“Because,when you do ask me, and I say yes, I want to rip your clothes off and make loveto you on our couch. Not in the back of a van with a bunch of strangers,” andshe laughed, pecking her lips gently against mine. “AndmaybeI wouldlike a ring.”
“Whosays I don’t have one now?”
“Youwould have given it to me already,” she laughed, tugging at my hair again.
“Touché,”and I grinned. “Okay, when I get home, I’ll buy you a ring.”
“I’lllook forward to it,” she said, kissing me again. “But you know, you can keepcalling me your wife, if you want. If it keeps the groupies at bay.”
“Youcan call me your husband too,” I replied, wrapping my arms around her, as muchas the seatbelts would allow. Fucking safety precautions.
“Forthe groupies?”
“Nah,”I said, shaking my head. “I just want to hear you say it.”
Laughing,Kylie eased her head down to my shoulder, her face contorting into a yawn thatI felt straight to my soul. Fuck, I wasexhaustedandthe adrenaline was fading quickly. I rested my cheek against her pillow-softhair, and she sighed her contentment.
“Okay,”she said, brushing her lips against mine, “husband.”
Igrinned, and younger, day-dreaming Devin O’Leary nearly crapped himself.
Hewas doing that a lot these days.
CHAPTER THIRTY
Kylie
Devin was snoring,filling our hotel suite witha low motor-rumble. An irritating touch to the happy jingle coming from myphone on the other side of the room.
Witha grunt, I shoved his body off mine and quickly jumped from the bed to grab thevibrating phone from the desk.
“Mm,”he responded to my escape, rolling his head against the pillow. “KJ … come backto bed …”
Myheart was desperate to go back to him, as I clutched my phone in both hands. Ithad stopped ringing, and I considered not calling whoever-it-was back until inthe morning. My time alone with Devin had become a rarity and those moments,even the ones in which we were sleeping, were cherished.
ButI made the mistake of checking who had called and saw it was Brooke. SuspectingTrent had proposed, I slipped into the bathroom quietly to call her back.
“AmI interrupting?” she asked immediately, in her teasing voice.
“Ifyou had called about forty minutes ago, I’d say yes,” I said, unable to containthe lilt in my voice. Unable to ignore the overwhelming sensation of beingempty and without him. “But Dev passed out and I was falling asleep when youcalled.”
“He’ssleeping?” She sounded immediately disappointed. “Can you wake him up?”
Igrimaced. “I guess I could, but he hasn’t been sleeping much lately. I’d feelreally bad waking him up when we have to be up in a few hours to hit the road.”
Brookesignedand I heard Trent in the background, sayinghe’d call Dev soon. He encouraged her to “just tell me.” I clenched my fist,bit back my squeal, and waited for her to give me the official announcement oftheir engagement.
Shesighed wistfully. “Okay, okay … so, Kylie, guess what?”
“What?”I asked, my voice tight and ready to snap under the strength of my giddiness.
Sheallowed a dramatic pause before exclaiming, “Trentfinallyproposed!”
“Whatdo you meanfinally?” I heard Trent ask incredulously.
Iclapped a hand over my mouth, squealing into my palm to not wake up Devin, butthen … Iwantedto wake him up. I wanted him to share in this. Tocelebrate, to reminisce on that party we all met at by happenstance. Toremember that none of this—none ofus—would’ve happened if we hadn’t allbeen at the same place at the same time, and I left the bathroom to head backto bed.
“I’mso happy for you,” I whispered excitedly into the phone, and Brooke shriekedinto my ear.
