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Isaac laughs. “No, I simply remembered how badly you wanted one when you were a kid. We’ll build one, Stella, I promise.”
“Oh, I believe you.”
“Look over here.” Beau darts ahead and points to a generous patch of lavender bushes. “Our lavender is done blooming for this season. The one you saw upstairs was dried and preserved from last year by the caretaker, long before we bought this place. But we’ll have fresh lavender this next summer, just for you, ma cherie.”
And now I’m crying. Tears of joy stream down my warm cheeks as I finally understand the whole picture. As I finally acknowledge every step and every torment that has brought me to this place. Every doubt and fear materialized before I found the courage to look at Isaac, Noah, Beau, and Levi, and decide to take a chance. I see it. And it was worth it.
Isaac takes me in his arms and holds me tightly. Levi kisses my temple. Beau tucks a lock of hair behind my ear. And Noah rests a hand on the small of my back. I’m crying like a little girl, I’m crying my heart out as I taste true bliss, the truest bliss ever bestowed upon a living human being. Maybe my pregnancy hormones are adding some fuel to this moment, but dammit, this is as close to perfection as I will ever get.
“I told you,” Isaac whispers. “I told you you’d never be alone again.”
“You are loved, Stella,” Noah says. “You’re loved in so many ways.”
“I feel safe,” I tell them. “I feel so safe here with you.”
Levi smiles, then kisses my temple again. “Which is what we’ve always wanted. It’s perfect.”
“And you are perfect,” Beau adds.
“You’re right, guys,” I manage as Noah wipes a tear from the corner of my eye. “It is perfect. And the only way in which I’m perfect is because I’m a part of this whole unconventional family unit of ours. God, I love you all so much, it hurts.”
We stay like this for a while, basking in the autumn sun and smelling the wildflowers, the blossoming red-leaf maple trees that stretches over the pool. We stay like this for what feels like forever, our bodies and souls melting into one another as we find comfort and joy in togetherness. We’re going to make it work.
We’re going to make a home of this heaven.
Epilogue II
Stella
Raising three children with four men is the kind of math I didn’t imagine I’d ever have to deal with, yet it’s the best kind. We are thriving. Part of me doubted we’d make it work for so long, but here we are, almost four years later, living in our mansion two miles down from the Elizabeth Bed & Breakfast. Love is always in the air, and we can’t get enough of each other.
Lucas and Ava are both in school—there’s only one in Cape Elizabeth, but it was privately funded by Isaac’s family, so it’s a great place for my children to get their education in a safe and pleasant environment. Of course, I make sure to get frequent text updates from their teachers, but that’s just for my peace of mind. Benjamin, our third bundle of joy, is still a playful and curious toddler in need of my full attention, but he’s lucky to have a brother and a sister who love him deeply. Lucas actually enjoys keeping an eye on him when we’re at home.
Benjamin is an angel with blue eyes and curly blonde hair. We all know it’s one of two Kendrick men who contributed to this model, but we’ve also talked about making our family even bigger. It’s just a thought for now, though. We’re way more careful these days, and I’ve been focusing more on my career, anyway. Three children are more than enough, and even they can be a handful for the five of us. But it’s fun and sweet. I no longer suffer from exhaustion and sleep deprivation. The days when I had to raise Lucas and Ava on my own are so far behind me, I can barely remember that dreadful time.
I’ve been an assistant manager at the Elizabeth for almost three years now. I’ve learned a lot, and I’ve even had the chance to work at Beau’s other hotels over the course of a few months here and there, depending on where he needed my calculated approach. Our figures are looking good, though. We’ve noticed significant growth in the off-season, which seemed like Mission Impossible for a bed and breakfast on the coast of Maine. But we did it. I love my job. I love how my career is growing. I’m catching up on everything I put on hold while I wasted away in a marriage shamble with Elijah.
We haven’t heard nor seen from him since Portland. I know Isaac paid him off, but sometimes I think his request was expressed more sternly than he told me. It doesn’t matter, though. The kids only know the four men. For safety reasons, they know Isaac is their dad, and their uncles are so close and loving they also pass as extra dads—or so we tell anyone who asks why Lucas calls out to his dads and all four show up.
“This birthday dinner is the best I’ve had so far,” Isaac declares at the end of a glorious feast.
Today is Isaac and Noah’s birthday. We celebrated earlier with the kids, but all three are upstairs and sleeping soundly in their rooms while the grownups take some time off to blow some candles and drink a good French wine. We’re gathered around the dining table, the remnants of a delicious pot roast languishing in silver platters in the center, while Beau refills our glasses.
Theo has joined us. She moved to Los Angeles for good after her career jumps. The first TV show was the catalyst for something truly spectacular. She’s been in five feature films, and there are Oscar rumors revolving around the last project she headlined. In every other sense, however, Theo remains the same. Quirky, funny, loving, and sweet.
“Dude, that’s like saying your wife only bothered to cook a good meal for your birthday,” she laughs, then looks at me. “What have you been feeding him?”
“Boiled potatoes and cow hooves,” I chuckle.
“But at least she drizzles them with balsamic vinegar first,” Noah chimes in.
“It helps it all slide down easy,” Isaac shoots back.
We laugh, and Mr. and Mrs. Kendrick watch us all with a mixture of wonder and lighthearted humor. It’s been a while since we’ve seen them, but that’s only because they’ve been on a few trips across Europe. That’s what the great retirement years are supposed to be about. Seeing places you’ve never seen before. I hope I’ll get to do the same with my men when it’s our turn.
“Are you okay?” Levi whispers in my ear.
I give him a slight nod. “I’m just nervous.”
