Page 87 of Six of Hearts
Ethan's gift made her cry—her name added to the title of his lodge. "You're family," he said simply. "This makes it official."
Julian was sending her and her mother to Hawaii, a trip she'd apparently mentioned wanting to take for years. Liam had bought fifty-one percent of the shares in her favourite restaurant, meaning she could eat there free whenever she wanted.
She was laughing and crying at the same time, overwhelmed by the generosity, and I knew exactly how she felt.
Then it was my turn.
I'd agonised over this gift for weeks, wanting it to be perfect, wanting it to show her what she meant to me—to all of us. I'd enlisted help, called in favours, and spent more money than I probably should have.
But seeing her face when I brought out the puppy made it all worth it.
The Shiba Inu was tan and fluffy, small enough to fit in my hands, and he immediately started licking Aria's face when I placed him in her arms.
"Oh my god," she breathed. "Ronan, he's perfect."
"Look at his collar," I said.
She fumbled with it, her hands shaking slightly, and then she found the ring.
The room went silent.
I'd had it custom-made—a sterling silver band with a bright white diamond on top, surrounded by six coloured stones.Garnet, emerald, turquoise, opal, sapphire, amethyst. Each one representing one of us.
"Aria," I started, but Liam stepped forward, taking the ring from her trembling fingers.
"You are the bright jewel in our life," he said, his voice steady and sure. "Each of these stones represents one of us, but you—you're the diamond. The one that holds us all together, that makes us whole."
"We want you to be ours forever," Noah added. "And for us to be yours."
"Will you marry us?" Gabriel asked.
Aria looked around at all of us, tears streaming down her face, the puppy still squirming in her arms. "Yes," she whispered. "Yes, of course, yes."
Liam slipped the ring onto her finger, and the fit was perfect. Of course it was. I'd measured three times to be sure.
She kissed each of us in turn, the puppy protesting the squishing, and when she got to me, I held her close and let myself feel it—the joy, the relief, the overwhelming gratitude that I'd been given this second chance.
"I love you," she whispered against my lips.
"I love you too," I said back. "All of you."
It was true. I loved these men like brothers, loved this woman like she was the air I breathed, loved this chaotic, unconventional family we'd built together.
This was my unit now. My team. My home.
And I was never letting it go.
Eventually, I took the puppy—who still needed a name—out to the heated garage where I'd set up a kennel, toys, food, and water. He'd be comfortable out here, safe and warm.
His mum was going to be busy for a while.
When I came back inside, Gabriel was already leading the way upstairs, stripping off his shirt as he went. The others followed, and Aria looked at me with heat in her eyes.
"Coming?" she asked.
"Absolutely."
We made love that night with a tenderness that surprised me, given how intense things usually got between us. But this felt different—like a promise, like a beginning, like everything I'd been searching for without knowing it.
