guys love sexy fancy dress?” Celine says, twirling around in her silver tutu. “Eddie sure appreciated me in this one!”
“Maybe a maid’s outfit or a raunchy devil,” I say. Ellie raises a perfectly arched eyebrow.
“Oh really, Colby. You just admitted to being a total cliché!”
I put out my hands, palms first, and my cufflinks glint in the sunshine. “I said nothing about me liking those things.”
Nodding knowingly, Ellie grabs my arm and steers me back into the house. “Of course you didn’t,” she laughs.
“But if you have one of those costumes lying around…”
She snorts and swats my bicep. “As if I’d have a sexy costume lying around. I’ve only just stopped breastfeeding. Red latex and lactation do not mix.”
I lean closer, brushing her ear with my lips. “Talk about your breasts again, and I’m going to have you over my shoulder and up those stairs in a flash.”
“Promises, promises,” she says, but then she stops, reaching up to smooth the shoulders of my new black suit and straighten my tie. “You know, you and your brothers really look handsome tonight.”