Page 34 of Sprite Wedding
“I don’t care about the details,” I replied. “You’re rubbing it in my face by being happily married to your mates.”
“Should we apologize?” Sebastian asked with raised brows.
“Noooo,” I dragged it out. “What I’m saying is that you both have it all—and I want it, too.”
“I want it,” Diego repeated in a whiny toddler voice. “It’s not enough that you’re in a relationship with the woman you love? That she loves and is committed to you. I thought you were thinking about asking her to move in. Now you’ve jumped to marriage?”
True. I could be spontaneous, but I knew what I wanted with Zoe. With a shoulder raise, I replied, “You don’t understand. You’re not a shifter.”
“Thanks for the heads up,” he added with snark.
“What I mean is that when a shifter finds a mate, they want tobewith their mate. It’s like a compulsion.”
“Oh, yes, vampires never feel anycompulsions,” Diego replied in a deadpan tone.
“You’re bonded, Lucas,” Sebastian said. “What else do you want?”
“I want to live with my mate and marry her.”
“So, propose then.” Diego gestured at me.
“I can’t yet.”
“Why not?” Sebastian asked.
“She won’t think I’m serious.” After all, I’d proposed like a buffoon at astrip club.“She’ll say we should wait until we’re ready.”
“That sounds smart.” Diego nodded.
I groaned. “How long am I supposed to wait?”
Sebastian put his hand on my shoulder. “Trust me, I am well acquainted with waiting when it comes to my mate,” he said in a big brother giving advice tone. “All I can say is you’ll know when it’s time.”
I groaned. “Please. I’m a former stripper. I’m not that deep.”
“Oh, come on. Don’t use that excuse,” Diego said. “You only use it when you want to get out of talking about something serious. Since you’re the one who brought it up, we’re not going to let you off so easy.”
“What does that mean?”
“Since you don’t want to go deep, I will,” Sebastian said.
I turned to him.
“You’re trying to rush your relationship to prove to yourself that you’re not like your father.”
My shoulders hunched. “I’mnotlike my father.” I rolled my neck and taut muscles. “Why do you have to bring him up, dude?”
“Because he didn’t commit.”
“I’m aware of that,” I seethed. My mother had gotten sick of my father cheating on her and kicked him out. He left and never returned, not even to see me.
“By committing to Zoe, you’re proving it to yourself.”
I crossed my arms and gritted my teeth. “I don’t like this shrinkage.”
“Shrinkage?” Diego repeated. “As in the Seinfeld reference?”
“Nope,” I replied. “Sebastian acting like he knows what he’s talking about, like he’s a shrink.”
