Page 59 of Trick or Heat

“I can’t believe we didn’t know about this,” Casey says, crossing his arms and finally letting an amused smile free.

“We kind of forgot about the entire encounter until after the heat was over,” Brodie says.

“But that’s why we keep getting food here?” I ask. “Because it’s sentimental to that day?”

“Well, of course,” Raivat confirms. “It’s not because we love soup that much.”

“Hey, soup is amazing,” I scold him, and he raises his hands in surrender.

“I didn’t quite know how much I was missing out on soup until meeting you, little elf,” Brodie responds, giving a cheeky grin.

“And speaking of,” DJ announces. “Here’s our food now.”

A staff member comes over, placing pretty bowls in front of us. The scent of the pecan salad washes over me, and my stomach rumbles. Along with our food, Sam brings out a cake and I scrunch a brow.

“Oh, I don’t think we ordered a cake,” I tell him kindly.

His lip curves. “You didn’t, little lady, but your mates did.”

It gets placed on the table, angled toward Casey and I so we can look down at the white cream frosting. There’s something inscribed on it, the cursive a little bit hard to read, but when I peer closer, my heart sputters a quick beat.

“Happy Anniversary,” Casey reads out loud, and I can hear the smile in his voice. “Oh wow, has it been a year already?”

Raivat nods. “One year to the day of Elsie’s first heat and meeting you both for the first time.”

At some point, Sam ventured away, and now we’re just left with our mates, my heart full and my lip wobbling.

“You three… you’re the best,” I say, trying to control my emotions. Casey’s hand comes to my shoulder for support. “You have been an absolute blessing.”

DJ smiles softly, a glimmering sheen entering his eyes. “You two are the real blessings. Thank you for giving us a chance, three jocks with nothing else to offer but our hearts.”

Casey scoffs. “You have a lot more to offer than your heart, Dee.”

That earns him a laugh. “Oh, don’t try getting into my pants right now, I’m trying to have a sentimental moment. Those are rare for me.”

Raivat takes our hands across the table, his eyes just as bright. “We’re lucky to have you both. And for you to have each other. We just wanted you to know that we appreciate you.”

“Exactly,” Brodie agrees.

They all look at us, the moment feeling almost too intimate, but that doesn’t scare me anymore. These boys have made me feel safe in every possible way, and they’ve done nothing but continuously reaffirm that they were meant for us every step of the way.

“Well,” I start, wiping the tears from my eyes. “Are we going to dig into this cake, or what?”

I look at Casey, seeing the same emotion reflecting back at me. “Do you want a corner piece?”

I nod, loving how well he knows me. “Yes, a corner piece sounds amazing.”