EPILOGUE
Six Months Later
“It isn’t often we see you down here.” The girl behind the bar offers a warm smile as she slides a glass of Chardonnay my way. “You’re usually headed straight upstairs.”
“It’s kind of a special night,” I confide with a wink. “But that’s just between us. For now, anyway.”
“It’ll be our little secret.” She moves farther down the bar to assist another customer, and I take the first sip of the chilled wine. Six months ago, I would never have imagined stepping foot in this place, much less sitting here at the bar like I’m a regular.
Not that we need to come here anymore, necessarily. We can either have fun at my apartment or theirs. Call me sentimental, but it’s sort of nice to stop in here once or twice a month. And it’s special, too—we’re all so used to each other’s apartments that being here, in our special room, makes everything more exciting. Less ordinary.
Not that my everyday life is boring. In fact, it’s better all the time. I smile to myself before taking another sip. Sometimes I wish Adam wasn’t locked up for what he did to Thatcher and the files Dash found. I would like him to see me, to watch me walk through a life I’ve built with the help of three men who actually give a shit about me and are worthy of trust.
I’d want him to see me going to school. Making friends. Living in a sunny, beautiful apartment.
I’d want him to see me feeling confident. I can trust myself. That’s still sort of a work in progress, but every time I want to rely on one of my guys to help me make a decision, they always remind me that I’m smart enough to do what’s right for me. My intuition is there for a reason.
I mean, how much luckier could I get?
I’m about to find out.
According to my phone, it’s five minutes to nine. I asked them to meet me here at nine sharp—and before the clock reaches that point, all three of them come in from the lobby, scanning the room until they find me waiting for them.
Even six months later, the sight of all three of them entering the room at once is overwhelming in the best possible way. Sometimes I still can’t believe they’re mine, that they want me. They could have anybody they wanted, but I’m the one worth negotiating spending time with. Sometimes we do one-on-one dates where I can focus on one of them at a time, while at other times, we hang out in a group. It isn’t all about sex, even if that plays a big part in things. At the end of the day, I really enjoy spending time with them.
That’s not exactly what’s on my mind, though, as they cross the room like a trio of lions spotting their next meal at the watering hole. One by one, they kiss me on the cheek the way they always do when we meet in public, though this time, they don’t hesitate to run a hand down my back, or in Dash’s case, over my ass.
“You’re looking delicious this evening,” he murmurs, squeezing my ass before backing away. “Good enough to eat.”
“And you’ll be doing that,” I promise, biting my lip. A glance down at his crotch reveals what a fan he is of that idea. But first, we have something to talk about.
I sit up a little straighter and take a deep breath to brace myself while they order drinks. I can be brave. I can do this. It’s not like we’ve never talked about it before, even if we don’t usually get into specifics.
And it makes sense. All this going back and forth from one apartment to the other can be a pain in the ass. Sure, I like having my own space, but there’s plenty of room at their apartment, too.
Still, all the thinking about it in the world isn’t going to matter if they freak out. All I can do is hope they meant it all the times they said it would be convenient if I lived with them.
“What’s up?” Ranger asks once their drinks are taken care of. “We don’t usually meet down here.”
“Maybe I wanted to enjoy a drink with the three of you before we take off all our clothes,” I suggest.
“Since when are you not in a hurry to get down to business?” He looks me up and down, his eyes narrowing slightly as he takes in my brand new, almost skintight dress and five-inch heels. “Especially looking the way you do right now.”
“I have a proposition for the three of you.”
“I don’t know if I like the sound of this.” Still, there’s a playful light in Arden’s eyes when they meet mine.
I might as well jump right in. I hope I’m making the right call. “I wondered if you would mind another roommate.”
It’s the funniest thing, watching the three of them react.
“Seriously?” Dash asks.
“Finally,” Ranger mutters.
“It’s about time,” Arden growls. “What took you so long?”
“I wasn’t sure if you actually wanted me to move in. Do you really want to have a woman up in your business all the time?”