“Well, kids,” Dean says after a gentle but sweet kiss, “I think this calls for a celebration. What do you say we get back out there and party like it’s 1999.”
“It’s 2020,” Niles drawls.
“So?”
We stare at him for a single heartbeat, and then we all burst into laughter.
“Yeah, sure, buddy,” Shane says, joining his friend as they head toward the door. He claps him on the back as they step through to the hallway. “Do you think they have some Prince on the radio?”
“If not, I’ll let them borrow my Bluetooth.”
I’m still grinning when I feel Niles’ hand slip into mine, his fingers gripping mine tight. I look up at him and meet his gentle gaze. “Are you sure about this? I don’t want you to feel obligated.”
“I don’t. This is exactly what I want.”
“Even if you become the center of gossip around the water cooler?”
“Even if,” I assure him. “I have a feeling that what we have started here goes above and beyond all of that, and I’m not willing to live the rest of my life with a question left unanswered. I need to explore this thing between us or I’ll always wonder.”
“Me too.” He smiles broadly and squeezes my hand. “I have a feeling this is going to be the start of something beautiful.”
I knock my shoulder into his as we trail after Dean and Shane. “Cheesy, Mr. Prescott, very cheesy. But I agree.”
As we join the rest of the company in a post-celebration of the new year, toasting to each other and making resolutions that none of us will uphold, I realize that at the end of the day, there are worse things than to be part of the rumor mill. Happiness is fleeting, so you have to grab onto every bit of it when you can, because you never know when it may come around again. As far as I’m concerned, I’ve hit the jackpot in these three, and I’m going to milk it for all it’s worth.
EPILOGUE
One year later…
“Would you like a refill on your eggnog, dear?”
“No thanks, Mrs. Berry.” Niles is polite and says everything with a smile. I enjoy watching him interact with my family, especially after he confided in me that his own rejected him when they found out that he wasn’t exactly a saint when it came to his approach to relationships. Apparently, they didn’t like the dynamics of three men and a woman shacking up, and while he hadn’t done it to the extent that he is now, they weren’t willing to wait around and see how it worked out for themselves. The absence of his nuclear family didn’t appear to have any effect on him on the surface, but now that we’re in the presence of my own family, I believe I see it all too clear.
Niles is happier now than I’ve ever seen him. He seems to almost come alive when my parents give him any attention, and even more so when it’s coming from Grams, who has, by far, accepted him as one of her own. She’s been doting on him and the guys since we walked in the door and they passed her tests.
“How about you two?” Gram turns her attention to Shane and Dean, who flank my left side at the dining table.
“Oh no, I couldn’t eat or drink another thing,” Shane says, patting his stomach as if he’s already gained ten pounds when he doesn’t look an ounce heavier, despite the two loaded plates he demolished at dinner.
Dean wiggles his fingers in a “come hither” gesture. “Hit me with it, Grandma.”
She grins as she comes to his side of the table and refills his glass. “Pie?”
“You know it.”
Dean has already eaten half of a cherry pie all on his own. My eyes widen in shock. “Do you have an off switch? I swear you’re going to explode if you don’t take a time out.”
“Me? Please.” Dean scoffs, his eyes widening as a fresh slice of pie is laid out before him. Grams offers a scoop of vanilla ice cream for the top with nothing more than a look, and he nods vigorously. “There’s no such thing as an off switch when the food is this good.” He takes an enormous bite and moans, his eyes rolling back in his head. He’s been doing this all evening. “Grandma, you are a god among gods. I bow at your feet.”
She titters at his compliment. “You don’t have to bow, you sweet boy. But I will take a good foot rub when you’re finished. I’ve been on my feet all day and these puppies are screaming.”
“You got yourself a deal.”
It’s been this way all night. These guys are a hoot, and they fit into my family better than I could have imagined or hoped for. Of course, my father isn’t thrilled about me being with three men at once, but he isn’t saying anything unkind. And my mother, who was skeptical before, seems to be settling into the idea more and more with each passing hour. And Grandpa…well, he isn’t tuned into much when it comes to what’s happening around him. As long as it doesn’t personally affect him, he doesn’t concern himself.
Gram pats the guys on the shoulder and when she reaches me, she drops an affectionate kiss on the top of my head, then leaves the room to give us some long-awaited privacy.
It’s late. Later than my parents and grandparents normally stay up, and we linger in the kitchen long enough to allow them to finish up in the living room and head up to bed before agreeing to head there ourselves.
We’re not allowed to share the same bed. It’s my father’s rules, but it’s also the only appropriate thing to do while under their roof. Besides, my twin bed is a far cry from big enough to accommodate all of us. My father and mother have made up the foldout couch in the den, leaving a blow-up mattress on the floor so no one is without a place to sleep tonight.
It’s nothing like what the guys are accustomed to, but they assured me it’s more than okay and they are just happy to be here. I can tell they’re happy with the way things have gone, and to be honest, so am I. I expected worse and got the best. Whatever snags there may be, I know they’ll work themselves out in time.
The house is quiet, most of the lights turned out and the remaining turned down to create a warm ambiance that makes the house a source of comfort and peace that I now enjoy in my own home—the home I purchased and now live in with my three men. Our affair has been a speedy one, and it’s had its rough patches, but it’s been filled with nothing but love and respect, and the excitement of daily life together, exploring the many facets of a polyamorous relationship has been both challenging and thrilling and I’ve never been more fulfilled in my life.
I have everything I could want and I’m looking forward to so much more.
We pause, our little group, at the base of the stairs where we will split off, me going upstairs to my bedroom and them to the den, to retire for the night.
“I guess this is where we part ways…” I grimace, letting them know how much I hate the idea.
Dean curls my hair behind my ear and kisses my lips lightly. “It’s only for the night.”
“A very long night,” Shane stresses. We haven’t spent a single night apart in almost a year. This is a true test of patience for all of us.
I lean up to kiss Shane good night and then Niles steps into my space, but instead of kissing me, he takes my hand and tugs. I follow, taking a few shorts steps toward the den, where we stop at the archway.
“What?” I say, smiling up at him in question.
Niles points up, and my gaze follows. I grin.
“You know the rules,” he croons.
I sling my arms around his shoulders, and touch the tip of my nose against his, closing my eyes as I breath in deeply as a wave of happiness floods through me. Mistletoe. “We’ve come full circle,” I whisper.
His arms around me squeeze tightly. “Merry Christmas…toots.”
The end.
*****
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*****
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
J.C. Valentine is the USA Today and International bestselling author of the Night Calls and Wayward Fighters Series and the Forbidden Trilogy. Her vivid imagination and love of words and romance had her penning her own romance stories from an early age, which, despite being poorly edited and written longhand, she forced friends and family members to read. No, she isn't sorry.
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Under the Mistletoe: A Reverse Harem Christmas Novel Page 12
