Page 48 of Tainted Wings of Failure

"You are literally competing with a puppy to be the most dominant male in the house. You're acting like an animal." She chuckles and kneels down to let the puppy sit before he is allowed to dig into his bowl. She then leaves the playpen and joins me on the sofa, sitting down next to me and wrapping her arms around one of mine, pressing my biceps against her chest.

"I am not an animal…" I snort.

"To be frank, we are animals. Just evolved differently." She chuckles. A small, disapproving rumble rises from my chest, but I remain silent. "Have you decided on a name? He's supposed to be your dog after all."

I tilt my head to look in her direction before returning my attention to the puppy. "His color reminds me of whiskey, so I thought it would fit."

"Really? Whiskey? Isn't there anything more…I don't know…cute?"

"I like Whiskey, or do you want me to name him something like Mr. Fluff Puff?"

"No," she bursts out laughing and squeezes my arm tighter. I look back at her and my lips curl into a smile. My heart swells with love at the sight of her cheerful face. I can’t imagine anything more perfect than this view, this sound. She is so beautiful when she laughs, the way her cheeks flush and her eyes crinkle at the corners. "Although it would be hilarious to hear you call him that when you are out hunting. But I guess Whiskey it is then."

My eye drifts back to the puppy, his tail wagging as he eats.

"Kyle will be here soon," she says, intertwining her fingers with mine and giving my hand a gentle squeeze. "Are you sure you want to tell him today?"

"Yeah, it’s about time."

I mouth a thank you as my gaze lands on Evelyn carrying two bottles of cold beer as she joins us on the back porch where Kyle and I are sitting on the outdoor sofa, smoking and discussing his latest job.

"And then he had the nerve to die before I could have my fun with him," Kyle blurts out. She hands each of us a bottle before sitting down next to me and placing a hand on my thigh. "Thank you." Kyle smiles at her before changing the subject. "Anyway, why exactly did you two let me drive all the way out here? I'm sure it wasn’t just for a nice dinner," he says before taking a sip of his beer.

"No, of course not," I say with a sigh, glancing at Evelyn as she leans into me. "We wanted to tell you that we are getting married." I can't hide it as my lips curl into a small smile. I asked her months ago, and at first it didn’t feel real because nothing had really changed in our relationship. But now that we’re taking the first steps toward actually getting married, it’s slowly sinking in that it’s really happening.

Kyle's eyes widen and his jaw drops. "You what? No way. When did you ask her?"

"On my birthday." I shrug, taking a sip of my beer.

"What?!" Kyle raises his voice. "That was fucking months ago, your birthday is in February and we are in June."

"Yeah." I lower my beer and raise my eyebrow at Kyle's outburst.

"Why the hell did you keep it a secret?" Kyle looks back and forth between me and Evelyn.

"We just didn't feel like telling anyone," she answers his question, stealing a quick glance at me and squeezing my thigh before turning her attention back to Kyle.

"And since I am in debt to Mr. Hunt for saving my life, I had to take care of a few things for him over the past few months." I nod in the direction of Evelyn. "It was not like we had the time to get married right away."

Kyle nods. "So with that taken care of, things are getting serious now?"

"Yes," Evelyn answers and I wrap my arm around her waist. "We, or rather I, have started planning." She chuckles.

"You're not involved in the planning?" Kyle flashes me a playful grin.

"No. I've tried. But everything I like is not good enough."

"That's not true," Evelyn gasps.

I raise my eyebrows and chuckle. "If you say so, name one thing I suggested that you agreed to?"

She remains silent, her eyes narrowing as her lips press into a thin line. "That we use your credit card for everything."

Before I can even answer, Kyle interrupts us with a burst of laughter. "All you're good for is your money."

"Shut up." I shoot him a glare.

"But this is exciting, congratulations to both of you," he says, his amusement fading into a chuckle. "I never thought I'd see you get married. I figured the only ceremony type event I would attend for you would be your funeral." Kyle looks at me and I can't keep a straight face; my expression changes to one of annoyance.

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