Page 34 of Xavier

That sobered me right up. “Haveyouthought about getting married?”

“To you?”

“Who else?” Trying to tease him again to lighten up the rapidly declining mood, I said, “You got someone else I don’t know about?”

“No, no. Nothing like that.”

What the hell was going on?

“Gage.”

The sound of the bathroom door popping open had him springing off my chest and back onto his feet. His uniform was wrinkled from the way he was laying on me, a deep line formed right across his chest, over his heart.

“I should get lunch started,” was all he said, before spinning on his heel and heading into the kitchen.

Sitting up slowly, I stared after him.

What the hell wasthat?

CHAPTER 16

Gage

Stupid fucking idiot.

The mantra I’d been chanting to myself over the past three hours since coming back from lunch.

Seriously, could I ruin a more perfect moment with my dumbass insecurities?

Xavier’s wonderful news should’ve had me jumping over the fucking moon to hear, yet all I’d focused on was the way his face had looked when he’d joked about getting married to me.

That’s because he doesn’twantto marry you.

A groan bubbled up my throat. Picking up the gear bag at my feet, I launched it across the training room, over to where the other ones were stacked.

Why the hell did I care if Xavier didn’t want to marry me?

His first marriage had gone to shit, so there were plenty of reasons to not want to do that again.

Sure, it would be different if he was married to someone he wasactuallyattracted to, but sometimes people didn’t want to chance it. That didn’t mean that that person wasn’t in love with their partner. It just meant they had reservations about legally binding their life to another’s.

“You good in here?” Quinn wandered into the room.

“Yep.” I chucked another bag across the room. “What’s up?”

“You’re making a lot of noise in here. Thought I might have to come rescue you from the pile burying you alive.”

I scoffed. “Yeah, if only.”

I’d welcome a fucking tower of gear falling on top of me right now and taking me out. It’d save me the damn embarrassment of having to go back home after this and face my boyfriend and his confused expressions while I tried to pretend none of this ever happened.

Why I felt the need to get all up in my feelings about a hypothetical situation was beyond me. We’d never discussed marriage before this—never even had the option on the damn table. The second that door was no longer there, though, I’d gotten butt hurt about it.

And for what?

To torture myself?

Xavier and I weregood. We werehappy.

---