“Neither did you guys, I was worried you didn’t see a future past this point.”
“Baby, of course we do, you just tell us where you want to go.”
“Uh uh.” I shake my head quickly. “No way, Brax. You guys know this world way better than I do. None of the places we’ve stayed feel like home to me. This is probably the best place we’ve been, but it doesn’t feel like home, what do you guys think?”
I look around at their faces, deep in thought as they all stare at their own plates in contemplation.
“I can’t really think of any place that I’d like to live in. Maybe we should just travel around until we find something?” Indy suggests.
The others all seem to nod and I look at Ryker. I know heliked the village he grew up in, did he not want to return there? “What about Maplewick?”
Wide eyes dart up to mine. “Maplewick?” he asks, surprised. “You’d want to live there?”
“Well, obviously, I’ve never seen it. But you liked it and none of us have any better suggestions, so why don’t we try it?”
“Yeah… I’d like that. I’d love it, actually. Thank you, Red,” he says, turning my face to kiss me on the lips. I kiss him back and my renewed hope brings back my appetite, so I continue eating along with the others as we make small talk.
I keep eyeing Silver out of the corner of my eye, he sits in the furthest seat from me and I see him keep glancing in my direction. But when we make eye contact, he keeps turning away. I need to get some time alone with him to tell him how I really feel. I’m tired of all this hesitancy between us. It’s time to secure him as my final mate.
Later that night, I manage to get Ryker to help me get everyone out of the room except for Apollo and Drake.
“What’s going on, Angel? Is everything okay?”
“More than okay. You guys come sit with me here, please,” I say, patting the spots on either side of me in the middle of the bed.
Silently, they both come over and sit down, resting their hands on my thighs.
“I wanted to give you guys something,” I tell them as I reach into my pocket and pull out two small velvet pouches, passing one to each of them.
They look at me with a bit of surprise before opening them up and pulling out their rings.
“These ar?—”
Apollo cuts me off as he whispers in amazement, “These are wedding bands. The other three have them already.”
“You know what they mean?”
They both nod as Drake speaks. “Yes, Indy explained them to us. They’re a part of the wedding custom in your world. We wanted to do it as part of our wedding, but there was no way to get them in that village,” he says as his eyes meet mine. I see so much warmth and love in his gaze. “This means so much to me, I’ll wear it proudly, always. Will you put it on me?” He holds the ring out to me and I take it, placing it on his ring finger before doing the same to Apollo.
I hug and kiss both of them as we admire the way they look on their fingers. They seem happy for me to claim them, and even though it doesn’t mean anything to anybody here, to me it’s still a representation that they are married men and nobody can have them but me.
“I need you guys to help me with something tomorrow.”
“What’s that?” Apollo asks.
“I want to spend some time alone with Silver, and I was thinking down at the docks would be the best place, as it’s familiar to him, and he’ll feel more comfortable there.”
“Good idea, you finally going to get that man locked down? I don’t think I could take much more of his awkwardness.”
I roll my eyes at Apollo before snuggling down in the bed between them both.
CHAPTERFORTY-FOUR
PENNY
“Silver, I was wondering if you’d like to go for a walk with me?” I ask Silver nervously as we finish our breakfast the next morning.
He looks at me with a bit of surprise before licking his lower lip and nodding his head. “I’d like that.” I smile at him nervously as Ryker takes my plate and Apollo takes Silvers.