AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Nothing much.”
Sasha lifted her head, stared holes through him.
“Fine. All right.” He stood up, pulled something out of his pocket. “I got this.”
Riley stared, dumbfounded, at the ring. The pure white stone sat in a simple band. Its brilliance needed no adornment.
“You don’t like fuss,” he said.
“No, I don’t. But how did you . . .”
“Just ask, right? I just asked if there were any jewelers, and I had about a hundred rings pushed at me.”
“Sasha and I helped from there,” Annika told her. “Because it was confusing.”
“I don’t happen to have any money on me that works around here anyway. And they didn’t want any. But . . .”
“He had in his pocket a pipe—a musical pipe—he made as a boy,” Annika said helpfully. “He traded.”
“That’s . . . Jeez, that’s sweet.”
“It gets sweeter,” Sasha told Riley. “He asked Bran to engrave it.”
“Engraved.” Riley snatched the ring from Doyle’s hand, turned it to look inside the band. “Ma Faol.” Her throat simply closed as her heart leaped into it. All she could do was look at him.
He took the ring back. “Are you going to give me your hand?”
“Damn right I am.”
“It’s called the Stone of Glass. I don’t know what the hell it actually is.”
“I’ll be finding out.” It astonished her that her eyes stung, that she had to fight back tears. “And I can tell everybody you’re a cheap bastard, and it’s glass.”
“Bet you would.” He slid it on her finger. “You’re stuck now.”
Annika applauded. “Kiss her, Doyle! You need to kiss her now.”
“Yeah, kiss me, Doyle.” Despite the dress, Riley boosted up, wrapped her legs around his waist. “And make it good.”
He made it very good.
EPILOGUE
A royal celebration required fancy, Riley discovered. She also discovered Annika was a force of nature when the mermaid’s mind was set.
She banished the men, decreeing the women would dress together.
“It’s special,” Annika insisted as she patiently fastened what seemed like half a million buttons on the back of Riley’s gown. “When we have a special celebration, my sisters and I prepare together. You’re my sisters.” She rested her cheek on the back of Riley’s head. “I’ll miss you so.”
“Don’t cry.” Alarmed, Riley turned. “We won. We saved the worlds.”
“We’re still going to see each other.” Sasha moved in for a hard group hug. “We’re a clan, remember? We’ll come to your island, and Bran will make your pool so you can come to us. And we’ll all go to wherever Riley and Doyle are.”
“It’s an oath.”
“Pinky swear.” Riley held up her pinky. “A very serious oath.” She took Annika’s, hooked it, and Sasha added hers. “Done. I love you guys, sincerely. And I’m going to need regular Sawyer and Bran fixes.”
“Could I have a favor?” Annika asked.
