Gage chuckles nervously. “Well, we didn’t think our surprise through, boys. We should have accounted for our woman’s insatiable appetite.”
“What do you mean? There can’t possibly be any more surprises or gifts than this, can there?” I say, looking between their sheepish expressions.
“Just a couple,” Cash says.
Ace takes charge, kissing my hand and taking it in his. “But I’m afraid the next one can’t wait. So, unfortunately, as much as I’d like to rip that dress off you and fuck you senseless, it’s going to have to wait a little bit longer.”
Feeling a little bit disappointed, but also intrigued, I kiss him. “Okay, I’m sure you’ll make it up to me. So, what’s this big surprise?”
“Follow me,” Ace says, leading the way.
Cash follows behind with Luna stumbling along uncertainly on her shiny new leash with Gage by his side. We head toward the clubhouse, and as we get closer, I have a feeling I know what my surprise will be. The place is quiet, far too calm for a Friday night, and dark.
“A surprise party?” I say, raising my eyebrow. “I’m not exactly winning prizes for being the most sociable party girl.”
Gage pouts. “Spoilsport, trust us, it’ll be fun. Now, act surprised when you walk in.”
I can’t help but grin back. I’m so happy that I don’t even mind that my last surprise wasn’t as good as the previous ones. “Fine. You guys owe me extra orgasms later, though.”
“Deal,” Ace says, and swats my ass playfully.
“Surprise!” everyone yells as we walk inside, and the lights flash on to reveal the entire Road Renegades family standing there waiting for me.
The surprise on my face is genuine, though, as standing front and center is Eli. I rush to my brother and hug him. “Eli, you came! I wasn’t expecting to see you!”
“I got discharged early. They’re pleased with my progress. And I couldn’t miss my baby sister’s birthday, could I?” he says with a smile. He looks well, stronger, well-rested.
“It’s so good to see you,” I say, meaning every word. “What are your plans now?”
Eli looks over my shoulder at Ace, who answers for him. “Eli’s gonna prospect for us. We were looking for someone to help out with tech. So he’s gonna work with us as tech support while he finishes college.”
I look between them, pride and gratitude swelling inside me. “That’s amazing, Eli, thank you, Ace.”
I chat briefly with Eli before the guys whisk me away to speak with all the guests who are wishing me a happy birthday. “There are a couple of very important people we’d like you to meet,” Cash says, steering me toward an elderly couple that lots of people have been approaching to speak to.
They look up at us with kind, friendly smiles as we approach. “Naomi, this is Bill and Pam Forester. These two are responsible for raising us into the men we are today,” Ace says, proudly introducing us. “Wrench used to be our Prez until he and his old lady flew south to retire.”
Wrench gives a broad grin.
“It’s so nice to meet you,” I gush at the same time as Pam says the same thing. We laugh, and they stand to embrace the guys and me.
“We’ve heard so much about you. You’re every bit as pretty as they said,” Pam says, making me blush.
“You must be some lady if you can handle these three troublemakers,” Wrench says, though it’s clear how proud he is of the guys.
We chat amicably, and it feels incredible. I didn’t realize how much I missed that parental presence. After losing my parents, followed quickly by our last living grandparent, we lost that calm, nurturing, wise, older presence from our lives. As wemake promises to visit them in Florida and they fuss over me like an adopted child in their family, I feel warm and fuzzy.
The night passes by in a blur, and after a few drinks and lots of dancing, I feel like this is the best night of my life. I’m dancing with my men, laughing and smiling, so lost in the moment that I don’t initially notice that the music has stopped. When I do, I realize that everyone has formed a circle around us, and my men are standing before me, Gage in the middle. My heart leaps into my throat and pounds in my chest as Gage takes my left hand and drops down to one knee.
“Naomi, there’s one last thing I wanted to ask you today, in front of everyone we care about.”
It feels surreal, as if this moment can’t be happening. Like I’ve stepped into a fairytale. This kind of thing doesn’t happen, not to girls like me. I’m not the princess who gets the happy ending.
Gage produces a ring box from his pocket. Cash and Ace are smiling encouragingly. They’ve clearly planned this together. Eli and the guys’ foster parents watch with proud grins. I glance at the ring as he opens the box. It’s gorgeous and unique, with three different colored precious stones.
“Naomi, will you marry me?”
I glance at Ace and Cash, making sure I’m right in thinking this is preplanned and approved by them, that they want this for us all, too. They smile and nod silently, letting me know the answer.
