FOUR MONTHS LATER

"You should have another croissant. Here." Beth grabbed one from the case and thrust it at me over the counter.

Unable to resist the temptation, I accepted the croissant with a laugh. "I've already indulged in two of these and a cinnamon roll this morning, not to mention the coffee we grabbed on the drive up here."

"You still haven't gained all the weight back you lost. Eat it."

Beth returned to her duties, inspecting the bakery cases and merchandise behind the counter. Her shop wasn't open for the day yet. Sundays were their late days, opening at eleven instead of the usual 7 a.m. Her staff was bustling around in the back, everyone talking excitedly and laughing with each other. I was really enjoying the atmosphere. I absorbed the noise, returned to my seat at one of the tables near the front window, and savored my third croissant of the day, a small token of the care and love that Beth continued to smother me with.

Very early this morning, we had left Boston to drive up here. I was spending the week in Maine, finally having the chance and approval of my doctors to check out the burned wreckage of my house and begin making decisions on what to do with the property.

My guys drove up yesterday. Mal wanted to see his parents before they took off on another vacation. Beth and I needed to leave soon to go meet everyone there. It was super exciting. And scary. This would be the first time I'd seen them since we were in high school, and now they knew I was with their son - and with Noah and Joshua. All of us, together. Mal assured me they were fine with it, and it meant a great deal to me that he wanted me to see them.

Hopefully, everything would go okay, and then I could focus on cleaning up my house situation. I was eager to have something to keep me occupied. Not that the past few months hadn't been filled with all sorts of things. My physical therapy took up most of my time, then the appointments with my psychologist and therapy group, and any other doctor follow-ups I was required to attend. Noah was in full nanny mode when it came to all my care appointments. He put up with my grumbling and complaining, usually being the one to drive me to and from wherever I had to be, staying by my side during the whole check-up or PT session. The only one he didn't attend was the one with my psychologist, but he waited in the lobby.

My boys were my biggest cheerleaders throughout my recovery. I smiled thinking about them. None of it had been easy, and there were days when I still shut down, losing myself in memories of what had been done to me. It was hard to tell what might set me off. A sound, a smell, a word - most of the time, I didn't even know. And they would be there, bringing me up to our bed and tucking me in, knowing it was time and rest that would help me through it. One of them would stay in the room with me, watching over me from the chair in the corner. Noah would work on his laptop. Joshua would bring in a handheld video game console; the silly beeps and bumps from his game were an odd comfort. Mal would read, sometimes out loud to me until I fell asleep.

Even my worst days were still pretty amazing.

In my time spent at home - which was a lot because I didn't go out much yet, other than to the hospital - I finally converted Riley's old room into mine. It was highly therapeutic to lose myself in the redecorating process. I painted it and accessorized it in pale, happy colors, turning it into a warm and inviting place. It was soft and gentle and comfy. Everything I needed.

The boys loved it, although I had the feeling they would have loved anything I did to the space. It was technically our room, not just mine. I made that clear when I replaced the bed with a double king-sized monstrosity covered in plush comforters and fluffy pillows in which we could all snuggle together. They kept their separate rooms, recognizing my need for some distance occasionally, but we still spent almost every night together. Sleeping, nothing else.

Sex was a complicated thing now.

Complicated enough that we hadn't tried having it yet. Not as a group or one one-on-one.

I wanted to. Fucking hell, did I want to. My level of horniness came as a shock to me after what I'd been through. I dreamt about it. Thought about it. Salivated for it. My body knew that everything they offered me was love, adoration, and affection. It was worship. And while my brain was still learning to remember that their touch, their love, their devotion was leagues away from Stephen's horrific version, my libido was ready and yearning. Each time I planned on initiating something, I chickened out. What if I couldn't go through with it? What if I didn't like it anymore? What if I was still damaged inside, and they wouldn't like it?

I couldn't get out of my own head about it.

My boys were being perfect gentlemen, of course. Sometimes I wished they wouldn't be. Maybe if one of them would take charge and throw me down on the bed and eat me for breakfast until I passed out, I'd be able to shut off my brain and just lose myself in the pleasure.

I squirmed in my seat, panties wet at the thought.

"Why are you wiggling like that?" Beth smirked down at me, an eyebrow cocked in amusement.

"I'm not wiggling."

"Sure. Let's go. We're late."

Beth was unusually brisk today. It was obvious something was on her mind. She was probably worried about running into Greg while we were here. He usually came by the cafe whenever she was back in town. He had been attempting to reconcile, and Beth had been resisting. I'd questioned her about it a thousand times. She'd usually make some flippant remarks and change the subject. I tried to get her to talk about it on the drive here, but she deflected, falling asleep instead.

Choosing not to start an argument, I followed her out of her shop. She stopped at the driver's side of the Range Rover, her hand out for the keys. "I'll drive."

"I drove us all the way here. You don't think I can manage the few miles to Mal's parents?"

She only waved her fingers at me.

Sighing, I handed them over. "You're so weird today."

"I'm weird every day. Now get in."

One street and two turns later, we were heading in the direction of my old house. "Where are we going? I thought we were meeting them at Mal's?"

"No, they changed their minds. It was easier to meet at your house."

"But I was supposed to see his parents."

Beth shrugged but didn't say anything

I frowned. They didn't call or text me about it. But they told Beth?

Did his mom and dad not want to see me?

Something was definitely going on. It couldn't be something bad - right? Beth wouldn't drive me into a situation I wouldn't be able to handle. My guys wouldn't surprise me with anything that I wasn't ready for. I trusted all of them. It was going to be fine.

I wasn't breathing when Beth turned into my driveway; the distance to where my house used to stand seemed much greater than I knew it actually was. Beth reached over and took my hand very gently since my left hand was still sore in some places. My fingers squeezed hers as hard as they were capable of. She smiled.

"It's okay."

We rounded the last bend of the drive and ... there was my house.

My house.

My three guys stood in front of the porch steps, smiling at the SUV as we approached.

"What - how - what? It's my house."

Beth was beaming now. "Yes, Ree, it's your house."

"How is my house here?"

She laughed when I whirled in my seat to face her. My expression had to be a comical mixture of shock and confusion. "They'll explain everything. Go," she shooed at me with her hands. "They're waiting for you."

"You knew about this?"

"Obviously. Keeping it a secret for so long was excruciating. You know I suck at keeping my mouth shut."

Noah walked over, opening my door to help me out. "Hello, beautiful."

"Hi," I gushed, the stupid smile on my face mirroring his.

He led me over to Mal and Joshua. That's when I noticed how nicely they were all dressed. All three of them wore black pants and dress shirts. Noah was in white, Mal was in a plum so dark it was almost black, and Joshua wore a deep blue. I looked down at my jeans and hoodie.

"I feel severely underdressed. What's the occasion?" I gazed past them, still distracted that my house was there. "You rebuilt my house?"

Joshua nodded. "It's an exact copy of the original."

From what I was able to see, it was. It was a bit brighter, the white clean and shiny, years away from discoloring to an aging yellowish beige. The boards of the porch steps were sturdier and solid under my feet instead of the sagging worn word from before. The front door didn't creak when I pushed it open. The hardwood floor matched the color and pattern of the old one but bore none of the gouges and scrapes that were normal after years of wear and tear.

The rooms were empty and undecorated. All the walls were painted a very sterile white. The bones of the house had been rebuilt. They had left the rest up to me.

"How? When?"

"It was Jay's idea," Mal answered. "He didn't want you to have to deal with this after the hospital."

I turned to Joshua. "You did this?"

He nodded. "It was your home, baby girl. I wanted you to have it back."

My inhale was half air and half sob. "You rebuilt my house."

"Yeah, I did."

Worried I would break down into a mess of snotty tears, I turned away from them to try and get myself together. On the mantel over the fireplace sat a ceramic turtle and shot glass. The turtle was a little worse for wear. Some of his paint was scorched black. I think it was the one Riley named Albatross McHumphrey, and the memory made me smile. It was such a ridiculous name and he had been so proud for coming up with it. Our mom had scolded me for teasing him about it and decided from that day forward, he would name all the turtles she collected.

"Reggie," Noah spoke softly.

I wiped at my tears and then turned.

My boys were before me, all on one knee, and Noah held an open ring box in his hands.

"Reggie -"

"Yes!" I shouted.

Joshua laughed, and Mal snorted. "You're not even going to let us ask the question first?"

I clamped my hand over my mouth. "Sorry," I mumbled. "Go on. Ask me."

Noah smiled, took a breath, and tried again. "Reggie, we love you. You have been the light in our lives since the day we first met you. With you, we are all better men. Will you marry me and let me spend the rest of our lives showing you how much I love you?"

Joshua was still laughing. "And me?"

Mal was as serious as I'd ever seen him. "And me?"

"Yes, yes, yes! All yes!"

Noah stood, removing the ring from the box, and approached, gently taking my hand. Joshua and Mal joined us, standing close on either side of me. Enraptured, I watched Noah slide the ring onto my finger. It was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. The center stone was a large, cushion-cut yellow diamond... one that I had seen before. His mother had worn it every day of her life. Surrounding it was a web of small vine-like tendrils of white gold, nestling two other stones off-center to the top left and bottom right. One stone was a round, brilliant green peridot. The other was a gorgeous, deep navy sapphire.

I studied it for a very long time, fascinated by the design and the obvious symbolism of the stones. One for each of my men. Noah's was the yellow diamond. I was guessing the peridot was Mal's, and the sapphire belonged to Joshua.

"Tell me about them," I whispered.

"The peridot is believed to have healing powers and will bring wealth and happiness to the wearer." Mal took my hand in his and kissed my knuckle above the ring. "This stone has been in my family for generations, and my mother wore it before you."

My tears were beginning to spill down my cheeks. I kissed him deeply and slowly. "Thank you."

Joshua wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling lightly to turn me to him. "The sapphire was a gift from my father to my mom when I was born. It's also my birthstone."

"I love you," I whispered to him, and he whispered it back, his lips brushing over mine in a light kiss.

"The diamond is from your mother's engagement ring."

Noah nodded, stepping in close. Mal and Joshua kept their holds on me, and they completely caged me in, warmth from their bodies surrounding me in a comforting shield. "She always intended for me to give it to my future wife."

"Hmm, wife." I liked the sound of it. "Husbands."

They all laughed quietly.

"Not legally, but yes," Joshua explained. "We are your husbands. If you want, you can legally marry one of us, even take one of our names. Or we can take your name."

"Maleko Masterson has a nice ring to it," I teased Mal, who only grumbled under his breath.

"So does Regan Elizabeth Keahi."

"Are we doing this or what?" Beth called, bursting through the front door.

We all turned, and when she saw the smiles and my tears, she threw her hands up and cheered. "Yay! We're doing this! Let's get you ready."

"Ready for what?"

She frowned at them. "You haven't gotten that far yet?"

Noah frowned back. "We just got done with the proposal, Beth. Give us a second."

"Oh," she grimaced. "I'll just be upstairs then. Send her up when you're done."

I took in their nice clothes again and knew immediately what she was going on about.

"You want to marry me today?"

Holy shit.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Don't freak out.

"We have it all set up, Reggie." Noah guided me through the room, into the kitchen, and towards the bay window.

Our tree.

The fire hadn't spread that far. Some of the branches looked shorter and probably burned off, but the huge tree stood tall and proud. Directly under it, where it always had been, was our bench. My heart was so happy at the sight.

Directly in front of the bench was an archway decorated in evergreens and white roses. The newly graveled pathway was lined with more of the greenery and flowers, leading around the pool and up to the back deck. Twinkle lights were strung through them, turned off in the late morning sun, but they'd look magical when the sun had set. It was simple and elegant.

Perfection.

Mal curved his body into mine from behind, arms looping around my stomach and his lips at my ear. "Marry us, baby. Be my wife."

"You have so many questions. I can see them tumbling around in there." Joshua lightly tapped my temple. "Everything is taken care of. Trust us."

Gazing out at the tree, I couldn't come up with any reason to refuse. 

"Let's get married."

Beth let out a whoop of happiness from where she had been listening at the top of the stairs and we all dissolved into laughter.