“For you,” Scott said. “Besides, we’ve wanted a permanent residence when we come to meetings in Dal
las. Your house is perfect for us.”
“More to see, little one,” Eric said, opening the door and leading her in.
A single step in and her breath was taken away. “Oh my God.”
Several chopped-up rooms of her home had been combined into one big space, creating a great room. Great. It certainly is.
The threadbare carpet had been replaced by beautiful hardwood flooring. The walls were painted a soft hue of green. Everything was working. The lights. The ceiling fan. The new flat screen mounted on the wall. Her tiny block of a TV was no more.
The room had a relaxed vibe. Big comfy chairs and a sofa that looked casual yet she was certain cost a fortune. The wall that had divided this room from the kitchen and small dinning area was gone. Open. God, she loved the feel of the space now. Looking into the kitchen, she saw top-of-the-line stainless-steel appliances. No surface had been untouched. In place of the orange laminate was gorgeous granite. The former vinyl floor was now tiled in a lush earth tone.
As the tour continued, she was filled with awe and gratitude. She could’ve never done or even imagined this. The final stop was her bedroom. It looked like the most inviting place she’d ever seen. A fluffy California king-size bed was in the center of the room. On the bed were two recognizable gift bags in Tiffany blue.
“No more gifts. This is too much already.” Happy tears brimmed in her eyes. “Thank you, guys. I don’t know what to say.”
Eric and Scott smiled, each taking one of the bags and pulling out the item inside each.
Eric held a silver collar and Scott a diamond ring.
Then her cowboys both got down on their knees.
“I hope you say you’ll marry me,” Scott said.
“And me,” Eric chimed in. “Marry us, little one.”
“Make us the happiest men in the world, baby,” Scott added.
Joyous tears streamed down her cheeks. “Yes, I’ll marry you. I’ve just become the happiest woman in the world.”
They scooped her up in their arms, squeezing her between them.
As Eric and Scott lowered her down onto the soft bed, her heart swelled in her chest. She looked up at the ceiling, which was now vaulted. Her mother had dreamed about doing that. It was part of their lottery game—when we win the lottery we’ll… Then she looked at Eric and Scott and realized she’d done much better than that. She’d won her future, her destiny with her two loving billionaires.
* * * *
Eric watched the paintball gamers running around Destiny, which was completely draped in tarps and plastic for the event. He and Scott stood behind Megan, who was sitting in front of The Red Dragon at the judges’ table. Phoebe, Amber, and Amber’s sister, Belle, were sitting with her, each typing away on laptops and fielding questions from participants. Megan and the other women were forming a very tight bond. In fact, they were all working on wedding plans together, which was set for October, a week before the O’Learys’ big Halloween party.
Megan leaned in and clicked the microphone in front of her. “Two minutes left in this round until the final buzzer, players.”
God, he was so proud of Megan. Destiny’s Annual Paintball Extravaganza had never been better. She’d doubled the take and reduced the expenditures by half, allowing them to raise over a hundred thousand dollars for Amber Stone’s new boys’ ranch. With the matching proceeds from the O’Learys, TBK, Jennifer Steele, and the Stone brothers, that brought the total donation up to half a million bucks. Having lost his own parents, Eric was glad the town would be teeming with new orphans soon.
Jason and his brothers, Mitchell and Lucas, stepped up to the table. Odd, since the three rarely spent time together. That was more Lucas’s fault than Mitchell’s, though both had been hard on Jason after the breakup with Phoebe. It was good to see them around each other, though none of them seemed thrilled about it. The truth was that this event and Dragon Week were the only times the Wolfe brothers convened. Everyone knew they were Destiny’s best volunteers.
A big spot of blue was right in the center of the sheriff’s uniform, which made Eric smile.
“I see they got you again, Jason,” Scott said.
“Every fucking year. I wish these gamers would read the rules and abide by them.”
“Same old Jason. Always in love with your rules.” Phoebe stood up, glaring at the sheriff. “Megan, do you mind if I take a break now?”
Megan nodded. “Sure thing. We’ve got things covered until the next bout.”
“I’ll be back before that starts. I just need some air.” Phoebe turned and walked to the food tent, which was just on the other side of The Red Dragon.
“Goddamn it, Jason.” Lucas’s ancient loss of the woman of his dreams had fueled a lot of animosity between him and Jason. “I need a break, too, Megan.”