Dominic grinned and nodded. “I definitely never thought I’d be here, about to propose to the woman I lovewithmy two best friends. Surrounded by handsy old folks, at that.”
Caroline, Sugar’s grandma, strolled to a stop in front of us with two old guys at her side. She looked us over and nodded. “Looking good, fellas. After this, I assume you’re taking my baby home.”
Dominic nodded. “Yes, ma’am. You coming?”
“Nope. I’m going to stay for a while. There’s something in the water here, I tell you. The boys here have still got it. And this whole thing with having multiple men? They didn’t have that in my day, not that I knew about. It’s time I explored a little. If you whisk Sugar Jane away before I can catch her, or if I’m otherwise…occupied, tell her that I found something better than video chatting. I can have both hands free this way!”
I stared after her as she left, my jaw hanging open. Glancing back over at Barrett and Dominic, I had to check to make sure I hadn’t been hearing things. “She said—”
Barrett cleared his throat. “Yep.”
“Yes, she did.” Dominic shook his head and grinned. “I like her.”
I shoved my hands in my pockets and rethought the suit again. It wasn’t really me. Sugar deserved everything to be special, though. Another few minutes passed, and I growled. “Okay, I’ve been patient.”
Barrett snorted. “You’ve been out of your head. One of the neighbors called the cops because you kept shouting in the front yard. You broke two fingers punching Sugar’s dad in the face. When were you patient?”
I ignored him and looked at Dom’s black eye. “She’ll have questions about that.”
The sound of screaming cut off whatever Dom was about to say. A grin broke across his face as he looked in the direction the scream was coming from. My chest tightened and I got the same floaty feeling in my stomach I always got when I knew Sugar was coming.
Someone got the hint and music started playing through the courtyard. Their twinkle-lights and the setting sun made the moment feel like something out of a fairy tale. I’d never pictured myself as the handsome prince, but I’d take it. Grinning as I thought it, it quickly turned into a laugh when I made out words behind the scream.
“Out of my way! My men are here! Oh, sorry! Sorry! I can’t stop! My men are here and they love me!”
Then she was there, sprinting around the corner of a small office building and looking wildly around the property. Her hair was down and flying around wildly. She was dressed in leggings and one of my t-shirts. Her bare feet slapped against the concrete as she spotted our heads over the crowd of oldies and sprinted toward us.
“You’re here! You came for me! I’m so sorry I left! I was dumb to leave! And I know you didn’t do anything with Maggie, Barrett! I was just jealous! I just— Oh, goodness. Mr. Freely, your pants are unzipped and…”
I watched as she shook her head and started making her way through the crowd, still shouting over the sound of the music at us. Impatient, determined, bold. That was our Sugar. “I love you! I love all three of you! I want to go home and start a family! I know we never talked about that, but I’m pregnant, as you know, and I—”
The crowd parted and she stumbled to a stop right in front of us. Her eyes widened when she saw us in suits. From close up, I could see how undone she looked. She was as natural as I’d ever seen her and she was the most beautiful woman in the world.
“I…I want to start a family with y’all…” Her words trailed off as she stood perfectly still. “Um. What are you doing?”
The three of us dropped to one knee at the same time and whatever proposal we’d planned went to shit because we hadn’t accounted for Sugar being Sugar. Somehow, she managed to stretch her small frame out enough to tackle Barrett and drag me and Dominic down with them.
In a pile in the middle of a courtyard full of golden oldies, she pinned us and covered our faces in kisses. Her hands clutched at us, holding us there, like she was afraid we’d vanish. It was only when her kisses became wet with her tears that Dominic held her still and smiled up at her.
“Can we ask the question now?” His amusement with her never ceased to amaze me.
She nodded and looked at all of us. “Yes, please. Please, ask.”
Barrett pulled out the ring his father had proposed to his mother with when they had absolutely nothing. The tiny diamond wasn’t worth more than a hundred dollars, but it was priceless to him. With tears in his eyes, he held her gaze. “The ring my father proposed to my mom with. They never had much, but they had love. More than most people ever see. More than I thought I’d ever see. Thank you for proving me wrong. Marry us, Sugar. Be ours. Be my wife.”
Dominic pulled out a sliver of rock that was smooth from years of being in his pocket and him touching it. The rock had once been a part of a bigger cliff that had saved the three of us from ourselves and the flood that night. “A piece of stone I’ve carried with me since the night the three of us became a force. This rock saved us. It brought us together. Now I want it to bring us you. Marry us. Let us own you the way you already own us. Be my pet. Be my everything.”
I watched as Sugar turned her tearstained face to me and felt my throat threaten to close with emotion. I couldn’t choke, though. I was getting my words, my feelings out. It didn’t matter that I spoke the words with a hoarse voice that cracked. I held my hand out to her and showed her my empty palm. “There are only two things in my life that mean as much to me as those things mean to Barr and Dom. One of them is my friendship with these guys. The other is you. The thing I want to give you though, Sugar, is something I’ve never given, even when I had nothing or even hope for something. Me. It’s all I have. It’s all I’veeverhad and that got me through a lot of cold nights, but I don’t need to cling to that anymore. There will never be another cold night, as long as you’re with us. Marry us, tesorina. Be my love, my warmth, my best friend. Be our wife and the mother of our child.”
Sugar knocked me backwards as she kissed me. It wasn’t nearly long enough, but when she gripped my tie and met my gaze, I forgot everything else. Even when she moved to Barrett and Dominic, that look in her eyes stayed with me, filling my heart. I was enough.
“I’ll marry you all on one condition.” Sitting up, Sugar looked around as the rising noises started infiltrating our bubble. Her cheeks heated as she let out a giggle. “Oh, my god. Is that…?”
I climbed to my feet and grabbed Sugar. “Time to go. I’ve already been touched in ways I didn’t like while waiting on you to get your hot little ass out here and I’m not interested in finding out if a group of older ladies can overpower me.”
Barrett and Dominic were hot on our heels as I power walked us through a crowd of seniors who’d begun coupling up. Various displays of affection were popping up all over the place and I saw that maybe the old guy with his pants unzipped earlier had known what was up.
“Don’t look. Don’t look anywhere but straight ahead.” Barrett let out a yelp that I knew meant someone had pinched his ass because it was the same sound I’d made earlier. He sprinted ahead of us, using his athleticism to leave us behind. “Sorry, but it’s every man for himself!”