Chapter 44
The garden was beautiful in a casual, comfortable way, flowers that had been planted with care but not obsessive precision, a small fountain, comfortable chairs arranged in the shade of a large birch tree.
Thomas led Remy to the chairs and settled in with a sigh.
"So," Thomas began, his tone friendly but serious. "My daughter. How do you feel about her?
Really feel beyond the physical attraction beyond the excitement of this unconventional arrangement."
"I love her," Remy said simply. "Completely. She's brave in ways she doesn't even recognize.
She transformed herself from performative to genuine authenticity, and that takes incredible courage.
She sees through bullshit better than anyone I've ever met. And she makes me want to be better, kinder, more patient, more real."
"And Lyra and Nyx? Do you love them equally?"
"I love them equally but differently," Remy corrected.
"Lyra is fierce and loyal and teaches me that vulnerability isn't weakness.
Nyx is brilliant and analytical and shows me that intelligence should serve purpose, not just pride.
Indigo is authentic and perceptive and reminds me that depth matters more than surface.
They're all essential. All irreplaceable. All loved completely, just in different ways."
Thomas nodded slowly. "How do you plan to make this work long-term? Four people, different needs, and inevitable conflicts. What's your strategy for navigating the complexity?"
"Communication," Remy said. "Brutal honesty, even when it's uncomfortable.
We have regular check-ins where everyone voices concerns or insecurities.
We've established boundaries about time, attention, and decision-making. We treat it like any partnership.
Whether business or personal, where success depends on everyone feeling heard and valued."
"And children? Have you discussed that?"
"Extensively," Remy confirmed. "We want them. We've talked about how to handle the questions they'll face and how to create stable family structures despite the arrangement.
We're planning to raise them together, all four of us as equal parents, regardless of biological connection.
It'll be complicated, but we think the benefit of having four loving, committed parents outweighs the social complications."
"What about jealousy? That seems inevitable in this kind of arrangement."
"It is inevitable," Remy admitted. "We don't pretend we're above human emotion.
But we've committed to addressing jealousy when it arises instead of letting it fester.
If someone feels neglected or insecure, they say so. We adjust. We adapt. We remember that we're all choosing this every day."
Thomas was quiet for a moment, studying Remy with the same perceptive eyes his daughter had inherited.
"You've thought about this seriously. This isn't just romantic idealism or youthful rebellion. You're actually committed to making this work."
"Completely committed," Remy said. "These three women, your daughter included, they're my family.
The family I chose and who chose me back. I'll do whatever it takes to protect that, nurture that, and build that into something lasting."
"Then you have my blessing," Thomas said, extending his hand. "And more than that, you have my support.
If anyone gives you trouble, if society judges, if you need someone in your corner, you've got us. We're your family now, too."
They shook hands firmly, and then Thomas pulled Remy into a brief, warm hug. The kind fathers gave sons, full of acceptance and pride.
"Thank you," Thomas said as they pulled apart.
"Thank you for seeing my daughter when we couldn't reach her. Thank you for loving her enough to help her become herself again.
Thank you for giving us back the Indie we thought we'd lost to fame and performance."
"Thank you for creating her," Remy replied. "For raising someone with the courage to transform, the strength to be vulnerable, the wisdom to choose authenticity over approval. That's your legacy, not mine."
---
Inside the house, Victoria and Indigo sat curled up on the couch together, the kind of comfortable closeness that spoke of years of genuine affection.
"So," Victoria said with a mischievous smile. "Tell me about this, Remy. And don't hold back, I want all the details.
How handsome is he? How masculine? Give me the good stuff."
Indigo laughed, blushing slightly. "Mom!"
"What? I'm your mother, not a nun. I can appreciate that your boyfriend is very attractive.
Those eyes! And the way he carries himself, confident without being arrogant. Very impressive."
"He's incredible," Indigo admitted, her indigo eyes bright with affection.
"Not just physically, though yes, he's gorgeous. But Mom, he's genuinely good. Kind.
He uses his power and wealth to help people instead of exploiting them.
He sees the best in people and helps them become that. He saw me when I was at my worst and loved me anyway."
Victoria's expression became more serious, her purple eyes searching her daughter's face.
"Can I ask you something? Deep question, mother to daughter?"
"Of course."
"Is Remy truly who you want to spend the rest of your life with? Despite sharing him with two other women?
Despite the complications and the judgment and the difficulty?"
Victoria took her daughter's hand. "I'm not judging your choice, sweetheart. I just need to know that this is really what you want.
That you're not settling or compromising your own happiness because you think this is all you deserve."
Indigo was quiet for a moment, considering the question with the seriousness it deserved. When she spoke, her voice was steady and full of warmth.
"Mom, for years, I thought I didn't deserve real love. I thought I was just a pretty face, a body to be photographed, something empty that could perform but never really connect.
I dated men who wanted the model, the image, and the trophy. And I gave them exactly that because I didn't think I had anything else to offer."
She squeezed her mother's hand. "Remy changed that. Not by telling me I was beautiful, plenty of people told me that.
But by being completely unimpressed by the performance. By demanding, I be real instead of perfect. By seeing depth in me that I'd forgotten existed."
"And Lyra and Nyx?" Victoria prompted.
"Are my sisters in every way that matters," Indigo said. "We support each other, challenge each other, love each other.
Yes, we share Remy, but we've also built something among ourselves, genuine friendship, partnership, and family.
I'm not compromising by being in this relationship. I'm expanding. I'm getting not just one partner, but three.
Not just a husband, but a whole family who chose me."
Tears spilled down Victoria's cheeks. "That's beautiful, sweetheart. That's everything I ever wanted for you, genuine connection, real love, people who see you completely and love what they see."
"So you approve?" Indigo asked. "Really approve, not just accepting because you don't want to lose me?"
"I completely approve," Victoria said firmly, pulling her daughter into a tight hug. "I think you're brave and wise and building something beautiful.
And I'm proud of you for choosing happiness over normalcy, for choosing love over what's easy, for choosing yourself."
The sound of the back door opening announced the return of Thomas and Remy.
Both men had slightly red eyes, suggesting emotional conversations had happened on both sides.
"So," Thomas said, settling back into his chair with a satisfied smile. "Did we miss anything exciting?"
"Just girl talk about how handsome Remy is," Victoria said with a playful wink, making both Remy and Indigo blush.
"And confirming that our daughter has made the right choice, unconventional as it may be."
"I reached the same conclusion," Thomas said. "This young man is serious, committed, and genuinely loves our daughter.
He has our blessing and our support."
"All of you," Victoria added, looking at Remy. "You, Lyra, and Nyx. You're all welcome here.
You're all family now. We have enough love for all of you, and we're excited to have our family grow in this unexpected way."
"Thank you," Remy said, his voice filled with emotion. "You have no idea what that means.
What you offering me parents, offering us family, that's more valuable than any blessing."
They spent the next hour in comfortable conversation, sharing stories, making plans for the wedding, and discussing logistics and futures.
Thomas and Victoria wanted to know about Lyra and Nyx, about how they all worked together, about the business and the life they were building.
As the afternoon light began to fade golden through the windows, Remy and Indigo prepared to leave, their hearts full, and their family expanded.
"Come back soon," Victoria insisted, hugging both of them at the door. "And bring Lyra and Nyx. I want to meet my other daughters."
"We will," Indigo promised. "Maybe for dinner next week?"
"Perfect," Thomas said, pulling Remy aside for one final word. "Thank you again, son. For saving our daughter. For loving her.
For building something beautiful with her. You've given us back the Indie we love and given her a future that makes her happy. That's everything a parent can ask for."
"Thank you for trusting us," Remy replied. "For giving us your blessing and your family.
For making me feel less like an orphan and more like someone who belongs somewhere."
As they drove away from the Sinclair house, Indigo reached over and took Remy's hand, their fingers intertwining naturally.
"Three for three," she said softly. "Marcus gave his blessing. My parents gave theirs. Even Nyx's parents... well, they made their choice, but at least we tried."
"Your parents are wonderful," Remy said. "Warm, accepting, genuinely kind.
I can see where you got your depth from. They raised you to have substance beneath the beauty."
"They tried," Indigo said. "I just wasn't ready to accept it until you helped me see myself differently."
She paused, then added, "They called you 'son.' Called Lyra and Nyx their daughters. We have parents again. All of us."
"We have family," Remy corrected. "The kind that chooses you and supports you and loves you for who you are.
That's rarer and more valuable than blood."
They drove in comfortable silence for a while, the California sunset painting the sky in impossible colors, both of them processing the gift they'd been given, not just blessing for their marriage, but family for their future.
"Two more weeks," Indigo said eventually. "Two more weeks until the wedding. Until we make this permanent."
"Forever," Remy agreed. "With family watching. With people who actually want us to succeed. With love instead of judgment."
"I can't wait," Indigo said, squeezing his hand. "I can't wait to marry you. To marry all of you. To start the next chapter of this impossible, beautiful life."
And as they drove toward home, toward Lyra and Nyx who were waiting to hear how it went, toward a future that was unconventional but full of love, Remy felt something he'd never experienced in his years as an orphan:
He felt like he belonged. Like he had family. Like he'd finally found home.
Not in a place, but in people. In three women who loved him. In parents who'd chosen to claim him as a son.
In a family built not by blood or obligation, but by choice and commitment and the courage to build something new.
The transformation was complete.
The orphan had found family.
And the future—unconventional, complicated, beautiful—was exactly what they'd all chosen.
Together.