Resting her chin on her palm, Everly stared broodingly out the window. How dare he not be happy for her?! She didn’t have to be with them. If they were not going to support her dreams, she could leave. Taking a big sip of her juice angrily, Everly slammed the empty glass on the table. The fantasy of just leaving right now in this moment played through her head, just getting up and walking out that door and not looking back.
A woman and a man plopped down heavily on the booth in front of hers. “Sorry we’re late,” the woman sighed to her awaiting companion, as she grabbed a cocktail menu. “The convention center down the way had a fire alarm, so the streets are crowded with people leaving.”
Good thing she left when she did, Everly thought.
“Would you like another juice, miss?” The waiter appeared beside Everly.
Nodding she thanked the waiter and stared back out the window.
Who was she kidding, she frowned, there was no way she could just get up and walk out without looking back. Everly would always look back, she would always think about the men who loved her so much at first sight that they risked everything to be with her. How could she ever forget the two men that were prepared to love her child like it was theirs? Those two horrible men were monsters, but they were her monsters.
“Miss,” vaguely a voice broke her thoughts. “Miss?”
The woman who had sat down in the booth in front of her was turned around in her seat pointing at the booth seat opposite Everly. “I’m sorry to bother you, but is that your phone vibrating?” She gave her an apologetic smile. “It’s just that it’s been vibrating nonstop and…”
“Oh!” Everly blinked for a moment, before realizing what the woman was trying to say. “Yes, I’m sorry about that.”
Grabbing her bag off the opposite seat, Everly dug out her phone and sat back down in her booth seat. Looking at the screen of her phone Everly’s heart practically stopped. Forty-six missed calls, and her battery was at five percent.
Scrolling through the log, they were all from Zane.
The phone started vibrating again, shakily she accepted the call.
She didn’t even get a chance to say anything before she heard Zane’s roar. “Everly where the fuck…”
Looking at her phone in a panic, her heart felt like it turned to stone. The battery died.
Glancing around the bar, she tried to think. She didn’t have her phone charger, she didn’t yet have a key to the condo, nor had she remembered their phone numbers yet. Everly had no clue what to do. Looking out the window, she could see the sky darkening with each passing minute. Maybe she should go talk to the concierge desk, they could possibly have their numbers and call them for her. Getting up, she was setting her money down on the table when she saw him walking past the bar window. Rushing out the bar, she stopped in the hall and watched Reid push through the revolving door, his eyes searching rapidly like a hawk through the milling crowd. Too stunned, and frankly a little nervous to say anything, she just stood stone still until his dark azure gaze caught hers. Even though they were yards apart, Everly could practically feel the tension leave his body and the fury enter. With long, violent, purposeful steps Reid made his way towards her. The stone mask of his face said it all—she was in trouble.
Without saying a word, Reid turned her by the shoulders and walked her to the elevator. Stepping inside, Reid was pressing the button for their floor when they saw Zane push through the same revolving door at the end of the hall and make eye contact with them.
The fury on Zane’s face frightened her. Clutching on to Reid’s shirt, Everly stood silently as Zane stepped onto the waiting elevator. No one said anything as the metal box started to ascend.
“I was…”
“Nope,” Reid said sharply. “Inside. We discuss this inside.”
Hurt, Everly tried to keep from pouting.
Once the doors were open, she was led inside the condo. Standing side by side, both men stood strong and tall effectively making her feel like a cornered rabbit.
“Do you even know how scared we were…” Both men started yelling at once.
“I thought something had happened to you…” Zane’s voice edged out over Reid’s.
“I love you,” she said quietly.
Wide-eyed silence stared back at her from both men.
“What…wait a minute…say that again, baby,” Zane stepped forward with his hands outstretched ready to pull her to him, his expression was a mixture of disbelief and elation.
Holding up her hand she halted his advancement. Reid had not moved, it was as if he was too stunned to move as if any sudden movements everything would disappear.
“I just want you both to know that I don’t have to be here.”
Still dazed and in a state of disbelief both men simply just nodded in readily agreement.
Skeptical of their easy acceptance, Everly continued with a narrowed gaze at both of them. “If I wanted to, I could leave right now and be fine on my own.” Still, they just stared at her expectantly—waiting. “But I realized…” She hedged nervously.
Quickly, both men stepped forward.
“You realized…” Zane repeated, eagerly wanting her to finish her sentence.
“I realized I don’t want to.”
“Because?” The desperation in Reid’s gruff voice tore at her heart.
Smiling up at them both she repeated. “Because I love you both.”
They made her repeat it a million times that night. One-on-one she cupped each man’s bearded face and kissed “I love you’s” onto their lips. Together they pushed and pulled frantically into her body demanding she profess her love at the height of her release. Together as they fell to the bed in exhaustion both men whispered their love to her in each ear.
Cupping her stomach, Everly smiled to herself later that night as the lights of the city danced across the room. She realized as she stared up at the dark sky all of her prayers for a wonderful new life came true. It wasn’t what she expected, and it certainly wasn’t the traditional family she envisioned, but it was so much more, it was pure, unconditional love given back to back.
Epilogue
A few weeks later, Everly walked into the living room to see both of her handsome men kneeling down on one knee, each with a ring box in their hand. That day she became a wife.
A little over a month after that, Everly watched as the two men acted like chickens with their heads cut off as she carried baby Zena into the nursery. That was the day she became a mom.
A little over six months ago, two brothers abducted her from her apartment and like, a dark fairy tale, carried her to their secluded island. That was the beginning of her new life.
Four years later Ezekiel Pengram made his monthly trip into town and was waived down by the local postmaster. Stopped just a few miles from his home, Ezekiel tore open the brown package. One by one he stared at the girl with his eyes as she smiled back at him through the photos. Holding a baby and flanked by two other children the young woman laughed brightly. Ezekiel turned over the photo: Zena, Zachariah, and baby Zelda. The next photo showed all four again plus two good-looking men smiling broadly behind them, all standing in front of the Eiffel Tower. The back of that picture only had one word—family. That was the first day Ezekiel smiled for Everly.
Fin
From the Author:
Thank you,
I hope you enjoyed it. Please feel free to leave me as many shiny stars as you want as a review.
Just a girl staring out the window lost in her thoughts.
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Back to Black: A captive ménage romance Page 22
