Page 152 of Runaway Bride and Prejudice

Finally, the door appears at the end of a quiet hallway, and I open it and lead Van inside.

Van grins. “The stairwell is my prior obligation?”

“It’sourstairwell,” I correct.

“Right.” His gaze drops to my mouth. “I remember.”

And it’s only as he leans forward thatIremember how I look. “The face paint,” I say, shoulder’s slumping. “I’m all blue. It will get everywhere.”

“I don’t mind getting a little messy,” Van says.

And then we’re kissing like two people who haven’t forages. Two people desperate for each other. Who belong together.

Who do not care that blue face paint is smearing everywhere.

“Can I put this back?” Van asks, and he takes my right hand in both of his.

It takes me a moment to realize he means my mother’s ring. My eyes well with tears, and I nod, biting my lip. Van slips it on my left hand.

“Where’s yours?” I ask. “I probably should upgrade it to something that won’t turn your finger green.”

He blinks. “How did you know it turned my finger green?”

Giggling, I say, “It did?”

“Yep. But”—he fishes inside his collar and pulls out a thin chain I didn’t even notice—“I kept it on.”

He starts to take it off the chain, and I cover his hands with mine. “Keep it there for now.”

He slips it back inside his tank and then goes back to kissing me breathless.

“I’ve got two questions for you,” I say, minutes or hours later, my lips moving against his blue-tinged mouth.

“Shoot.”

“Will you grow your beard back?”

“You like the beard? I’ll grow back the beard.” He places a lingering kiss on the corner of my mouth and I chase his lips.

A moment later, we’re both breathing heavy, his hands tangled in my hair and mine cupping his jaw. Which is now half blue with a little smear of white.

I dip my finger into his tank top, touching his tattoo. “Hey, Frisky. I’ve missed you.”

Van chuckles. “I forgot you named him that.”

“I didn’t forget.” I give Frisky a blue stripe on his neck. “Oh! I met your fish by the way, since we’re talking about your animals.”

“Confession,” Van says, looking guilty. “I lied in Florida about having a fish. I bought Theodore when I got home.”

“Why?”

Van brushes my hair away from my neck. “I didn’t like keeping the stuff with your dad from you. The only other lie I told was about the fish. So, I made it true. Are you mad?”

“Nope. But thanks for telling me. From now on, the truth. Okay, hotshot?”

He grins at the nickname. “Truth. Didn’t you have one more question?”

“Ah, yes.” I wipe at the turquoise paint on his cheek. “Do you happen to know how easy your sister’s face paint is to clean off?”

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