Thrive (38 page)

{ Epilogue }

2 years : 05 months

January

LILY CALLOWAY

“House meeting is in order,” Rose announces. I
think she wishes that she had a gavel to bang on the table, but she has to
settle for the less dramatic route. Silence.

She sits poised on a Queen Anne chair in front of the
fireplace. With Connor in the adjacent chair beside her, they look like royalty
presiding over us common folk. I think they know that, which is why they both
seem a little too excited.

“Did you guys have house meetings back in Princeton?” Daisy
asks Lo and me. Even though we all roomed together in the townhouse during
Princesses of Philly
, this is different.
That situation was temporary and our setting was strict and guided by
production. Here we have more freedoms, and that means learning to deal with
each other on a new level.

Daisy curls up with Ryke on the suede couch, adjacent to the
one Lo and I sit on.

“Yeah, but King Connor and Queen Rose never had their own
throne,” Lo says, his arm around my waist and fingers tucked in the band of my
leggings. At least I wasn’t the only one thinking they looked like royalty.

Rose narrows her yellow-green eyes. “When you detail
everyone’s complaints and suggestions and announcements, then you can sit in my
chair,” she says, waving a piece of printer paper, signifying all the work
she’s done.

“Or you can just sit on my lap, darling,” Connor offers to
Lo, the corners of his lips curving in a grin.

Lo laughs, “Tempting.”

“Can we just fucking start?” Ryke asks, running a hand
through his damp hair from his shower. Daisy’s is equally as wet, tangled in a
messy bun on her head.

All three guys went to the gym this morning, and Daisy
joined them at Ryke’s request. My little sister and Lo’s older brother are
flying out to Costa Rica tomorrow, and Ryke needed to assess her skill level at
the gym wall. She told me with a mischievous smile that he wanted to “bust her
ass on real rock” which sounded so dirty in my mind, and I’m
still
slightly unsure whether that was a
hidden innuendo for anal sex.

I should have just asked because it’s been plaguing me every
time I see them together. Like dirty pop-ups. Right now, I keep my focus on
Rose and her supreme posture.

“First, and most importantly,” she says, “there’s the issue
about cleanliness.”

Oh yeah, I knew Ryke would be burned by Rose for the mess he
leaves around. And by the disarray of Daisy’s room during the reality
show—clothes
everywhere
—I know she
prefers living in disorderly chaos too.

“Daisy and Ryke,” Rose says. “You both need to wash your
dishes or put them in the dishwasher. The sink is not a trashcan. Neither is
the coffee table or the garage or the den.”

“Fucking A,” Ryke groans and leans back into the couch like
he can’t believe this. “We’re not twelve, Rose.”

I can feel Lo’s grin behind me, and I elbow him to wipe it
clean. But Ryke catches sight of it. “What’s so fucking funny?”

“I’ve had to live with Rose for almost three years. It’s
nice to see someone else suffering under her reign.”

Daisy chimes in, “Rose, I like being able to have this kind
of freedom. Mom always got onto me about my room—”

“I will not be manipulated about this. Nice try,” she says,
“but
no
.”

Connor looks impressed by Rose outsmarting Daisy, which
really is a higher compliment to my little sister.

Daisy shrugs like
had
to give it a shot.

Rose snaps her fingers, regaining everyone’s attention.
“It’s not a hard concept. If we’re living together, clean up after yourself.”

“What if I don’t fucking want to,” Ryke refutes.

“What?” Rose glares like he’s offering another choice to a
true and false test.

He kicks his feet up on the table to further infuriate her.
Connor says something in Italian, and since Rose only knows French, I realize
quickly that he’s secretly speaking to Ryke.

“Whoa!” I hold up my hands. The room silences on impact, all
eyes turning to me. Wow, that worked better than I thought. “Can I make a rule
about no secrets in foreign languages?”

“Learn the foreign language and there won’t be any secrets,”
Connor says swiftly.

Easier said than done. But I see the power in Rose’s eyes,
like she’s accepting a new breed of challenge.

Ryke nods to my older sister. “Let Daisy and I hire a maid
like we wanted.”

“No,” Lo and I say together.

Ryke groans again. Lo and I have already voiced our opinions
on servers and staff, maids and butlers. We grew up with them, and this house,
humongous as it is, already reminds us of the places we were raised.

Neither of us wants to return to that. To walk through the
hallways, reminded of times that were darker and more sinister. Fresh starts
and new beginnings mean changes, and I want to change how I live. Plus, we’ve
been backstabbed and screwed over far too many times. I can’t imagine trusting
someone enough to allow them free rule of our house.

“You have a warning,” Rose tells him before moving on.
“Second order of business. The hot tub is not a place to fuck.” Crudeness, but
she barely even falters or blushes.

And then the realness of that accusation sinks in. “Who had
sex in the hot tub?” I didn’t.

“Well it wasn’t us,” Lo starts, raising his eyes at me, and
he’s having a hard time looking at the adjacent couch.

Oh. Ohhhhh. I grimace as a pop-up image of Ryke and Daisy
screwing in the bubbly hot waters fills my brain. Erase! Delete! Ahhhhh.

Daisy’s eyes are giant saucers, and I’m more aware that
she’s much younger than all of us. She’s probably feeling that age gap right
about now too. Something about us knowing that she’s having sex with
Ryke
makes a layer of awkwardness sweep
the room. Or at least, it’s sweeping big fat gusts towards me, completely
missing Rose and Connor.

Maybe their throne-like chairs have magical, immunity
properties.

“Is this meeting just a way to bust my balls?” Ryke asks
angrily, his hand on Daisy’s head as she slouches. His fingers are lost in her
hair, and I wonder if he’s giving her a head massage or something.

“You’re not broken in yet,” Connor says. “It’ll take you a
couple of months, or a year since you always refuse to be trained.”

“Fantastic,” Ryke replies.

“Not
fucking
fantastic?”
Daisy whispers to him with a bright smile.

He actually smiles back, and his eyes graze her intimately,
reserved for bedrooms and foreplay.

Connor clears his throat. “The last thing…” His eyes land on
Lo, but Connor’s deep blues are filled with only seriousness. All the humor and
banter dies right there. I don’t think this is about dirty dishes and screwing
in hot tubs anymore. “It’s something that affects the four of you.” He scoots
to the edge of his chair so that he’s a little closer to us. My heart skips a
beat. “As you know, the Calloway’s publicist is revealing Lily’s pregnancy to
the media tomorrow.”

All day, I’ve been bracing myself for the firestorm. If the
reaction is anything like my parent’s, I’ll be facing discontent and
disapproval. Lo and I aren’t married. He relapsed only a few months ago. We’re
not the bright and shining couple like Rose and Connor.

But I think I’m ready to bear the judgment. I’ve been
through so much of it already that I can’t see a future where ridicule tears me
apart anymore.

The only snag in Connor’s statement is the beginning:
It’s something that affects the four of you.
If this is about my pregnancy, then why does it affect Ryke and Daisy too?

“I don’t understand,” Lo says first, his voice full of
annoyance. Like the world is clawing at him before he has a chance to raise his
guards.

“I spoke with a contact that I have from GBA News,” Connor
says. He collects many people, so it’s not surprising that he’d know someone on
the inside. “They have the exclusive rights to break the story about Lily’s
pregnancy. I called him to ask what kind of backlash there would be. I wanted
to prepare you two.” His eyes flit from Lo to me.

So maybe we do have time to put on armor.

“What he told me,” Connor continues, “was something I didn’t
expect.”

I wait for someone to crack a joke about Connor not knowing
everything, but Ryke and Lo stay eerily quiet, their silence only intensifying
the moment.

“He said that people will debate whether the child is really
Loren’s. Or if it’s Ryke’s.”

His announcement drops an indescribable weight in the room.
No one mentions a paternity test. How if I took one, the argument would be put
to rest. That’s not the point.

The point is that this is wrong. That I’ve finally trampled
over the three-way rumors. I’ve finally moved on.

It’s something that
affects the four of you.

Ryke is whispering in Daisy’s ear, his eyes hardened to
stone. She stares faraway at the rug and shakes her head. “We’re together,” she
says under her breath.

The muscles in his jaw tighten, and he rises to his feet.
“Can we have like ten fucking minutes to talk about this alone?” Ryke asks us.
“It’s a big deal.”

I’m frightened to make eye contact with Lo or to even move.
My little sister is dating Ryke, and now people will believe that I’m having
his
baby. How many times will my addiction
hurt her?

Rose stands. “That’s probably a good idea.”

In a quick second, Ryke holds Daisy’s hand and they retreat
up to their room. Both Connor and Rose exit into the kitchen, giving us privacy
too.

I want to believe that these rumors aren’t different. But
they’re ones that may actually sting both Ryke and Lo more than any others.
They could affect all of us in new ways, challenge us again.

“Lil…” His voice isn’t as edged as I predicted. In a deep
breath, he says, “Look at me.”

I turn my head to stare up at him. I read his features, the
creases of his forehead, the flicker of hurt, but it’s not as dark as it could
be.

“Is this the right thing, being here?” I ask him. I don’t
want to cause Daisy anymore suffering, and if we distanced ourselves from them,
then maybe—

“If I’ve learned anything in the past two years,” Lo says,
“it’s that we need to be surrounded by people we love. And honestly, I don’t
think they’d even let us have it any other way.”

I try to smile, but it’s a weak one. I agree though. No
pushing family and friends aside. We’ve grown closer to them through every
struggle, and we shouldn’t abandon that over a theory or a what if. We’re all
united together by these events, a team that I don’t want to disband. Not now.

He cups my face, his thumb stroking my cheek. “One day at a
time,” he says, his amber eyes boring powerfully into mine, “that’s how we’re
going to take this.”

One day at a time. “Isn’t that too slow for you?” I ask. The
Loren Hale that I’m used to wants no delay on life, no drawing out the agony.
He hates the wait.

I watch his gaze fall to my belly. And then they flicker to
my features. He searches them like he’s engraining each freckle, each piece of
me. “Life moves too quickly,” he says. “I don’t want to speed through a single
moment. Not anymore.”

I cry into a laugh because I never thought I’d hear him talk
this way. He brushes my tears for me, our lips only a breath apart.

And I whisper, “One day at a time then.”

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We are almost to the close of Lily
and Lo’s story. If you believe that we would’ve reached this point without you,
you’re so mistaken. You helped shape these people. Every day you supported Lily
and Lo and wished for their happy ending—it
was another day that made it easier for us to bring these flawed characters
to life. Thank you: for sticking with us, for standing beside them, for taking
this long, emotional journey. It’s not over yet. Hold on tight, okay?

Thanks to our family. Through this past year, we’ve
recognized how grateful we are to have you all in our lives. You don’t have to
read a single page to shout about our books, to praise them and praise us, and
that means so much—that you all would be willing to love us unconditionally
like that.
Thank you a million times
over.

Big thanks to Aestas at Aestas Book Blog. We can’t begin to
describe the impact your support for the series has had on us. You’re a huge
reason why so many people initially read our books, why we’re able to continue
writing, and why we are now living our dream. This is our promise to repay you
with great books…or at least ones that don’t suck.

Tackle hugs Siiri at Little Pieces of Imagination. Our
friendship with you has made this experience so worthwhile. Whether it’s
discussing television shows, talking Coballoway (a ship name that you most
definitely created), or flipping through Addicted series inspirational
pics—you’re someone we just truly love.

Other bloggers and friends we absolutely love and admire:
Sue at YA Hollywood and Sil—you girls always dazzle us with your graphics
talent and flatter us with your kind words. Sue, you have some serious
superpowers, and it’s making the world a better, brighter, more fandom-loving
place. Sil, every taco reference and Cancun shoutout is dedicated to you. Jen
and Lanie—giant hugs are in order when we meet you two. Writing wouldn’t be
nearly as fun without having you both in our world. Here with you, we feel like
we’re always flying, Peter Pan style. Amy Fox and Bella Love—thank you girls
for loving our books enough to gather people to talk about them. That is simply
one of the best gifts we’ve ever been given. Ashley and Erica at Back Porch
Romance, Perla at IB Teen, Michelle at Four Chicks Flipping Pages, and Amber at
For Your Literary Pleasure—thank you for your amazing words after we publish
each book. They not only put tears in our eyes but they’ve given us more
confidence in our writing than you will ever realize. You’ve empowered us, and
for that, we thank you so, so much. We’re blessed to have all of you as readers
and fans.

We can never name every person that has impacted us over the
course of the series. The list would be pages and pages long. We hate excluding
anyone, more than anything, so if you didn’t see your name, know that you mean
so much to us. Every time we begin a new book, we think about all of you, about
which teams you’re on, who
you’d
like
to see as you flip the page and the best story we can ever give you.

You are in our hearts and in our minds. As Lily would say,
thankyouthankyouthankyou!