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e up into his arms to move us to the bed. He laid out and draped me over him so that my head rested on his chest and he stared down at me.
"But I do," I admitted, and it felt like something shifted inside me. For the first time, openly acknowledging the fact that I'd somehow come to care for a man I should have hated.
There was a moment of silence as he seemed to give me time for that to sink in, and then he slid a cool metal band on my finger. I didn't dare look down at it, and there was really no need. There was only one reason for a man to ever put a ring on that finger.
"The kids—"
"Have already given me permission to marry you. As has your father," Ryker grinned at me, looking like the cat that ate the canary. I gaped up at him, floundering for a reason why this was not happening.
"I can't marry you.”
"I don't recall asking. You said you didn't know what this was? Now you do. This is you becoming my wife. And I think if you honestly ask yourself, you know that you want that as much as I do. We'll have an amazing life together, Tesoro."
"You won't even let me go to work," I protested.
"That's not forever. Once things have settled between us, then you can go back. I didn't keep you here out of fear of you talking to the wrong person or anything like that, Sunshine. I did it so we could spend time together, and so you could be more comfortable with me quickly. I'm just eager to be happy together. That's all."
I didn’t want to get married. Not to him. Not to anyone. “I don’t want to be a widow ever again,” I whispered.
“Sunshine, the devil himself couldn’t keep me away from you if he tried,” he answered, and I sucked back my argument. He wouldn’t listen, that much was clear. Not unless I could really communicate it.
I had time.
I sighed, finally looking down at the ring. A massive round moonstone took center focus, with lilac geode shards on either side and a thin rose gold band that matched the necklace and fit my finger perfectly. "It's beautiful," I admitted.
"It suits you," he said.
"Of course it does, you creepy meatball. Did you go through all my jewelry that I never wear to see what I would like, if I did?" He laughed underneath me, and the sound of it seeped into me and brought a smile to my lips.
This was so messed up.
He rolled me underneath him, staring down at me with shining blue eyes that went to the smile on my face again, studying it like he had before. "It's possible," he said, and then he kissed me.
It didn't matter that I hadn't said yes, because he set to showing me exactly why he didn't need to ask.
Thirty-Five
Calla
He was insane. I'd said it before, and I'd say it again.
Not only had he woken up and decided it was entirely appropriate to tell the kids we were getting married, but he'd established an insane timeline. I'd thought we'd wait a year, let the kids adjust to living with both of us and see how the pieces fell together when I didn't want to kill him in his sleep.
Apparently that was too much to ask.
"We cannot get married next weekend," I told him, putting my hands on my hips as I stared him down. The psycho knew I was on the hunt, so after we'd tucked the kids away he'd retreated into his gym and hidden like a coward.
That’s what I'd thought at least, but he just genuinely didn't seem to care that I might object to his idea of a date for our big day. Because who would mind rushing into a wedding a week after a proposal?
The fucker.
"Sure we can. Tradition seems to dictate we get married at Matteo's anyway. It's not like we need to wait for a venue." He dropped the bar onto the bench behind his head, standing and wiping the sweat from his palms. The weights on each end were frighteningly large, and I didn't even dare to see how much they weighed. The man was a beast.
"Ryker!" I shouted at him, wincing when the sound echoed in the cavernous space. "I don't even know you! You know everything about me, but you have never given me the chance to get to know you. How can I marry a man I don't know?"
"We’ve had this conversation. You know me, Sunshine. You know everything that matters for our marriage."
"That is not your choice to make. Literally all I know about you is that you're a criminal. Last I checked, that wasn't a check in the Pros column, you Neanderthal!"
