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“Dylan, this is so sweet. Thank you.” I wrap my arms around him.
Ethan comes up from behind, sandwiching me between him and Dylan. “Is the threesome still on the table?” I look behind me at him and he wiggles his eyebrows at Dylan. There’s some joke I missed based on how they are both laughing.
“I fucking hate you. Come here.” Dylan grabs Ethan into the hug, with me still stuck between them, and it’s slightly claustrophobic.
“Ok guys, it’s a little tight in here. You both are solid muscle and I’m a little squished.” Dylan chuckles, kisses my forehead and releases us both.
“Thanks for coming, Ethan. Just try to be nice to my sister,” Dylan tells him, eyeing him with suspicion.Wait, how does Ethan know Melanie?
“Tell her to be nice tome!I'm perfectly charming, and afuckingdelight.” Ethan kisses me on the cheek and heads over to hang out with my twins after wishing me a happy birthday.
“Ok, everyone! Mimosas are ready!” Riley calls out from the kitchen. The grown-ups head to the kitchen for drinks while the kids are in the living room playing, reading, and laughing.
Charlotte lives in New York, so I’m especially surprised she’s here. “Char! I don’t know what this is all about, but thank you for coming.”
“I’m actually moving back! Just need to find a place. Tyler said I could stay with him for a few days until I figure out something permanent. I just wanted to surprise you for your birthday.” I love her so much, it’s the best birthday present that she's moving back here.
“You’re moving back?! Are you serious?!” I wrap her in a tight hug. “You know, Jason mentioned his noisy neighbor was moving, maybe it’s vacant?”
She’s beaming. “Oh my gosh, that would be amazing! Finding a place has beenbrutal!I’ll have to chat with him while I’m here.”
We didn’t grow up together, her mom married my dad ten or so years ago—but she is my sister all the same. “Thanks for coming, Char.”
I wrap her in a big hug that’s interrupted by Aiden bringing over a small present. “Mommy, this one says it’s formy love—ew, bleh—from Dylan, can I open it?”
Dylan doesn’t take it from him, instead says, “If your mom is ok with it, you can unwrap it, but I need her to open it. It’s her birthday gift.” He nods and begins ripping it apart before handing it to me. It’s a small velvet box that screams jewelry.
The room is eerily quiet and I scan it to find all eyes on me. As I turn back to Dylan, he’s no longer sitting next to me, but in front of me on one…Oh, God. Is this happening?
“E, before you open it, I want you to know that we can take as long as you need for us to figure it out. There is one thing that I have no doubt about though—I want to spend every day of the rest of my life with you.” Tears sting behind my eyes as he continues, “Nearly seventeen years ago, you were my first love…but you’re also my last. I’ve always been yours, beautiful. I can’t go another day without asking, will you spend the rest of your life as mine? Make me the luckiest man in the world and marry me?”
My hand moves to his cheek and I whisper without an ounce of hesitation, “Yes.” I lean in to kiss him, hearing cheers and clapping all around us. There’s also a, “Gross, mom,” from Aiden.
Ethan calls out from across the room. “Open it! I picked it out!”
Melanie smacks him in the arm. “You did not!” The way Ethan is looking at her right now reminds me of how Dylan looks at me. If she’s not careful, he's going to hoist her over his shoulder and carry her off into the woods to do all sorts of dirty things to her. There’s something going on between those two, but I’ll have to ask him about it later.
I open the box and it is absolutely perfect. If I could pick any ring in the world, this would be it. He takes it out for me, slipping it on my finger. “Perfect ring, for the perfect woman.” I kiss him again but we're interrupted by my friends who want to see the new rock on my hand.
Noah and Charlie give me a hug at the same time and Noah asks, “Can we move in with Dylan now?”
“Uh, we’ll talk about logistics when we get home, but for now, let’s just enjoy the rest of the day.” The answer satisfies them and they head over to play with the other kids. Harriet and Lizzy give us both hugs. I’m thankful they are ok with all of this after what happened with their mom. Harriet assures us that she'll be prepared for her debate, enlisting help from Melanie and Charlotte.
After we enjoy the largest buffalo plaid pajama party to date, we begin cleaning up the living room, and help everyone get checked into their own cabins. Ethan is headed out somewhere, but before he does, he comes over and wraps me in his arms in a tight hug. “My darling, wonderful Emma. Since you’re now going to marry a well gin and tonic—when you’re obviously top shelf, with extra lime—I insist that you let me plan your wedding, so it isn’t a disaster. Can you imagine if he was in charge? No, you can’t, because it isn’t going to happen.” Ethan is an incredible event planner, so he would be the obvious choice.
“How can you plan it when you’re in it?” I cock an eyebrow at him.
He kisses my cheek. “Oh, love, don’t worry. I’ll be doing both.”
I lower my voice, “What’s going on with you and Melanie?”
“Oh, don’t worry yourself with that. She may be the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, but I know she’s off the table. Happy Birthday, Em,” he replies with a wink. I step out of his embrace, and he holds my hand, squeezing once before letting go. He leaves for the evening, most likely about to find a hot tourist while he’s here. Probably for the best, Dylan would probably kill Ethan if he tried to hook up with his sister.
Once everyone is gone, the cabin is quiet, and we take a few minutes to finish cleaning everything up. As I am tying up the last trash bag, Dylan’s arms wrap around me from behind. I melt into him. “Thank you for today, it was the best birthday.”
I turn around to face him, my hands on his chest. He rests his forehead on mine for a moment before picking me up so my legs wrap around him. Looking at me with so much love in his eyes, he replies, “Thank you for saying yes.”
Kissing him softly, I pull back and admire the new addition on my left hand, “I mean, how could I say no! It’ssopretty!”
