Bride (Bride, #1)

by Ali Hazelwood

“I’ll vouch for you.” “Will that be enough?” “I’ll marry you! They’ll believe you’re Human—my Human wife.” As proposals went, it seemed solid. So I nodded solemnly and said, “I accept.”

Heartbeats are like fingerprints, one of a kind, distinctive, the easiest way to tell people apart. Father’s was pressed into my flesh on the day I was born, when he was the first person to hold me, the first person to care for me, the first person to know me. And then he washed his hands of me.

“You play Grand Theft Auto with Alex?” She shrugs. “Is that appropriate for a . . . three-year-old?” “I’m seven,” she declares haughtily. Holding up six fingers. I let that slide. “Not gonna lie, pretty proud that it was within my range of estimation.” Another shrug, which seems like her default response. Relatable, honestly. She settles on the bed next to me and I’m briefly worried that she might pee on it. Does she have a diaper? Is she housebroken? Should I burp her? “I want to play,” she repeats.

He huffs out a laugh. “Neither do I. But at times, there are decisions that feel right, deep in the marrow of my bones.” He wets his lips. “You are one of them.”

I’m rarely afforded the privilege of noticing these things in others. And yet, the more I know him, the more I find him magnetic. Unique. Genuinely decent, in a world where no one seems to be.

He didn’t think he could love her more, but she is a constant surprise.