Page 119 of Revenge & Ruin

Brooklyn, in all its glory. The beach to one side, the river further down. Then there, in the distance, Manhattan has begun to sparkle in the growing twilight. It’s a perfect vantage point of the entire city.

“It will all be ours soon,” Teo murmurs at my side, following my gaze out toward the urban sprawl.

I bite the corner of my mouth. “I thought you didn’t want to talk about work.”

“I don’t.”

I sigh contentedly at his side. The rooftop also houses an extensively stocked bar and luxurious outdoor seating area. It’s a prime location for a Friday evening, but the entire place is empty.

Even the servers and bartenders fade quietly into the background.

I turn to look at Teo. “Did you hire this place out?”

He just shrugs. “I had a busy week. Didn’t really feel like dealing with anyone else.”

I hit him playfully before heading toward the bar. “In that case, I’m making the most of it. I haven’t been drunk since I got pregnant.”

His eyes flash wickedly. “In that case, let’s get the most expensive thing on the menu.”

This turns out to be a champagne that even I barely knew how to pronounce. But it has a truly tantalizing taste, and I sip at it happily as we take a seat by a modern fire pit. I watch the flames dance across the surface of the stone in fascination.

“I can’t remember the last time we had a minute to ourselves,” I confess.

Teo chuckles in agreement. “I think we deserve a night off.”

“In that case…” I kick off my heels and pull my feet up onto the outdoor couch, tucking them neatly beneath me.

His arm automatically drapes over my shoulder, allowing me to snuggle more deeply into his side. My sigh of contentedness matches his as we sip at our drinks and watch as night begins to fall across the city.

“You know,” I say after a moment of peaceful silence. “For future reference, this wouldn’t be a bad place to propose to me.”

His entire body stiffens.

Got him.

“W-what?”

I blink up at him innocently. “You haven’t thought about it?”

“No, I—” his jaw opens, and a look of panic sweeps across his expression that I’ve never seen before. “Of course, I?—”

“So you have thought about it?”

I can’t help the smile from tugging at the corner of my mouth.

His dark eyes zero in on that tiny expression, and he blows out an exasperated breath. “You know.”

“You thought you could hide it from me?”

“I thought I could surprise you!” he protests, looking more dejected by the second. “But you were just messing with me this whole time?”

I bite my lip. “Not the whole time.”

“When? Did Cas tell you?”

“Cas knows?”

“How else do you think I managed to find out your ring size?”

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