Leo grinned, his brash humor making me run to him and hug him. We all laughed, because he really was hilarious, but it was the warmth, the connection we all shared that really melted my heart.
“So I thought we’d stand over here by the window because it faces west and, you know, sunset,” Leo said.
“Really? I thought we’d go on the deck out back,” Rafe said.
I bit my lip. They’d both really thought about this. They took it seriously. Both of them looked at me.
“So, it looks like you’re the tiebreaker. Where do you want to have this?” Rafe said.
I shrugged, “I’m happy with either place. Whatever works for you.”
“Okay, traditional method of decision making deployed,” Leo said, his face solemn.
I had a fleeting idea they might be about to beat the shit out of each other in some ritual tiebreaker from their teen years. I didn’t know if I should intervene and make the decision to prevent bloodshed or if interfering would just annoy them. I waited for a second to see what they’d do.
“Fine,” Rafe sighed heavily, “Rock. Paper. Scissors. Shoot!”
I watched, dumbfounded, as the two hottest alpha males I’d ever known reverted to a playground contest to decide the location of our commitment ceremony.
“Shit!” Leo said. “You always win.”
“Don’t you dare call me a cheater. We’re going to the deck,” Rafe said, “And never forget: Paper covers rock.”
I snorted, failing to contain my laughter. I couldn’t help thinking no one could have ever had this much fun at a regular wedding. I gave my hand to Leo, took the arm Rafe offered and walked out to the deck. It was pretty, the golden sunset light bathing everything in a soft glow.
“Before we begin,” Leo said. “I have brought a gift for us all to share.”
“If this is some creepy dildo you saw on an infomercial, just know you are not sticking it anywhere near me,” Rafe grumbled as I stifled a giggle.
“No, it’s much better than that. It is a selfie stick,” Leo said.
He was serious. He pulled a selfie stick out of his suit pocket and brandished it like a weapon. He attached it to his phone, held it at arm’s length, and we pressed our cheeks together, smiling partly because it was so silly. He took probably twenty pictures before we insisted that he stop and put it away.
“I’m going to have a canvas of one of them—like an 18x20 so we can just relive this moment larger than life,” Leo said.
“I’ll give you a hundred dollars cash right now if you promise to keep it down to an 8x10,” Rafe said.
“No way. Size matters, no matter what the ladies tell you to make you feel better,” he teased.
I elbowed Leo, and he knocked it off.
“I want to start,” I said.
They both nodded. I took their hands in mine and swallowed hard.
“I never thought I’d be lucky enough to find one person to love, who would love me back. So it’s unbelievable, magical to me that the two of you wanted me to move in with you and asked me to stay. I can never thank you enough for the family you’ve given me, the acceptance and just the novelty of being wanted here and cared for.”
“Baby, you know we love you,” Rafe said.
“Yeah, Mr. Paper Covers Rock here is right,” Leo said. “Neither of us ever wants to imagine life without you. We belong together.”
“I know that now. And I never imagined how much it would mean to me to do this, to take time to stand here facing you and tell you exactly how I feel. You’ve saved my life in more ways than you could ever know. I love you both so much. More than anything,” I said, blinking back hot tears. One tear trickled down my cheek.
“You have made me feel so safe and so cherished. I can never find the words to tell you how much I love you,” I said to them. “So if I can have the rings?”
I released Leo’s hand and held mine out, palm up to receive the two rings for the men. Leo reached in his pocket and took out a little velvet drawstring bag. He emptied the contents into my palm. Light as a feather, they fell into my hand. Three bands, each woven of three strands of metal—a copper, a gold, and a silver thread braided and twined to make a circle both delicate and strong. I was strangely moved by the sight. By the three identical rings that were so beautiful and so perfectly matched.
I was overwhelmed. I heard a strange, squeaky noise and realized too late that it was my breath, inhaling on a sob and catching in my throat. I pressed my lips together, squeezed my eyes shut. It was all too much and too beautiful. I let go of Rafe’s hand and picked up the first of the larger rings. I kissed it and slipped it on to Leo’s ring finger.
“I love you. Everything about you—your crazy, loud-mouthed style and your humor and your tenderness. The way you’re so loyal and so sure. You are brave and loving and you see the best in people. I am honored that you love me back. I give you this ring to symbolize the love I have for you and how much I treasure you, Leo.”
He squeezed my hand, and I swear his eyes were bright with unshed tears. He nodded, unable to speak. I put the second ring on Rafe’s finger with a watery smile.
“I’ve loved you since you came to check on me after the first self-defense class. You are so compassionate and strong and protective and such a secret alpha male. I am lucky to have you, and I give you this ring to symbolize the love I have for you and how much I treasure you, Rafe.”
He pulled me into his arms and kissed the top of my head. Together they took the smallest ring and slid it onto my trembling hand. I sniffed bravely, trying to hide my emotion and failing completely.
“I love you and can’t imagine my life without you,” Leo said. “You made my entire life the day you said you were falling for me. I pledge myself to you, to being with you in this, to support you and protect you no matter what, for as long as we live.”
He slid the ring to my knuckle and stepped back. Rafe smiled, lifted my hand and kissed it.
“Lexi, you’re the girl of my dreams. I can be myself with you the way I’ve only ever been able to trust Leo before. Only much, much sexier, I promise,” he said. “And you said he was the funny one. In all seriousness, baby, I am yours forever. We are all in this together, nobody backs out, nobody breaks trust. This is real and it’s permanent. We make our own rules. I promise to love you and be faithful to you for the rest of our lives.”
I sobbed, tears of joy coursing down my face. I flung my arms around their necks and held on. I kissed first Leo and then Rafe, putting my whole heart, all my loneliness and fear and hope into those kisses. Rafe darted into the kitchen and got me a paper towel for my mascara streaked face and my runny nose.
“I love you both. Thank you,” I said. “Forever. That means the world to me.”
“Let’s go inside. The sun’s in my eyes—making them water,” Leo grumbled.
“That’s not from the sunset,” Rafe said. “You’re crying.”
“Fine, I’m crying. This is worth crying over,” Leo said.
We went inside, with me walking between the two of them. I loved being flanked by two gorgeous, strong men. It made me feel so safe, like I belonged.
“So I think we should cut the cake,” I said.
I led them to the table, and we sliced the cake, feeding each other bits of it. I smeared them both with frosting pretty severely and laughed over it. We ate cake, and I kissed them both at least a dozen times.
“So, what do you want to do now?” Rafe said. “Should we consummate the relationship?” He waggled his eyebrows until I rolled my eyes.
“Did it really bother you that I mentioned Leo’s sense of humor in the vows?” I teased.
“Maaaybe,” he said with a grin.
“Well, I, for one, definitely want to consummate a whole lot. But later, please, I just ate like a fourth of a cake,” I said, patting my tummy.
“Then let’s meet back here and bring your phone,” Leo said.
I changed into my sheep pajamas for the occasion and washed a
ll the frosting off my face. I was as quick as I could be, but I was still the last one on the couch. I sat down between them, my legs draped across Rafe’s lap.
“So why did I have to bring my phone. Are we playing Angry Birds or something?” I said.
“I want you to check your calendar and see when you have vacation time. I have plans for us,” Leo said.
“What kind of plans?” Rafe said. “I am not going rock climbing with you again. He has to stop and rest like all the time.”
“You were the one who drank all of your water and then wanted mine. Yeah, we’re both city boys. Anyway,” Leo turned back to me, “I was thinking we might take a vacation together. Someplace with a beach maybe.”
“That sounds amazing! I’ve never been on a vacation. I mean, I stayed in cheap motels when I aged out of the group home and overstayed my welcome on friends’ couches. But not like a real resort or anything.”
“It’s settled then. We’re spoiling you. There’s going to be a beach, a swim-up bar, and a spa,” Rafe said. “We’ll get massages. We’ll go swimming, we’ll hang out in the hot tub with a bottle of champagne.”
“I looked at a couple of resorts in the Caribbean that are for lovers, designed for romantic getaways. What do you think? I’m sending you the link now,” Leo said.
I checked out the web page, full of golden sunset photos of couples kissing on the beach and in the infinity pool, looking flirty and happy and tanned while windsurfing and swimming with dolphins.
“Okay, I’m in,” I said. “I need to work for a few months before I take actual vacation time since I took a sick leave.”
“That makes sense,” Rafe said. “What about November? We could really have something to be thankful for. Our honeymoon.”
“Honeymoon?” I said in disbelief, looking down at the pretty ring on my finger. “I just love you guys.”
I leaned back against Leo, smiled up at him. “You have the best ideas,” I said.
“Thanks,” he said with a grin.
“But I give the best foot massages,” Rafe said, taking my bare foot in his hands and stroking it.
“How did I ever get so lucky?” I said.
“I don’t know, but you’re going to stay this lucky. Forever,” Leo said.
“Yeah, we have rings to prove it,” Rafe said. “Forever.”
They were my family, the love and security I had always dreamed of but never thought I’d have. Right there, stretched out on the couch with my two lovers, surfing travel web sites for the best airfare deals, I had my happily ever after. Everything than I could ever want and more.
The End
The Cabin (Sample)
Enjoy a free sample of one of my other novels.
1
Chase
The high school gymnasium was filled to the brim, and the buzz of conversation was almost deafening. Way more people came than we could have ever anticipated or planned for. Trevor and Nolan were putting out more seats as fast as they could, while I scanned the crowd for the Woodwards. There was no sign of Mr. and Mrs. Woodward – my best friend's parents -- or Elle, his little sister, for that matter.
Checking my watch, I grimaced when I saw that they were running late. A large group of high school-aged boys walked through the doors, their fathers at their back. Another group, this one with a few girls mixed in with them, followed next. With this many people, it's going to be hard to keep them waiting.
Problem was, without the Woodward family, it was kind of hard to get started. They were the reason we were here making this presentation in the first place. They were the main people in charge with speaking today about the legacy and life of their son, Aaron.
Nolan looked up at me, his dark eyes worried as he realized the same thing I did. I nodded, holding up my hand miming that I was using the phone, and stepped out of the gym. I pushed the high school's heavy doors open, and stepped out, only to find Sean – and he wasn't alone. The familiar faces of Tammy and Simon Woodward looked up at me.
Instantly, just by their expressions, I knew something was wrong.
Tammy gave me a faint smile as I approached, but Simon's face looked older and more tired than usual. I hugged Tammy, and she held on tightly to me. She clung to me as a drowning man might cling to a life preserver, reinforcing my belief that something was indeed, very wrong.
I whispered in her ear, “What's wrong?”
“It's Elle,” she said, pulling back.
When I noticed tears in her eyes, and her words registered in my mind, my heart dropped into my stomach. It was like a lead weight tied to my chest, pulling me down. My mind flashed back to the last time I'd seem Tammy Woodward crying. It was the night her son had passed away. It was the very reason we were there today, talking to a bunch of high school seniors about their life choices and what it would mean for them. Because Aaron's life choices led to tragedy, and I swore on his grave that I'd do everything in my power to keep it from happening to anyone else.
I'd also promised to never let anything happen to his sister, Elise. She was all the Woodwards had left now that Aaron was gone.
“What happened?” I asked, looking between both Simon and Tammy, then over at Sean.
Simon cleared his throat. “Nothing happened, we're just worried about her. That's all.”
“Worried? What's going on?” I asked.
“She took a vacation with her boyfriend, Brad,” Simon said. “Up into the mountains. She was supposed to be back today.”
“They're experiencing some pretty bad snowfall up there,” I said, looking over at Sean.
He shook his head gently, a motion only I noticed.
“She called last night,” Tammy said, her voice cracking. “She said that Brad isn't the man she thought he was, and she didn't feel safe. She said she was going to head back home, but we talked her out of it. The roads were too bad, we were afraid she'd get into an accident, but –”
“But what?” I asked.
“But she isn't answering her phone now,” Simon finished for his wife. “Could be the cell towers are down though. The storm may have knocked everything out. We just don't know.”
Tammy looked less convinced. She stared at me with familiar blue eyes. The same blue eyes my best friend inherited from her. Blue eyes that made me feel like he was staring out at me again, and where it should have been comforting, I was slightly unnerved. It was like Aaron was reaching out from the grave, pleading with me to do something.
“Alright,” I said, patting her on the back and answering her silent pleas. “I'll head up to the mountains and check on her.”
“You can't drive up there,” Simon said. “The roads are bad.”
I shrugged. “Not the first time I've driven on treacherous roads before.”
“Yeah, and he won't be going alone,” Sean said.
I looked over at Sean and raised my eyebrows. “You coming with me?” I asked.
“Better to not go alone. Just in case something happens,” he said. “The Boy Scout motto remember?” he said, trying to keep things light.
“Be prepared. Yeah, I remember,” I laughed, running a hand over my face. “Not that we're Boy Scouts anymore.”
“Let me go talk to the others. We'll head out shortly. You got an address where she's staying at?”
“Of course,” Tammy said.
Her tears had dried up, and she seemed to be feeling better, or at least, a little more reassured, anyway. That was all that mattered to me.
“I'm sorry to ask this of you.”
“You didn't have to ask,” I said. “Aaron asked us to look after Elle, and that's what we intend to do.”
“We'll continue with the program as normal,” Simon said.
“Yeah, you guys know what you're doing by now,” I said. “Everything should be set up and ready to go.”
Sean and I shared a look. I knew that once I talked to Nolan and Trevor, they'd insist on coming with us. A dangerous drive into the mountains? Hell yeah, it sounded right up their alle
y. Besides, if we got stuck up there, the more Rangers, the better. We could always find a way to survive as a group. We've survived worse.
“Let me go get the others,” Sean said, leaving me alone with Tammy and Simon.
“Thank you for everything,” Simon said, as he put an arm around his wife's shoulders. “The four of you have been indispensable since Aaron's passing. To be honest, I'm not sure what we'd do without you.”
“You're family to us now,” I said.
My smile faded. Had Aaron not died, I'm not sure we'd still be as close with the Woodwards. His death had brought us together, and it had helped us start down the path to setting up the organization we ran today. It was a nonprofit, in Aaron's honor, educating the world about the effects of war and how our troops and vets need more support. We'd helped many people over the years, kept people from the same fate as our best friend.
Still, even though it sounded selfish as hell, I'd have given everything I had to have my best friend back.
I knew Simon and Tammy would do anything to have him back too. It's the one tie that bound us all together and bound us by iron. They could have blamed us for their son's death, but instead chose to see it as a horrible tragedy. Something we never could have predicted happening without the knowledge we had only in hindsight.
In the wake of Aaron's death, all we could do was channel our grief by continuing to the message. I needed to feel like I was doing more than that though, so I vowed to do everything in my power to keep his family safe and happy – especially his little sister.
She had been Aaron’s world, and she was all the Woodwards had left now. The idea of them losing their daughter so soon after losing their son, hit me hard. While I didn't actually think anything had happened to Elle, I would never be able to live with myself if we didn't at least try to check on her. If something had gone bad up there, and I didn't go check it out, I don't even know what I'd do.
“Ready?” Trevor's voice piped up from behind me.
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