What was my brother doing here? Zeb stood off to the side, Semper at his feet. Lacey sat at a small bar top table with Bodie’s arm draped over her back. Char spotted me and rushed over, a flute of champagne in her hand.
“She’s here.” Dolly wrapped her arms around my legs, preventing me from moving any farther.
“What’s going on?” I let my gaze rest on each person in attendance.
“Cue the penguins,” a deep voice boomed out over the room. Morty glanced over, catching my eye.
“What in the world is happening? Where’s Alex?”
It only took a moment for me to catch sight of him. Two rows of penguins waddled toward me, Alex bringing up the rear. Thelma and Louise stopped when they reached me and took turns lifting their flippers for a high five. I laughed as I tapped my palm against them.
“How did you finally teach them that trick?” I smiled at Alex. He’d been working on that one for weeks when the penguins had been staying in the warehouse.
“Turns out you can get anyone to do pretty much anything if you provide the right incentive.” He dropped down onto one knee in front of me.
My stomach flip-flopped while my heart seemed to swan dive to my feet. “What are you doing?”
“I’m hoping I’m about to make you an offer you can’t refuse.” He grinned, the same sexy, smug grin I’d come to love.
“Well, get on with it then.” The steady tone of my voice didn’t betray the mishmash of emotions that swirled around inside.
He reached for my hand. “Zina Baxter, you’re the strongest, most beautiful, most capable woman I’ve ever met. I don’t know what you see in me, but I start off every day so thankful that you’re a part of my life.”
Dammit, he was going to make me cry. The threat of tears swelled. I focused on my breath, trying not to lose it before he finished saying what he wanted to say.
“We haven’t known each other all that long in human years, but we’ve been together longer in penguin years.”
I laughed, spilling a tear over the rim of my lashes.
“That’s three and a half years in dog years, too. Plenty of time for me to know that you’re the one for me. I hope you feel the same way.”
I nodded, the tears no longer a threat now, but an inevitable outcome.
“I love you. Will you marry us?”
“‘Us’?” I’d been ready to literally bowl him over with an enthusiastic yes, but that last word caught me off guard.
“Yeah, us.” He stood and gestured around him. “You’re not just getting me. You’re getting the family I came with and the one we’ve created. Penguins, dogs, people, hell, even the damn bird.”
“Damn bird. Damn bird.” Shiner Bock piped up from his perch on Morty’s shoulder.
“Is he supposed to be in here?” I pointed to the bird.
“He’s part of the family. For better or for worse. What do you say?”
Alex held an open jewelry box out to me. A large aquamarine stone nestled against a white velvet background. “An aquamarine?”
“Yeah, like the ocean.” He took the ring and slid it onto my finger. “I figured that’s technically what brought us together.”
I centered the stone on my finger and looked up at him. My cheeks already hurt from smiling.
“So?” he asked.
“So what?”
“You didn’t actually say yes yet. It doesn’t count if you don’t say the words.”
I bit my lip, loving the fact that he’d turned my own argument against me. “Fair point. I say yes. Yes, to this motley, ragtag crew we’ve brought together. Yes, to you.”
