Tears pricked her eyes. “Jace.”
He pressed his gloved fingers to her lips, his smile going soft. “No, don’t say anything yet. I want you to see the view at the top first.”
She nodded and Andre took the thermoses and tucked them back in his bag. Then they each linked a hand with hers and led her up the slope without saying a word. Emotions rioted in her. She had so much she wanted to say. The thought of Jace sitting up all night doing research had her wanting to cry. But when they finally crested the top of the hill and the guys let go of her hands, all of her thoughts disappeared in the frosty mist.
The snowy peaks of the mountains provided a breathtaking backdrop. One of the prettiest she’d ever seen. But that’s not what her eyes were drawn to. No. Because what was in front of her was far more awe-inspiring. Both men had stepped in front of her and gone down on one knee. Her breath halted in her lungs.
“Evangeline Kennedy,” Jace started. “We know that the three of us are already bound in a way most people wouldn’t understand. We don’t need marriage to put some stamp of approval on it for the sake of others.”
“But there’s something to be said for standing in front of all your friends and family and declaring that love and commitment for the world to see,” Andre added. “We love you more than we could ever put into words, bella. You’re our submissive, our lover, and our best friend.”
“But we also want you to be our wife. We want you to be ours forever.” Jace pulled something out of his pocket. A little velvet box. And though Evan had claimed she never needed or craved this, some part of her cracked open inside. That part of her that believed in fairy tales and watched movies with people kissing in the snowfall. That part of her bloomed.
Jace opened the box, revealing a ring with an antique band that swirled around three perfect diamonds. “We love you. We love our life together. And whenever it’s time, whether that be now or down the road, we will love our children with all that we have. Marry us, Ev?”
Evan’s gloved hand had pressed over her mouth somewhere along the way and she wasn’t sure she could form words. Tears streaked hot down her cold face. But after a few long seconds, she managed to nod and get her voice working again. “Of course I will.”
Both of them climbed to their feet and wrapped their arms around her before she could take another breath. She was lifted into the air, and they kissed anything they could reach—cheeks, eyes, mouth. All of the cold of the day disappeared in the midst of their embrace, as if nothing could break through their bubble of warmth and happiness.
She lost it again looking at them, both men as teary eyed as she was—her tough doms turning into big ol’ softies when it came down to it. She kissed each one of them long and hard until they were all wet-faced and she was a sniffly-nosed mess.
She laughed and swiped at her nose. “Sorry. Ugly cry.”
“Never ugly, bella,” Andre assured her and wiped her tears away with his scarf.
“Let’s make this official.” Jace tugged her glove off and slid the beautiful ring onto her hand.
She held out her hand and wiggled her fingers, the diamonds catching the winter sunlight. She’d never been a jewelry person, but even she could appreciate how gorgeous the ring was. “I love it so much. It’s perfect.”
“Good,” Jace said. “Because I’ve grown rather attached to the idea of seeing it on you.”
She looked up at that. “Really? But I thought you were so against marriage. If this is because maybe there’s a baby—”
He reached out and tugged a lock of her hair. “Baby, if you think this proposal has anything to do with a pregnancy scare, you’ve underestimated us. Andre’s wanted to walk you down the aisle from the get-go. He’s a traditional fucker at heart, though he’d never admit it. And I always wanted the world to know you’re ours. Sure, at one point in my life, I never thought I’d want to get married again. But calling you my girlfriend has never felt quite right. And once I started thinking about it, I couldn’t let go of the idea. But I don’t want to rush you or push something on you that you don’t want.”
She banded her arms around his waist and pressed her head to his chest. “Of course I want it. I want everything with you two. But how can we even do this?”
Andre hugged her from behind. “Jace has some things figured out—legal stuff. But we can get into that later. Right now, I just want to get you back down to the cabin and celebrate.”
“But we’re just beginning to enjoy all this snow,” she said innocently. “I’ve never made out in the snow. Think how sexy that could be, rolling around in it.”
Jace looked like he was trying not to laugh, and Andre groaned behind her. “Bella, if you want me to provide any children in the future, I need to get into the warmth. My man parts are dying.”
She turned around in Andre’s arms and kissed his jaw. “Well, I’m quite fond of those man parts, so I guess we can go. Maybe we can try out the hot tub.”
Jace put his hands on her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. “Not so fast. I read last night that hot tubs can be dangerous for pregnant women.”
She let her head drop down against the curve of Andre’s neck with a dramatic sigh. “Is he going to be like this the whole time?”
Andre gave her a squeeze. “Count on it. We both are.”
She couldn’t even muster up a groan because the idea wrapped around her like warm cashmere. Her last pregnancy had been filled with so much fear and despair, so much grief. She could remember sitting alone in a motel room, hands to her belly, and apologizing to her unborn child that she didn’t have the right food to feed her or a nicer place to stay. She’d never felt more alone in the world.
Now it was like that life existed in a different universe. Now she didn’t just have friends or a job or a nice place to live. She had a family. She had two men who would make her laugh and buy her ice cream in the middle of the night and who would throw themselves on a sword to protect her and the life that could be growing inside her. She could barely hold all the bigness of that feeling at once without wanting to cry all over again.
It was like she was there again with her mother, finding those perfect sticks that would make the snowman just right on that perfect day with that perfect person who meant everything to you. That moment when you knew all in your world was just as it should be.
So now, trudging over the snow-covered ground, with Jace and Andre by her side, she knew she’d somehow stepped into that magical place again. The one where her mother was close and smiling at her because her daughter was finally happy.