After court lets out, I wait by the side exit for just a few minutes. There’s a murmur of voices in the hallway, and then a deputy brings Jace, Levi, and Nico out, their hands cuffed in front of them. For a second, the noise and worry fade. It’s just us.
Jace is the first to speak, his voice quiet but full of meaning. “We…we have something for you.” He nods to Levi, who pulls a small envelope from his pocket.
“Actually, three somethings,” Levi adds, pressing the bundle into my hand.
Nico’s eyes meet mine. “Don’t wait too long to read them, okay?”
My fingers tremble as I close over the envelopes. There’s barely time to say goodbye before the deputy ushers them away. Jace squeezes my hand for just a second, and I see everything he can’t say written in his eyes.
I clutch the letters to my chest all the way home.
That night, after Marcy goes to bed, I finally sit on the edge of my own bed, unwrap the bundle. My hands shake as I break the first seal, heart thumping as I see Jace’s blocky handwriting.
Jace’s letter is full of crossed-out words and rough edges, just like him. He starts out formal, but that falls away after the first few lines. He tells me about the first time he saw me, how he couldn’t believe anyone could be both so fierce and so gentle. He confesses that he was jealous every time I smiled at someone else, and how angry he was when he realized how many secrets I had to keep. There’s pain in his words, and regret for every fight, every harsh thing he said. He admits he still wakes up thinking about that night in the library, and sometimes wonders if we’ll ever have a chance to do things right.I don’t know what’s waiting for us,he writes,but I know I want to try. Even if the baby isn’t mine, I want to be there with you. I want to give us a real shot.
I sit for a moment before opening Levi’s letter. His handwriting is smaller, careful, but every word feels heavy with truth. He writes about his life before all this, the restless drifting, the way nothing ever felt permanent. He says meeting me made him realize he wanted a home, and that maybe home was a person, not a place. He talks about the fear he felt when I told him I was pregnant, and how that fear turned to hope when he thought about a future together. He doesn’t promise the world,but he promises to be there, to learn, to make mistakes and keep trying.You’re my family now,he says.Whatever happens, whatever this world throws at us, I want to face it with you and that baby. That’s my truth.
When I open Nico’s letter, I have to laugh a little. There’s a smudge of grease in the corner and he apologizes for it in the first line. His letter is the shortest, but it’s written straight from the gut. He jokes about how he’s not good with words, and how he’s better at fixing bikes than talking about feelings. But then he tells me that loving me has been the scariest and best thing that ever happened to him. He writes that he wants to see me happy, even if it hurts sometimes, and that he wants to help raise the baby, no matter whose it is.You made me want to be a better man,he writes.I hope I get the chance to prove that to you every day.
I read each letter twice, and by the end my cheeks are wet, my breath shaky. It’s so much love, more than I ever thought I deserved. The fear and uncertainty don’t go away, but I feel less alone, as if their words have built something around me that can’t be broken by a verdict or a secret.
The next morning, I wake early, unable to lie in bed a minute longer. The sun glows pale through my curtains, and every muscle in my body feels tight with nerves. I dress carefully, hands lingering over my growing belly, and slip the three letters into my purse. Their words carry me through each step.
At the courthouse, Marcy finds me in the entryway. Her eyes are anxious but hopeful. “It’s almost over,” she whispers, gripping my arm as we head inside.
The courtroom fills quickly—Wilson’s team at the front, the prosecutors nearby, a few reporters in the back. The gallery feels heavy with anticipation. Jace, Levi, and Nico are brought in, no longer in shackles, just in their clean shirts, sitting tall,shoulders squared. They look for me immediately, and when I meet their eyes, I nod, unable to hide my hope.
When the judge declares them free to go, I sit for a moment without being able to process it. After all that fuss, that’s it? It’s over? It’s both too good to be true and also exactly what I knew would happen. I meet their eyes across the courtroom and grin with relief.
After, I meet them outside the courthouse. There’s still a crowd, but for a moment, the world shrinks to just the four of us.
Nico clears his throat, the old confidence in his voice but something new in his eyes. “So…what did you think of the letters?” he asks, voice a little rough.
Levi gives me a shy, sideways glance. “We…uh, had a few arguments about writing those, but in the end, we decided to be honest. Give each other a fair chance. I think it’s safe to say you know how we all feel about you.”
Jace smirks, a crooked smile on his lips, but his voice is low and sincere. “I meant every word, Carrie. We all did. But it’s your choice. Whatever you want, that’s what matters now.”
My hands tighten around the edges of my purse. Instead of answering, I pull out three folded notes, smaller than theirs, scrawled in my own hand. I pass one to each of them. “I have something for you too.”
They share a look, cautious but hopeful, and unfold their notes.
Jace squints at his, turning it over in his hand. “What is this?”
I bite my lip, feeling my heart pound. “It says, ‘You’re the father.’”
Nico bursts out laughing. “I think all three of us got the same note.” He looks to Levi and Jace for confirmation. They both nod, disbelief and something like joy blooming in their faces.
I shake my head, tears slipping free again. “I lied before. Jinn isn’t the father. One of you is, from our first night together, but Ididn’t take a test, and I don’t plan to. I don’t care about biology. This baby is ours, whoever’s it is. I want to raise this baby with all three of you, if you’ll have me.”
For a long moment, no one speaks. Jace looks down at the note in his hand, then closes the distance between us, his eyes steady on mine. He wraps his arms around me, holding me close. “I love you, Carrie. I think I’ve loved you from the moment you walked into that bar. I want to be here, be a father, and build something real with you.”
Levi moves in, his hand coming up to cup the side of my face. He brushes a thumb along my jaw, smiling in that quiet, sure way of his. “I love you too. You changed everything for me. You’re my home now.”
Nico slips in on my other side, bumping his shoulder against mine in that teasing way, but his eyes are warm and shining. He takes my hand and squeezes it. “I love you, Carrie. I don’t care about anything else. This is all I want.”
The words fill me, soft and strong, settling right down to my bones.
“I love you. All three of you. I want this, us, the baby, our family. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
