Page 57 of Broken Chains

Once rinsed clean, he leaned in and kissed the bond mark on my neck, then he stepped out, leaving my body humming with need, yet relaxed and exhausted at the same time.

Oliver returned with a towel. He insisted on drying me off, smacking my hand away when I tried to take over, then he swooped me up to cradle in his arms as I squealed and grabbed his neck. He carried me into the bedroom and gently laid me down on the covers that he’d already pulled back and had waiting.

As he lifted the blanket to wrap around me, he yanked the towel off and tucked me in tightly, then leaned down to kiss me.

“Why are you being so sweet tonight?” I asked.

“Am I?”

I gave him a look that made him chuckle. He looked at me for a moment, his expression turned serious. I didn’t even notice he was down on one knee until he lifted a small jewelry box and opened the lid. “Peyton, will you marry me?”

I gasped, then snorted. Was he serious?

“You want to get married?” I asked to be certain I hadn’t heard him wrong. “Why?” He sighed and looked so distraught it nearly broke my heart. “What happened today? You know I can smell, hear, and feel Eve’s presence, right? I know she’s sleeping in her crib in the next room when she should be at her grandparents’ house tonight.”

His shoulders sagged and he nodded. “We had an argument. They found out Eve and I were living with you and flipped out. I told them we were engaged, but that only mildly helped the situation.”

“We’re more than engaged, Oliver. We’re bonded,” I reminded him.

“I know that, babe, but how do I get her very human grandparents to understand that?”

Dawning hit me. “We get legally married.”

He shrugged. “I thought that would be the simplest way.”

I reached for the box and looked at the ring. The wedding band inside was lined with tiny diamonds. It wasn’t anything extravagant, but it was absolutely perfect. I removed it and placed it on my finger, testing out the weight and feel of it.

“It’s beautiful, and yes, Oliver Smith, I will marry you.”

He gave me a schoolboy-ish grin and kissed me hard on the lips. “Tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow?” I repeated, shocked by how fast he wanted to move things along, then I laughed. What did it matter? We were bonded and that was far more important to either of us than a wedding. I considered it and nodded. “Just us, Eve, and the boys then. They can be our witnesses.”

“You don’t want to ask your family to come along?”

“I don’t really see the point. This is more about our family,” I told him.

“But my brothers will be there, shouldn’t Thomas and your sisters, too?”

I shook my head. “It’s not the same. I mean, yes, they’re your brothers, but you also raised them. It’s sort of like having four kids around here most of the time.”

Oliver laughed. “I’m sorry about that.”

“Do you ever hear me complaining? I hope some day we can add to our crazy family with a few more even,” I admitted for the first time.

“I’m okay with that, but sooner rather than later,” he said. “I’d like Eve to be closer in age to her siblings than I was to mine.”

“Okay,” I agreed, surprised by how excited it made me to even consider having Oliver’s child growing inside me. I hadn’t allowed myself to even consider the possibility sooner with Eve still so young. I had assumed he’d want to wait a few years at least.

“So, tomorrow?” he asked.

I smiled and nodded. “See what time Brady gets off work and we’ll make sure we have everything lined up before then. He can meet us at the courthouse.”

I could feel Oliver’s relief and happiness through our bond, and it gave me a cozy feeling as I soon drifted off to sleep, thinking about what a crazy day it had been.

The next morning when I awoke, I was still naked in bed. Oliver was spooning me, and I could feel his morning stiffy pressed into my lower back. I grinned evilly, looking forward to taking care of that for him. Just as I rolled to make my move, I heard Eve cry out through the monitor.

I groaned in frustration. Being a parent was tough work. It was not uncommon for her to interrupt the rare alone time I got with my mate. Normally Thursdays and Fridays were spent in bed as much as possible without fear of the baby disrupting things. Much of the remainder of the week I walked around horny as hell, trying to carve out whatever few minutes I could for a quickie.

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