by Layla Hagen
We’d discussed what the additional centers could be about. Between the two of us, we had plenty of ideas, and seeing Paige light up at all the prospects had been one of the proudest moments in my life. It humbled me to know I could make her so happy.
Giving up my badge was still something I had to get used to, but instead of mourning the end of my career on the force, I was excited for what our future together would bring. I was smiling, and then I took her by surprise, kissing her bottom lip, then biting it lightly. Paige giggled, and I let go just as she burst out in a full belly laugh, then covered her mouth.
“You don’t care much about a citation for indecent behavior, huh?” she whispered.
“Not particularly, no. I love you, Paige.”
“I love you too. And I promise this will all work out.”
“I’m sure it will. I have a great feeling about what we’re going to build together.”
My happiness had been deeply entwined with my cases since I’d joined the force, but Paige had severed that tie. In fact, my happiness was now deeply entwined with the sassy brunette who might or might not be purposely squirming in my lap.
***
“I can’t believe this doesn’t even require an ambush,” Hailey said wistfully at the next Friday dinner. Next to her, Val sighed.
“Yeah, I’d been bracing for a full-on intervention when Lori arrived.”
The three of us were on Val’s porch, waiting for dinner to be ready. Jace and Paige had offered to prepare dinner. I was keeping my fingers crossed, and the food-ordering app on hand. I should have known that the only reason Val would give up the reins of her kitchen was because she thought an intervention was required. Also because we were having another dinner on Wednesday to celebrate Christmas.
“Sorry, girls, no ambush needed,” I teased them, though I secretly enjoyed that they were doting on me.
“So... we know you made a business proposal to Paige, but are you planning to make any other kind of proposal?” Val asked, her tone casual. She feigned studying her fingernails, but she was stealing glances at me.
“Are you trying to fish out of me if I’m planning to ask her to marry me?”
Val nodded. “Yes, I am. Actually, I’m sure you do. The question is when. And how? Do you need tips?”
“You could have been more subtle about it,” Hailey critiqued.
“Or... you could have asked me when Hailey wasn’t around,” I supplied. Annoying my little sister was one of the simple pleasures in life. Why deny myself?
Hailey made a choking sound, and in that moment, she looked more like her younger, bratty self than the polished PR-pro.
“You too? How long am I going to have to pay for past mistakes? I work with celebrities now. I’ve learned to keep secrets.”
Val and I carefully avoided looking at each other.
I schooled my tone to appear apologetic. “Hailey, I love you, but you’ve busted more surprise parties and gifts than I can count. Whatever secret-keeping abilities you’ve developed, I’m sure they come in handy at work, but when it comes to family stuff....”
Hailey groaned. “Damn it. I can’t even bribe you with anything. Any celebrity you’d like to meet?”
I cocked a brow. Then she held up a finger, as if struck by a sudden idea. “What if I promise not to hire a stripper for Paige’s bachelorette party if you tell me now? Keep quiet at your own risk.”
“You’re not bringing her a stripper,” I said through gritted teeth.
“That’s not for you to decide, is it? Oh, brother, when are you going to learn that you can’t outmatch me?” She wore a shit-eating grin now. I turned to Val, looking for support, but our oldest sister was too busy being impressed by Hailey’s blackmailing skills.
“Hats off to you,” Val said.
“I’m going to call your bluff,” I said as we entered the house. She smirked at my confidence, but I had means of stopping any ill-advised plans. Game on, little sis. Game on.
“Where are Pippa and Eric?” Val asked once we were inside.
Our cousin Pippa and her husband, Eric, were also here. Her stepdaughter Julie was studying at UCLA, and they had come to take her home for Christmas.
“I’m here,” Pippa called, coming in from the direction of the kitchen. “Eric and I wanted to give Jace and Paige a hand.”
Well, now I was more confident about our dinner.
“How is Julie?” Val asked.
“Happy. Enjoying college, and dating... which is why she isn’t here tonight. Had a goodbye date before Christmas break, much to Eric’s chagrin.” Pippa smiled saucily.
“Not used to Julie being all grown up?” I asked.
“Not at all. But at least Mia and Elena still have a few years of childhood left. He’s a great husband and father, but stresses too much over the girls. In a perfect world, he’d like to veto anyone who asks Julie out.”
Julie was Eric’s daughter from his first marriage. He’d had her when he was very young, hence the large age difference between Julie and her younger sisters.
“Hey, if any boyfriend needs vetoing or being scared away, our brothers can be of excellent use. Right, Will?” Val asked.
I grinned. “Absolutely. At your service, cousin. I can be extra smooth, or extra scary. Depends on what the situation requires.”
“Oh, I’ll keep that in mind. I’m always in favor of smooth, though I think my dear husband might prefer scary.”
“I can always team up with Jace. He can play the smooth part, and I can do my part if scary is required,” I offered.
“That sounds very promising. And speaking of Jace... is it my impression or is he....” She narrowed her eyes, as if searching for the right word.
“Afraid of you?” I filled in the blanks.
“Yes, yes he is,” Val declared.
Pippa put her hands together, tapping her fingers against each other. “Well, well, my last matchmaking attempt was too successful, huh?”
“Sort of. They hit it off, but since she wasn’t from here, nothing came of it,” Val said.
“You want some insider knowledge?” Hailey asked.
I shook my head. “This is exactly what I mean about secrets, little sis.”
Hailey ignored me. Pippa whistled appreciatively. “And Jace won’t hand you your asses?”
“We’ll take our chances. We can go toe to toe with him,” Hailey said on a laugh.
“I will bow out of this conversation,” I informed them. “Or I’d have to report to my brother that you’re... conspiring.”
“It’s for his own good,” Val said with a wink.
Later that night, once we were in bed, I asked Paige, “So what was that about girl talk after dinner?” The girls had all huddled on the couch, and when I or any other guy tried to approach, they informed us it was girl talk time.
“Because girl talk are the magic words for getting manly ears out of the way.” Paige was lying with her head on my chest, tracing a pattern on my stomach.
“Duly noted. What did you talk about?” I wouldn’t put it past Hailey to already have dropped a hint.
“Brainstorming potential dating pools for Val to increase her chances of getting laid.”
I blinked, then blinked again. They went from planning Jace’s demise to this? How did they even work so fast?
“Right... I’m better off not knowing the outcome of the conversation.”
She smiled sheepishly. “That came out wrong. The best way for her to meet a decent guy. Getting laid is part of the package.”
“No further details required,” I insisted.
“Okay. Just keep your eyes open for a smart and very sexy guy. Strong arms are important. Six-pack always a plus. Great skills in bed are also a requirement, but obviously, there’s no way to check that beforehand.”
“I can’t believe we’re having this conversation.” I made a mental note never to ask about girl talk again.
“Why? You could help brainstorming. It’s not so easy to me
et people once you’re settled into working life. Not everyone has my luck. And Val deserves to be happy.”
“Of course she does.” When we were growing up, she put her life on hold for us for a while, and then she’d thrown herself into building her cosmetics company.
“Tell the truth. Did you ever scare the shit out of a man she introduced to you?”
“No. Just asked what their intentions were and called them out on it if they seemed to just want to jerk around.”
Paige chuckled. “Doesn’t surprise me. Well, what are all these muscles for, if not for flexing when you sense foul play? We’ll make a great team. So many advantages to working together.”
“And speaking of working together, I want you to keep the weekend after the official opening of the center free.”
She lifted her head, narrowing her eyes in suspicion. “Okay. I didn’t have anything planned, but why?”
“I want you all to myself.” I shifted us on the bed and kissed her neck, just under her earlobe.
“That sounds promising.” She was almost breathless.
“I want us to celebrate this beautiful life we have. And maybe not share you with the world for another week.”
“That’s an outrageous thought.”
“I promise it’ll be worth it.” I traced her collarbone with the tip of my tongue. She arched her back, then rolled her hips into me. One lifetime with this woman wasn’t going to be enough. But I was going to make every single minute count.
“Sold.”
Epilogue
Paige
“Hey, you! No stealing food.” I swatted his hand away from the ice cream. It was the third time I’d had to do it in the last five minutes. Tomorrow we were officially opening the education center, and we were knee-deep in preparations. “I will ban you from the kitchen if you keep doing that.”
“No, you will not. You want me to distract you. You just don’t know how to say it.”
He had some nerve. Homemade ice cream required attention. Of course I didn’t want him to distract me. Except... now that he’d said it out loud, it didn’t seem like such a bad idea. I turned to face him, and as I often did since he’d handed over his badge, looked for signs that everything was all right. He’d assured me that he was ready for this new phase, and he’d thrown himself into our new life together with such passion that I didn’t doubt it.
I dipped my forefinger in the small bowl of leftover ice cream and smeared it all over his cheek.
Will grinned, and then the game was on. He hooked an arm around my waist, keeping me in place while he smeared ice cream over my lips. Then he drew his tongue sensually over them, licking it off. We might have a lot to do for tomorrow, but we always had time for a sexcapade. Oh, yeah.
“I’ve been watching you dance around this kitchen for hours, moving those hips. I’ve fantasized about bending you over this counter and sinking inside you.” His gaze was smoldering. The arm around my waist had moved lower, and his hand was splayed on my ass.
“So what held you back?”
He let out a low growl, and his palm pressed me into him so I could feel how hard he was. Sweet heavens, how long had he been so aroused? And I’d been wasting my time making ice cream?
“I’d better take care of this,” I whispered, shimmying against him.
He touched my earlobe. “Yeah. Needs thorough attention.”
“What if I’m not... thorough? Will I get some of your deliciously sexy threats?”
“Only if you insist.”
“I do.”
“Well, then... how can I not play along?”
He scooped me up in his arms, and I flailed my legs in the air, grabbing his shirt for support. Will distracted me right until dinnertime, when Maddie and Landon dropped by unexpectedly with their daughter Willow.
Landon had offered his support in our joint venture, and while Will and I were grateful for it, we were doing just fine on our own.
“Won’t keep Landon from insisting,” Maddie had warned me the first time the subject had come up. And as the two of them helped themselves to some ice cream, Landon brought it up again. Maddie and I exchanged amused glances. We’d adopted the Connor betting habit, and I’d lost this round.
“What’s that?” Will asked suspiciously when I offered Maddie a five-dollar bill.
I figured it was best to come clean right away. Looking between the brothers, I said, “We just made a bet on how long it would take Landon to bring up the subject of investing.”
Both brothers glared at us. Then Landon turned to Will.
“Is it just me, or are our girls getting more and more daring?”
“Nope, not just you,” Will agreed.
“Maddie won this round, obviously,” I said.
Will tilted his head to one side. “This round? There are more?”
Ah, I’d shared too much. Maddie threw me a warning glance.
“Yep, but they involve girl talk, and I remember you clearly telling me you want to be kept out of it, so....”
Will grimaced. Landon held up a hand. “Say no more.”
Truthfully, our other bet had been a more elaborate business. Maddie, Hailey, Lori, and I had made a bet on what kind of man would steal Val’s heart, but there was no reason to share that with our men.
Maddie and Hailey were betting on some sort of Hollywood hunk. Hailey in particular was very excited at that prospect. Lori and I veered toward a businessman.
We chitchatted about everything under the sun, and when Will held Willow, I furtively snapped a few pictures. He was expertly holding Willow on one arm, and she sighed adorably, snuggling up to her uncle.
Later, after Landon, Maddie, and Willow had left, Will caught me looking at the pictures as we were doing one last check to ensure everything was in place for Monday.
“What’s this? I thought you kept all images here.” He tapped his temple.
“Some should be photographed. You look cute with her.”
“Cute?”
I nodded with conviction. “Don’t get your boxers in a twist. You’re still all muscly and manly, but also... cute. I can’t explain it.”
Will flashed me a smile. Wait a second... that was an unusual smile, as if he was harboring a secret. Hmmm, what could it be? He came close enough that I only had to lean a few inches to kiss him, but I was no closer to guessing the secret.
“How do you think I’d look with one of our own? Or more? Personally, I think we’d do great with more. Of course, we could luck out and have twins. Two in one shot.” He pushed a strand of hair behind my ear.
I was stunned that he’d envisioned our future in such detail. I tried to keep my composure, but his words touched me deeply, and my voice wobbled a little when I spoke next.
“You’ve been giving this some thought.”
He dragged the tip of his nose across my cheek to my jawbone. “Since the condom scare.”
“You’ve been keeping secrets from me.”
“Just waiting for the right time.”
“I think you’re forgetting something.”
“I am?”
“We’re not married.”
He pulled back a little, and his secretive smile morphed into a teasing grin. “Paige Lamonica, are you proposing to me?”
I felt my cheeks heat up, then my neck. I decided to take out my embarrassment on him, and poked one of those superb biceps. “I was hoping you would propose to me, but if you don’t, I’ll reconsider a few things.”
His gaze was intense. In a fraction of a second, Will had an arm around my waist, keeping me against him.
He kissed me deep and hard, and when he pulled back, he said in a gruff voice, “You can’t very well do that if I’m kidnapping you next weekend, can you?”
Everything around us seemed to still. I was only aware of my thundering heartbeats, and how impossibly warm Will’s body felt against mine.
“You... are planning to propose?”
“Yes. Down on one knee, with a ring and
a very romantic speech.”
My heartbeat was out of control right now. Then I remembered a particular conversation and started laughing.
“Sorry, I just realized that’s why Hailey was so curious about the trip. Kept asking if we had some fancy dinner reservations.”
Will groaned. I kissed just under his jaw, then rested my nose in the crook of his neck, inhaling that delicious masculine scent.
“You really want to be tied to me?” I checked. “For the good and the bad?”
“Legally and forever,” he confirmed. I shimmied against him.
“That sounds lovely.”
He pulled back a little, bringing a hand to the back of my head. His mouth close, he feathered his lips over mine. “So you’ll say yes?”
Warmth unfurled in my belly. I felt my pulse thrum in my ears as I placed my palms just under his broad, strong shoulders.
“Depends,” I said coyly, fighting to maintain my seriousness as I lifted a brow. “Are you okay with a huge wedding?”
“Yes.”
“I want all the bells and whistles. I’ll also want a huge dress.”
“It’ll be my pleasure to take it off you during our wedding night.”
He brought his other hand from my waist to my hip, as if he wanted to lift up my dress. I pushed his hand away. “I already know you’re good at taking off my clothes, William Connor.”
“Thought you need more convincing—an incentive to say yes.” His eyes flashed. “Any more conditions?”
“Just one last thing. I want to officially be part of any ambushes and interventions your sisters plan.”
“That’s negotiable.”
“I’ll take it as a yes.”
He cocked a brow.
“What? I have solid proof that my negotiation skills are sharp enough to win you over.”
“Is that so?” He made another attempt to slide his hand under my dress. I pushed it away. Again.
“Uh-huh. Every time.”
“That’s not how I remember it, but I’ll let it slide.”
“Out of the goodness of your heart, or as another incentive to get me to say yes?”