Syrus’face lit up with that heart-melting smile of his, and Ellie felt her own flip in response. “Sweetheart, the reason we’re late is that we made an additional, very special stop before we came home.”
“Took us a little longer than we’d planned to find the perfect thing we were searching for,” Ezra added with his own panty melting grin.
The two of them dropped down in front of her and while Cody kept her firmly ensconced on his knee, he shifted to reach for something in his pocket.
It took a moment for realization to setinand when the three of them each flipped open a ring box she could scarcely believe what she was seeing.
“Marry us,” they all said in unison.
Ellie couldn’t quite take it all in. Her mouth dropped open and her stomach did a weird little flip. They hadn’t each said, ‘marry me’ and asked her to choose between them, which meant…
Her brain couldn’t quite comprehend the reality. Were they really asking what she thought they were? She was almost afraid to hope in case she had it wrong. Thankfully, they hadn’t finished.
“The last few weeks have made us realize that we all have feelings for you, Ellie. Strong feelings,” Codysaid.
“More than we ever imagined would be possible when we put out an ad to find wives,” Ezra continued with a nod.
“We expected to maybe find someone each of us could be comfortable with and pursue an amicable enough relationship to make it work,” explained Syrus.
Cody took up the narrative once again. “What we actually found was so much more. What we didn’t expect was that all three of us would be equally attracted to you.”
“You scared us to death when you said you wanted to leave because you couldn’t make a choice,” Syrus said quietly.
Ezra stroked his thumb across her cheek. “But what it did was make us realize we could all have you; that none of us would have to give you up.”
Cody pressed a kiss to her temple. “It took away the biggest fear that each of us harbored,” he told her in a voice that almost shook with emotion. “That two of us were going to have to come to terms with losing you and watching you every day with our brother, knowing that you’d never be ours.”
“None of us knew if we’d be able to bear that, or even if our relationship would withstand the consequences,” Syrus whispered soulfully.
Ezra nodded solemnly. “Not even the one of us who got to keep you.”
“It seemed impossible,” Cody murmured against her hair. “But then you said you couldn’t choose, and we sawtheopportunity to make it right for all four of us.”
Syrus took up the story now.
“So, when we finished at the auction, we went straight to the jewelers to find the perfect rings, so all three of us could ask you to marry us.”
“We want you to be our wife,” Cody agreed, tightening his arms around her waist. “We love you Ellie, all three of us.” Cody spoke, but Syrus and Ezra both nodded their agreement. “I know it hasn’t been long…”
“And we didn’t exactly get off to the best start,” Ezra put in his own comment.
“And none of it can be what you’d call conventional,” Syrus added.
“But what do you think?” Ezra asked. “Do you think you can cope with three husbands?”
The smile that bloomed on Ellie’s face felt like it stretched from ear to ear, it was so wide.
She grabbed Cody’s face and smacked a heartfelt kiss on his mouth before reaching forwards from her perch on his knee and flinging her arms around both Syrus and Ezra, kissing each of them.
“I can’t think of anything I’d love better than being a wife to all three of you,” she agreed ecstatically.
Ezra jumped up and whooped triumphantly. Syrus captured her face and gave her the sweetest of kisses and Cody squeezed her so hard he took her breath away… or maybe that was just the situation.
When they’d all calmed down, each of her men, because now they really, trulywereall her men took turns in placing a beautiful aquamarine accented ring on her finger. When all three were in place, they interlocked to form a perfect whole. Just like the three of them did in her heart.
Epilogue
Ten weeks later, Ellie was standing in a large gazebo which had been erected in the wildflower meadow trying to calm both nerves and excitement. Outside, Cody, Syrus and Ezra, all wearing matching western shirts with different colored stitching and bolo ties that complimented their color scheme, were standing next to an arbor arch which had been set up at the end of a long, woven rattan runner.