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As I was getting ready to leave my room, I saw something in one of the boxes I still needed to unpack. I reached inside and pulled out a framed picture of me, my sister, and our parents. The box was apparently from my old house in Maryland. When I had been in WITSEC, I hadn’t been allowed to have any pictures from my old life. Logan had allowed me to have a few on my phone, but it hadn’t been the same. Staring down at the picture, I debated where I was going to hang it.
“There you are,” Creed said as he and all three of his brothers came into my room.
“People have started to arrive,” Colt announced as he came to stand by me.
Creed went to go sit on the edge of my bed while Keelan lay across it. Knox stayed by the door and leaned against the frame.
“Just Ethan and Isabelle,” Creed said.
Speaking of those two, they knew the truth about me. When we’d returned, the guys had gone with me to the hospital to visit Isabelle. Ethan had been there the day we’d visited. The guys had stayed out in the hall explaining everything to him while I’d gone into Isabelle’s room and told her. Then I’d apologized over and over again. She’d told me right away that what Mr. X had done to her wasn’t my fault. She’d been a little sad that I hadn’t confided in her, but she’d also understood why I hadn’t been able to. Ethan hadn’t been as understanding at first. He’d been mad at me and the guys. His girlfriend had almost died, and we understood why he’d been angry about that. But as Isabelle had physically gotten better, Ethan had eventually forgiven us.
As soon as Isabelle had been released from the hospital, she had gone right into therapy to deal with what she had endured. Mr. X had stabbed her ten times and she now had scars just like me. She was still working through her trauma, even to this day. Scars were not easy to bear. Especially how she’d received them, and because of that, Isabelle and Ethan’s relationship had been a little rocky. I was optimistic their relationship would persevere, though. Either way, it was Isabelle’s story to tell.
I set down the picture of me and my family on my dresser next to my diploma from Copper Mountain High School. Colt seemed to spot the diploma and picked it up to look at it. He was clearly reading my name on it. My real name.
“Did you finish getting everything changed back to McConnell?” he asked as he set the diploma back down.
“Yes. Finally.” Now that I was no longer in WITSEC, it had been extremely time-consuming to un-erase myself and take back my true identity. Logan had called in some more favors with his ex-SEAL buddies to help with the un-erasing part. I’d tackled the mountain of forms I’d had to fill out to change my name back for everything.
“It won’t be as difficult the next time you have to change it,” Knox said.
I turned to look at him. “Next time?”
They all smiled.
Colt sighed. “I guess we could give you a few years to be a McConnell again. That way all the hard work you put into changing it back doesn’t go to waste.”
“We should give her until she finishes culinary school,” Keelan said.
I was about to start culinary school soon while Colt and Creed went to the university nearby for business. One day they wanted to expand Desert Stone and wanted to have the education to do it. They seemed excited about it. Therefore, I, Keelan, and Knox were fully supportive.
“I think we should have her change her name in a year,” Creed grumbled.
I looked from one brother to the other and smiled. “And what will I be changing my name to?” I asked even though I had a feeling I knew the answer.
“Stone,” Knox said.
“Shiloh Stone,” Keelan said as if testing out how it would sound.
“Chef Stone,” Colt said. “It has a nice ring to it.”
“She’ll be Mrs. Stone,” Creed said.
The room fell quiet and they stared at me, waiting for me to react.
I smiled adoringly at all of them. “You can ask me whenever you feel the time is right.”
A throat was cleared. “Where’s the birthday girl?” Isabelle’s voice said from behind Knox. “More guests have showed up. One of them said they were your cousin, Micah. He’s here with his friends and Shi’s uncle is here, too.”
Knox glanced at her over his shoulder. “We’ll be down in a minute.”
Creed and Keelan stood from my bed. “Time to celebrate your birth, Shi,” Creed said as they approached.
I took in all four of them, feeling happy and content. “Have I told you four that I love you today?”
They all said yes. Colt took my hand and the five of us headed downstairs.
“You’re welcome to say it again, baby girl, but then I’d make you late for your party,” Keelan said.
