Free Devon's Pair by Jayne Rylon

tell me you do too, Kay.” He cracked open a small velvet box and withdrew a ring featuring a rock large enough to glitter even in the diffuse lighting from the lanterns.
    “Is that—?” She sat bolt upright.
    “Yeah.” He grinned at her slack jaw. “Will you marry me?” Things kicked into slow motion right about then. Devon’s heart expanded as Kayla’s eyes filled with joyous tears. She smiled when Kay flung herself at her sturdy lover, squealing.
    Dave reached for her at the same time.
    Somewhere in the middle, their limbs collided and the ring pinched between Dave’s banged-up thumb and forefinger popped into the air. It flipped end over end, sending a cascade of rainbows across the wide-eyed faces around the couple, before splashing into the pond below them with a distinct plop .
    “Oh shit.” Neil tried to muffle his laughter against Devon’s shoulder.
    64
     

    Mike reacted first. “Don’t freak. It’s all right. This is a closed system, we’ll wait until morning and then fish it out nice and easy.”
    “Morning?” Kayla framed her face with her palms. “Oh no. I’m so sorry—”
    “My fault. I came so hard I almost blew the top of my fucking skull off. Then when you kissed Devon… Christ. My fingers aren’t working quite right.” Dave groaned. “It fell right through the ropes. I heard the splash.”
    “So did I.” Neil already scanned the space below them. Aside from the occasional glint off a ripple on the surface, the rest was inky blackness.
    Dave looked around at his friends. “This is going to be funny one day, right?”
    “It’s cracking me up right now.” Neil smiled.
    “I thought I was following my gut. Maybe I had gas from all those baked beans.” Dave thunked his forehead with the heel of his hand. “She didn’t say yes, did she?”
    “Start over.” Mike suggested. “We’ll worry about the ring in a minute.” Dave took a huge breath. “Kayla. I think tonight proved everything I already knew. I’ve found the only place I want to be. The only people I want to share my life with. I wanted to ask you to accept the ring I dropped in the motherfucking koi pond as a symbol of our love. I wanted to know… Will you marry me?” Kayla squealed again and tackled Dave.
    They tumbled to the lounger in a knot of arms and long, tattooed legs.
    Coming to rest on his back, Dave held Kayla’s hips as she straddled him. “Is that a yes?”
    “Yes!” Half the crew shouted the answer at the same time as Kayla.
    Tears poured down Devon’s face. It was the most beautiful moment she’d ever witnessed. Goof and all.

     
    65

    The guys kicked into action, making arrangements to pull lights off their trucks and haul a battery down to power them.
    “I’m the smallest. I’ll go in once you guys grab the gear. It shouldn’t be hard to find if I can slip under the edge there. Dave and Kayla stay where you are so I have a reference point.”
    She shouldn’t have bothered with that directive. The couple didn’t appear to be moving anytime soon. They cuddled, lost in each other and the pure love they shared.

    Devon rounded a bend in the path, planning to run up to the driveway and retrieve the waterproof flashlight she’d recalled she’d stashed in her glove compartment. She jogged up the hillside, grateful for the warmth her muscles and lingering adrenaline generated.
    Harsh voices caught her off guard and she slowed.
    “Why are you being such a dickhead?” Neil’s frustration sliced through the night. She couldn’t be sure, but she thought he might have shoved his lover, who appeared to be ignoring the aggravated man.
    This time her tremor had nothing to do with the cold, unless it was the frost in Neil’s tone.
    Guess he’d found James. She started to turn around and leave them to their privacy.
    “You made love to Devon.” James sounded both admiring and wrecked if such a thing were possible.
    The agony in his proclamation had her longing to wrap him in a hug though