Cody took in a deep breath and the butterflies doing aerial maneuvers in his stomach finally eased off and his heart rate settled a bit. “Yeah, angel. I’ve never been better. Just a little nervous.”
“Nervous? You? What’s the matter?”
“I’m nervous because I’m used to being in control, and I feel like I’m anything but in control right now. I’ve finally found the woman who would complete me for life and I don’t want to mess up proposing to her.”
“You what?”
Heath put his hand on her knee and said, “You heard him, baby. We want you with us, not just for now, but forever.”
Spencer took her hand and folded it into his. “We love you, Maizy, and we know it won’t always be easy but we’ll do everything we can to make it worth it. No matter what you decide to do about your job, we’ll be there for you, and we can take care of you. You won’t be alone anymore…and neither will we. Marry us?”
Cody smiled as he listened to his brothers’ words. He put his hand over his chest and said, “They said it better than I could’ve, angel. Marry us?”
She rocked forward on the edge of the seat and Cody chuckled when he noticed Spencer stroking her ankle and her instep. Biting her lip, Maizy said, “Spencer? This is what you want?”
He nodded and gave her a big smile. “Marry me, Maizy.”
“Heath?”
“Marry me, baby.”
“Cody?”
Cody removed the white velvet box from his suit jacket pocket and opened it, revealing the diamond engagement ring inside. “Angel, please marry me.” They’d visited Clay Cook Jewelers while Maizy had been at Madeleine’s and Lily Cook had helped them pick out the perfect ring. A one-carat, round-cut diamond solitaire in an ornate platinum setting, custom-made by Clay himself.
Going by her sudden inhalation and the way her eyes grew round, they’d done okay in selecting her ring. “Oh, Lord, you’re serious.”
The three of them broke into laughter and nodded. “Yes, angel,” Cody murmured as he lifted her right hand from her lap and kissed her ring finger. “We’re very serious. Can we put this ring on your finger?”
She chuckled softly as she looked from one man to the next and then nodded, tears in her eyes and her voice caught as she said, “Yes. Yes, I’ll marry you.” A sob escaped her and they crowded close, kissing her cheeks and her lips.
Heath murmured, “No crying, beautiful baby girl.”
“I’m so happy, I can’t help it. You want to marry me?” She rose from the chair and they closed in around her and Cody removed the ring from the box and placed it on her finger. “You want to marry me.”
Their lips on hers, on her throat and her bare shoulders as she shared kisses with all of them, was their response. Cody took her lips first, growling when her tongue stroked against his. Placing his hand over her pounding heart, he kissed her until his body throbbed with need. Then he released her lips so his brothers could have the same from her. She purred happily and he growled back, determined to inspire that sound from her as often as possible, as soon as possible. Heath and Spencer folded her in their arms one at a time and took their time with her as well.
Rather than walking her back to the reception, Cody wanted to scoop her up, load her in the truck, and take her home. Unfortunately, he and Spencer had to leave for work soon.
“When can you leave the reception, baby?” Heath asked. “I can hardly wait to see you in that belly dancing outfit.”
She stopped them at the end of the porch. “But I thought the two of you had to work. I want all of you to see it at the same time.”
A rumbly sound came from Spencer. “When can you leave?”
“The bride and grooms leave at four, but I was planning on staying to help clean up.”
“It’s nearly four now,” Cody murmured. “Come with me, angel.”
He could see the confusion in her eyes and just smiled. Maizy was a doer, always helping everyone else. This one time, he was going to change her plans for her and hope she understood.
He found Lucy sitting in Patrick’s lap, being fed cake by Beck as the photographers snapped pictures. He appreciated Lucy’s carefree spirit, wishing that Maizy could have the same freedom on her wedding day, knowing well that public acceptance hadn’t come easy for Lucy. She’d had her fair share of difficulties from some of the same people who would undoubtedly go after Maizy when their relationship went public, no matter how careful they were.
Lucy grinned happily when she saw the four of them approaching with him in the lead. “Wow, Cody. You look like a man on a mission.”