We’d had some surprises along the way. There were bad ones, like lead paint, and some interesting ones, like a cache of vintage girlie magazines hidden in the wall. All three of my men had shown some interest in that. But hey, I didn’t mind if they looked at pin-up girls as long as they provided free labor—and turned their attention to me at night.
Which they did.
Quite frequently and incredibly thoroughly.
A few weeks later, Nana moved back home. She was overjoyed at the changes and the way she was able to navigate a wheelchair through her once narrow hallways. And all of us were glad that we could repay the help she’d given us. She’d cheered me up when I was stuck in bed, and I did my best to return the favor. Raphael cooked for her. Flynn, at my urging, repeated the puppy trick. Spencer got her set up with movies and audiobooks and more. And the twins went over there every chance they got.
She’d been there for us, and we were there for her. I was beginning to see that that was how it worked on this little cul-de-sac with the three mismatched houses and a big ol’ barn. It made me glad I ended up here even though I’d never imagined the way things would turn out when I left Colorado.
It made me wonder what was in store for me.
And for us.
26
Epilogue
Alyssa
“Honestly, it’s not much farther,” Flynn said. That was easy for him to say. He wasn’t the one in the walking cast. But at least I was walking.
Flynn kept his arm around my waist as I stepped over the uneven ground. It wasn’t as easy as moving around the house, but I loved being out in the woods. I’d spent so long looking at them from the deck that it was hard to believe that I was finally in them.
“Just give me a second,” I said, needing to rest. Every time I stopped, Flynn kissed me. It wasn’t the greatest motivation to keep on going, because he was a really good kisser.
When we resumed, Flynn guided me along a dirt path. We rounded a tree, and I tripped over a tree root. I would’ve fallen if his strong arms hadn’t caught me. Then, when I straightened up, I saw it.
My breath caught in my throat. “Is that…?”
Flynn grinned. “Yep. It’s the treehouse Rafe and Corrinne played in as kids. He showed it to me a few weeks ago and I came out here to make sure it was seaworthy.”
I couldn’t help laughing. “I don’t think trees are supposed to be seaworthy.”
He pinched my ass and I squealed. “You know what I mean.”
I did. I also knew that he really liked pinching my ass. And squeezing it. And stroking it. And… hmm, maybe that line of thought was going to be too distracting. I needed to concentrate so I didn’t fall.
Flynn helped me cover the last few yards until we were at the base of the treehouse. It was clearly old—the boards had a faded look to them, but it looked sturdy. Besides, Flynn said it was safe, and he knew his stuff. He was a master with wood and with tools and—oops, my mind was in the gutter again.
Since I had three incredibly hot boyfriends, that happened a lot. But they weren’t just hot. By an amazing coincidence, they were also the men I loved.
I grabbed on to the ladder at the base of the large tree trunk and gratefully shifted my weight off my bad leg. It hadn’t been easy walking out here, but I’d done it. Of course, if Flynn wanted to offer me a piggyback ride on the way home, I wouldn’t say no.
I didn’t have to say no to much of anything anymore. All our dreams and plans were somehow working out. I worked part time at Zee Tech, Flynn worked part time for the vet clinic, and we spent the rest of the time making life easier for Nana and other people who needed wheelchairs or walkers.
Through lots of diligent research—mostly done by Rafe—we’d connected with state and government organizations who provided funding and grants for those kinds of things. Spencer had made us a very cool website—I’d eventually found out that he’d made the one for Raphael’s technical writing gig—and we were in business.
It often seemed too good to be true. I was living and working with the men I loved. And I was helping people, too. Yes, we had to be careful. We didn’t flaunt our relationship, but if someone eventually found out, we’d make it work. We were a team. We were in this together. The kids knew that I was part of the family now, and they knew that I was very good friends with their dad and their two beloved uncles.