Page 67 of Defending Casey

“Like a total pussy.” He knew exactly what Casey would want. He’d known that for years. If Hale needed to wait for her to answer, well, that just made his point. Hale didn’t know Casey. So he couldn’t love her the way Brian did. “She’s going to like the green set. Just watch.”

As the group moved along through the displays the phone on the desk rang and with a groan, Brian picked up the phone. “Security.”

Terrance’s laugh was almost a wheezing sound. “She’s pretty cute. Do you know her?”

“Sorry, boss. I’ve got to keep my focus.”

“Oh… I got it.” Terrance’s voice deepened and that alone was creepy, but his words made Brian see red. “You using the zoom on the cameras? Make sure you take a screen capture of her ass. I bet she likes riding… horses.”

Brian hung up and felt his hands start to shake. “Fucker.”

* * *

Hale couldn’t help himself.

He had to touch Casey. His arm around her shoulders wasn’t enough. When she leaned her head against his shoulder, he felt his chest rise with pride.

When she saw a set of armchairs that she wanted to point out to him, she brought her hand back and touched his stomach.

He covered her hand with his and gave it a squeeze.

Yes, they were still in that honeymoon phase of their relationship.

Hale just knew that it wasn’t going to change much in the future. They’d beaten the odds in finding their way back to each other.

He just couldn’t see things changing except for the better.

And every time the light sparked off of her ring, he just wanted to pull her close and kiss her senseless again.

He couldn’t wait to marry her.

They should have been married years ago.

Now, he just had to give her the time to put together the wedding she wanted.

“Hale?”

He shook himself from his thoughts and looked between Casey and the young woman who was helping them shop. “Sorry, I was thinking about the wedding.”

Tammy clapped her hands together under her chin. “Awwwww. That is so sweet!”

Hale pulled away from Casey when she poked him in the side with her finger.

“You guys are soooo cute!” Tammy almost swooned straight to the floor. “When’s the wedding?”

That was the question, wasn’t it? He hadn’t wanted to push earlier that day when they’d spoken to her father and showed him the ring. Casey was waiting to tell Nora until after school because knowing their daughter the way she did, she anticipated a bit of a disruption at school if Nora heard the news right before the start of school.

“Well,” Casey tilted her head to the side and bit her teeth into her bottom lip, “honestly I’m good with going in front of a judge.” She looked up at him with a slight flush of color on her cheeks. “You said you wanted it soon and I agree. I don’t want to wait more than a week to make this official.”

“A week?” Tammy almost squealed with excitement before she gave a little pout of her lips. “I’m not sure we’re going to be able to get everything in that quickly. The living room set will probably take a few weeks.”

Casey shrugged. “Furniture is the least of it. We can stay at my house for a few weeks, my dad won’t mind. Still,” she looked up at him and the earnest look in her eyes made him want to leap hurdles for her… big, twenty-foot-tall hurdles, “can we see the furniture you have for a child’s bedroom? I’d like to get Nora’s furniture as quickly as we can. Our daughter,” she explained to Tammy, “she needs her own room. I want to make sure she’s got her own room like she does at my house.”

Hale gave Casey a smile before he turned back to Tammy. “She’s going to be ten. Can you show us what you might have in stock, and we’ll start there?”

“Sure!” She gave Casey a wink. “All those muscles and a brain to boot! You’re a lucky, lucky girl.”

Casey gave him a smile that said she agreed with Tammy’s compliment.

---