“I’ve decided on Western Carolina University because in all honesty, and girls, if you look at these three, I know you’ll understand, I can’t imagine leaving here and turning my back on the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Meeting these men, changed my life.”
Braden gritted his teeth and shook his head. Under his breath, he scolded her. “Peyton, we should’ve talked about this.”
“I don’t want to talk, Braden. In fact, there are several things I want to do over the next few hours and talking isn’t one of them.”
A few oohs and ahhs rippled over the crowd and she realized then there were enough microphones around the stage to ensure everyone heard everything she said. What the hell. She didn’t care.
Most of the town heard the news about her public romp with Evan. Others witnessed the way Kane carried on around her ninety-nine percent of the time. And then poor Braden looked at her like it pained him to look at any other woman.
“As most of you know, I kept my mother in the dark most of my life. She gave me the world and yet I never found satisfaction in anything she gave until she gave me the greatest gift of all.” Peyton pointed to the Cartwells.
“As you all know, Mom asked Braden Cartwell to look out for me, and she trusted him to take care of me until I made it out of high school.
“Keep in mind, when I moved in with these three, I didn’t make it easy on them.” The crowd laughed and a few cheered. A few of the guys in the audience provided a couple of provocative remarks and Loy Martin shouted he ‘could attest to that’.
Peyton’s voice dropped a pitch, and she tried to keep from crying so she had to speak slower and focus on the crowd instead of the men she loved. “I love pulling capers. Vicky and I have pulled a few in our time, but these three already knew all about those stunts, and I didn’t bargain for the Cartwells. Even without the coveted ‘Raising a Teenage Girl’ manual, these three contemplated everything I planned to do before I did it.
“I used to stir up a little hell before I met the Cartwells and then, lo and behold, when I didn’t go looking for it, I ran smack dab into trouble. Momma always said trouble ran in threes. I believe her now.”
Surprisingly, Kane moved closer now. He didn’t like to stand in front of anyone long but he stood beside of her and wrapped his arm around her waist.
“I’m not staying behind because I don’t have better options. I’m going to Western Carolina because it’s the best choice for me. I need to stay part of this family team now, and Western Carolina offers what I wanted to find in a college. It’s less than a fifty minute drive from the ranch to campus, and I’ll play volleyball on a full scholarship. That is if these three still want me around to stick my nose in their business as much as possible.”
Kane wanted to fade right into her all over again. He needed to bury himself so deep inside of her that she begged and pleaded for him to stay right where he was until the break of day. He wanted to love her. And thank goodness, Peyton had similar ideas. Thank God, he was smart enough to ask for his brothers’ blessings before he did something as crazy as he planned to do right here and now.
Before anyone saw it coming, Kane dropped to his knee and stuck his hand in his pocket. He retrieved a beautiful three stone diamond ring and as soon as he saw the twinkle in her eye, he realized Peyton certainly got the meaning behind it.
“Kane?” Her hand went to his cheek and in true Peyton-form, the little vixen held the microphone in front of him while grinning all over the place. Man oh man how he loved her right then and there, but he also wanted to spank her more than put this ring on her hand.
“I uh…”
Evan winked at Peyton, and Braden lifted her arm out. Kane took her ring finger in between shaking hands and slid the ring on before he popped any kind of question.
“Kane? Buddy, I think you need to ask her something first,” Evan said.
“Well, I just assumed she’d say yes considering there were about fifty-five college offers she turned down to stay here around us.”
Peyton bit her lower lip, and he saw she was going to wait for some kind of assurance those fifty-five college offers didn’t go unopened without a significant reward.
He swallowed hard and kissed her hand. He cleared his throat, and she blushed. She must’ve known what few theatrics he could manage were headed her way. Taking the microphone in one hand, and holding tight to the other, he looked into her sparkling blue eyes.
“Peyton Storm, I’d be much obliged, ma’am, if you’d say yes and accept this here marriage proposal.”
“Ah now, Kane. Is that the best you can do?” She winked.
“No, darlin’, you and I both know I can do a lot better.” He dropped the microphone.
The onlookers cheered. The boys and men around chuckled with a knowing reference to let everyone know the underlying meaning. The girls held their hearts and grown women looked envious.
Kane gazed deep into those mischievous, perfectly-set eyes, and he gave it his best shot. He knew from the get-go she wouldn’t make it easy.
“I love you Peyton. From the first day you arrived here, I told Braden and Evan they’d have to keep me away from you because I planned to love you from the moment I saw you. ‘Course I had to wait three months to lay the first hand on you, and that was pure hell, let me tell you.
“My heart had an unusual way of beating after you came here and regardless of age, I knew from day one you were put on this earth to love me and if you’ll have me, I’ll spend the rest of my life showing you why I was put here too. Nothing or no one has ever made me feel the way you do. I want you to be my wife, Peyton, and as far as I’m concerned, you already are.”
All of Peyton’s friends dramatically swooned then. Peyton held her heart, and she nodded quickly as he gathered her in his arms and kissed her like there was no tomorrow worth facing unless he faced it with her.
When their kiss broke, Evan and Braden stepped forward. “Sisterin-law, what do you think of the ring?” Evan said.
“I imagine Braden picked it out,” she said.
“Yeah, he did,” Kane grumbled. “I figured you knew the second you saw it what all this meant.”
“Well, uh, I only saw one of you down on one knee,” she complained as she patted Braden’s cheek.
Evan leaned in and whispered in her ear loud enough for the other two to overhear. “Darlin’, I’m going to be down on more than one knee before the night is over.”
“But…” She wanted to ask questions, and Kane just wanted her to shut up and let him feel like the lone bridegroom for a little while.
“But don’t you think others are going to wonder why we all live together and-.”
“Surely to gosh you don’t think we care what other people think or say?” Evan asked.
“No, but I mean I did have public sex with you at Clink.”
“Uh-huh, and it was nice and hot too,” he said as he grabbed her around the waist and almost kissed her.
“Knock it off you two,” Braden said. “The only one who gets to kiss her in public now, at least for the night, is Kane. Lucky bastard.”
“Yeah, that’s what she said.” He snapped Peyton’s wrist to his thigh and cupped her neck in a determined hold. He raked his teeth over her bottom lip before his tongue captured hers in a hungry kiss. She burrowed her hand in his hair and moaned before he grinned and stopped before the urgent call of sex interfered with a simple kiss.
“Now, go party. Me and the boys have some planning of our own to do,” he said.
“Like what?” Vicky popped up at the wrong time. Imagine.
All of the Cartwells greeted her with a nod or hello.
“Hope you understand, but tonight, Peyton can’t have any overnight guests,” Kane said with a very wide smile. It was fully intentional.
Sticking her lip out in a pout, she turned to Braden. “Why not?”
Peyton studied all of them, and Kane saw the devilment dancing across her flushed cheeks. “Yeah, why not?”
Kane pulled her close and planted his palm on her backside. He squeezed one of the globes and leaned in to whisper sweet nothings in her ear. “She’s not staying, baby. We have things to do and a lot of them are very
