Chapter 9
Drake
I'd never been this nervous in my life. Sweat trickled down my back, and my overly starched collar scratched at my neck.
"Breathe," Dane whispered to me.
The house sat in darkness, waiting for Blue to arrive home. We could hear her come through the door, muttering something about deadlines and dinner reservations. We'd told her to come home early, that we had a birthday surprise waiting.
I suspected she wasn't expecting this.
She opened the door, clicking on the light in the hall. "Drake? Dane? Where are you guys? Why are the lights off—oh."
She must have seen the rose petals we'd laid out on the floor. There was a shuffle, the sound of something scratching against the floor, then her soft footsteps as she followed the roses.
I glanced at Dane, my heart now thumping through my chest. He looked cool as a cucumber, his gaze fixed on the entrance to our bedroom.
We heard her quick gasp, her steps faltering.
She'd moved in a week ago, finally giving in to the inevitable. The damage to Blue's house had been more substantial than initially anticipated, and she'd spent a month in our bed.
When she'd finally returned home, she’d done so despite our wishes, protesting that we needed space and were rushing things.
Instead, we'd moved into her house, sleeping there every night she wasn't at ours. After a month of that fucking nonsense, she'd finally agreed to move in here.
It was step one in our new plan. Tonight, we implemented step two.
I'd spent the day reorganising the house, creating spaces for her things. We wanted Blue to see how easy our integration could be.
The hall she walked down I'd filled with photographs and artwork. I'd removed some of our items, replacing them with hers. We didn't have many shared memories just yet, but we would. If tonight went to plan.
She neared, and Dane's hand came down on my shoulder, squeezing.
"We got this, babe,” he whispered to me, his lips brushing the shell of my ear.
I straightened, taking his strength and confidence and projecting it back.
Yeah. We got this.
Blue walked through the bedroom door, pausing just over the threshold. Her eyes were wide and a little dewy as she took in the scene we’d created for her. It had taken an hour, but every damn candle we could find decorated the room, lending it a soft glow.
"Happy Birthday, baby." Dane stepped forward, pulling her into the room.
"My birthday's not 'til tomorrow."
"We know," he replied softly, guiding her to the bed. "But tomorrow is for family. Tonight is for us."
Her lips quirked up in a sexy smile. "I like the sound of that."
Dane shot me a look. I cleared my throat, stepping forward as she settled on the edge of the bed.
"Bluebell McKenney," my voice sounded rough, hoarse, like I was struggling to get the words out.
"Yes, Drake Andrews?” she teased, completely unaware of the magnitude of this situation.
"Will you marry us?" I dropped to one knee, fingers scrambling to find the box, holding out a ring.
Her face froze, her gaze locked on the box.
"Marry—" She looked from me to Dane and back. "But… I thought—"
I coughed, cleared my throat, and then coughed again. Dane took over, sitting beside her, holding her hand.
"We want you, baby. But we also need to keep you safe.
We've got no real family, but we want one. Drake can be my next of kin, same with his wife because I’ve got no one else.
But you? Drake? Drake's got family out there somewhere, even if they're shitheads.
And you got all your extended. If we have kids?
If something happens to you? We need to have access.
The only way to do that is to get you hitched. "
She looked up at Dane, tears wetting her cheeks. "And you're okay with me marrying him and not you?"
"Honey.” He raised a hand, wiping away a tear. "There're no tallies or counting here. We're sharing the bounty of our life." His lips quirked. "But I get first dips on knocking you up."
I finally found my voice, adding, "besides, Bluebell Andrews sounds better than Bluebell Butler."
She choked out a laugh, finally looking back at me. I swallowed, my normally steadfast sense of composure completely deserting me. I remained on one knee; the ring still held out to her.
"Yes,” she finally whispered, her smile gentle. “I want to tie myself to both of you.”
I slid the ring on her finger, enjoying the relief that flooded through my veins.
We huddled together, pressing kisses to each other's mouths, enjoying the feel of being together and basking in the joy that tonight had brought.
Finally, with a little sniff, Blue pulled back, her dark eyes dancing with mischief. "Now, can I suck your cocks, or are you gonna make your fiancé wait?"
We didn't make her wait. We feasted on her generous curves, delighted in her feel, relished her cries, and moved together until we all came.
And then we started over again. Because love had no end and no beginning. And for us, this was just one moment in a long line of perfect moments that would be our lives together.