His head shakes. “I don’t know. Neptun. Pyro. Slate. You told me you’ve experienced relationships with most of the town in your game, and you’ve been growing more comfortable here, around everyone. Else.” His gaze drops. “For all I know, you’ve taken a polish to Austin.”
I grimace.
His eyes flick back to my face. “Oh. Good. One less man to worry about.”
“Samson…” I swallow and remove his circlet from my bag, presenting it as I kneel across from him on the picnic blanket. “There are no men to worry about…”
Eyes massive, he stares down at his crown. “Who’s…that for?”
“You. I loveyou. More each day. Everyone’s been helping me prepare for this moment. That’s why I’ve been gone so much lately.”
All the tension in his shoulders evaporates. “What?”
“What, what?”
“Everyone’s been helpingmeprepare for this moment,” he says.
I blink; my brows furrow. “What?”
“Remember the night you had your first bleeding here?”
I blush. How could I forget? It’s become a core trauma memory. “Well. Yes?”
“That’s when I realized my feelings for you were not entirely…innocent.”
“Uh,” I say, blinking. “Huh?”
So steady, he holds my gaze. “When you asked me if I wanted to be an option, and I couldn’t shut up as I talked aboutyou, I realized. I didn’t want to beanoption; I wanted to beyouroption. I talked to Ines the very next morning, before you were up, before she was up, honestly. I said I wanted to marry you. She rolled her eyes and told meno, duh. I sent my order for your circlet off with Mimet through her, picked it up in Amecrest the day she told me it should be done.” Lifting a hand off the shining metal, he plunges his fingers into his hair. “Are we getting married on anisland? Whose idea was the island? Ines has been planning insanity. Chrysa’s convinced we need a fifteen-tier cake.They’re building Lau a boat. I’ve ignored most of the nonsense because I figured I’d talk to you if you said yes, but you’ve already talked to them?”
My brain might be shutting down. Everyone knew? Nobodytold me? No wonder Lazul was submitting paperwork.Everyone knew Samson would say yes because everyone knew Samson was planning the same thing.
“Citrus.” His hand finds my cheek, focuses my gaze on him, trembles slightly. “Sweetheart,” he whispers, “are our dogs going to be the crown-bearers?”
Shoulders bunching, I whisper, “Is…that okay? It’s the cutest thing ever, isn’t it?”
Affirmative, he nods. “Yes. It is. Is the island your fault?”
I wet my lips; my brain is sludge; Samson lovesme? “It’s my favorite wedding location in the game. During winter, especially. It’s everything Florida could never hope to be.”
“Understandable,” he murmurs, running his thumb across my cheekbone. “What about the fifteen-tier cake…?”
“That’s all Chrysa.” I flail his circlet at the display on the blanket around us. “I’ve been too busy planning this food to even think aboutthatfood.”
He glances down, scans. “What is all of this?”
My entire body flushes. “A few of your favorite recipes? From the game?”
“Favorites…I don’t even know I have yet?”
I wince. “Yes?”
Every muscle in him loosens as his forehead falls against mine. “What am I going to do with you?”
Fifteen different, irreverent ideas come immediately to mind. I beat them back with a stick.
“Lemonade?”
I shiver. “Yes?”
