“Oh, you will, when you sign it.”
Shep snorted. “I’m signing it?”
“Oui, how else will it be binding?”
Shep started across the room then, a twinkle of fierce determination in his eyes, and I knew there was no way I’ddodge him this time. He wanted to see what was on the napkin, and if there was one thing that had always been true about Shep, it was if he wanted something, healwaysgot it.
“Give me the napkin, Theo.”
“I’m still adding to it.”
He was gaining on me now, so I moved up onto the bed, but that didn’t slow him down. Shep grabbed me around the backs of my knees and tumbled me down onto my back.
A whoosh of air left me on a rush, before I started laughing as I attempted to finish my final demand.
“Hand it over,” Shep said as he straddled my waist, pinning me in place.
“Sheesh.” I pouted as I held the pen and paper out. “So impatient.”
“If you’re writing up some crazy list you want me to abide by, then you bet your sweet ass I’m going to be impatient about it.”
I let out a sigh and rolled my eyes as he looked down at the napkin. While he read through my “crazy list,” I rubbed my hands up his thighs.
“Theo—”
“Read it out loud,” I interrupted, as his beautiful eyes found mine. “I want to make sure I got everything.”
“Non-negotiables of Theo and Shep. No traveling without the other (if longer than one night). No clothes allowed at the Rinaldi residence. No life-or-death secrets. One food fight a month to blow off steam (food of choice to alternate).” Shep paused then and licked over his lower lip, and I swallowed, knowing the last one was barely legible. “Never stop loving the other.”
As his eyes found mine, my heart beat so loudly I was surprised he couldn’t hear it, and the love that was evident in every handsome line of his face made me melt under his stare.
“Where’s the pen?”
“Huh?”
“You want me to sign this, right? Make it legally binding?”
I blinked up at him, my pulse hammering as the craziest, most insane, reckless idea popped into my head. Then I sat up and took the napkin from him, tossing it aside.
“I have a better idea,” I said, and took his face between my hands, brushing a kiss over his lips. “Marry me instead.”
29
SHEP
“WE’RE FUCKING INSANE, you know that?” Theo laughed as we stepped off the private jet and onto the tarmac at Henderson Executive Airport a handful of hours after he’d asked me the biggest, most life-changing question anyone ever had.
I still couldn’t quite believe the way the words had so easily rolled off his tongue, or the way I’d known instantly what my answer was, without even thinking it through. I didn’t need to. The moment I chose Theo, I’d known it wasn’t an off-the-cuff choice I’d question later. When I chose him, it was permanent, in my heart and in my mind, and my answer had come as easily as the smooth flight from New York to Nevada.
Yes. A million times, yes.
The little we’d brought was shoved into the carry-on bag I had over my shoulder, because what else did we need besides each other?
God, if our brothers were here, they’d be gagging. I was turning into one of those sappy romantics, wasn’t I? Or maybe I’d always been that way, and finding my person had brought that out in me.
I looked at Theo, his dark hair blowing over his forehead, his eyes shining, and reached over to thread my fingers through his. That gorgeous smile was contagious, mirroring my own.
“Insane or just finally making good decisions?” I said to answer his question.
