There are nods around the room and sighs of relief.
“I’m going to need your help and support,” she continues. “Ronda has offered me a place to live and will help me find a job. And Heather is helping me find an attorney in New York.”
We all speak at once, offering whatever we can, promising to be there for her. I’m beyond relieved and thrilled she’s going to be close by.
“Have you heard from him?” James asks her.
She nods. “He’s called me several times, but I only answered him once. I didn’t tell him where we are, and I don’t plan to. He’s furious that we left and expects us to come home and stand by him. I’ve ignored the rest of his calls.”
Luke hesitates, then pulls out his phone. “He’s been calling and texting me, too. I probably shouldn’t have responded, but…even knowing everything, I still feel like I owe him something. I told him we needed time to process, and he was understanding at first. But now he’s getting more persistent and demanding that we come home. He keeps saying we have to show a united front.”
James tenses. “That’s bullshit.” He glances at Mom. “Sorry. I know you don’t like it when I swear, but that’s exactly what it is. Even if this was a one-time mistake, he shouldn’t expect that from us. And you’ve seen the news articles—this is a pattern with him.”
My mom gives him a look but doesn’t disagree. “I don’t love the language, James, but I agree. Leaving him has been a long time coming. I didn’t stay with him because I wanted to. I stayed because I didn’t have anywhere else to go. But now I do, and I’m not going back.”
Heather, who’s been surprisingly quiet, looks like she’s about to burst. She finally speaks up, “The sooner we move on this, the better. The media firestorm is likely to get worse the more they dig.”
Her gaze shifts to me. “Aiden, it’s only a matter of time before they find out about you. Once they do, the press will explode with it. We need to protect each of you as much as possible.”
We spend the rest of the evening in planning mode. With gentle nudging from our mom and encouragement from Shelly, Luke finally agrees to go to her uncle’s retreat. They’ll all return to New York in a few days to pack up their lives.
James and Shelly have decided to move here, too. They’ve fallen in love with Oregon and plan to rent the apartment next door from me. They’ll finish school online while looking for work in town. Having one of my brothers living next to me is a gift I never expected.
We all know the next few months are going to be hard. But for the first time in a long time, it feels like my family is stepping into something better. And that makes everything worth it.
Epilogue 1
Aiden
2 months later
Summer is slipping away fast, and I’ve been awake for hours, my body pressed firmly against Jay’s side, listening to the steady beat of his heart and soaking in the warmth of his skin. Sleep evades me as my thoughts keep drifting over the events of the past few months.
My family is finally finding its footing after moving across the country. My mom got an administrative job at the same school where Ronda works, and she seems genuinely happy living with her friend.
The divorce, however, is progressing slowly, with my father finding new ways to make it difficult at every turn, so it will take some time before it’s final and settled.
James and Shelly have created a cozy home next door, making it their own. They both found jobs at a local brewery and spend their free time wandering through antique shops and exploring small coastal towns. They’re trying to enjoy their freedom before their busy school schedule starts.
Our monthly Sunday dinners have grown as more people started coming. The table keeps getting fuller and louder, especially nowthat Heather has a new boyfriend. We like him, although Jay can’t resist teasing him with questions about his intentions just to annoy Heather. It really riles her up.
Luke is still at the retreat center in New York. We mostly get updates through Shelly, who’s become his closest friend. We do occasionally hear from him, though he’s pretty tight-lipped about what’s going on with him.
As for Jay and me, we’ve done our best to be supportive while facing our own challenges. The media frenzy disrupted our lives for a while, especially when they dug into my past.
I’ve moved on from the world of adult entertainment, but Aiden Fox still exists online for anyone to find. It’s not something I’m ashamed of or regret, but it has led to some awkward conversations, especially with my family.
When it hit the headlines and my name was linked to his, my father predictably erupted in a fierce tirade. He ranted, threw around words like shameful and deplorable, and tried to claim some imaginary moral high ground when he didn’t have a leg to stand on. We’ve learned to tune him out and keep moving forward.
Not wanting to dwell on those thoughts for too long, I shift my weight, causing Jay to stir beside me, and roll onto his stomach. I move on top of him, letting my bare front settle against the warm surface of his back.
This is my favorite way to wake him up. He’s not much of a morning person, so it takes him a while.
“Baby, are you awake?” I murmur into his ear, my voice low.
He hums softly, reaching back to touch my arm, his fingers tracing circles on my skin.
Pressing more of my weight into him, my morning wood, hard and ready, grinds against the welcoming crease of his ass.
