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Ace brushes my hair behind my ear. “I want you, and I will give you whatever you want to make you happy.”
Romeo places his hand on the back of my neck. “Ditto, Fuck-up.”
“But babies?” I gasp the words. Where the hell is this even coming from?
“You’d be an incredible mom, baby,” Romeo says quietly. “And just think of all the fun we’d have trying to knock you up.”
“I’ve never really thought about having a baby of my own,” I admit. “There are so many kids out there who need loving homes. But maybe one day…” I chew on the inside of my cheek. Being a mom, foster, adoptive, or otherwise, is not something I ever thought was in the realm of possibilities for me. But then I look around the room at the many faces of the people I’ve grown to love over the past year, and I realize that anything is possible.
Ace lifts my hand to his lips and dusts his lips over my knuckles, and I somehow feel the heat from his mouth at the apex of my thighs. “Just know that it’s an option, sweetheart. If you ever want to try.”
I lean back against the sofa between the solid, reassuring heat of Ace and Romeo. I genuinely have no idea if I want to carry a child of my own, but knowing that our future isn’t set in stone fills me with contentment. There’s an endless world of possibilities out there for the three of us, and although I have no idea what our future holds, I know without a doubt that I’ll have Ace and Romeo by my side every step of the way.
Epilogue
KERES
Four years later
“Higher, Daddy,” Iris squeals as Romeo pushes her on the swing in our huge backyard. “Higher.”
“She’s such a fucking daredevil,” Ace says about our youngest as he wraps his arm around my waist. “I wonder who she gets it from.”
I give him a playful nudge in the ribs. “Probably her fathers.”
He laughs.
“Mommy, Dad, can you see how high I’m going?” Iris shouts to us.
“She’s such a show-off.” Jayden rolls his eyes and puts in his earbuds. At eleven years old, he considers his little sisters to be the height of everything that is uncool.
“Don’t talk about your sister like that, buddy,” Ace says in the commanding fatherly tone that he does so damn well. Jayden’s lips twitch, but he tries to hide it as he focuses on his video game.
I swear, Ace and Romeo are the best dads ever. Our family was instant, big and explosive, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Mom, have you seen my green sparkly shoes?” Melody wanders out of the house with our new puppy, Milo, nipping at her heels. This girl is eight going on eighteen. She’s obsessed with makeup and clothes and all things sparkly. I have no idea how to handle her. Fortunately Ace does.
“Under the stuffed animal mountain in the den, pumpkin. You left them there last night, remember?”
She dramatically slaps her hand to her forehead. “Oh yeah.” She wanders back into the house, and I check my watch, my stomach churning as I wait for our guest of honor.
Ace gives my shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “She’ll be here soon.”
I lean against him. “I’m so excited to see her.”
“Me too, sweetheart.”
“Hey, family.” A loud, cheery voice calls from the back door of the house.
“Ellie!” Iris screeches at the top of her lungs. She jumps off the swing, darts across the yard, and throws herself into her big sister’s arms. Even Jayden, no matter how hard he tries to play it cool, has an obvious spring in his step as he approaches his sister.
“OMG, Ellie!” Melody runs out of the house and also launches herself at her big sister. Milo jumps on everyone he can reach and barks, his tail whipping back and forth.
Romeo walks up beside us and wraps an arm around my shoulder, sandwiching me between him and Ace. “You ever seen four happier kids?” he asks, his eyes glistening.
After giving him a quick kiss on the lips, we join Ellie and the kids. She untangles herself from the squealing embraces and gives us the widest smile I’ve ever seen. A whole world away from the traumatized and damaged girl who walked into the Phoenix Center four and a half years ago.
“There’s my super smart, top-of-her-fucking-class college graduate,” Ace says, wrapping her in a hug.
