Page 132 of Marcus

“I want to marry Cella.”

Marcus wasn’t really sure what he expected after that declaration. He thought, perhaps, he might just warm Lucian up to the idea of what he planned to ask the man. Not that Cella’s father didn’t like him, or anything, but he didn’t want his request for her hand to come off as a demand.

Yet, it did just that.

Behind the desk, Lucian laughed. “Took you long enough.”

Marcus met the man’s gaze. “Pardon?”

“My bet was six months. You made it a year. I owe my wife a grand.”

Well, then …

“Is that a go-ahead from you?”

Lucian sighed, lifting one shoulder. “You didn’t really need to ask.”

Yes, he did.

“It’s who I am, Lucian.”

“So, I hear you have a surprise for me.”

Marcus glanced up from the sink basin to find Cella was currently leaning against the master bathroom of her bedroom. “Well, at least she made it a day before telling you. And from what I hear, you have a surprise for me, too, hmm?”

Outside the bedroom, fast footsteps pattered down the hall followed by Tiffany’s very loud, “I regret nothing!”

Cella grinned.

Marcus just shook his head.

“Also,” he added, pointing his razor at her in the mirror, “I had the decency to know you had a surprise—whatever it is—not to tell you I knew that you had one. And look at you … you couldn’t even give me the same.”

“I’m too impatient for that.”

His laughter colored up the bathroom.

“Maybe you should wait,” he added.

“Do you want to wait for your surprise?”

That made him hesitate.

“It’s not a tit for tat, Cella.”

Goddamn this woman.

He loved her.

“So, you’re not going to admit it’s killing you to know I have a surprise for you?” she asked.

Jesus.

“Well—”

“Technically, it’s two surprises,” she added.

“Cella, if you give me yours, I’ll have to give you mine. Maybe I was trying to do something for you. Have you thought of that?”