Who Falls Hardest (Clearwater University)

“Again?” My dad puffs up in anger, still glowering at Trent. Reese and West have come to stand behind their friend, backing him up and offering silent support, and Dad glares at them too. “Is that supposed to make things better? Haven’t you all done enough?”

“Dad!” I step forw

ard, catching his arm and pulling him back. I know Trent won’t let himself fly off the handle at my father, but I can’t stand watching this. The three Icons have done their penance; they’ve paid their dues. “Didn’t you hear what I told you before? I wouldn’t be back in school if it wasn’t for these men. I wouldn’t have a job or a place to live!”

“You wouldn’t have needed those things!” Dad bursts out, turning to face me. “Don’t you see, sweetheart? They’re the reason you ended up in that hole in the first place! They’re supposed to get credit for digging you out? For helping you get back to the same place where you were before they started messing with your life?”

I put myself in between my father and the Icons, creating a physical barrier between him and them. My heart is hammering in my chest, adrenaline coursing through me. I won’t let myself regret telling Dad the truth, but now I have to make him understand the full breadth of it. What all of this really means. How far these men and I have come.

“I’m not in the same place I was, Dad! Can’t you see that? I’m stronger. I’m more confident. I know who I am now. And I have three men I love standing by my side, prepared to take on the world with me. I’m so much better off now, and I don’t care that I had to go through hell to get here. I wouldn’t change any of it, because this is exactly where I want to be.”

Dad freezes.

His gaze settles on my face, his expression unreadable. The anger has faded a little, but I can’t quite figure out what emotion has risen up to replace it.

“What are you saying, Ems?” he asks softly.

“I’m saying I… I fell in love with my three best friends. My three worst enemies. The three men who know me better than anyone else in the world, and who I can’t imagine my life without. I’m dating them, Dad. All of them. We’re… together.”

Oh God, I think I might pass out.

It feels amazing to say it out loud, but utterly terrifying too. There’s a chance that not only will Dad never forgive the guys for what they’ve done, but that he’ll disapprove of our relationship so strongly that he’ll never speak to me again.

The thought makes my blood turn to water, but I steel myself against the fear. My dad loves me. I don’t think he’d ever cut me out of his life entirely. And if he disavows me because he can’t handle the truth of who I am, of what feels utterly right to me, then I’ll forge a path on my own.

If he can’t love me for who I am, I don’t want him to love me for who I’m not. I refuse to wear a mask around him anymore.

Dad still hasn’t spoken, and to my surprise, West’s voice fills the silence.

“It’s true, sir. None of us expected things to work out this way either, but now that we’re here, I can’t imagine it any other way. We love your daughter. And we want your blessing to be with her. But—and I say this with all due respect—there’s nothing, not even your disapproval, that could make us stop loving her.”

His words are simple. Plain. Spoken with such blunt conviction that they make my heart expand in my chest until there doesn’t seem to be room for anything else.

I take a step backward, closer to the three Icons, and I feel each of them move forward to meet me, their bodies supporting and sheltering mine. Each one of them touches me somewhere, and the warmth of their skin seeps into me, lending me strength.

“Dad.” I meet my father’s still shell-shocked gaze. “Look at me. Really look at me. Can’t you see how much happier I am? How much more solid I am? This is who I want to be. This is my choice.”

He blinks, a line appearing between his eyebrows as his gaze shifts a little. He stares at me, and the knot of worry in my stomach begins to unwind as I see his posture relax.

He sees it. He knows it’s true.

Clearing his throat, he nods. Then he looks sharply at Trent, a warning flashing in his eyes.

“You’d better treat her right, or I’ll kick your ass.”

I sputter at his words, but Trent just chuckles. When I glance over at him, I see him sharing a look with his two best friends.

“Understood,” he says, turning back to my dad. “Although if I ever hurt Emma again, you wouldn’t be the only one who’d want to kick my ass. I’m pretty sure you’d have to get in line.”

23

Reese

Holy fuck, it’s been a long couple of months.

And I know Emma’s right—if we hadn’t all gone through the shit we did, there’s no way to know if we would’ve ever gotten to this place, where things are so fucking amazing.

Still, sometimes I can’t help but wonder if we could’ve bypassed the multiple shitstorms to reach our happily ever after. Not that it matters now, because we’re here, and I’ve never been happier. And honestly, we’ve all changed a lot, so maybe we needed to go through hell to really appreciate and take care of what matters most in our lives. Maybe we needed to almost lose everything to learn that lesson.