Lauren
Five Years Later

The vibe was perfect.

The Glass Foundry’s main gallery was decked out in polished ebony and mood lighting, with champagne towers glinting under neon art installations. The crème de la crème of the industry was in attendance clad in all their black tie finery, and they were to celebrate with me.

My first official exhibition.

I had to pinch myself more than once to remember that this was actually real. After half a decade, I felt like I finally made it big. I did the usual rounds, working the room in a backless, floor-length midnight blue dress that Brock hadn’t stopped hinting at wanting to tear off since I first stepped out of our bedroom this evening.

He was watching me, standing a protective distance away with Rafe and Callum. All three of them were also dressed up; Brock in his charcoal three piece, Rafe in his black-on-black ensemble and Cal in a classic navy velvet dinner jacket with a crisp white shirt.

They looked immaculate, and they were all watching me with a pride that made my heart soar each time I caught a glimpse of it. Every once in a while we would regroup to dance or drink together. During one particular meetup, Clara walked up to greet us with her fiance. They were matching, his burgundy pocket square matching the color of her gorgeous, deep-plunge gown.

She gave me a tight hug and whispered her congratulations on the success of the evening. As we joked around together, and when I admired her engagement ring, Brock actually cracked a joke.

“I can’t believe you’re finally jumping on the bandwagon, Clara,” Brock said with a fondness that had grown with time, his hands in his pockets. “I thought Stephan here would have to drag you kicking and screaming to the altar.”

She snorted and her fiance looked down at her adoringly. “Not for this one. I’m locking him down.”

“Don’t sweat it, Reyes. I never thought I was the marrying type either until Lauren showed up,” said Rafe.

“I always knew I wanted to get married,” Callum mused. “I just didn’t think it would happen this way.”

I scoffed in mock offense. “Are you trying to tell me something, Cal?”

“Only that our love is perfect,” he added quickly, giving me a quick kiss.

“Nice save,” muttered Stephan with a wink.

“Well, it’s been two years since you guys got married. And there’s three of you, at least one should be starting to think about babies,” Clara teased.

All three men groaned playfully in unison. Clara and Stephan said their temporary goodbyes before disappearing back into the crowd, and Brock was the first to turn back to look at me. And if anyone was going to notice, of course it would’ve been him.

He raised an eyebrow at the pensive look on my face, then his face slacked in shock. “Wait. Are you…?”

Rafe and Cal’s heads whipped back and I nodded in affirmation, a shaky laugh on my lips. He swept me up into a tender, lingering kiss, ignoring the crowd around us. “Just when I thought I couldn’t possibly be any happier,” he whispered against my lips. “My love, when did you find out?”

“A week ago,” I said as he put me down and Rafe lifted me up to spin me around in the air with the biggest grin on his face. When he put me back down, Cal took me into his arms.

“I can’t believe this,” he said, tipping my head back to give me another kiss. Then he paused, his excitement tempered by a sudden thought. “Um…should we bother finding out who the dad is?”

Rafe boastfully puffed out his chest. “I mean, isn’t it obvious?”

We all laughed and Callum shoved his arm. “Not in the slightest.”

“It wouldn’t matter, anyway,” Brock said, taking my hand and pressing it to his mouth. His eyes were gleaming and I knew all four of us knew exactly what he meant.

It wouldn’t matter because the baby was a part of me, just like they were, and just like I was a part of them.

“I have dibs on the nursery renovation,” Callum said.

“You have shit taste in decor, Cal. I don’t think this should be left up to you,” Rafe shot back as they led me onto the dance floor. The DJ was playing a beautiful, lilting number, one that was easy to find the rhythm in.

Brock anchored me with a steady hand on my waist for a slow turn before handing me over to Rafe. He kissed the tip of my nose and then Callum slid in to catch me, spinning me into a close, three-way huddle. As we moved together, then apart, I knew that I wouldn’t have to be scared of what was to come.

“Luckily we have nine months to decide,” I said.

“We’ve pulled through worse deadlines,” Brock said with a smile. “And I think this next project will be our best yet.”