“Wasn’t that beautiful?” Reese said, coming up next to him.
Spike immediately put his arm around her waist and pulled her into his side. “Beautiful,” he agreed, staring at her.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen my brother so happy,” she said with a huge smile, still watching the newly wedded couple walk toward the lodge.
“I loved that so much!” Alaska said exuberantly from beside them.
“It was great,” Brick said, wrapping an arm around her. “Although I’m not convinced we should turn The Refuge into a wedding venue. That’s not what we started this place for, and I wouldn’t want to disturb the guests who are here to relax and try to heal.”
Alaska nodded. “As much as I loved Woody and Isabella’s wedding, it is a lot of work. And I understand what you’re saying about the guests.”
“But maybe we could make one more exception,” Brick said with a small smile.
To Spike’s surprise, his friend went down on one knee in front of Alaska. He pulled a small box out of his pocket and opened it before holding it up. “I told you I had a ring, and that I would ask you to marry me someday. That day is today. I love you, Al. I missed what was right in front of my face for way too long, and I’m done waiting to make you mine officially. Will you marry me? Here at The Refuge?”
Alaska stared at Brick with wide eyes, then she smiled and started to cry at the same time. “Yes! Of course I’ll marry you, Drake!”
Then they were in each other’s embrace, and Brick was twirling her around and around.
Spike looked at Reese and wasn’t surprised to see tears in her eyes.
“Did you see that?” she asked.
Spike resisted the urge to tease her and say of course he did, he was standing right there next to her. Instead, he simply replied, “I saw, sweetheart.”
Tonka, Henley, and Jasna had been walking back to the lodge, but at the commotion, they turned around. Reese was pulled away from Spike and into a group hug with the other women around Alaska.
“That was epic,” Spike told Brick.
His friend grinned sheepishly. “I know it’s kind of a dick thing to propose on someone else’s wedding day, but I talked to Woody and Isabella and they both insisted they didn’t care. I’d planned on waiting until later. Maybe when we were dancing or something. But she gave me such a perfect opening, I couldn’t resist. What about you, Tonka? When are you and Henley tying the knot?”
Tonka smiled. “We’ve been talking about maybe doing a Christmas thing. Jasna’s already got it all planned out. How Melba will walk down the aisle with the rings around her neck, Wally and Beauty will be our attendants, and we’ll do it in the barn so all the animals can watch and feel like they’re a part of it.”
Spike choked back a laugh, but Brick didn’t have any such reticence. “Good Lord, man, I hope you’re putting the kibosh on that.”
Tonka shrugged. “Don’t really care how it happens, just that it does. But Henley’s definitely putting her foot down. In fact, I think she’s leaning toward us going into town and having a civil ceremony.”
“You okay with that?” Spike asked.
“Honestly? Yes. I’ve come a long way, and Henley’s helped me feel more comfortable around people, but being the center of attention? Having everyone’s eyes on me? Not sure I’d like it too much.”
“I can understand that,” Spike said. And he could. After hearing Tonka’s story, about how his service dog had been tortured and killed in front of him while he was helpless to save him, he didn’t blame him for wanting to stick to himself and the animals he cared for on The Refuge.
“Happy for you,” Brick said seriously. “Henley is amazing, and I think I’m jealous that you’ll be getting a ready-made family when you marry her.”
“Jas is a handful, but she’s a good kid,” Tonka said with a nod.
“She’s been a good addition to The Refuge,” Spike agreed.
“What about you?” Tonka asked Spike.
“What about me?”
“Don’t think we haven’t missed the way you can’t keep your eyes—or hands—off Reese. I take it that it’s official and she’s not going back to Missouri with her brother?”
“No. She’s staying. She got that job at the laboratory.”
“Really? I hadn’t heard,” Tonka said.
“That’s because you spend most of your time down at the barn,” Brick teased.
“Hey, I’ve been better. I’ve been up at the lodge every day for lunch.”
“Because Henley eats there,” Brick countered.
Tonka shrugged. “You think I want to come up and eat with your ugly mug every day?” he asked.
The men shoved at each other good naturedly, then Brick turned to Spike. “Seriously, though. She it for you?”
“Yes,” Spike said without any hesitation whatsoever.
To his friends’ credit, they didn’t warn him that they hadn’t been together very long. Or that maybe it wasn’t too smart to move a woman in that he’d just connected with. Hell, it wasn’t as if they could protest too hard, considering how things had gone between them and their women.
“Maybe Alaska will have a few more weddings to plan after all,” Brick mused.
Before Spike could respond, he felt an arm wrap around his back and Reese was snuggling against his side. “We should go to the lodge so we don’t miss anything.”
“What’s to miss?” Brick asked, hugging Alaska as she approached. “We’re gonna sit, eat, have cake, then Woody and Isabella are gonna go back to their cabin and have married-couple sex.”
“Drake!” Alaska scolded, smacking his arm. “That’s rude.”
“How is it rude if that’s what they’re going to do?” Brick asked.
Alaska rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Come on, let’s go.”
Spike held Reese back when she went to follow the others.
“Something wrong?” she asked, her brow furrowing.
“Not at all. I just wanted a moment with you to let you know how beautiful you look in that dress. I didn’t get a chance to tell you before the ceremony started.”
“You look pretty darn handsome yourself,” she said with a small smile.
Spike stared at her for a long moment without a word.
“What? Do I have something on my face?” she asked self-consciously.
“No. I’m just memorizing this moment. Standing on land I own with my friends, celebrating a wedding of one of my former teammates, feeling content for the first time in a very long time. I’m grateful.”
Her expression gentled. “You deserve this. You’ve worked hard to make this place as incredible as it is. And you’re an excellent friend, business owner, and boyfriend.”
“You forgot lover,” Spike teased.
Reese rolled her eyes. “Right, sorry. That too.”
“I’m happy,” Spike whispered. “And it scares the hell out of me.”
“Why?”
“Because every time I thought I’d been happy in the past, something’s happened to fuck it up.”