Epilogue
Two years later
The little things in life
Lilly stood by the picture window and smiled as she watched Tallin chase after their son. Tristan’s little legs weren’t taking him very far, but the big grin on his face proved that the toddler didn’t care.
Her son—whose name was in remembrance of Christian—was the spitting image of Tallin, his head filled with dark hair, his eyes blue, and his features the same as his brooding father’s.
When she’d started this with Riley and Tallin, she didn’t even think about starting a family, didn’t think past what it would mean to have all three of them together as a family.
It wasn’t normal, especially in the small town of Burkett, for a relationship to be a triad. But Lilly didn’t care what anyone thought, and neither did Riley or Tallin.
Although there were no paternity test done on Tristan, because Riley and Tallin didn’t care who the father was, it was easy enough to see who their son took after.
They’d decided when she’d found out she was pregnant that they were a family and any children who were a product of that they would raise together. Their children would be all of theirs, no matter what.
She couldn’t have chosen two better men to share her life with or to be the fathers of her children.
Lilly was now working from home, doing the same accounting and processing she’d done in Denver, but being able to be with her children. Tallin and Riley never held her back, and in fact encouraged her to do whatever she wanted, to make the most out of her life.
Lucy, her infant daughter, chose that moment to cry, her scream sweet and deafening at the same time. Lilly went over to the bassinet set up in the living room and picked her newborn daughter up.
Lucy had a thatch of blonde hair, and the little girl opened her big amber colored eyes and stared up at Lilly, her little head going to the side, signaling she was hungry.
Lucy looked so much like Riley it was uncanny, but again, they were all a family. Lilly sat down and started to nurse Lucy, and after about ten minutes her daughter fell back asleep.
Riley chose that moment to come inside, smiling as he looked at them. He held his hands out, and Lilly handed their daughter over to him.
It warmed Lilly’s heart to see Riley so gentle with Lucy, running his finger between her eyes, touching the soft strands of her hair so gently, and whispering how much he loved her.
The front door opened and closed, and they heard Tristan running through the house, shouting for her, and then finally making his way into the living room.
The moment he spotted her he ran toward her and wrapped his arms around her legs. She picked him up, and placing the two-year-old on her hip, walked over to Riley.
He gave their son a kiss on the forehead, which only caused Tristan to hold out his arms to him and whine.
She took Lucy and gave Riley their son just as Tallin walked in. He was smiling, looking at Lucy with love and gentleness, and took their daughter from her.
She looked so tiny in Tallin’s arms, his golden skin and tattooed flesh a contrast to Lucy’s pale, peachy soft skin.
Lilly took a step back and watched the scene before her: Riley taking Tristan over to the couch and reading him a book, and Tallin sitting in the rocking chair and humming to their daughter.
It was a picture perfect moment, one forever ingrained in her memory.
She glanced over at the mantel and looked at the picture of her, Christian, Tallin, and Riley. It was her favorite picture of them, the one taken so many years ago at the beach.
There were new pictures gracing the mantel, as well, ones of her little boy and sweet daughter.
She started to tear up, knowing that even if she had planned her life out, she never would have been this happy, never would have had a family that filled her life with this much happiness.
She let her love for them wash through her, knowing that she couldn’t have fully appreciated life without first accepting death.
The End.