Page 111 of Freak Show

The moment he saw I had his attention, he dropped down onto one knee and said, in front of the whole freakin’ audience because apparently he was strapped with a mic, “Hey, you crazy cat lady. Will you marry me, right here, right now?”

He then pulled out my ring from his pocket.

Before I could answer, both Melon and Coco ran at him excitedly.

And not even the Longview Liners’ soon-to-be retiring all-star linebacker could handle that kind of hit.

He went down with a laugh onto his back, giggling like a girl as he did.

I walked up to him and stood over his downed body, then spied my ring on the ground.

Bending down, I plucked the gorgeous ring—a two-carat emerald—out of the box and slipped it onto my finger.

It fit so perfectly.

That was exactly like him to know what to get me.

I was not a traditionalist by any means, and he got me.

Just as I’d looked down at him again, the telltale lightness started to enter my muscles, and before I could stop myself, I was passing smooth out straight into his arms.

He’d caught me.

Of course he’d caught me.

Blinking my eyes open, the first thing I saw was his lovely face staring down into mine.

“Was it you that Melon tried to head to today?” I questioned, a huge smirk on my face and my heart so freakin’ full it felt like it would burst.

“Yeah.” He nodded sheepishly. “I tried to stay away, but that damn cat always knows when I’m near.”

That was true.

Melon had all but latched on to Slone since we’d “moved in together.”

Now, I no longer had two tigers devoted especially to me.

They were equally Briley’s and Slone’s, too.

Exactly how I wanted it.

“Next show is in ten,” I heard Simi call. “You want to do it or should we go to plan B?”

I pushed up out of my husband-to-be’s arms and signaled to her with an ‘okay’ sign.

“I’ll do it,” I said.

Though my issues weren’t solved, I’d gotten them even more under control than I’d managed before Slone.

“And you’re leaving after this?” Simi asked, rubbing her distended belly.

“Yep,” I confirmed. “Slone said we’re getting married. So we’re getting married. Backup has arrived?”

Simi was already pointing behind her.

A month after all the excitement with the tigers, we’d decided that the best course of action for all of us was to hire a few permanent workers that could cover for us when we felt like we needed a break.

And even Keene was using that backup from time to time.

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