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I never wanted this to end.

Ronan placed a soft kiss on my temple. “Sleep.”

The world went dark with his command.

Epilogue

My phone vibrated against the nightstand for what felt like the hundredth time. I reached for it without opening my eyes, but an arm tightened around my waist.

“Leave it,” Thorne mumbled into my hair.

“It keeps going off,” I muttered, still feeling around for it.

Silas chuckled beneath my cheek.

“Have a look.” Ronan reached past me, picked up the phone, and put it into my hand. “Then we can all go back to sleep.”

I blinked at the screen until the notifications came into focus. People I hadn’t spoken to in years had messaged me. Someone had added me back into an old group chat, where a video from last night had already been shared.

I opened it long enough to see Dylan, Owen, and Mason kneeling on the stage. The person filming had zoomed in on the screens behind them, making their messages easy to read. There were screenshots beneath the video, followed by more replies than I wanted to count.

One of the girls who’d stopped speaking to me after April died had written a long apology. I read the first few lines before opening another message.

That one began with I always knew you wouldn’t have done that.

I closed the message without answering.

For years, I would have given anything to make them listen. Now they could watch the video and read the messages for themselves. I set the phone down and tucked myself closer to Silas.

“Everything okay?” Silas asked, brushing my hair away from my face.

“Yeah,” I said, kissing his chest. “It really is.”

His hand settled against the back of my head. I closed my eyes, surprised by how easily I could leave the messages alone. Thorne’s hand slid over my hip, pulling me back against him, and I let out a contented sigh. I could happily spend the rest of the morning here.

I still had reading to finish before Monday, though. Had I even started the assignment? I tried to remember whether I’d saved anything beyond a title and a few notes. I could work on it after my shift.

My eyes snapped open.

“What time is it?” I lifted my head.

“Almost ten,” Ronan groaned, glancing toward the nightstand.

“Shit. I’m late for work,” I said, pushing myself upright.

I tried to climb over Silas, but Thorne caught me around the waist before I made it very far. I pulled at his arm, looking around the unfamiliar bedroom for something I could wear. A shirt hung over the back of a chair within reach, and I grabbed it.

“I don’t have any work clothes here,” I said, trying to calculate how long it would take to get home and change.

“Gwen,” Ronan held out my phone.

“I can’t call in this late,” I said, my voice muffled by the shirt. I’d managed to get an arm through, but my head had gone into the wrong opening.

Ronan pulled the fabric clear of my face and held the phone in front of me. “Look.”

My banking app was open.

I frowned, then took the phone from him and brought it closer. That couldn’t be right. I checked the account number and my name at the top of the screen. It was definitely mine, but I had to count the zeroes in the balance twice.