Secret Santa Surprise: Book 29 in the Kindred Tales Series - Evangeline Anderson Page 0,57

want to help her up the stairs when her knees were bothering her. But Strong and Clear treated her with respect and tenderness…which she supposed shouldn’t surprise her, since they treated her the same way.

“I just feel bad I didn’t get anything for you two,” Aunt Marge said, when they had sat back down on the couch at last.

“That delicious meal was the best gift we could have received,” Strong told her, patting his flat stomach.

“Oh, I know!” Melanie exclaimed. “I feel like I’ll never have room to eat anything ever again.”

“Well, Strong and I were hoping you might have room for just a few more bites of something sweet,” Clear murmured. He and his brother exchanged looks and then he handed Melanie a silver wrapped box that had something heavy that rolled around inside it.

“What’s this?” she asked, mystified as she tore off the wrapping.

“Think of it as another Secret Santa gift,” Strong told her, smiling. “From both of us this time.”

Inside the box, cushioned in tissue paper, were three perfect bonding fruit.

“Ohhh,” Melanie breathed, lifting one of the peach-colored, triangular fruits out and pressing it to her nose. “These smell amazing!”

“They’re perfectly ripe,” Clear assured her. “But they actually have another present that goes with them.”

“They do? Oh!” Melanie looked up from the bonding fruit to see that both of the twins were on one knee in front of her—Strong on the right and Clear on the left.

“Here you are—please unwrap this too,” Clear murmured, handing her a much smaller present this time.

Heart pounding in her chest, Melanie tore off the crimson wrapping paper to see a small, black velvet box inside. When she opened it, she saw the most exquisite ring she’d ever beheld.

“Oh…” She looked up at the twins as she picked the ring carefully out of its box. “Oh, it’s so beautiful!”

“We were told by Sonja that when a male proposes Joining to a human female, he must give her a ring of engagement—to show that he is serious,” Strong told her.

“And this one is actually three rings—look.” Clear showed her how the ring came apart into a gold, a platinum, and a diamond band which all locked back together when twisted in the right direction. “I hope it’s the right size,” he added shyly. “I had to guess and the jeweler aboard the Mother Ship wasn’t too happy about being woken so early on a holiday to open his shop.”

“Will you try it on?” Strong asked hopefully. “Will you allow us to put it on you, little one?”

Melanie’s heart swelled until she thought it was going to burst.

“Yes,” she whispered. “If…if you really mean it? You want the three of us to be together forever?”

“Forever,” Strong assured her, slipping the lovely, three-banded ring onto her finger, where it fit perfectly. “We know we haven’t known each other for long, Melanie…”

“But this feels right,” Clear said, finishing his brother’s sentence. “And we want to Claim you as our bride, if you’ll take us as your mates.”

Melanie felt her eyes filling with tears.

“Oh, Strong, Clear…I don’t know what to say!”

“Say yes, you ninny!” Aunt Marge interjected. “You won’t get another chance like this again!”

“Of course I say yes.” Melanie’s eyes and heart both overflowed as she put out her arms to both of her guys. “Yes, with all my heart,” she said as the three of them held each other tightly.

When they finally broke apart, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. Even Aunt Marge was sniffling suspiciously into her Kleenex.

“I never asked you, Melly,” she said to Melanie. “But what do these two new space husbands of yours do for a living?”

Melanie smiled.

“Well, Strong, here is a doctor and Clear is an accountant.”

“Really?” Aunt Marge’s eyes widened. “I always did tell you that you ought to marry a doctor or an accountant or some such professional man like that—remember, Melly?”

“Yes, Aunt Marge.” Melanie smothered a grin. “You did tell me that.”

“I just didn’t expect you to marry both at once.” The old lady shook her head but then she grinned at Melanie. “Melly, the first time you struck out—that Steve was a real stinker. But this second time you did good. I’m proud of you.”

Melanie laughed.

“Thank you, Aunt Marge. That means a lot to me.”

She gave her aunt a hug and then picked up one of the bonding fruits and winked at Strong and Clear.

“And now I think I’ll have a little dessert.”

22

By the time they got back to the Mother Ship that night,