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“Naughty!” I chided. “And you guys! You should be leading by example. None of you washed your hands before eating.”
Noah looked sheepish but Caleb and Corey grinned shamelessly.
“We forgot,” said Corey, pulling me against him.
“Ugh! You’re all sweaty,” I said, drawing my head back before he could kiss me.
He chuckled but still smacked a wet kiss on my cheek before letting me off.
Noah wrapped an arm around his shoulder and pulled him away. “Come on,” he muttered. “Let’s grab a shower. We’ll trap her after brunch is over and Irene’s gone for a nap.”
My cheeks heated up as I met their intense gazes. They were going to make sure I was turned into a panting, sweaty mess too.
A thrill went through me. I bit my bottom lip to drown the moan escaping me at the very thought of being taken by all three of them.
“Come here, honey,” Brian called out to Irene. “Let’s wash our hands together before your mom orders us to take baths too.”
Irene giggled and skipped away to join Brian.
When everyone left, I moved toward the table to fill up everyone’s plates with food. A smile lifted the corners of my lips. Nothing made me as happy as spending time with my family.
It wasn’t long before everyone returned.
We sat together at the table and started on the delicious food that Mrs. Fleming prepared for our brunch. The early afternoon was amazingly warm with cool breezes blowing by.
I looked all around me, greedily soaking up their smiles and laughs.
It took a lifetime of struggles and heartbreaks for me to receive this happiness. I could’ve never even imagined to be part of such a wonderful family.
I missed Mom. Her absence was a hint of bitterness to the sweetness surrounding me. All I could do was stay grateful to her for filling the biggest hole in my heart. She’d brought my father back in my life.
This is my happy ending, I realized as I looked toward Noah, Caleb and Corey’s smiling faces. Seeing them happy mademehappy. I’d never felt so protective of anyone in my life.
Despite our sadness and heartbreak, we came together to heal ourselves. We all realized there was nothing more important and precious than the people we loved, that as long as we were together, nothing was too hard to surpass.
I’m going to protect our happiness, I vowed silently.I’ll never trust anyone blindly and risk my family’s happiness ever again.
45
EPILOGUE
Camilla
Three Years Later...
My gaze stayed glued to the screen of the TV as the news anchor spoke about the newly developed Fairmont area.
“They’ve taken some great shots of the commercial area,” Brian commented from beside me. “It wasn’t too long ago when all you could see were crumbling factories and graffitied walls. Just look at the roads we’ve constructed. You could eat off of it!”
Something between a snort and a gasp escaped me.
He gave a hard pat on my back. “Giddy up, kiddo! You deserve the praise.”
I grinned, feeling the burn on my back.
Brian and I were huddled in the parlor room on the second floor to watch the news. They were doing a cover story on the redevelopment of the town’s eastern border and we were both hoping to see a glimpse of Noah, Corey and Caleb at the inauguration ceremony.
The Eastern Corridor project was finally completed within the deadline that was proposed in the contract. There was a time when everyone believed it’d be an utter failure but I’d proved them wrong.
