He cupped her face between his hands and looked down at her. She knew she had tears in her eyes.
“What’s wrong? Are you hurt? Did something happen?” he asked. Salvatore and Maxwell were right there, too, questioning her. She shook her head.
Gabriele kissed her lips and hugged her. It was like he knew she needed a few moments to collect her thoughts.
“There you guys are. I couldn’t find you anywhere. Don’t you look at your cell phones?” Lucifer’s voice filled the air, and Lucia smiled. She stepped back from Gabriele.
“You sure you’re all right?” Maxwell asked her.
She looked at all four men. “I’m more than all right. I feel important, loved, special, for the first time in my life, ever, and it’s because of all of you.”
They looked at her with concern yet with understanding as they all kept a hand on her. Then the announcer said it was time for the judges to take their places. Gabriele ran his hand along her ass and gave it a tap.
“You just may be getting another spanking for putting me through this, Lucia. Remember that. Your ass is mine tonight.” He winked, and she felt her cheeks warm then Lucifer pull her back against his chest.
“I say we head home right after he judges.”
“Lucifer, we can’t. There’s so much more to see, and besides, I put all our names down on the cleanup-committee list.”
“Lucia?” Maxwell reprimanded her.
She chuckled as she leaned back against Maxwell’s chest.
“By the way, I love snuggling, and I don’t care if any of you think I’m clingy. I was never hugged growing up. Never even knew how good something as simple as a hug could make a person feel, until now. So get used to it.” She saw their shocked expressions, as well as the compassion and love in their eyes. They would be sure to hug her often, because her honesty and theirs were part of what made this relationship so perfect. As they watched the judges grade each carved pumpkin, Gabriele looked at her and gave her a wink.
Maxwell held her snugly, Lucifer squeezed her hand and brought it to his lips to kiss it, and then Salvatore did the same with her other hand. She was surrounded by her American soldiers, her lovers, her best friends, her family, her everything. For the first time in her life she felt alive and whole. They healed her. Nothing else in this world mattered but loving her men right back.
* * * *
Lucifer was laughing so hard at Lucia. She had screamed so much going through the haunted house that now she had hardly any voice. They each walked along with her and touched her in the darkness, arousing her and adding to the thrill of being spooked by the scary monsters and wicked witches. The Turners sure did know how to make a haunted house. Lucifer was carrying Lucia out of the building, laughing at her. So were Salvatore, Gabriele, and Maxwell. Brutas barked as he stood by Wyatt, who was shaking his head.
“Lucia, was that you I heard screaming bloody murder?” he teased as Lucifer set her down.
“That’s only because of these guys,” she scolded, her voice sounding all hoarse and raspy.
Wyatt chuckled as he heard her speak. “Maybe I can send Mrs. Henderson in there to lose her voice?” Wyatt said, and they chuckled. Mrs. Henderson was an older woman in town who was always complaining about everyone and everything. She even complained about the fall festival and all holiday activities in town. Yet she participated in every one of them, supposedly.
Lucia bent down and petted Brutas, who licked her hand then pushed his snout against her leg.
Salvatore rubbed the dog’s head. “She’s okay, Brutas. We would never let anything happen to our Lucia,” he told the dog. But Brutas kept his snout by Lucia for her to pet.
Lucifer smiled. “Looks like Brutas knows to watch out for Lucia now too.”
Wyatt and the others agreed.
“Well, it’s getting late. Things are beginning to wrap up and I’ve got the crew out patrolling. Seems some of the teens may have gotten a bit rowdy,” Wyatt told them.
“What did they do?” Maxwell asked.
“Toilet papered houses, put shaving cream on some patrol cars, and placed some of the Halloween displays into various sexual positions, if you know what I mean.”
They laughed, and Wyatt shook his head.
“You all have a good night. Great work with the festival, Lucia. I’m certain they’ll be asking you to help with the upcoming Thanksgiving and Christmas events too. See you all soon.”
Wyatt left, and Lucifer turned Lucia in his arms and ran his hands down her back to her ass, pressing her against him.
“What do you say we go check out those displays with the sexual positions?”