I heard the grin in his voice when he replied, “Not a problem.”

He was happy too.

So I was happier.

“Thanks for my laundry building.”

There was a thread of humor in his voice when he said, “Not a problem.”

And even happier.

“Thanks for being you.”

His arms tightened and the humor was gone when he repeated, “Not a problem, Cassie.”

“Thanks for letting me be me.”

More tightening, then, “Definitely not a problem.”

“Thank you for loving me,” I whispered.

No reply. Just his arms got so tight I could barely breathe.

When he released the pressure, I went on.

“And thanks for letting me love you.”

“Makin’ this easy,” he said weirdly.

“Sorry?”

He let me go but didn’t move away. One of his hands caught my left one, the other one disappeared.

It came back.

And when it did, I stopped breathing.

This was because he was sliding a princess cut diamond set in a thick platinum band on my ring finger.

“Marry me,” he whispered into my ear.

Sheesh. Deacon was so totally rejoining the citizenry.

My eyes started stinging.

His hand curled around mine tight.

“Right here, in this gazebo, soon as you want, late as you want, big, small, grand, quiet, I don’t give a fuck. Whatever you want, just so when it’s over, you’re tied to me legally and got my name.”

My head fell back so it wouldn’t fall forward. I turned it and pressed my forehead into his neck.

“We get hitched,” he went on, “we find our time, then we make a baby. But you go off your pills, the first time it could be a go, we start that work in my bed in cabin eleven.”

Cabin eleven.

God, I so loved Deacon.

To share that, I replied, “I’ll take your name, Deacon. I’ll take anything you want to give me. And I’ll make a baby with you in cabin eleven, in our bed at the house, on the moon.”

“Then give me your mouth, woman, no argument, right now.”

Like I’d argue.

I tipped my head back but didn’t give it. He took it. He did this a long time. He did this until Bossy joined us and started licking our faces, wanting in on the act.

We broke it off but Deacon’s arms were back around me so it was me who drove my fingers into her ruff and asked, “You gonna wear a big pink bow when Momma marries Daddy in this gazebo?”

She panted and licked my face.

Deacon started laughing.

I took that as a yes.

* * * * *

Deep in the night, I was tucked tight to Deacon’s back, arm around him, when I felt his body jerk before I felt the covers thrown off me.

“Baby, what on—?” I started.

He was off the bed and I could tell by the noises he was pulling on his jeans.

“Do not move,” he growled. “And do not fight me, Cassie. You stay up here with Bossy and don’t move.”

My heart clutched.

He bent, nabbed his tee, and stalked to the door through the dark.

“Stay with Cassie,” he ordered Bossy.

I watched through the shadows as Bossy did as she was told, sitting on her behind, but she barked at the door when Deacon closed us in.

I jumped from the bed and dashed around the room, tugging on the clothes Deacon had taken off when he’d made love to me hours before.

Then I approached the window at the side, carefully peeking through the edge of the sheers and down to the lane.

The motion sensor lights were on. By their light, I saw Raid’s jeep, a sleek, expensive looking car, a Mercedes, and an SUV that was not Deacon’s or mine.

He’d heard that cavalcade coming.

God, was his old life knocking at the door?

Bossy gave me a sharp but quiet bark and I looked down to see her at attention three feet from me.

She wanted me away from the window.

Daddy’s girl.

Still, I moved away. That settled her and she sat on her heiny until suddenly her head jerked toward the door.

She trotted to it just as it opened.

I wasn’t surprised. I, too, heard Deacon coming up the stairs.

“Cassidy, got a situation. Come down, yeah? Raid’s here. So are Knight, Marcus, Creed, and Sylvie.”

What was going on?

Before I could ask, he continued,” As well as Hanna, Knight’s woman, and Marcus’s.”

I stared.

“Woman, here,” he ordered.

His tone brooked no argument, so for once, I didn’t argue.

I went there.

He grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the room.

He kept hold of my hand as he pulled me down the stairs, Bossy following. And he kept hold of it as he pulled me to a stop in the foyer.

Bossy barked at the company we had crowding the space.

I looked down at her and said, soft but firm, “Quiet. Sit. Stay, baby.”

She looked up at me, quieted and sat.

“Oo, sugar! Isn’t that precious! Your dog is sooooo good.”

My head snapped up and I took in a woman who, at first glance, I thought was Dolly Parton.

I also saw Hanna and Raid, a handsome but scary man standing next to the Dolly lookalike, and another handsome (incredibly handsome) but scary and younger man standing next to a very beautiful woman. Last, I saw a petite blonde who still looked like she could take a stab at kicking Deacon’s ass and hold her own (before he bested her, of course), standing next to another handsome man who had a scar on his face.

She had a baby to her hip.

So did the beautiful woman, not to mention her hot guy held a toddler.

“I’ll do this so you boys, and girl,” the Dolly lady started, tipping her head to the petite blonde, “can get your shit sorted so you can get shit sorted.” She stepped forward. “I’m Daisy Sloan. That’s my honey bunches of oats, Marcus.” She pointed at the older, good-looking guy.

Even as scary as all this was, I was fighting back a giggle at her honey bunches of oats comment.

“This here is Tucker and Sylvie Creed and their baby, Jesse,” she went on, giving me the knowledge of who the petite woman and hot, scarred guy were. “That there is Knight Sebring, his woman Anya, their girls Kat and Kasha.” She indicated the beautiful woman and non-scarred, hot guy. “Think you know Raid and Hanna,” she finished.

“Uh, yeah,” I confirmed, sending a small grin Raid and Hanna’s way. I looked to the others. “Nice to finally meet you all. Deacon says good things.”

I got smiles, grins, and chin lifts.