Preservation (The Walshes, #7)

by Kate Canterbary

"Any evening I get with my Alexandra is special," he said.

"But there's something extraordinary about escorting a beautiful woman to a ball." He glanced down at me, smiling. "And then escorting her home."

I shook a tortilla chip at her. "Someone had to carry that conversation," I said. "Because someone was groping someone else's ass," she cried. "And I'd do it again." I shrugged as I piled chicken atop my chip. There were buffalo nachos for me, the good, old-fashioned chili version for her, and a collection of empty beer bottles between us. "It's a fabulous ass."

"You don't need to change a thing," I said. I wrapped my hand around her ankle because I wanted to touch her again. Just one more time. "Stick with the red shoes. They're spunky, and I like a little spunk on you."

Alex: If we get married, we'll have shenanies. Riley: If. Alex: I know, I know. Riley: It's funny. Alex: Is it? Riley: Yeah. Like I'd ever let you go.

"Her nickname," Shannon said. "You always find the perfect nicknames for the people you care about, so I'm just wondering what you chose for her." Gastro Girl. Shortstop. Honeybee. But that wasn't it. I couldn't force Alex into the narrow mold of a comic book heroine or fairy tale princess. She wasn't a handful of conveniently aligned characteristics. She was my Elektra, my Mystique, my Leia, my Katniss, my Daenerys, my Agent Carter, my Elizabeth Swann, my Arwen Evenstar, my Buffy, my Beatrice, my Catwoman, my Dorothy Gale, my everything, my… "Aly," I said. "She's my Aly."

You'd come here? With frozen peas? Riley: Of course I would. I was the one biting your nipples. If you're going to be in pain as a result of something I did, I'm going to do whatever I fucking can to make you feel better. Alex: But you hate hospitals. Riley: I do but I love you.

"I'm not good at many things. But I'll always be good to you."

"Do you understand me?" Alex stared at me, nodding, and I knew she heard all the things that lived inside that question. Do you recognize that I'm in charge but you have all the power? Do you see that I want to worship you in every way possible? Do you trust me to take your most fragile pieces and keep them safe? "Yes," she replied. "I know."

Alex's father stared at me, his gaze hard. Maybe a little furious. "And who are you?" "Riley Walsh." I held out my hand. "I'm going to marry your daughter."