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“So, I got help,” he continues. “I went to therapy. A fucking lot of it. I faced my demons and came out the other side with a better understanding of why I’m such a mess. I promised my therapist I’d continue my sessions online. Apparently, we’re far from done.”

He rolls his eyes, looking at us as though he’s expecting us to laugh, but this is far from funny. When no one speaks, he sighs and leans back in the chair.

“I did it for you. I mean, for myself, too. But . . .” He groans and shoves a hand through his hair. “You all seemed to see something in me that I just couldn’t understand. I wanted to be the person you thought I was. I wanted to be worthy. That’s why it took so fucking long. And maybe it was too long because—”

Joy crosses my small living area and climbs onto Doug’s lap, burying her face between his neck and shoulder, her eyes closed. Doug’s eyes widen for a second, then he wraps his arms around her, his hands smoothing up and down her arm.

“Hey,” he says softly.

The tightly coiled muscles in my shoulders relax and I smile as Aldo crosses to him and takes his face between his hands, kissing him tenderly. I take a sip of wine, part of me still not quite believing that he actually came back.

“What about you, Masters?” Doug asks, when Aldo pulls away. “Where are these kisses and hugs you mentioned? Or were you being a fucking tease?”

I bite back a smile. His British accent is stronger than ever, and I kind of love it. I take another sip of wine, my eyes locked on his steely gray ones, as he raises his eyebrows. Then, I put my glass down on the counter and cross to him. But I don’t kiss him.

Instead, I slide two fingers beneath Joy’s chin, tilting her head upwards before kissing her in the way she knows means I have things in store for her. She still tastes like the champagne she drank at graduation, and I suck it greedily from her tongue as she moans softly.

In my ear, Doug’s breathing quickens, his face only inches away from us. When I pull back, I lock eyes with him for a few long seconds, then move to where Aldo is perched on the arm of the chair. Sliding my hand around his neck, I pull him into a bruising kiss. I’ve wanted to do this since sneaking onto campus, and as his fingers grip the front of my black button down, his teeth teasing my bottom lip, I groan, already half hard behind my zipper.

I’m breathless when I pull away and look back at where Doug is trapped in front of me. He glares up at me, his jaw taut, and I grin.

“You’re a fucking knob, Masters,” he grits out.

I scrape my fingers through his thick beard, still smiling. “Sorry, who?”

Doug huffs, but then he’s on his feet, Joy deposited in his place, and his hands on my chest. The smile falls from my lips as he shoves me to the sofa, but then he straddles me, his fingers in my hair.

“Sorry,” he says, his gaze roaming over my face. “You’re a fucking knob,Lane.”

And then his mouth is on mine.

My eyes roll back behind my closed lids as I let my hands explore the body I’ve missed more than I want to admit. Doug’s kiss is rough and claiming and exactly what I want—what I need—but he pulls away too soon.

“I need to wash the plane off me,” he says, pushing to his feet. “I’ve been traveling for eighteen hours.”

“You know where the shower is,” I say. “Help yourself. We’ll get food ordered.”

Doug grabs one of his bags and hoists it up over his shoulder, but before he can move away, I grab him and press another kiss to his lips.

“We missed you,” I say quietly.

He nods, his eyes closing as he draws in a breath. “I know. I missed you all, too.”

As soon as the door to my bedroom closes behind him, it’s like we all release a collective breath.

“He’s back,” Aldo says, shaking his head. “He’s actually back.”

Joy takes a sip of wine, her attention still focused on the closed bedroom door. “I don’t think I ever fully let myself hope . . . I was starting to think . . .”

She doesn’t need to finish the thoughts we all shared.

“Do you think he’ll come with us?” Aldo asks.

I laugh, finding my phone and pulling up the menu we decided on earlier. “He came back for us. It’s not like he has a choice.”

My words send a thrill through me. Tomorrow, a new adventure begins. I have no idea what lies ahead for us, but I know that with these three by my side, the possibilities are endless.

FOUR YEARS LATER

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