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Noah sits on the sofa next to Levi. Beau takes a seat in the armchair, while Isaac settles next to me on the plush carpet with Ava cooing gleefully in his arms. I love this look on him, and he is clearly melting over my little girl as usual. I can’t believe I ran away from these men. I can’t believe I thought I could live well without them—technically speaking, I could survive. I could live. I’d make do. But what sort of life would that be? Why deny myself the sweet, sweet love the four of them are so eager to give me? It seems foolish, now. I feel foolish.
“Stella, I meant every word,” Isaac tells me, his gaze softening as he looks at me. “The Elizabeth hasn’t been the same without you. We’ve been miserable without you. We were so busy worrying about what we could lose if we shared our lives with you that we didn’t realize how much more we were standing to lose if we let you leave.”
“I haven’t been the easiest to deal with, either.”
“No, we should’ve seen the signs,” Isaac insists. “And I should’ve been more determined when you asked me if we could ever be together. I should’ve said yes. It’s a mistake I hope to never make again. Would you be willing to give us another chance?”
I’m staring at Isaac as though I’m seeing him for the first time. As though it’s really him. It’s always been him. But this is the first time he has allowed himself to be completely vulnerable in front of me and in front of his closest, dearest friends. I could tell him no, right now. I could send him away, and he would respect my decision. Yet he has opened himself up to me, he has accepted his own flaws and he is asking for my forgiveness. This is the purest version of him that I will ever see.
And I would be a fool to turn him down.
He’s in it for the long haul. So are Noah, Levi, and Beau. I guess, in a way, they were always ready for the long haul, but Isaac’s doubts held them back. They operate as a team in every aspect of their lives. They are also self-governing individuals, and they could’ve settled with losing him from our relationship. I would’ve struggled, yet I would’ve accepted the outcome. Knowing it would hurt me deeply, knowing it would hurt us—and most importantly, knowing it would hurt him in ways he’d never be able to recover from, Isaac has chosen to come forth and claim me once more.
And this time for good.
“I guess I could consider the possibility,” I reply coyly, though deep down my heart is already screaming YES a thousand times.
“Really?” Levi asks, light glazing his green eyes.
I offer a gentle nod, unable to stop myself from grinning. “Well, yeah. I was foolish, too, for running away. I let my fears and frustrations get the better of me. It cost me a good job and four wonderful men who were actually making my life easier and sweeter. I lived in constant dread that it would eventually end, so I couldn’t really enjoy it without a dose of self-sabotage. You guys may have had your doubts, but I didn’t make it any easier either. And after everything that’s happened, I need to come to terms with and accept the hard truth.” I sigh heavily, pausing for a moment. “I can do it on my own, but that would be a terrible and miserable experience, and it would be awful for my children, too. If you guys want to go all in on this, I’m with you for the whole ride.”
“Stella, I love you,” Noah says, his voice sweet and soft. “We all love you in ways we didn’t think were possible. We’re not letting you get away from us, ever again.”
“It’s not like you can tie me to the radiator or something,” I chuckle lightly.
“Bondage sounds like a pretty interesting avenue, if you ask me,” Isaac replies.
My cheeks burn hot, but the sensation quickly fades as Lucas yanks himself up and proclaims he’s hungry. Levi takes him from me, eager to hold and play with Lucas. My kids are so lucky right now. With a little bit of patience and love, they’ll be lucky with four dads for a long, long time.
“I love you all,” I say to my men. “I love each of you, deeply. I never imagined I’d ever feel this way, let alone for four men. It’s weird, even now, to think about it, but there is no denying it anymore. We’re good together. We could be more together. I believe that with all my heart… So, yeah, you know what? Screw society. We can do our own thing.”
“There is the matter of public opinion,” Isaac says, barely able to take his eyes off Ava. “One of us will have to be the public partner. We will eventually have to find a formula where we could all live together. I’m definitely eager to work toward that. But until then, we need a public face. And Stella… I think you should be the one to choose.”
“Why me? Each of you has a public life and certain aspirations,” I reply. “I don’t care which of you wants to be the face as long as we’re happy and together in private. It’ll be weird explaining it to the kids later, but I guess those can be separate, future milestones to deal with.”
Noah smiles at his brother. “You know, Mom and Dad would throw a magnificent hissy fit if you step out with Stella. It wouldn’t impact your political prospects in any way though.”
“If anything, it would give me a positive boost in the polls,” Isaac replies, devilishly amused.
“Are you sure?” I ask.
They all nod at the same time. “I think Isaac needs this,” Levi says. “Personally, I don’t care who poses for the cameras, so to speak, as long as we’re together. Like you said, it doesn’t matter as long as we know it’s the five of us. I love you, Stella. Deeply.”
“The bottom line, ma cherie, is that we are going to make this work,” Beau lovingly declares. “Je t’aime. I love you. I may have loved you in another lifetime, I don’t know, but I do know we’re not letting you run away from us, ever again. From now on, if we have troubles, we discuss them. We work through them together, okay?”
“Okay,” I reply, though I am still concerned. So I tell them. That’s what we promised. “I’m worried about the custody hearing. Elijah will keep playing dirty.”
“You don’t have to worry about him anymore,” Isaac says, giving me a long, thoughtful look. “Whatever my lawyers can’t handle, my checkbook definitely will.”
“Isaac, no… Money again?” I shake my head.
He smiles. “Don’t you get it? I don’t care about money or wealth or political power. I don’t care about any of it unless I can share it and enjoy it with you and our children. If I have to pay that bastard off to keep him away from you, I will absolutely do that, without hesitation.”
“You are safe, Stella,” Noah adds.
And for the first time in what feels like an eternity, I can actually acknowledge the sensation. The peace of mind. The soulful tranquility. The mental balance. The safety of good men, of reliable men, of men who will go above and beyond and spare no expense in order to keep me and my children—our children—happy. What more could I ask for after everything I’ve already been through?
It’s time to thrive and live. It’s time to leave survival mode and embrace love with all of its complexities and colorful nuances. It won’t be easy, I know. But as Noah, Isaac, Levi, and Beau come closer to hold me in a warm and loving group embrace, I understand we will always have each other, we will never be alone or frightened ever again. Nobody ever said love was easy.
