Page 48 of Lyon

His skeptical look told me he wasn’t buying it.

“Niki wants six kids,” Michael announced, smirking. “She’salwayssaid that’s what she wants. Is that what made the tear escape?”

“That wasnota tear,” I said, scowling.

Lyon’s gaze locked onto mine. “You want six kids?”

I hesitated. “I never even asked ifyouwant kids.”

“Yes,” he said, without a second’s hesitation. “I’ve always wanted a house full of them. Whenever we visit Raven’s dad, there’s always this big, loud family around, and Iloveit.”

Then he turned to me, his hands settling on my shoulders, his expression serious yet full of warmth.

“Niki Bannon, will you marry me, and we’ll fill our house with kids?”

Michael and Chris started clapping, drawing attention from the people around us. But I didn’t care.

A laugh bubbled out of me, mixing with happy tears. “Yes!” I threw my arms around his neck. “I’ll marry you—and we’ll have a dozen kids if you want.”

Lyon swept me into his arms and kissed me until we were both breathless.

“You just made me the happiest man alive,” he murmured.

Still in shock, I turned to Michael and Chris, my voice a whisper. “He wantslotsof kids.” I wiped at my damp face. “I was scared he wouldn’t, and I would have given up on that dream—but now I don’t have to.”

Michael rolled his eyes and handed me a handkerchief. “Here, for goodness’ sake, wipe your face.”

Lyon laughed, and soon, we were all laughing.

“So, I guess we’re getting married,” he said, picking me up and twirling me around. “Let’s not wait too long. You’ve made me so happy.”

I wrapped my arms around his neck, my heart bursting. “You make me happy,” I whispered against his lips.

22

Lyon

I was crouchedbehind a building in downtown Los Angeles, my senses on high alert. A noise behind me made me turn—Raven stood against the wall, counting under his breath before sprinting to the other side.

I had dragged him down here while I searched for the perfect ring for Niki. This was our third jeweler, and someone at one of the previous shops had directed us here. The moment we approached the building, gunfire erupted from inside.

I immediately called the police. Then, we slipped around to the back, where we could hear a woman crying and shouting for help. My gaze locked on a half-open door, my instincts kicking in.

Raven shook his head.Stand back.

But I couldn’t.

I was a protector—that’s who I was, what I did. And I wasn’t about to let someone die if I could stop it. I shot Raven a look before squeezing through the narrow gap.

The smell of blood hit me instantly.

Inside, a woman lay on the floor, clutching a baby to her chest. A man was sprawled beside her, his body half-submergedin a pool of blood. His hand trembled as he reached out, touching the woman’s leg.

How many men were in here?

Movement in my peripheral vision made me spin just in time to see another man raising his gun at the woman.

I fired first. He crumpled.

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