Page 236 of Hymns of the Broken
SAWYER
I lie there tangled between them, thinking about everything they’ve just said—about families, about futures, about kids and chaos and all the things I never let myself hope for. The weight of it is almost too much, it’s beautiful and terrifying all at once. I close my eyes and try to hold it inside me, scared I’ll blink and it’ll all disappear.
Jasper’s hand strokes my hair, and I feel Riot’s thumb tracing lazy circles over my stomach. I know this is real. Ifeelit everywhere.
Then Riot breaks the silence as a cocky grin spreads across his face. “Seriously, though, I bet I’ll get her pregnant before you do.”
“You wanna bet on that, Riot?” Jasper says, arching a brow.
Riot props himself up on an elbow, eyes gleaming. “Yeah, I do. First one to put a baby in her gets the other to—what, handle all the dirty diapers?”
Jasper rolls his eyes, but there’s a competitive glint in his stare. “Fuck that. First one to get her pregnant gets to pick the baby’s middle name—no vetoes.”
They’re both grinning now, the tension melting into something ridiculous, something so completelythem. “What, you wanna start right now?” Riot jokes, waggling his brows. “I’m ready if you are, Reign.”
Jasper looks me over like he’s honestly considering it. “Could settle this tonight, Little Demon. You up for it? Let’s throw out those birth control pills.”
The look on their faces is so deadly serious I burst out laughing—real, full-body laughter that shakes the bed and makes my stomach ache. “Oh, hell no, not yet,” I manage, still laughing as they both start to laugh with me. “I want to enjoy time with just us for a while. Let’s just be us, okay?”
Jasper pulls me closer, pressing a kiss to my forehead. Riot drops back on the pillow, still laughing, and hooks his leg over mine.
I sink back against the pillows, tucked safely between them, their laughter still echoing in the dim room. It’s impossible not to smile, even as tears threaten to well up again, this time not from pain or fear or heartbreak, but from something so big and beautiful it almost hurts.
I think about every version of myself I’ve ever been—the scared little girl who hid in corners, the teenager who flinched at slammed doors, the woman who spent so long believing love was something that always left. I remember the nights I stared at the ceiling and cried myself to sleep. Convinced I’d never be enough for anyone. Too broken. Too anxious. Too much, or not enough.
But right now, with their arms tangled around me, I finally understand what it means to be wanted exactly as I am.
Jasper’s thumb brushes lazy circles on my hip. Riot’s breath stirs the hair at the back of my neck. They love me—allof me, even the parts I tried so hard to hide. They’ve heard my scars, my fears, the pieces I thought made me unlovable, and are choosing me anyway.
Maybe, I don’t have to wonder if I deserve this. Maybe, I don’t have to fight to keep it. I just get to have it… Enjoy it.
Being loved, safe, and chosen.
My whole life, I’ve always waited for the other shoe to drop. For happiness tobe yanked awaythe second I started to believe in it. But now I don’t feel afraid. Not with them. Not with us.
I fall asleep smiling to myself, letting the warmth settle in my bones, and I think,‘Maybe this is what the beginning of a real, happy family feels like’.
Riot’s Epilogue
One Year Later
Sawyer has always joked that life with us felt like living in one of her smutty romance books, and I never thought we’d actually use that against her.
But here we are, a year after everything changed, and Jasper and I are pulling out all the stops. We’ve spent weeks planning, scouring her bookshelves and her secret “favorites” folder for inspiration. There were spreadsheets, arguments about the use of rope versus silk, and one really unfortunate test run involving whipped cream that neither of us will ever mention again.
Tonight, we’ll get it right.
We told her we’re going to have a night in—no plans, just us. Jasper sets the mood with low lights, candles burning down to pools of wax, music vibrating through the house, the same playlist she listens to when she edits photos in the dark. The candles she hoards are all burning low, creating flicker light along the walls and ceiling.
She’s wearing one of my old shirts, no pants, and herhair is a wild mess. I swear I fall harder every time I see her.
I’m nervous as fuck as I lead her to the bedroom. The air’s thick with anticipation and that electric edge that constantly hums when it’s all three of us. Jasper is already waiting and he’s shirtless. His ink is on display, the tattoo on his throat and chest look alive in the flickering light. The bed’s a mess of black rose petals and silk sheets, her favorite, and a little gold tray sits on the nightstand.
Sawyer raises an eyebrow, grinning. “What did you two do?”
Jasper gives her that wolfish smirk. “You said you wanted a book scene, Trouble. So tonight, you get one.”
We guide her onto the bed. Jasper blindfolds her gently, his hands tender as he ties the silk behind her head. My fingers slowly trace her thighs, teasing her. We take our time, building the tension with every touch and every filthy promise. The scene plays out just like one of her dog-eared favorites—soft restraint, teasing, mouths and hands everywhere. Jasper and I are trading kisses over her skin, dragging it out until she’s gasping loudly and begging for us.
