Page 65 of Red and Her Dragons (Dirty Paranormal Fairytale Haremlan 4)

He tugged on his jacket and posed. “Pretty sharp, huh?”

“I’ll say,” I said and walked toward him.

“Dinner is served,” he said to Marcus then bobbed his eyebrows at me.

I laughed as he held out his arm to lead me. I took it and we walked toward the kitchen together. I was almost worried about where we were going because I expected the lights to be on, but when we turned the corner, the glow of candlelight filled the room.

I gasped at the arrangement centered on the island.

Jax stood off to the side, dressed the same as the other two. He smiled as I met his gaze.

“This is so beautiful,” I said.

Marcus walked up behind me, placing his hand on the small of my back. He leaned in and whispered, “Surprise!”

I giggled. “Thank you very much.”

Bret pulled out a seat for me and I slid onto the chair, setting my wine glass on the island next to my plate setting.

“You guys have outdone yourselves,” I said.

“Or maybe we haven’t done enough yet,” Jax said.

“What does that mean?” I asked, staring at him basked in the light from the candles.

He shrugged. “Exactly what I said.”

I narrowed my gaze on him before settling it on the other two. “I have a feeling there is more you’re not telling me.”

“Just put some food on your plate already, woman,” Bret said as he and Marcus took a seat.

I gave in, for the moment, and piled my plate with prime rib, Caesar salad, roasted potatoes, corn on the cob, and a dinner roll. Once the men started to dish themselves up, I dug in.

About halfway through the meal, we were deep into laughter. Once we settled down, I heard a strange sound coming from one of the men and looked up in time to catch Jax nodding at Marcus. He cleared his throat and took my hand, pulling my attention to him.

Why did the small, innocent action make my heart skip a beat? I wasn’t for sure, but something told me that this was the other part of the surprise. I gulped and stared into Marcus’s eyes.

“Today, we are celebrating someone wonderful, powerful, graceful, and beautiful,” he said.

I smiled.

Jax added, “This person is feisty in all the best and worst ways, knows what she wants, and doesn’t let anyone stop her from following her heart.”

Bret brushed the back of his fingers along my arm. “This person is one in a million, who has shown incredible strength, courage, and love.”

I giggled, though there were tears that stabbed at my eyes. “You guys are celebrating me?”

A collection of affirmations came from them.

“Awe… you all are so sweet,” I said. “But why?”

“For starters,” Jax said. “You helped save my life.”

“And your quick thinking on the battlefield also saved mine,” Marcus said.

“You are a force to reckon with,” Bret added. “One who shouldn’t be second-guessed or underestimated.”

“You handled yourself in ways we never thought could be possible,” Marcus finished.

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