Page 29 of Calamity Rayne Gets Hitched

“You sure you’re okay with that?”

I hesitated because I was scared. “I am, but that doesn’t give us a lot of time. Things will be more expensive?—”

“Don’t worry about that.”

“Okay, but not a lot can change in three months.”

He frowned in confusion. “What needs to change?”

I shrugged. “Me.”

“Hey.” He caught my chin, forcing me to look into his stern eyes. “I don’t want you to change. I love you, exactly as you are. You’re who I want to marry.”

“Even if I’m just a big dork who will never be as sophisticated as your fancy friends and someone the tabloids will always poke fun at?”

“Fuck the tabloids. And you’re my friend—my best friend—the only friend that matters. There are very few people I trust, but I know I can always trust you. That’s everything to me. And as far as you being a dork, I happen to find you adorkable.”

I stilled and smiled. “You know I can’t resist you when you’re punny.”

“That’s why I do it.”

I hugged him. “Thank you.”

“For?”

“Loving me.”

As he pulled me into a hug, I wondered if he would always make me feel this way, calm but giddy, truly loved and eager to show love. He unraveled me and put me back together in a way that made the world a logical place for a while. I was incredibly lucky to have him, so lucky it inevitably freaked me out if I thought about it for too long.

I mean, what would happen if I lost him? Knowing life could be this good meant very little could ever compare. I could never go back to dating mediocre guys or putting up with crappy sex. No, thank you.

As far as Hale was concerned, I was completely smitten and I wanted to stay that way forever. It wasn’t that I loved him. I also loved the way he loved me. No one else had ever gotten it so right. I was in deep, deep smit.

Reveling peacefully in the afterglow of great sex, we cuddled on the couch, watching the palms sway in the wind through the panoramic view of the back windows overlooking the Gulf. I loved these quiet reprieves when I felt safe and protected. That’s how I thought of Hale. He was my protector.

“Are you stressing about the wedding?”

I glanced up at him. “I’m always stressing about the wedding. But I was also thinking about how nice this is.”

“This is nice.”

It had been a long time since we simply sat like this. The holidays had been busy and then Hale’s job inevitably demanded most of his time. My job working for Remington also kept me on the go. Then there was Elara and school and just trying to make everything work at once. The idea of adding an enormous wedding into the mix overwhelmed me.

“Do we have any chocolate?”

He laughed. “I’m sure you have a supply squirreled away. If not, there’s always your secret stash upstairs, the one you keep with your vibrator.”

“Don’t judge. It’s my feel good drawer.”

“I’m not judging. I like to see you happy.”

I sighed. I liked that he liked that. I felt the same, which was why I wanted to go through with this extravagant wedding, so I could see him happy too.

He leaned over and pulled open a drawer. “Jelly beans?”

“No. I want chocolate.” I sighed. “Why haven’t they started making other candy bars large like Toblerone bars?”

“You’re back on this?”

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