Holiday Hostage

Epilogue

ONE MONTH LATER

The attic of the cabin is still a little shabby in terms of a proper studio, but the guys have done their best to put together a nice space for me to call my own. Even though I'm used to sneaking away from the three of them to come up here and work on some of my designs, knowing none of them are wandering around the house below me sends anxiety shooting through my veins.

In the days after I came to live with them officially, the three of them kept sneaking around while they tried to surprise me with my studio. They would go into town in shifts, distracting me while sneaking off to buy a desk or a chair. I'll never forget the look on all of their faces as they excitedly led me up into the new room. They had a brand new iPad sitting on the desk, with a professional stylus and notebooks for me to sketch out ideas.

It was so incredibly thoughtful, and it only made me fall all the more in love with each and every one of them. I don't know what I'll do if something happens to them on this run.

“They'll be fine,” I whisper, taking a few deep breaths to calm my nerves. They left over an hour ago and should be back any minute. This is just another job for them. They've done this plenty of times, and they know exactly what to do.

Even though I keep telling myself that over and over again, it doesn't do anything to calm me down. Eventually, I give up trying to draw and head downstairs to the living room to pace back and forth while I wait for them. The sun sets, and they still aren't home.

I sit on the couch, holding my head in my hands while anxiously waiting for the door to open. I think about calling them, but I know that could only be a distraction if something is going south. Besides, all they have on them are their burner phones. If I call them there, police might be able to link them back to this cabin, and the last thing I want to be is a liability.

After about thirty minutes, the front door bursts open, and I jump up from the couch with a relieved sigh, seeing all three of them walking in with smiles on their faces.

“Where have you guys been? I was worried.” I walk over to all three of them, wrapping my arms tight around their necks to pull them in for kisses.

“Remember what I said about blending in with traffic?” Eli says, holding me against him as I hug him. “Sometimes that means we get stuck in traffic jams.”

I laugh and back away from them, heading into the living room to listen to everything they have to say about how the robbery went down. They spend days planning everything to a T, planning one of the biggest hauls they've ever made. Hearing that everything went down without a hitch makes me feel a lot better about staying here with them. Knowing the three of them are criminals and not turning them into the police is a crime in and of itself. It definitely eases my mind to know they're good at what they do.

Koda excitedly pulls out the duffel bag, opening it up to reveal piles of cash lined on the inside. Both of them watch me as I look at it in disbelief. I've never seen so much cash in real life before. In fact, living with the three of them just doesn't feel like real life, so in a way it makes sense.

“We're never going to have to do this again,” Koda says, looking at me with a reassuring grin. “This is enough for us to say goodbye to this once and for all. We can settle down and relax. This is enough money for anything we'll ever need.”

“But most importantly, we have you here with us now,” Bryce says, letting his eyes scan my body.

It's hard not to blush at the cheesy lines he throws at me, but I know he's being sincere right now. All four of us bask in this moment, excited for what the future will hold. We each talk about what we want for the future, how we want to settle down and live happily ever after with each other.

I stand while they're distracted, looking down at all of them resting my hand over my stomach, feeling anxious about the news I have to share with them. When all three of them are looking at me, I take a deep breath to calm my nerves.

“There's something I need to tell you guys. I know it's a little bit complicated with our... situation,” I say, taking my time to look each of them in the eyes. “But I think I might be pregnant.”

They pause for a moment, not knowing what to say. Shortly after, all of them smile and stand, rushing over to me to hold me in their arms. I can hardly hear the words they're saying over the overwhelming excitement I feel knowing they're not upset about this. Before I knew they were getting as much money as they did, with the plan of settling down, all I could think about was how having a baby on the run would be a nightmare.

But everything is falling into place perfectly. We're all exactly where we need to be.

“After you told us you weren't on the pill, I thought to grab a couple of pregnancy tests last time I was in town,” Eli says, grabbing my hand to lead me to his bathroom. Bryce and Koda follow us, taking a seat on his bed while I close myself in the bathroom to pee on the small plastic stick Eli hands me.

I set it down on the bathroom counter, returning to them with the timer on my phone. It's the longest sixty seconds of my life, and all of us are sitting in excruciating silence while we wait for the result. When the alarm rings, all three of us file into the bathroom, hovering around the counter as I close my eyes and brace myself for whatever the result is.

Two little pink lines change my future forever.

“Oh my God, I'm pregnant,” I say, immediately shaking as I turn around and look at all three of them with a wide smile. “We're going to have a baby.”

The three of them wrap their arms around me, gently pulling me close to them to celebrate the good news. Tears fall from my eyes, and I force back thoughts of just how lonely I was a month ago. Everything has changed, and I'm happier than I've ever been in my entire life. I have three great men here for me, taking care of me and making sure I'm loved. Now, we're bringing a baby into the world that all of us are going to adore.

“I think some celebration is in order,” Bryce says, wrapping his arms around my waist and kissing my neck.

The others look at me, making a path to the bedroom as they guide me toward the bed. I sit on it, watching all three of them and thinking about how lucky I am.

One of the worst moments of my life managed to lead me here with them, exactly where I'm supposed to be. Even through all of the pain I felt, I would go through all of it over again, knowing I'd end up here, where I belong with them.

Thank you for reading Holiday Hostage.