I cross my arms and smirk. “No.”
She cocks her head to the side. “That’s not up to you,” she fires back.
“Actually, it is,” I say. “We’re not done yet.”
She sidesteps while keeping her wary eyes on me.
“No, no, no,” I say, peering down at my feet. I chuckle and shake my head before meeting her gaze again. “Don’t look at me like I’m some stranger you don’t recognize.”
“Honestly, Logan—” She swallows, backing up as I encroach on her space. “The man I know doesn’t keep secrets. I don’t know who you are right now.”
The only thing keeping those words from gutting me is the knowledge that she doesn’t mean them. If we’re ripping off bandages, then let’s do it. I’ll go first.
“Yes you do.” I take a few steps toward her. “I’m your fucking husband.”
She sighs, rubbing her forehead with a palm as if exasperated by nonsense. “That’s impossible.”
“It’s called a proxy marriage,” I explain. “It’s legal in Montana.”
She quirks her head and raises her left brow, burying me six feet deep with a single look. “Logan, what are you talking about?” Her voice is calm and crisp.
“Remember the paperwork I had to submit in Bozeman?”
I see the moment her world tilts. Her lips part and she blinks at me. “Wait . . .”
My stomach growls; we should order a pizza. I have a feeling this is going to take a while.
She glares at me before words explode out of her. “We haven’t even talked about marriage!”
Odin runs into the room and glances at me, so I keep my voice calm.
“And now we don’t need to,” I say. “I’ve already taken care of it.”
Planting her palms on her hips, she walks in a tight circle while staring at the ground. The pieces are falling into place for her, but she’s still not quite seeing the big picture. She throws up her hands, slicing me with a glare. “I don’t even know what to say to you right now!”
“I mean . . .” I offer a small shrug. “Athank youwould be nice.”
Her jaw drops.
“I needed to make sure if something ever happened, the shop would be yours,” I explain.
And mine.
Togetherly ever after.
She shakes her head. “You’re lying to me.”
“I wouldn’t lie about this.”
She glares at me for a good ten seconds. “What the fuck!” she says, her voice going up an octave. With a red face and eyes that are practically bulging, she asks, “Why can’t you just put me in your will like a normal fucking person?”
Easy. I’m not a normal fucking person. What in God’s name gave her that idea?“Look, you’ve always been mine, Chaos. All I did was file the paperwork to make it legal.”
“You cannot be serious right now. Do you understand how messed up this is?” Her voice pitches high at the end, and Odin’s ears twitch at the shrill sound.
I shrug.
Her hand gestures are out of control. She’s kind of adorable with her little fists flying around like that.
