Chapter 1
“Ryder,Ineedto hear you say it again. Please.”
I didn’t think I had it in me. Once seemed like enough, but everyone in the room was staring at me. So I took a deep breath and tried like hell to steel myself.
Nope, there was no steel to be found. My legs had turned to goo. But I did it.
“Marry me,” I repeated. James still didn’t speak, leaving me to ramble nervously. “I mean it. We can hop a flight to Vegas and be married by New Year’s, or we can do the big white wedding. I don’t care how we do it. I just want you. Marry me, James Campbell.”
My heart thundered so violently that blood rushed in my ears. James still held me tightly, searching my face for any hint of a doubt. He wouldn’t find one. Hannah and Kian sat on the couch with bated breath, waiting for James’s answer.
“Yes.”
I heaved a sigh of relief. “Yes?”
“Yes. Of course, I’ll marry you.” My vampire hauled me into a kiss, his arms the only things holding me upright. Next to me, Hannah squealed and Carlos bounded at our legs, wanting in on the attention. It was messy, chaotic, and impulsive…
And it was ours.
“Areyou going to tell me what’s going on?”
“Nope,” Hannah said, “and don’t you dare ask Kian! You know he’s the weak link.”
“Hey!” came an objection from behind me. Peering over my shoulder, I crooked a brow at my daughter’s boyfriend. He flushed as red as the Christmas lights hanging above his head and wrenched his attention away from me, his mousy hair serving as an extra layer of protection. “I’m still not telling. I was sworn to secrecy.”
Following the destruction of James’s house a few weeks ago by two vampire sisters and a vengeful former coworker that left Kian in the ICU, Kian was forced to quit his job to recover. Since it was basically our fault that he was hurt, James and I had hired him to bartend at Liz’s. With Shi in Houston for the holidays, we could use the extra pair of hands anyway. Two days in, Kian took to the job eagerly, even if his still-fresh injuries slowed him down.
While things had settled down over the last few days, today it was clear thateveryonewas in on something that I was obviously missing.
I’d just returned from a well-deserved break, and the energy in the room felt… off. Thinking back on it, Kian had been bursting at the seams all day, throwing knowing grins my way and nearly bouncing on his toes with energy. When Hannah showed up well before closing, I knew something big was about to happen—especially when she took a seat at the bar.
He couldn’t be proposing…I’dalready done that a few days ago. Helplessly, I looked at Hannah. Unfortunately, my daughterwas just like me and could keep a secret until she was blue in the face.
Someone walked up to the bar and ordered a drink, distracting Kian before I could interrogate him.
Two hands curled around my hips, and James rested his chin on my shoulder. He was always affectionate but damn, he’d really been hamming it up today.
A year ago, that would have annoyed me. Now? I welcomed the feeling of being caged in his arms, leaning into his touch before pulling away.
He didn’t let me.
His hands tightened, vampiric strength pinning me in place. “It’s been a busy night. Why don’t you sit down? Let us make you a drink.”
Us?
“We’re at work.” Despite my protest, I couldn’t help but giggle when his lips tickled across my neck. People were starting to stare. The attention didn’t make me uncomfortable, but wedidhave a business to run.
“I’m still your boss, and I told you to sit down.” This time, he urged me from behind the bar and onto a stool on the other side.
“Oh-kay…” Confused, I slid into the seat next to Hannah.
James turned his attention to her. “You ready, kid?”
Blue eyes shining, she practically leapt off the stool, rushing around to join the two men behind the counter.
Considering she was underage, I crooked a brow. “What the hell is going on?”
James swept a hand through his dark hair, then leaned across the deep, polished mahogany. Muscles rippled up his forearms and biceps…distracting me,the bastard. Something danced in his brown eyes, and I found myself longing to see that hint of red that he kept when no one was watching. “Trust me, love.”
