Page 57 of Goldie and Her Bears (Dirty Paranormal Fairytale Haremlan 3)

“Oh,” Chase said. “I almost forgot something.”

He reached under his chair and pulled out a throw blanket. He brought it over to me, draping it over my lap.

“Nice and toasty?” he asked.

I nodded. “Thank you again.”

“Now, who wants some burnt sugar?” Kai asked as he pulled out four long, thin strips of metal.

“I do,” I said, “And they are so much more than burnt sugar. They are heaven.”

He chuckled. “I’ll take your word for it.”

I sat back and took in every single second of the evening. As the men and I sat around the campfire, celebrating what might be my last night with them, I wanted to make sure I remembered everything exactly as it was.

I pushed back the feelings of dread and anxiety, preferring to enjoy myself. Because, in the morning, the doctor will be here to give me a clean bill of health. I would be allowed to leave, find my family’s cabin, and everything here would come to an end. Ruining the moment with my feelings wasn’t a part of the plan. So, I needed to hold myself together. Just for a little while longer.

As Kai worked on sliding marshmallows on their metal sticks, I soaked in the comfortable heat from the fire. The air surrounding us was nippy, but the contrast that warmed my face was delightful.

But then the thoughts of leaving came to mind again. A sinking feeling entered my stomach. Tears stabbed my eyes. As much as I tried to hold everything back, not wanting to sour the last of what time I had left with the men, the tears started to stream down my face.

“What’s wrong?” Chase asked. “Why are you crying, my sweet?”

Jasper and Kai looked at me with concerned expressions twisting their beautiful features.

I shook my head and tried like hell to remove the tears streaming my cheeks, but it was no use. “Nothing.”

“Bullshit,” Kai said.

“Come on now,” Jasper said. “Let us in.”

“I think we’ve all gotten to know you a little better than what you are currently giving us credit for, babe,” Kai said.

I sniffed. “It’s just… I’m going to miss this. I’m going to miss all of you.”

Their expressions changed to match what I felt in my heart.

“We’re going to miss you too,” Kai said. “But we’re not going anywhere. Not really. You’ll always have us.”

“It’s going to be different. That’s all. Like Kai said, we’re always going to be around for you,” Jasper said.

Chase suddenly cheered up. He smiled like a kid on Christmas morning. It was confusing. I couldn’t understand how he was smiling in the face of my despair.

“Chase,” Jasper chided. “Stop.”

“What is it?” I asked, growing even more confused. “What’s going on?”

Jasper sighed and glared at Chase. “We have another surprise for you.”

“You do?” I asked, cheering up a bit.

“Yes,” Kai said. “We do.”

“But before we give it to you,” Chase said, still smiling, we just have one question to ask.

“Uh… okay…” I said, letting the words drag out a second.

Chase counted them off. “One… two… three…”

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