My plans had given Trav the courage he needed, and the stubborn kick in the ass, to take the plunge and expand his operation. He had triple the employees, double the projects running, and HFC was building things he had always dreamed of.
God, it felt good to see him succeed.
And Eli was now a part-time firefighter, working two days a week at the station, and a full-time fire investigator. It eased some of the worry in my chest knowing that most of the time, he wasn’t going into the buildings until the fire was out.
“Black Cat.” Eli said, sliding his fingers over my back, teasing the slice of skin at the hem of my jersey before sliding under it. “We have a surprise for you.”
My eyes widened as I looked from him to Trav, on my other side, looking deliciously up at something. “Does it involve a filthy trip to the locker room?” I teased and Trav laced his fingerswith mine, as they both led me to the stairs leading down to the main rink below.
“Something like that.” Eli smiled.
The air rushed out of my lungs, my feet freezing in place as I took in the scene.
Candles. Literally everywhere.
Rose petals, black and red, sprinkled across the ice to a red carpet that led to the center.
“Guys.” I whispered in awe.
“Let’s go, Shade.” Trav said, pulling me down the steps, and opening the gate in the boards so I could walk out onto the red carpet. When the three of us got to the center, there was a bucket with champagne in it and a million other candles surrounding the space in a circle.
“Frankie,” Eli whispered, taking my other hand in his, until my men stood shoulder to shoulder in front of me. His eyes were red, despite the magical smile on his lips as he lifted my hand to them, kissing my knuckles. “You told us once that no one had ever done anything nice and thoughtful for you before, so we knew when we did this,” He took a shuddering breath, and my own breath escaped with a shake, “That we had to do it big.”
“This?” I whispered, turning to look at Travis as he gave me a gentle one-sided grin.
“Proposing.” He replied firmly, always steady and sure. “We want to make this official, we want to make it real. Actually, I wanted to do it a year ago when we brought you home from the hospital, but?—”
“Jesus Christ,” Eli elbowed him in the gut with a roll of his eyes, and I giggled. “What he means is, we know you’ve done this before. We know you’ve been married, hoping to get the magical fairy tale ending you so desperately deserve, baby.”
Travis squeezed my hand as tears fell over my eyelashes, “And we know you didn’t get it that time, and we’re glad. Because it means you came back to Cedar Bluff. To us. For this.”
Eli pulled a box from his pocket, holding it between them as they both fell to one knee, making my tears turn into sobs, as my vision danced and swayed as I tried to see them lift the lid of the box open.
“Black Cat,”
“Shade,”
“Will you marry us?” Eli smiled.
“Will you give us the world?” Travis added.
“Will you let us be the men in your life forever?”
“Will you let us be the fathers your kids deserve?”
“Oh my God,” I cried, melting to my knees in front of them as I nodded my head, forcing the lump in my throat away. “Yes!”
They engulfed me, swallowing me up with their big strong arms, and warm love, and I welcomed it.
I embraced it.
There was nothing else in the world that I needed, outside of them and my kids.
Our kids.
Our family.
We were whole.
