Page 90 of Theirs

Epilogue

One Year Later

I smile down at my sore, bloody finger as I walk down the street to the SUV we keep here at one of our vacation homes, heading back to the cabin where the guys and Mr. Snuffy are waiting for me. We’re spending Christmas at the cabin Colin bought in Colorado, the same one we spent our first Christmas in last year. This time, Kane and Kristen are joining us with my little niece. They’re coming tomorrow after they celebrate their Christmas with Kristen’s parents. Kane cut our parents out completely, and hasn’t spoken to them. My father tried reaching out to me a couple months ago on my birthday, and I even agreed to meet him for lunch downtown, but he stood me up. I took that as my sign to let them go forever. It’s a shame, not knowing my parents anymore, but sometimes, you’re better off. Blood isn’t necessarily thicker than water.

Now we’re all making our own little family traditions, including staying in the mountain cabin and snowboarding every Christmas. I can’t wait to teach my little niece how to snowboard in a couple of years, you know, once she learns how to walk.

Since tonight is the last night that we’ll have the cabin to ourselves, I wanted to surprise my guys. I take the snow-covered roads carefully back to the cabin as safely as I can, not wanting to put a scratch on the fancy car. Mac was very nervous about me going out alone, but I promised him I would be safe. When I pull in the driveway, I spot Colin carrying some firewood from the nearby stack. I shut the car off, and hop out, hiding my fresh, stinging tattoo.

“Hey, baby,” Colin says, as I walk over to grab the door for him since he’s got his arms full. “Where have you been?”

I smirk. “Just a surprise.”

“I do love your surprises, Lavender,” he says as I close the door behind us, shutting the cold out.

“Is Lav back?” I hear Ben’s voice from the family room.

“Yes, I am,” I say, taking my wool coat off and hanging it on the hook by the door.

“What happened to your hand?” Mac asks, startling me from the office. I was hoping I could hide the surprise a little better. Sure enough, Mac noticed the second he saw the bandage. He’s always worried about me being in pain. The only pain I’m to experience is the pleasure-pain he gives me in the bedroom. I hope like hell he spanks me for this, and then worships me until I’m screaming all of their names.

“I’m fine, Daddy,” I say, rolling my eyes. “I’m not as fragile as you think.”

“I know what that is,” Colin says, as he turns around from sitting the firewood on the hearth. “That’s a tattoo bandage.”

“Lavender got a new tattoo?” Alex asks, joining us from his spot in the kitchen, looking adorable in a Kiss the Cook apron. Now all the guys are staring at me from my spot at the front door. All of them with questions in their eyes.

“I did get a new tattoo,” I say, holding my left hand up. “You could say that it’s kind of a Christmas gift to you guys since I had no clue what to buy any of you.”

“I thought we weren’t doing Christmas gifts,” Ben complains.

I put my non-bandaged hand on my hip. “You think I believe that? I saw the guest closet. It’s overflowing with Christmas gifts.”

“Some of those are for baby Rylee,” he says, shrugging his shoulders. “Gotta spoil our little niece. Wait until you see the snowboard I got her.”

“She’s not even walking or crawling yet!” I say laughing.

He shrugs his shoulders. “You’re changing the subject, my love. What did you get tattooed?”

“It’s not much,” I say, reaching to tug the tape off of the bandage. “But I wanted something to symbolize how much I love you guys...”

The men step closer as I pull off the bandage, and hold my hand out for them. Alex gently holds my hand, making sure he doesn’t touch the fresh ink, as all of them look at my finger.

“Baby,” Colin says softly. When I look up at him, he’s got a smile on his face and it looks like he’s going to cry. I’ve never seen Colin like this.

“It’s just something small,” I say, trying to justify the four slim lines that wrap around my ring finger. “I know it’s going to be impossible to marry all of you, but I just want the world to know that I’m taken. You guys are all I ever want in the world. There will never be anyone else for me.”

Mac walks away, making my heart drop, and I watch as he goes over to the fireplace to pull something out of one of the stockings.

“Are you mad?” I whisper when Mac walks back over. Shit, I should have told them before I did something so permanent. I’m such an idiot!

He holds out a slender velvet box to me, a smile playing at his lips. It looks like the type of box a jeweler would put a bracelet in. Guess the guys got me some more jewelry. I reach for my necklace that they bought me over a year ago, I never take it off.

“Open it,” Mac says, holding the box out for me.

I carefully pull my hand out of Alex’s hold, and take the box from Mac. I crack the box open, and gasp when I see the contents; it’s not a bracelet.

Five rings sit in the plush cushion.

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