Page 68 of My Brother's Teammates

“Here goes everything.” Axel pulled the lid off the box and met my gaze. “You’ve been our entire world for five years, Kitten. From the day you showed up on our doorstep, with deceptively small hair because of the rain, we’ve known that you were going to change everything for us. What we didn’t know then was that you’d have to change your own world so much to make room for us.”

“You’ve been the best partner. You’re everything to each of us and you make it look so easy. We know you’ve sacrificed, though, Kitten.” Ryder looked a little teary-eyed and when I stepped towards him to comfort him, he held out his hand. “If you touch me right now, I’m going to lose it, baby. Let me get through this.”

I nodded, so confused and nervously hopeful.

“We know that without us, you could’ve completed your masters in two years. You could’ve been halfway through your PhD by now. You’re so fucking smart and talented. You took things slowly, though, so you could be with us. All the traveling, all the bullshit that comes along with this lifestyle, you’ve been an angel.”

Hudson reached up and held onto his shoulder pads. “God knows you deserve more than us. Yet, you’re here. With us. For us. Always in your little outfits and always cheering your heart out. And always waiting for us after the game with open arms and so eager to see us. You make life good, baby. You make us better men.”

“You deserve everything you want in life, Kitten.” Axel put his hand on top of the box. “A few years ago, you went through that phase of wanting a dog. We’d just started traveling all the time and we didn’t think it was a good idea. It was the first time we couldn’t give you something you wanted and none of us have been able to forget that feeling. Because while we still have our own goals and shit, our priority is you, Kitten. Everything else could go away and as long as you’re still here, we’d be okay.”

“I remember the exact moment you accepted that you couldn’t have something you wanted because of our life. You were sad, but then you cuddled up with us and said that we were better than a dog anyway.” Hudson shook his head and sniffed. “You know we’re not better than a puppy. You’re just so fucking sweet that you didn’t want us to feel bad. You sacrificing for us isn’t acceptable to us, though, baby. We’re at a point now where things are different.”

Ryder ran his hands through his hair and reached into the box. Instead of the puppy I was expecting, it was a set of keys. “The reasons we gave you for not being able to get a dog were valid at the time. We didn’t have a house here yet. We were never in one place for very long and we weren’t entirely sure if we’d stay in Mountfort for long enough to set up our life here. We were all so busy.”

“We have a house now.” Axel smiled.

Ryder tossed me the keys. “It’s big enough for us to grow into. It’s got a massive fenced in yard, Kitten.”

Another sound came from the box and I sniffed hard, trying to contain my tears. “What’s in the box?”

Axel reached in and brought out a tiny puppy with beautiful curly, golden hair. The little being wiggled and whined in his hands but as soon as Axel held it to his chest, all the sounds quieted down. Axel shot me a smirk. “He thinks I’m his momma, apparently.”

Hudson reached over and touched his little ears. “Probably because of how much you stink.”

I couldn’t wait another second. I rushed over and took the little guy from Axel. Holding him to my chest, I ugly cried in front of everyone but I didn’t care.

“There’s one more thing in the box.” Ryder grinned at me through tears of his own.

I leaned over to look into the box but there was nothing there. Looking back at the guys, I found them all on one knee, smiling up at me. I gasped and looked around at our family. Everyone was grinning from ear to ear or crying while trying to smile. We were a watery bunch.

“What do you say, Kitten?” Axel grinned. “Want to marry us?”

Gran swore. “Do it like we practiced!”

Axel’s cheeks turned red but he cleared his throat and started over. “Will you marry us, Jenny Ramsey?”

I gently handed the puppy to Jason, who was also crying, and then tackled my guys. They really did stink and they were wet with sweat, but I would’ve taken them anyway I could get them. “Yes! I thought you’d never ask!”

Hudson slipped a ring on my finger and kissed me. “We just wanted things to be perfect.”

I kissed each of them until our family started grumbling about getting a room and then I looked at each of them, feeling my heart grow even larger somehow. “Things have always been perfect and they’ll always be perfect, just as long as I have you three. And that puppy.”

“And the house?”

“Do we have a big enough bed finally?”

Dad groaned. “I’m out. I’m going to go tell people that I’m the father-in-law of three of the players and see if they’ll take pictures with me.”

Ryder nodded. “Massive, custom bed.”

Hudson grinned. “There are lots of customizations, baby. Just for you.”

I blushed and turned to make sure no one was still listening, just to see Gran leaned against the table, watching us. “Gran!”

She shrugged. “Sue me. I’m an old woman. I have to get my kicks where I can.”

Axel groaned. “Gross.”

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