I’m just opening my mouth to take it all back when Sawyer steps forward and kisses me.
“The Order themselves couldn’t stop me,” he vows. “So long as I can bring Momo.”
“Of course we’ll take Momo with us! He’s my dog!”
“Does Momo know he’s yours? I don’t think so. It’s my bed he likes to sleep in every night.” He smiles at me and his eyes twinkle. God, I love it when he smiles and jokes. It reminds me that he isn’t that much older than the rest of us. He just acts it because of all the responsibility that gets placed upon his shoulders. I decide, if we’re doing this, I'm going to make sure Sawyer unwinds and has fun. He needs to act his age a little more, rather than playing the protective older brother, aloof teacher, middle Aged business suit.
I kiss him back and then turn to include all of the guys in the conversation. They’re all grinning broadly, talking animatedly, and Kalen is saying something about sex timetables and calling shotgun on the best bedroom.
“We’re really doing this?” I ask Sawyer.
“We are.”
“And it’s not crazy?” I check.
“I mean, it’s a little crazy,” he teases. “You only arrived here ten months ago—”
“Shut up,” I groan.
“But when it’s right—”
“You know!” Kalen cries.
“Huh?” I blink at him. That sounded weird.
“Yeah, dude, what are you on about?” Slate quips.
“I was trying to do that twin thing,” Kalen pouts.
“Twin thing?” Slate smirks.
“When you finish each other’s sentences.”
“We don't do that.” Onyx scowls.
“You so do,” Kalen insists.
“But you’re not a twin,” I point out gently.
“But it could be like a bro thing.”
“But you said it wrong,” Sawyer pipes up. “It’s either when it’s right, it’s right, or—”
“When you know,” Onyx starts.
“You know,” Slate finishes with a grin.
“I hate you all,” Kalen whines. “Amelie! They’re being mean to me. Make them stop. I don’t want to live with them if it’s going to be like this.”
“Sorry, Kalen. But I think this is exactly what it’s going to be like.” I shake my head trying to hold back my laugh.
“Run away with me instead. We’ll take Momo and elope.”
“Elope?” The laugh breaks free. He’s just so ridiculous.
“Yeah. Marry me, Amelie.”
“You’re ridiculous.”
“I’m not!” Kalen cries suddenly dropping to his knees. Or specifically, one knee.
“What are you doing?” I hiss. “Get up!”
“No. I’m doing this. Shit, I don’t have a ring.”
“Kalen! Get up!”
“Does anyone have a ring I can borrow? Elsie, can I borrow yours?”
“I’m not engaged!” she yells back.
“Then what the bloody hell was all that screaming and jumping about then? Never mind, I found something I can use!”
I stare in dismay as Kalen breaks the ring pull off his can of cider and offers it to me like it’s a precious jewel.
“Are you kidding me? Get up! Stop fucking around Kalen! Everyone’s staring.”
“I’m not messing around. I’m serious. Amelie Luna Rossi, will you make me the happiest man alive and finally marry me?”
“What do you mean finally?! It’s been ten months!” I’m full on sweat-panicking now. Everyone is staring at us. His brothers aren’t stopping him. He isn’t listening to me.
“I knew I was going to marry you the moment I saw you.”
“You’re being ridiculous!” I have no idea what I’m saying or if I sound like a broken record or not. All I know is he’s not moving and I’m freaking out. “You’re not getting up. Why isn’t he getting up?” I ask, glaring at his brothers. “Why aren’t you stopping this?” Their shoulders all shake with silent laughter. “Are you shitting me right now?! Is this some sort of joke?!”
“It’s no joke, Amelie, sis, please marry me.”
“No!” I snap, finally realising that I had my answer to make this stop all along. Everyone stops laughing and Kalen’s hopeful gaze is dashed out faster than a birthday candle. He looks wounded. Absolutely gutted.
Heartbroken.
I feel like shit. “Kalen, I love you. But I love them too, and I could never choose between you. I know you’re not asking me to give them up to be with you, not really, but wearing a ring would make me a little more yours than theirs, and it isn’t fair.”
“What’s going on here?” Monty calls out from the back door, breaking the tension. I breathe a sigh of relief even as Kalen wails, “Dad! I’m proposing to Amelie and she won’t have me! How do I make her say yes?”
“You don’t, son. When a woman says no, she means no, on any subject. Get up. I’ve raised you better than trying to make a woman do anything she doesn’t want to.”
“Excuse me,” I murmur, making a mad dash for Monty. His arrival saved my life, and I’ll be forever grateful for the distraction, but I do need to speak to him too. “Monty, a word?”
“Of course.”
I follow him into the kitchen, and just like Dirk did, he closes the door to give us some privacy. Maybe it’s a generational thing. The others all seemed content to talk to me by the pool, but this is definitely better.
“Are you okay?” Monty asks me, almost apologetically. “Kalen can be very full-on when he sets his mind to something.”
“I know. It’s one of the things I love about him. But shouldn’t I be asking how you are? I’m sorry if it feels too party-like, I wasn’t planning on having anyone over but—”
“Kalen,” Monty finishes for me. “It’s quite alright. As accidentally inconsiderate as he can be, he’s a very caring boy and he ran his plans by me first, both to check I would be okay with them, and to see if I thought it would be a good idea. I encouraged him to set up today. I wanted something good to come from something unsavoury. Happy memories to replace bitter ones. A new beginning to mark a bittersweet end.”
“Thank you. That’s really kind. I’m sorry I couldn’t go to the funeral with you. You shouldn’t have been there alone.”
“Laura had actually made friends here, so it was only proper that I attend to keep up appearances. Believe me when I say there’s many places I’d rather have been. There was no love lost there in the end.”
I nod, unsure what else to say. I figured something wasn’t right in their relationship when they didn’t actually get married, and Monty had previously confessed to me he had ulterior motives for bringing Laura into his life – namely, to protect me – when I questioned him on it. I think he suspected her to be shady and kept her around to monitor her, but I don’t know for certain. It doesn’t seem important enough now to ask.
“I’m going to go and get changed,” Monty tells me, gesturing to his suit. “And then maybe I can join you?”
“Of course. Um, Maggie is here. Is that okay?”
“Of course it is.”
“Okay. See you in a bit then.”
Reluctantly, I head back out to the garden, painfully aware of what’s waiting for me. A marriage proposal. Are you kidding me? They’re all standing exactly where I left them, like they’ve been stuck on pause awaiting my return.
“Amelie—” Kalen begins but I hold up my hand to stop him. Amazingly, it works and he falls silent.
“Look Amelie,” Sawyer begins tentatively. When I don’t stop or shush him, he carries on. “We’ve been talking, and we don’t think Kalen’s idea is so crazy…”
“Are you insane? You think I should I get married? At eighteen?!” My voice raises an octave with each panicked question.
“No, not at all. But we would like you to wear a ring. One from all of us.”
“How would that work? I can’t marry four people.”
“It wouldn’t be an engagement ring.”
“So you don’t want to marry me?” I frown, confused.
“More than anything, one day. When the time is right. But for now, we’d really love it if you would wear a ring, from all of us, that shows the strength of our commitment to you.”
“I don’t need a ring to know that,” I insist.
“Think of it as a symbolic sort of thing.”
I cock my head to the side, considering. I don’t hate the idea.
“And you’d get me a real ring? Not some trash off a can that could cut my finger to ribbons?” I ask, pretending to glare at Kalen who has the decency to look embarrassed. I smirk.
“Only the best for you.”
“I don’t need the best, or a ring,” I say simply. “I love you guys, and I know how much you love me, and that’s enough.”
“Oh, yeah, you say that now, but in ten years’ time you’ll be all ‘remember that time you didn’t get me a ring,’” Kalen mimics me, badly, I might add.
“First, I wouldn’t do that. I don’t hold grudges. And second, I don’t sound like that.”
“You kind of do!” My brother yells from the pool. I flip him off and turn back to my guys.
“Are we good here? Cause I really am starving.”
“You can eat when you agree to wear our damn ring,” Onyx growls.
“Jeez, alright, if it means that damn much to you!”
“Good. We’re going shopping tomorrow then.”
“I have a ring,” Debbie offers. My eyes widen.
“Me too, I’d be honoured for you to have it, Amelie,” Camilla adds. Oh my god, I actually wish the ground would swallow me whole right now.
“Actually, if the boys are going to give Amelie anyone’s ring, it should be mine,” Maggie pipes up. “It’s been in the Knox family for generations and it should continue to be passed down.”
“Um, guys, thank you. All of you, for your really generous offers,” I say before Slate cuts me off.
“Guys, you’re freaking Amelie out.”
“It is a bit much,” I whisper.
“Way too much,” Onyx agrees.
“We want to do this our way,” Kalen announces.
“What they mean is, thank you for the kind offers, but we want to get Amelie something original. A promise ring that somehow represents all of us,” Sawyer eloquently clarified.
Yes, that’s it, I can’t help but agree.
“Save your offers of engagement rings for us to fight over at a later date,” Slate jokes. “Because it’s a question of when—”
“Not if,” Kalen finishes, looking mighty pleased with himself. “I did it! I did the twin thing! I finished your sentence and I got it right! Didn’t I?” He turns to Onyx, wagging his finger in his face. “Ha! I’m a better twin than yoooo—ow!!!!”
He cries out in pain as Onyx grabs his finger and bends it backwards, almost to breaking point. He whimpers until Onyx releases him and then rushes over to me and presses his wounded digit against my mouth.
“Kiss it better, sis,” he whines.
“What did you say?” Aadi roars.
“Oh shit, he heard me!” Kalen whispers.
“He calls her it all the time,” Adrianne announces just to stir the pot.
Bex, cackling evilly, adds, “Yeah, it’s a weird, kinky sex thing they do.”
I scream at her to shut up but it’s too late. Aadi clambers out of the pool and charges towards Kalen, his face like thunder. Kalen yells and takes off at high speed in a desperate attempt to escape my brother’s wrath.
“Fuck my life,” I say, shaking my head. Aadi takes off after Kalen and chases him around the backyard.
I take a seat by myself on a sun lounger and watch all of my family and friends having a good time. Smalls comes over and takes a seat beside me.
“There’s never a dull moment around here,” he jokes, and we both laugh.
“That’s the understatement of the year. I’m just glad that I’m done with school, that’s one less stress on my shoulders at least.”
“How are you dealing with the whole Debbie thing? I was shocked when I found out, so I can’t imagine how you’re feeling.”
“I had some time to process it, but we had a long talk the other day and I think we’re in a good place. Camilla being here has helped a lot with that.”
“She’s a good woman, Camilla, I mean. I know the line of work she is in is questionable and I never wanted you to know my involvement, but to start a new life I had to save money. At the time I was doing it for you.”
“Smalls—” I warn. We’ve spoken about this; he can’t sit around and wait for me because I’m never coming back to him in the way he wants.
“Hear me out, baby girl. I’m so grateful that you drew a line on our friendship. I was so loyal to you that I was blinded to anyone else, and I would have loved you forever, but I have something good with Katie now and I owe that to you.”
I wave my hand as I scoff. “You don’t owe anything to me. I’m just so glad that you’re happy. You’ll always be my closest friend.”
“I think that I love her,” he blurts out, and I smile.
“I know. I can see it on your face every time you talk about her. She’s good for you.”
“Agh, save me!” Kalen yells as he runs past us with my brother hot on his heels.
“I’m thinking about moving?” he says. I follow Kalen with my eyes as he runs and jumps in the pool to avoid Aadi.
“What? Where?” I ask, turning to look at him.
“Katie is going to New Hope university next year, she was accepted and…is it stupid that I want to go with her?”
“It’s not stupid. Follow your heart… But I never pictured you going to university.” I chuckle.
“Oh god no, Yasmin’s boyfriend works at a mechanic shop down there, and he might be able to get me a job. I’m good with cars, and it’s a chance to start fresh. Aadi is in no hurry to come home and that life, he’s cut out for it. I promised Chelsea that I’d turn my life around, and you know I owe it to her to make good on that promise.”
“Do what makes you happy, but you better not forget about me.”
“Never. And for old times’ sake?” he says standing and my eyes go wide.
“Don’t you dare!” I warn as my brother makes himself known, sneaking up on me. I try to run but it’s futile, I realised a moment too late what they were planning.
Smalls grabs my legs and Aadi takes my arms as I try to fight them off. They swing me side to side like they would do every summer when I refused to get into the pool.
“On the count of three,” Aadi yells. “One...Two...Three.”
I’m launched into the air, and with a chuckle I hit the water. I resurface with a smile on my face.
I’m content for the first time in so long. My family is happy, my friends are happy, my guys are happy and I’m happy. I never would have imagined when I came here almost a year ago that I would actually be happy here. It’s more than that though, I’m thriving.
I started my journey hating the fact that I was sent halfway across the world away from my home, but today I can confidently say that I am home and I wouldn’t have it any other way.