Page 101 of Brandishing Balance
I blushed and kissed him softly.
Someone cleared their throat behind us and there was a waiter in a full tuxedo with white gloves ready to guide us to our table. “Please sit, we will begin serving soon.”
It’s hard to sit five of us at the table without someone at the head, so I’m a little surprised when Marcos guides me to the head of the table and takes the seat to my right, giving Luke the seat to my left. Jason and Nico sit beside them and smiled when I looked over.
The waiter came out a moment later and started setting down plates before each of us. A salad course. Of course, there were going to be more than one course at this dinner. I shouldn’t have expected anything else. Thankfully it was a simple garden salad that Luke would eat as well. I could tell the ranch was homemade because it was divine.
The next course was a soup, a broccoli cheddar that was my favorite. I moaned loudly as I dug into the small bowl. I smirked as I watched my guys shift in their chairs. “Seriously?” Jason grumbled.
Luke and I laughed for very different reasons.
I was sad when I finished my small bowl all too quickly, but knew more food was coming. I couldn’t fill up on soup and salad—even though I could very well make a meal out of that. Dinner came out a moment later, some kind of grilled chicken with a light sauce and a side of shrimp linguini and broccoli that looked awesome.
I glanced at Luke’s plate and chuckled when I saw more mozzarella sticks and a cheese burger with fries. “You weren’t going to try the chicken or linguini?” I asked him.
“And ruin this dinner for you? Nah.” Luke grinned cheekily.
I shook my head. Smiling wryly, I turned to Marcos. He just grinned at me. “Enjoy the meal, Mi Vida.”
I did. I enjoyed every single bite and didn’t regret it. It all was absolutely fantastic. I couldn’t help the couple moans that slipped out while I ate. Luke just laughed at me, while my guys gave me heated stares. I was playing with fire and didn’t give a damn if I got burned.
After the meal, the staff cleared the table quickly and brought out the dessert plate. It looked like a sampler with small bites of cheesecakes and chocolate fudge and ice cream. “Oh, man,” I groaned, eyeing the plate.
“Before you dig in,” Marcos chuckled, grabbing my hand, “I have something I want to say.”
I looked up into his warm chocolate eyes, wondering what in the world was more important than chocolate fudge.
He held my hand in his and pulled it toward him. “Maya, my life. Words can’t describe how deeply I love you or how much you mean to me, to all of us.” He glanced up at his brothers and Luke.
I squeezed his hand, my heart pounding in my chest.
“The last couple weeks, all of us living together in our home, have been a dream come true. You really are the glue that holds us all together and the light of our lives. I know it’s too soon, I know we’re just beginning to heal after everything that’s happened, but Maya, there is no future for me without you or Luke in it.” Marcos glanced at Luke and grinned.
Luke beamed back at his dad with all the love in the world on his face.
I swallowed thickly as tears began to well in my eyes.
Nico and Jason stood from the table and came up behind Marcos, just as he slid from his chair and down to one knee. He pulled a box out of his pocket and I gasped. My hands flew to my mouth, covering it as it dropped open in shock.
“Maya, life has no meaning without you in it. I refuse to go another day without making you mine—ours. Will you please do us the honor of marrying us?”
I try to choke back my sob, but it bursts out of me as tears pour down my face. “Yes! Yes.” I reached for him, sliding off the chair to my knees in front of him. Sobbing, I fall into his arms, even as Luke cheered.
Marcos held me tightly, pulling me against him. “Mi Vida,” he murmured, holding me against him. “Shh.”
I reached behind him and pulled Jason and Nico closer, my hands holding theirs as I sobbed into Marcos’s shoulder. Fuck, Iwas so happy, so fucking happy. I didn’t even care if it was too soon. I’ve wanted nothing more than this for the last ten fucking years of my life. I needed them more than I need air to breathe. The loves of my fucking life.
Luke joined the group hug, coming up behind me. “Mom, don’t cry. It’s a good thing, right?”
I chuckled softly and pulled away from Marcos and the guys enough to reach for my son and pull him into a hug with me and his dad. “It’s a great thing, baby. I’m so happy, so happy.”
Luke grinned and hugged me tight. “Then why are you crying?”
“They’re happy tears, baby.”
Luke looked exasperated and shook his head. “Doesn’t make sense, mom.”
We laughed, and I finally pulled back and wiped my eyes gently, mindful of my make up. Nico handed me a handkerchief, and I dabbed my face while Marcos opened the ring box.
