Page 9 of Hear Me Roar

Yes.

“The only one,” I corrected, stealing another peek at the woman inquestion.

At the woman my heart beatfor.

As if she sensed my ardent stare, those decadent chocolate brown orbs darted to where I sat, a heated flush quickly coloring hercheeks.

I loveyou.

“Jesus fuck, man, you do realize what you just said, right?” he asked me, his voice barely audible as my girl and I held onto the moment between the glass door separatingus.

For those brief seconds, time stood still. The world around us was non-existent. Catching her eyes on me always did me in, because all I could see when I looked back at her wasmy wife.Lately, I’d found myself thinking about it more and more. Crazy, I know, because we hadn't even been together for a year, but when I was kid, my mom always urged Karley and I to follow our guts, and my gut had yet to steer me wrong. It wasn’t until Reyna glanced over her shoulder that the trance fell away, a quick shake of my head bringing me back to the here and now. When I peered over at Luis, he was grinning inamusement.

“So, when are we going ring shopping?” he questioned, thrumming his fingerstogether.

“Give me a few months, alright,” I countered. “If I buy it now, I'm gonna wanna give it to her. Timing isn'tright.”

“Yet. Timing isn't rightyet.”

“Exactly.”

Luis laughed and ran a hand through his dark hair. “You know, man, I gotta be honest. I never thought I'd see the day Knox Carr wanted to get married. Not after, youknow.”

“I know, I didn't either, but Hazel, she's just…” I trailed off, at a loss forwords.

“She’s the one for you. I get it,bro.”

“Even when we fight over the stupidest shit, I can't be mad at her. If I have a bad day at work, I come home and everything is instantly a million times better. When I look at her, I seehappiness. My future. My fuckingeverything.”

“Good God, Carr, you are whipped,” hesnickered.

“Damn right, Iam.”

“You’re not even the least bit ashamed, areyou?”

“Nope.” I shook my head. “That woman owns me as much as I own her. Best fucking feeling in theworld.”

“I wouldn’t know. I’ll be the eternal stud, foreveralone.”

“You say that now… What ever happened toKara?”

His face contorted in disgust as he visibly cringed at the sound of her name. “She got way too fucking clingy for myliking.”

I rolled my eyes. “They’re all too clingy for yourliking.”

“Clingy equals crazy. Reyna is crazy enough...I don’t need more crazy in mylife.”

“Love is always crazy, bro. You just haveto-”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” he groaned, shooting up to his feet. “I need another beer if I’m going to sit through one of yourlectures.”

“I’m not lecturing you, dickhead. But fine, let’s go inside and see what those two are up to. I could use another oneanyway.”

Reyna was alone on the couch when Luis and I shuffled inside. She glanced our way at the sound of the waves crashing behind us, a small smile playing across herface.

Where’sHazel?

“Sit, I’ll get it,” I said to Luis, peering down the hallway. “Rey, you wantsomething?”

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