“Uh, excuse me,” Hunter said, capturing everyone's attention. “Hi, I have an announcement to make.”
“Oh god, is he announcing his retirement?” Ro asked, holding me close.
“I thought he hadn't decided,” I whispered.
Hunter had to go under shoulder surgery last year and he had talked about not going back, but he wanted one more chance to get his championship.
“Thanks, uh, bear with me,” he said, pulling out a piece of paper from his slacks. “I just want to say thanks to everyone who helped us get to the championship.”
He cleared his throat, glancing at us nervously.
I love you. I mouthed.
“I want to give the biggest thanks to my girlfriend, Valencia. You all know her as our social media manager, but to me, she has been my rock. She is the person who keeps me going, even when I don’t want to, and she has accepted me for who I am with all my faults, and still loves me.” He smiled at me. “I also want to thank my boyfriend, Ro. He kept me sane on the road, pushed me to do my physical therapy and moving forward. Life on the road is tolerable with him by my side.”
My lip trembled at his rare honesty.
“Without them, I wouldn’t be here. I owe my success to them.” He walked up to us as Ro’s hold on me tightened. “Thank you for everything, for loving me, for pushing me to be better and I know I couldn’t imagine a world without calling you mine.”
Hunter kneeled in front of us, opening a box that had two rings inside and I covered my mouth.
“Romeo and Valencia, will you give me a thousand more pictures as my husband and wife? Marry me?”
Tears blurred my vision.
“Dammit, Hunter, you need to communicate better,” Ro said, also getting on his knees opening a box with two rings too.
“Life has never felt more complete until you came into my life. I wasn’t looking for love when I met you guys. Now, I can’t imagine life without loving you two,” he said, as a tear fell down his face. “Will you marry me?”
I said yes, as I threw myself at them. They caught me as we laughed, cried and kissed each other. They slipped the rings on my finger and they assured me we could change them if I wanted to. They each slipped a ring on each other as we rested our foreheads against each other.
“Always mine,” we whispered together to each other.
