Page 53

Epilogue

Two years later

I stared at how beautiful the garden looked with the white-silk-backed chairs and twinkling fairy lights, listening as the sounds of laughter rose from all our friends.

Three people still couldn’t get married in Georgia, but we were about to have a blessing ceremony attended by Janice and Eric—or Mom and Dad as we all three called them—and our closest friends.

Chris and Daddy stood side by side near the arbor chatting to Lisa, now a close friend rather than just Agent Chen.

She'd stayed in touch after the case closed, eventually becoming part of our extended family.

They were both wearing matching navy suits with different colored ties—Chris in deep burgundy, Daddy in forest green.

I'd chosen a lighter blue suit that made my eyes pop, according to Daddy, who'd spent twenty minutes this morning fussing with my hair until it was just right.

"Nervous?" David Martin asked, appearing beside me with two champagne flutes.

He'd become a good friend over the past two years, and had been instrumental in helping the families of Graham’s victims find some peace.

The source of the apartment fire had finally been proved to be faulty wiring, not arson, and the landlord had been successfully prosecuted.

The new owners had remodeled the place and made it safe.

"Excited," I corrected, accepting the drink. "I've been waiting for this day since they asked me."

David smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "They're good men. You all deserve this happiness."

I nodded, my throat suddenly tight with emotion. After everything we'd been through, this day felt like a miracle. The path hadn't always been smooth—there had been nightmares, therapy sessions, days when the past threatened to overwhelm me—but Chris and Saul had never wavered.

One of the worst days had been when I’d had a reporter turn up at the restaurant who had also spoken to my parents, who’d apparently told him that I deserved everything Graham had put me through.

The reporter had actually sent me a message a month later after he’d published the article and told me because of the bad press, my parents had basically been made to leave the church.

It had cost them their job and the house that came with it.

He wanted me to know they were under investigation for missing church funds as well.

Daddy had said it was karma, and they both worried about me, but in a way it was closure. They couldn’t hurt me anymore, so I really didn’t care.

Mom clapped her hands for everyone’s attention and announced we were starting.

I didn’t want to walk up the aisle separately, so I took Chris and Daddy’s outstretched hands and we stood under the arch together.

I chuckled as Teddy sat on his own special chair, wearing the new suit I’d made him to match mine.

Pastor Marie smiled at us all, her eyes twinkling with warmth.

"We gather today not to conform to tradition, but to celebrate a love that defies convention—a love that healed, protected, and ultimately transformed three souls into one family. "

I squeezed both their hands, feeling the solid strength of Chris on one side and Daddy's gentle reassurance on the other. The late afternoon sunlight filtered through the trees, casting a golden glow over everyone.

"Love comes to us in unexpected ways," Pastor Marie continued. "Sometimes through fire—" she nodded to Chris, "—sometimes through nourishment—" a smile for Saul, "—and sometimes through courage born of survival." Her eyes met mine, and I felt seen in a way that made my throat tight.

We'd written our own vows. Chris, ever the leader, went first. His deep voice carried across the garden as he promised to protect, love, and cherish us both for all his days. When his voice caught slightly on the words "my family," I felt tears prick my eyes.

Daddy went next, his usually confident voice tender as he vowed to nurture, support, and create a home filled with love and laughter. "You've both given me the greatest gifts—Jesse, your trust, and Chris, your partnership. I'll spend my life being worthy of both."

Then it was my turn. I'd worried for weeks about what to say, how to express what these two men meant to me.

I took a deep breath, looking at both my loves.

"Before you, I didn't know what home felt like," I began, my voice steady despite my feelings being so close to the surface.

"I was trapped in darkness, convinced I would never find my way out.

But then Chris saved me from that fire, and Saul fed me, and somehow we fell in love.

" I heard the ripple of laughter at my understated description of our beginning.

I turned to Chris first. "You showed me strength isn't about control, but protection. That boundaries can be loving instead of confining. You make me feel safe enough to surrender, brave enough to trust."

His eyes shimmered with unshed tears as I turned to Saul. "And you, Daddy, taught me that love doesn't have to come with conditions. That I'm worthy of gentleness just because I exist. Your caring healed parts of me I thought were broken forever."

I looked between them both. "Together, you gave me a family when I thought I'd never have one. You showed me that love doesn't have to hurt to be real. I promise to love what we've built, adore our family, and to remind you both every day that you saved more than my life—you saved my heart."

By the time I finished, there wasn't a dry eye in the garden. Mom was openly sobbing into Dad's shoulder, and there were plenty of friends discreetly wiping their eyes.

Pastor Marie spoke next. "By the power of love that transcends convention, I now pronounce you a family." She paused, her smile radiant. "Now, by tradition, you may seal your promises with a kiss."

Chris's arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me close as he claimed my lips in a kiss that was both tender and possessive. When we broke apart, Saul was there, his kiss gentle yet passionate. Then Chris and Saul shared their own kiss, completing our circle as applause erupted around us.

We turned to face our friends and family, hands linked together as Pastor Marie announced, "I present to you Chris, Saul, and Jesse—bound by love, choice, and commitment."

The reception was everything Daddy had dreamed of—string lights twinkling overhead as dusk fell, tables laden with food he'd spent days preparing, music floating through the warm evening air. I couldn't stop smiling as we moved among our guests, accepting congratulations, hugs, and kisses.

"You look happy, sweetheart," Chris murmured, appearing at my side with a fresh drink. I grinned, the three glasses of champagne making me a little giddy as Daddy appeared at my other side.

We stood in our bubble of love, clinked glasses and kissed each other, then I giggled. “Of course I’m happy,” I declared. “After all, two daddies are always better than one.”

Chris groaned and Daddy joined in my laughter, then we linked hands. "So, husbands," I said, testing the word on my tongue and loving how it felt, "what happens now?"

Daddy laughed softly, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "Now we love each other for the rest of our lives."

Chris pulled me close, his arm strong around my waist. "First, we enjoy our party," he said, his voice dropping to that commanding tone that never failed to make my knees grow weak. "Then we enjoy our wedding night."

I felt heat rise to my cheeks at the promise in his words. Even after two years together, they could still make me blush like it was our first time.

"And then," Daddy Saul added, pressing a kiss to my temple, "we fly to Italy for our honeymoon."

The honeymoon had been a surprise gift from Mom and Dad—three weeks exploring the Italian countryside, staying in a private villa nestled among vineyards.

I couldn't wait to see Daddy in his element among all that food and wine, or to watch Sir relax completely away from his responsibilities at the fire station.

Mom appeared, her arms outstretched for another round of hugs. "My beautiful boys," she declared, somehow managing to embrace all three of us at once. "I couldn't be prouder if I'd given birth to all of you myself."

I hugged her back, still astounded at how lucky I was to have her as well as my two amazing men.

In another hour we said goodbye. Mom and Dad were staying at our house and would organize the clean-up. We were heading to a luxury hotel suite at the airport, and our fancy ride arrived to take us there.

“Ready to start our happy ever after?” Chris murmured as he pulled me between them, Daddy pressing delicious kisses on my neck.

I looked up at them both in turn and nodded.

I knew what he meant, but the truth was I’d started mine the day he’d rescued me.

I’d never forget what I'd escaped from, but I'd learned that my past didn't define me. My family did.

"Absolutely ready," I said, smiling at my two loves as the car pulled away from our home. "I've been ready since the moment I met you both." And I was exactly where I belonged. I had found my forever home.

And both my daddies had found theirs with me.

The End