Baby steps.
Aga scowled so hard his eyes almost disappeared under his heavy brow ridges before he finally growled a begrudging “Fine” and stood. He eyed Rathal like a bug to be squashed. “Well? What are you waiting for? Let’s get this done.”
Rathal smiled lazily and got slowly to his feet, gesturing before him with a sweep of his arm. “By all means, Aga Ush, please lead the way. The Assembly has already started.”
Aga literally shook with the urge to snap my husband's neck.
Husband.
I smiled to myself. Who’d have ever thought a single word could create such bubbling excitement inside a person. I kinda wanted to throw myself to the ground to squeal and kick my feet. It was crazy the amount of warm feelings I felt anytime I glanced Rathal’s way. He’d caught me a few times already and his face grew tender. This time, when I looked up at him as he pulled out my chair and held out his hand to help me to my feet he leaned down and kissed my forehead gently.
“You and I need to have a quick chat before we go into the Assembly hall, darling,” he murmured against my skin before straightening.
The emotion in his eyes had my heart rate kicking into overdrive and a knot forming in my throat. “Okay,” I whispered back, rising up on my tiptoes to place a quick peck on his lips.
Aga grunted in disgust and left the room.
“How did he get on the station? I figured your security would have caught him long before his ship could dock.”
Rathal looked up over my head and chucked before looking back down at me.
“I let him in. I figured you would want to see him, and besides, later when he acts all high and mighty about sneaking onto Erral through all my security checks I’ll be able to rub in his face that it was only because I chose to let him through. He is very good, my dear, but when it comes to security, I am better.”
I snorted, shaking my head. This was going to be the topic of many drunk holiday arguments in our future. This family we had created was nuts. God, I loved it.
Rathal looked up over my head and chucked before looking back down at me.
“Better follow him or the twins might decide to eat him.” He tucked my hand into the crook of his elbow and led us out of the room. The twins were indeed eyeing Aga’s backside like it might be a tasty meal and not in the flattering sort of way but if the big green menace noticed, he didn’t say anything, just stomped all the way to the Assembly hall two stories down.
Rathal stopped him before he Aragorned his way through the double doors.
“Ah, Aga. A moment, please?”
Aga’s shoulders bunched up to his ears but he turned around, though his lips twitched like he wanted to snarl.
“What?” Aga ground out.
“Callie and I are going to step into this waiting room for a few minutes. You might want to wait out here for us to return before you go in.”
Aga sneered. “I can handle five minutes alone with your pack of rabble.”
Rathal smiled. “As you say. Very well. If that’s what you want to do, then by all means, carry on without us.”
Aga grumbled some insult under his breath and slammed the doors open. The roar of angry voices rose from a muted rumble to a tidal wave and then back again as the door snapped shut behind Aga, closing him inside. The twins shook their heads andtook up sentry on either side of the door and gave us identical droll looks.
Rathal grinned, looking at me with dancing eyes. “Som’ae is going to eat him alive.”
We snickered together before he took my hand to draw me into a small waiting room off to the left of the Assembly hall and closed the door softly behind us. He led me to a set of chairs and pushed me down into one and then took a knee in front of me, taking both of my hands into his.
My heart squeezed hard inside my chest, butterflies erupting inside my stomach. I don’t know why. We were already married. It wasn’t like he was proposing.
He took a deep breath, squeezing my hands and looked intently into my eyes.
“Callie. I would first like to start by saying that I am sorry for the way our relationship started. Had I believed I could have done this another way… well, to be honest I don’t think I would have changed it,” I snorted at that and he grinned at me before continuing, “but I am sorry I caused you distress.”
“Rathal, I—”
He held up a hand. “No,no. Please let me finish before you say anything.”
