She giggles. “Put me down!”
Zephyr hugs me. “Proud of you.”
“I didn’t do anything. Marcus did everything.”
“You showed up. You fought for her. That’s everything.”
We walk out of the courthouse together. All five of us. A family.
That night, we celebrate.
Callum orders way too much Chinese food. He spreads it across the kitchen counter like a buffet.
“This is excessive,” I say.
“It’s a celebration. Celebrations are supposed to be excessive.”
Zinnia’s already grabbing an egg roll. “Can I have soda?”
“Yes,” all three guys say at the same time.
I laugh. “You all know that soda is terrible for your health, right? Let alone a child.”
“We’re celebrating,” Callum says, winking.
We eat in the living room, stuffing our faces. Zinnia tells us about her friend Sophie. About how Sophie’s turtle is named Gary. About how Gary only eats lettuce.
Jax listens, asks questions, and makes her laugh.
I watch him with her and feel something warm spread through my chest.
After dinner, Zinnia wants to play a video game. We decide to play Mario Kart and race each other. We pile onto the couch. Zinnia between me and Jax. Callum on my other side. Zephyr on the floor.
After a few races, I turn on a movie. Within twenty minutes, Zinnia is fast asleep.
“She’s out,” Jax whispers.
“Long day,” I whisper back.
“For all of us.”
I look at him. “Thank you, Jax. For today. For that night in the parking lot. For stalking me.”
He smiles. “You don’t have to thank me.”
I lean my head on him. “Why were you stalking me?”
He stares at the screen and says, “I just had a gut feeling something was off.”
I rub his stomach, feeling his abs, even after the Chinese food. “I’m so grateful for that. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you.”
He looks down at my lips.
Callum reaches for my hand and says, “Are we all going to get a house together or what?”
Zephyr looks up with his soft brown eyes. I won’t ever forget the moments after I was shot, how staring at him made me not want to close my eyes.
“Yeah,” I say. “Yes. Let’s get a place for all of us.”
