Chapter 184 Our Beautiful, Chaotic Forever
POV Maya:
Years Later
For a long time, I thought having a family—husband, children, and a house filled with joy and love—would be something impossible for me to achieve. But looking at the family I’ve built over the years, I’m certain none of it would have been possible without the men I have by my side.
Our journey wasn’t easy, but we made it work. We fulfilled our dreams—whether it was inaugurating Sebastian’s stud farm, or Luca graduating in veterinary medicine, or Mikhail making us proud by not only finishing high school but earning a degree in agricultural sciences as the top student in his class, or Adrian expanding his carpentry business and becoming one of the most sought-after craftsmen for exquisite, unique furniture, or even Dominic, with his firm hand and love for the ranch, turning it into the fifth most visited ranch in Texas.
My men made it. And they didn’t just make me proud—they honored their late parents, our children, and our friends.
My cowboys gave me more than I ever dreamed of. They gave me the purest and truest love I could ever receive. And now, looking at our family gathered around the enormous table in the garden, my eyes fill with tears. I’m so happy, so fulfilled, that I truly believe nothing else is missing. I don’t need anything more to be happy.
“Love?” I look at Luca, and a silly, nostalgic smile spreads across my lips. “Can I ask why that little face?”
“Twenty years later, and I still can’t believe everything we’ve built. Our family is everything to me.” I look at our six children and grow emotional.
Ben just turned eighteen. The twins, Dane and Lizzie, are sixteen. Beau is fifteen. Heitor is twelve. And our youngest, Jacob, is nine. Each pregnancy was surrounded by so much love. We don’t know exactly who the biological father of each child is—except for Ben, whom I’m certain is Sebastian’s—but that doesn’t matter. Our children understand that our family is different and that they’re very lucky to have five fathers who love them more than anything in the world.
“Twenty years later and I still have to tell you it’s all real, you little devil?”
“I’ll always want to hear from you that it’s real.” I smile and receive a soft kiss on the lips.
“It’s real, baby. Our family is real.” He rests his forehead against mine, and I sigh.
Another twenty years could pass, and I would still be crazy about my five cowboys as if it were the first time. They are my foundation, my safe harbors, my happy ending.
I admire Dominic at the grill, flipping hamburgers, while Sebastian teaches Heitor and Jacob how to rope. Adrian and Mikhail are distracted, drinking beer and chatting with Hunter and Gavin.
Our family lunch wouldn’t be complete without my friends. It took a few years, but the cowboys eventually became great friends with the Collin brothers. David is still a delicate subject. Tay and I believe their rivalry will never truly end—especially after my cowboys discovered that David had a crush on them back in their teenage years and that all his competition with the Morettis was just to get their attention.
My cowboys may be grown men, but they still act like children when it comes to David Burt.
I smile at my friend as she sits beside me with a wide grin. Seeing her so happy and fulfilled fills me with joy. Tay is the best person I could have met, and today I have the honor of calling her my sister.
“Another lunch. Do you think they’ll win the bet this time?” she asks, and I smile, shaking my head.
Our Sunday lunches are always filled with chaos, and Tay and I, in order to stay sane, started betting on how long it would take for the brothers to start picking on David. My cowboys have never admitted it, but I know they hold David in high regard, just as my friend cares deeply about them. Still, they love to tease each other. That’s something the years will never change.
“Never. I give it a few more minutes before they start,” I laugh, and Tay laughs with me.
“You’re right. They’ll never change.”
“No, my friend. They won’t.”
I take a sip of my strawberry juice, and within seconds, chaos erupts.
Lizzie runs toward me, hiding behind my back, while Dominic and Luca chase after Seth and Adrian Collin-Burt.
“My daughter, what happened?” I ask, alarmed. Lizzie’s frightened eyes lock onto mine.
“Beau saw me kissing Seth and Adrian and ran to tell my dads,” she says, clearly upset.
“You kissed Seth and Adrian?” I ask, surprised, glancing at my friend, who looks just as shocked as I am.
“I’m going to kill you! I knew those boys were getting too close to my little girl!” Dominic roars.
“I’m going to kill you!” Luca adds, making me roll my eyes.
“Calm down, men. There must be a reasonable explanation,” I say, soothing tempers as everyone turns to look at me. “Lizzie, sweetheart, tell Mommy what’s going on.”
My girl looks at her fathers, then back at me, and what I see written all over her face makes me want to laugh.
She is definitely my daughter.
“They’re my boyfriends,” she declares, lifting her chin. “We’re a throuple.”
“I’M GOING TO KILL THEM!”
I jump from my chair and run after my five cowboys, who are already chasing two boys smart enough not to stick around to see what happens next. The Collins and David run after their sons. I glance beside me, and my friend is running next to me. I smile at her, and she smiles back.
No matter what people say about our lifestyle, my friend and I know the true meaning of happiness.
And our happiness is pure chaos—but it’s our pure chaos.
And we wouldn’t accept anything less.
THE END.