* * *
The days are getting longer,and winter is beginning to thaw, slowly making room for a gentle spring. The sun shines generously throughout the day, and it’s been a while since the night temperatures plummeted noticeably below the freezing point. Slowly but surely, the mountain is coming back to life.
Sitting on the back porch of the lodge, wrapped in a thick blanket, I watch a deer shyly approach our fence. I keep quiet, fearful I might scare her away. Our eyes meet for a moment.
“Hi, beautiful,” I whisper and smile.
Hers are big, round, and brown. Mine sparkle with excitement as I hold my breath. Her nostrils flare, then she lowers her head and makes her way back into the woods, stopping here and there to nibble.
“You’ll be seeing more of them come spring,” Nico says in a low voice as he joins me on the porch. “Down in the valley, a whole herd gathers in summer. They’re a pleasure to watch.”
“She seemed people-friendly, too,” I reply.
“Only from afar. They won’t let you get too close.”
“I can relate to that.” I chuckle softly.
Nico sits next to me on the rattan bench, putting an arm around my shoulders. Moments later, Chance and Booker come out, both of them still panting as they take off their leather work gloves.
“The wood’s taken care of,” Booker says. “We’ve got enough logs for the fireplace, and the rest of the shed is stacked and dry.”
“Look at my men, working hard to keep us comfy,” I giggle, melting against Nico’s frame.
“Which brings us to the next order of business,” Chance quips as he takes off his gloves and starts searching through his coat pocket.
Nico gives him a confused look. “What, now?”
“What better time?”
“For what?” I ask.
“Didn’t we agree to the whole dinner thing?” Nico insists.
“What are you guys talking about?” I ask, almost laughing.
Booker chuckles softly as he looks at Nico. “With everything that happened, I think it’s safe to say we need to make every second count.”
My heart starts racing as Chance gives me a playful wink and pulls out a small velvet box.
“Well, crap. Okay,” Nico blurts out and gets up.
My breath quickens as the Hayes brothers face me, standing tall and proud against a snowy backdrop and a sea of ancestral pines that stretch down this magnificent mountain. The sun cuts across their faces, casting golden flecks in their eyes and silver specks in their rich hair as the three of them drop to one knee.
“I’ll give Booker credit. He’s right. There’s no perfect moment. There’s no telling what tomorrow will bring,” Nico says, his voice trembling slightly. “But the truth is, Anya, you were always the one. Long before we became aware of you as a woman, you already had your place in our hearts.
“And when you crash-landed back in our lives, I wasn’t sure what to make of it. I thought fate was playing a nasty trick on us. Taking you away and then dangling you in front of us, like the sweetest torment,” he adds. “It was our sign to do something. To do what we didn’t or couldn’t do before.”
“And that is to make an honest woman out of you,” Chance says as he opens the box, revealing a gorgeous delicate platinum ring with a tear-shaped diamond, crowned by a dozen smaller ones. “Anya Asimova, will you make us the happiest bastards on this earth and be our wife?”
“It would be the greatest joy and honor for us to spend the rest of our days with you,” Booker adds, his gaze soft and filled with light. “We love you. Fiercely. You and the little one growing in your womb. And you deserve everything that is good and kind in this world. Let us be a part of your life, Anya, and you will never be without.”
“I did not have a marriage proposal on my bingo card for this random Wednesday morning,” I say, staring at the ring. “But I love you more than words can say. I love each of you with every fiber of my being. And I have always felt safe with you.”
“So is that a yes?” Nico raises a curious eyebrow.
“It’s a hell, yes,” I laugh.
The moment Chance slips the ring on my finger, it’s as if everything changes. And, while change can be scary, it’s also exhilarating. My heart is beating fast and strong, my soul is flooded with the purest kind of light as I get up and let my men hold me, kiss me, promise me they will do everything to make me happy.