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“Okay, how about Claudia Mendoza, the morning show anchor whose job you took?” Riley suggested quickly before any eyeball–light bulb injuries could occur. “Pfft. That was years ago. Besides, it wasn’t personal. It was just business,” he insisted. “Griffin, you took the woman’s job. She was fired because of nepotism,” Riley said. He scoffed, blinking at the light bulb in his face. “It wasn’t anything like that. My dad just fired her so he could hire me.” “That’s the definition of nepotism,” Josie said dryly.
“What about Bella Goodshine?”
“That’s all water under the bridge. It was nothing personal. I’m Griffin Gentry. Everybody loves me.” “Not me. You suck,” Josie said. “I think you’re a dick,” Brian agreed.
“I hope you’re run down in a crosswalk by a bus full of schoolchildren,” Nick chimed in.
The last thing he wanted to do was let Riley down.
Griffin “Shithead” Gentry had spent the last hour detailing how he’d swindled, blackmailed, and generally fucked over half the population of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
“You’re too good for me. I mean, I want you to know that I know that. But I also have no intention of letting you wander off to find someone more deserving.”
Nick pointed a surly finger at Gabe. “I’ll have you know I make sure she comes first every time.”
She appeared at the top of the stairs, a vision in red, and Nick forgot how to breathe.
He’d chanced this. He’d gambled with this.
He thought he was the biggest idiot on the fucking planet.
“If we have kids someday, I think we should name one Chupacabra.”
He wanted to put a ring on Riley Thorn’s finger. Before her, he’d never even considered things like getting engaged or married or, you know, the future.
They owned a home together. They worked together. They had a dog together. This wasn’t just another new relationship. This was the relationship. This was it. She was it.
“Chickens are stupid,” Nick muttered. “You were very heroic fighting off poultry like that.” “We’re stopping on the way home, and I’m getting two hundred nuggets.”
“I know it looks and sounds bad. Like really bad. And honestly it was. I thought we were either going to get murdered or end up in prison. I screwed up, and I understand if you want to fire me.”
“I’m not firing you. I’m just struggling with the fact that I love you and you keep ending up in danger,”
River, Rain, and Janet were carbon copies of their mother in progressively smaller sizes.
“Mom says I have to be exceptional in all things. Normal is for losers,” Esmeralda announced
“Our mom says we have a responsibility to find out what brings us joy and follow it through life,”
“I’m considering having my first kiss, but I want to go to an expert for advice.” “Your aunt Riley is an expert kisser,” Nick assured River. Riley’s expertise most likely paled in comparison to the legions of women that Nick had kissed. But she was pretty confident in her abilities. “Good. How do you not smash noses?” River asked.
“This is the best night of my life,” Esmeralda whispered. “How do you say no to that?” Nick asked Riley, hooking a thumb at the girls behind them.
“I’m never grumpy. I’m a fucking ray of goddamn sunshine.”
“But why can’t I go with you? You know I hate missing out on cool PI stuff.” Riley kicked at the patio tile with her socked foot. “Because you are the smartest, most reasonable, most responsible adult in this entire house. And I need you to make sure that Griffin and Bella and all the other pains in my ass stay on lockdown until I tell you it’s safe.”
“Marry me,” Nick said to Riley.
“Marry me,” he repeated earnestly. “Did you get hit in the head when I shot up the ceiling?” “I don’t have head trauma, and I’m not overreacting to yet another criminal fiasco. I want you as my wife. My partner. You’re it for me. And I know I should have found a better way to do this, like with champagne and flowers and maybe a fucking violin. But this is us. Messy. Complicated. Slightly injured. Standing in the middle of yet another crime scene together after saving the day. So say yes. Marry me.”
“That’s an engagement ring, and we’re broke.” “Wilfred is a big fan of mine, what with saving his business and thwarting an armed robbery,” Nick explained. “Plus Penny raised our rates on this case we just solved.” “You’ve been busy.” “You’re stalling, Thorn. Say it.” She bit her lip and looked up at him, eyes sparkling with a mixture of tears and happiness. “You managed to surprise a psychic. That’s impressive.”
“I had a little help from a friend,” Nick said, glancing in Gabe’s direction.
Now say it so we can run away together and start a new life under assumed identities.” “Yes.” “Yes?” he confirmed. She nodded. “Yes, I’ll marry you. I’m not sure about the running away part. But yes to the marriage thing.” Nick didn’t give her a chance to say anything else or change her mind. He slid the ring onto her finger, bent her backward, and kissed the hell out of his fiancée.
Now I just have to keep her busy from now until the wedding so she doesn’t have time to come to her senses.”
“Have I been having visions of happy sparkles? Yes. Did I think you were going to demand that I marry you in the middle of a crime scene at my ex-husband’s house after you saved the day? No,” she admitted.
It was amazing the difference a few hours, a good meal, and an engagement could make in a woman’s outlook.
“This is a partnership agreement.” “That’s right, Thorn. I’m giving you half my shares in the business.” “Nick. This is…amazing. And not necessary.” “I want us to be all in together on everything. Marriage, business, keeping Mrs. Penny out of prison,”
