“N-no to the flower crown,” he says uneasily.
“No? But you’d look so good in a flower crown, Joey. We can ask them to butch it up for you, baby, if that’s what’s worrying you. We can get them to add stag antlers or something. You’ll see, it’ll be hot.”
He blinks hard and takes a sharp breath. “I’ll wear a flower crown over my dead body.”
I start to cackle and lean in to kiss him, “Easily arranged, my friend. Easily arranged.”
“There’s something really wrong with you,” he chuckles.
“I think we established that some time ago.”
He smiles and kisses my temple. “You’re so wrong, you’re right, Demon.”
“Okay, for real this time.”
He gnaws the corner of his bottom lip. He’s still a little nervous and I love that for him.
“You know the lake house?”
“Thelake house, lake house?”
“Yeah, the one you took me to when we were no longer in the kidnaper/kidnapee stage, but we hadn’t committed the murder of a powerful man yet either, you know?”
“I loved that stage,” he smiles fondly.
“Well, I kind of bought the lake house.”
“I know.”
“How do you know?”
“Cause while you were stalking me, I was stalking you, dumbass.”
“Aw, damnit, Joey, that’s so romantic, baby.”
“I know.” He looks awfully pleased with himself.
“Anyway, I’ve done some minor renovations to the place.”
He smiles in a way that lets me know he knows that, too. He rolls me onto my back and leans over me. He brushes a few strands of hair out of my face. “I like the dock, Demon. It’s perfect. It’s exactly how I pictured it.”
I lean up and steal a quick kiss. “I’m thinking sunset,” I say. “I’m thinking you and me on the dock. I’m thinking my mom and the girls, Lacey and maybe Rex and Luke, if you want.” Rex and Luke are two of Saint’s military buddies. They call him now and again and sometimes when they do, I answer, and we make small talk for a while. When they ask to speak to him, they say, “Can I talk to Joey?”
“Sounds good.”
I’ve had so much fun today, I decide to save the news that Lacey has categorically informed me that she will be acting as officiant in the event Saint and I ever get married, for another day. She’s very excited about it, she has her license and already has an outfit in mind. She has assured me it’s going to be epic. She says it’s going to be unlike anything anyone’s ever seen a wedding.
“You can wear whatever you want,” I tell him. “You can even wear those God-awful cargo pants if you want. I won’t mind as long as I get to marry you.”
“Admit it,” he murmurs, leaning closer, “you love my ass in those pants.”
“I plead the fifth.” The last thing I need is to be convicted of a crime against fashion. God knows that would be very off-brand.
“I love the sound of that.” He must be feeling happy and very relieved because he adds, “You can have a few peonies, Demon. Nothing OTT, but just a little bunch here and there, okay?”
“Oh, God. You’ve gone mushy, haven’t you?” His eyes soften and he smiles. He smiles with his whole face and his eyes. He smiles in a way that gives me flashes of his past and his present and all the years yet to come. I arch my head back and offer him my throat. “You’re going to start slobbering all over my neck, aren’t you?
He nods but before he starts slobbering, he whispers the same thing he says to me every night.
