Page 30 of Sniper

I should have told her a different time; I should have told her to be ready an hour before we had to leave.

I hear Autumn giggle, making me smile. I check my watch again, and ask loudly, “Firecracker, are you ready yet?”

She shouts back, “Five minutes!”

I smirk, looking down the small hallway. Five minutes my ass. Between Autumn and Rory, they take fucking ages.

“Don’t you mean twenty?” I comment.

She snipes back, “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” with a little “Yeah,” from Autumn, making me laugh.

These women….

Shaking my head, I straighten my suit jacket and say, “I don’t want to be late for our wedding, Firecracker.”

I can’t help the smile that overtakes my face.

After we made love several times for the first time nearly three months ago, I knew I couldn’t hold back; I knew I needed to tie her to me in any way possible.

Four weeks ago, with Autumn’s help, I proposed.

I bite my lip, nerves overtaking me as I pace the living room.

Fuck, I hate this place. It's small and not my girl at all. My log house, yeah, that’s more her style.

I want her there. I want Autumn there.

First, I need to make her mine before telling her who I am so she can’t fucking leave me, and I know this is crazy, I know it’s only been four fucking months, but I just know I need her.

“Daddy,” Autumn mutters, and my heart leaps.

Fuck, I can’t get enough of her calling me that, and yes, I taught it to her without Aurora knowing. Aurora thinks she came up with it on her own last week.

The little girl is my fucking world, and blood or not, she’s mine. I knew it from day one.

I see her wiping away sleep from her eyes, and I smile. She’s wearing the dress I bought her, the words, “Momma, will you marry daddy?” that I dressed her in before her nap sprawled across it.

Aurora is at work, being called in at late notice, which fucking pissed me off. I wanted to take the girls to the beach and propose there, but now it’s happening here instead.

The dingy fucking apartment I can’t stand.

I’ve littered the floor with red and white rose petals and flowers, and now we’re just waiting for my girl.

I walk over to Autumn and pick her up, pressing my lips against her forehead as she holds me tight. Just then, the door unlocks, and I suck in a breath, nerves shooting through me.

Fuck, this is it.

I look toward the door to see a tired-looking Aurora walk in, and for a second, a split second, I think maybe I should have waited because of how tired she looks. But then she looks around the room, gasping at all the flowers, before her eyes come my way, and then toward the dress Autumn, who has opened her arms as we practiced, is wearing. Tears shine in her beautiful eyes, and I smile.

Yeah, it’s the right time.

Her eyes come my way, and I rasp, “So what do you say, my Firecracker? I know it’s only been four months, but I can’t imagine my life without you and our girl here….” I swallow hard and ask, “You going to spend forever with me?”

She said yes with a cry before she ran to us, and since she said yes, I managed to convince her to quit her job, especially now that she’s working at Tech’s woman, Brook’s, veterinary practice.

Brook took her on as an intern, so Rory gets a small wage.

It took me two weeks to convince her to leave the motel cleaning, having her depend on me more, but as I stated, we’re getting married.

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