Page 100 of Lock 'em Down

Cami exchanges a look with me, her smile big, her eyes bright. “More than positive.”

I lean toward Annie. “You joke now but watch out. You’re next in line and while wedding planning may have occupied Mom’s time for a few months, I doubt you’re off the hook.”

Annie’s eyes widen.

I snort. “Be on the lookout, little sister. Mama Bang is coming for you next!”

Jensen and Bailey snicker. King nods in agreement.

I sit back and wrap an arm around my girl. We spend time hanging with my family. After Rowan wins a game of Uno, I lean into her side. “Want me to show you my old room?”

King hears me and snorts, giving me a look.

Cami bites her bottom lip and nods. I take her hand and pull her from the living room to the cheers, whistles, and obnoxious comments of my family members.

“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” Tanner hollers.

“So, anything is up for grabs?” Jake asks.

“Your bed squeaks,” Annie warns.

“I shared a room with you!” Jensen reminds him.

Cami dissolves in laughter as I ignore my siblings and pull her into my bedroom. I close the door and she leans against it, crossing her arms over her chest. Her eyes dance when they meet mine.

Amused, excited, happy. She looks at me like she did at the club that night in Vegas. Like our future is filled with possibilities and we’re on the precipice of diving in.

“We can’t have sex in your childhood bedroom with your family downstairs,” she says.

I snort and shake my head. Then, I place a hand on the bedroom door next to her head, dip down, and kiss her hard. “I want to show you something.”

She quirks an eyebrow, curious.

I walk to my bedside table and pull out an old journal. I kept it for years. “When I was ten, I wrote down all the things I hoped to accomplish in my life. I would have forgotten all about it, but Mom mentioned writing letters to her friend Diane, who passed recently, and it jogged my memory.” I flip to the page and pass it to Cami.

She takes it and bites her bottom lip.

“When I grow up, I want to be a hockey player. I want to learn to surf and travel all over the world. I want to get a big tattoo as long as Mom doesn’t get mad. And I want to marry a pretty girl who likes to laugh. She must also like hockey, tattoos, and surfing.” Cami closes the journal and looks up, her expression radiant.

“So, I have an important question for you, Camille.”

“Shoot,” she says.

“Do you like surfing?”

She laughs and it’s like music. “I’d like to learn.”

I grin and pull her close for another kiss. “Then you’re the perfect woman for me. I dreamed you up when I was ten.”

She giggles and wraps her arms around my shoulders. “You were pretty smart for a ten-year-old.”

“Yeah,” I murmur, brushing the tip of my nose against hers. “I knew laughing was important.”

She laughs again and my smile widens. Then, I kiss her sweetly.

“In two days, we get married,” I whisper.

“And I become a Bang.”

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