The Brothers Rule - Carolyn Faulkner Page 0,71

wasn't just kidding. It was probably the biggest—and best—meal she'd ever had. Drinks, appetizers, salads, enormous prime ribs for dinner with baked potatoes, and then they all talked her into dessert, too.

"Holy moly! I'm going to explode if I eat one more thing!" Laurie said after only a few bites of her lemon tart.

They, of course, descended on it as if they hadn't been fed in years, and when the people—other than the waiter, she noticed—came to collect the plates, there wasn't a crumb remaining on any of them.

There had been drinking throughout the meal, but when he thought that she might be getting a bit tipsy, Adam had cut her off.

She'd pouted at that, but she knew better than to think he would relent, or that she could get either of the other two to countermand his order. They were an annoyingly cohesive unit when it came to rules for her.

Still, it was a phenomenal evening.

And when the bill was presented—and she shuddered to think what the total might have been—Jace took out the ranch's card to pay for it, with a stern eye on her again.

"It's a good thing I didn't see you reach for your purse, Laurie-girl, or I might well have turned you over my knee right here and now."

"Jace!" she gasped, putting her hand over her mouth, not because of what he'd said, but who he'd said it in front of! The waiter was probably going to get a bit laugh over that!

When everything was all settled, Ryan offered his hand to help her up then tucked it into the crook of his elbow, while Jace claimed the other and Adam got the doors. The same limo was waiting for them right outside the restaurant.

As they were driving through the night, Adam cleared his throat and said, "We'll spend tomorrow sightseeing—Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, all of the usual tourist places. And tomorrow night, we have tickets to Hamilton, and then we'll do dinner afterward. But we have something special planned for this evening."

She had squeed at the idea of being able to see Hamilton, and she couldn't imagine what they could have cooked up that would be more special than that!

They ended up back at the hotel, to her surprise, and she was swept up to her room where, again, she found herself left alone for a short time.

"Just for a minute," Ryan promised.

She wasn't sure whether she should change or not, but then, before she could decide, they came through the door again, each of them wearing a tuxedo, with a lavender rose in each of their lapels.

Ryan pulled one of the easy chairs, that could easily have been a throne, into the center of the room. Adam guided her there, and Jace was the first one to get down on one knee before her, but then they all followed suit, with Adam directly in front of her, flanked by his brothers.

Her hands flew to her face, and she knew exactly what they were doing—what this weekend was all about.

The other two took her hands as Adam held onto a blue ring box.

"Laurie Danielle Taggart, we're never going to say it in the most poetic way, but we hope we're somewhere close to showing you that you are the light of our lives," Adam began.

Ryan took over from him. "Our worlds revolve around you, and however different that is, it feels very right to all three of us. "

Then Jace finished with, "None of us has ever been happier than we are now, and we can only imagine that, with you in our lives, lots more happiness is in store for us."

He took a breath and looked at his brothers, then back at her, and they all said at once, "Would you do us the honor of marrying us?"

Adam opened the ring box to reveal a beautiful three stone diamond ring, each stone the exact same size, set in gold.

She was crying as they knelt there before her.

"Oh my God, you guys, this is amazing! I can't believe you did all of this just for me! I-I—"

The suspense was killing Ryan. "Answer us, please!" he interrupted eagerly.

Laurie laughed as tears of happiness spilled down her cheeks. "Yes, oh, yes, of course!"

Adam took her hand, but then she asked them to put all of their hands next to each other, and she put her hand over theirs as best she could as he fitted the ring onto her finger, which was only right,