One week passed by in a blur of shortened days and endless nights. I was already practically moved in with Max, so it shouldn’t have surprised me when he broached the question.
“I don’t think I could stay away from you if I tried,” I told him honestly.
“Good Girl,” Max growled, using his signature move, holding me with both hands on my neck and kissing me until I barely remembered my own name.
“That’s easy, Sugarplum. It’s Penelope. But I’m hoping to change your last name to Leeds,” he said, and I could not believe my eyes when my sexy little Devil dropped to one knee and held a ring out to me.
“Max! Are you serious?”
“You wanna play the question game right now, Sweetness? Nah. It’s my turn,” he growled, his voice sexy and deep. Just the way I liked it.
“When my Grandmother and cousin made me come out here, I wasn’t ready for it. I had no idea what I was going to do with a place like this. I am sure I will fuck up a hundred times when it comes to goats and ranching and farming,” he said, and I was paying attention so hard to his words.
“Max, you are doing great—”
“It’s not your turn to talk yet,” he said, and his sapphire eyes were sparkling with mirth and some other emotion.
“Now, like I was saying, I am bound to fuck shit up. The Crew voted me Alpha, and I admit, it scares me. I never had to be responsible for anyone else. But the thing is, Penelope, you make me believe I can do it. You make me want to do it all. To be good at this. To try.”
“You are. You will be,” I said, tears pricking my gaze.
How did I find such a beautiful man?
A man willing to admit what he didn’t know.
A man eager to learn and to lead.
His humility and perseverance were positively inspiring. And his heart was so good.
So honest and true.
So good at loving me and holding all my pieces together.
“See that? It’s your belief in me that makes me want to succeed, Sugar. And well, I was wondering if maybe you want to stand with me? To be by my side on this journey?”
“What are you saying?” I whispered, afraid to break the spell he was weaving with his words.
“I am asking you to be mine in every way. Will you marry me?” he asked.
I bit my lip, holding out my left hand.
Tears blurred my vision, and I nodded my head.
“Yes. yes, I will marry you!” I said and allowed him to slide the cool piece of metal onto my finger.
“It’s platinum, magicked to stretch when you shift,” he murmured against my neck as I hugged him tightly.
“It’s beautiful.” I sighed, looking at the blood red ruby in the center of the band.
Red always was my favorite color, but I shouldn’t have been surprised that he’d figured that out. Over the last week, while I’d called in sick and had my best employees running the bakery for me, Max had spent almost every waking moment with me, helping me adjust to my inner Devil.
It was like a dream come true. I never imagined I could find a love like Max. But of course, that was probably because I couldn’t have imagined real magic existed in the world.
Magic and supernatural forces, too.
The entire thing seemed like fiction. Something out of one of my fantasy books. It was easy to fall into this lifestyle with him. Easier than I could have imagined adjusting to the realities of being loved so thoroughly by one man.
I forgot all about Burt the Dirtbag and all the troubles he brought with him. The seven years I’d been married to him were so damn forgettable compared to one week with Max.
All my troubles, every problem I had in my life before he claimed me, seemed so very mediocre. Average. Uninteresting. Forgetting them was a pleasure.
But there was something very important I should have remembered. Or rather, someone.
“Open that door and release my friend or I swear I will use this!” I heard my best friend shout from outside and I sat up in bed, my eyes wide.
“Oh my God,” I said, shooting up and out of Max’s embrace.
Avery. I should have remembered Avery.
I raced to the window and tossed it open, forgetting for a moment that I was naked. Avery was standing outside her tiny little compact car brandishing a metal softball bat.
“Oh my titties! Rosalie, cover your eyes!” Avery screeched.
“Hi Auntie Penny! Your chickees are out,” my cutie pie niece observed with a mischievous grin.
“Aghhh!” I yelped, turning around in time to catch the robe Max tossed towards me.
“Thanks, Baby,” I told him with a grin.
“Mm,” he said, nodding at the window while he tugged on some briefs and a pair of jeans.
Goddamn.
The man was fine. His muscle definition was ridiculous, and I forgot what I was doing for a moment.
“Penelope!” Avery shouted my name.
“Excuse me, ma’am, are you okay?” I recognized Dante’s voice and closed my eyes the second I heard Avery’s sharp intake of breath.
“Are you one of the monsters holding my best friend hostage?” Avery snapped and belatedly I remembered the metal bat I’d seen in her hand.
“Ma’am, maybe you should put that down.”
“One more step and you’re going to resemble a Klingon, mister,” she warned.
But of course, the big Grizzly didn’t back down. I winced when I heard the bat connect with his very hard head.
“She hit him?” Max asked, his voice a shocked whisper.
“Oh yeah. Panties? Thanks,” I murmured as he tossed me a clean pair.
“Right,” I murmured, tying the robe and going back to the window. “Hang on Av, I am coming downstairs. And please stop hitting Dante. No one is holding me hostage. He just works here!”
“Well, how was I supposed to know when my best friend disappears off the face of the earth?” Avery was still shouting as I ran downstairs.
“Well, you’re alive,” she said, swinging the bat.
“Careful, lady,” Dante growled from his position, sitting on the floor, holding his noggin.
“Avery! Oh my God, Dante, why don’t you get some ice?”
“Mama, can I go with the big man?” Rosalie said, and she was already approaching Dante with her hand extended.
“Uh,” Dante sat stone still, eyes wide.
“Is it safe?” Avery asked, and I bit my lip.
“Dante is the best,” I replied, ignoring my mate’s growling response.
“Um, okay, kid—”
“Her name is Rosalie and if you so much as look at her without smiling I will break both your kneecaps,” Avery threatened, which honestly looked a little silly since she only came up to Dante’s nipples.
“I’ll never hurt her,” he said, and oh shit, his eyes glowed for one brief moment.
“Come on,” Rosalie said, skipping alongside Dante.
“Avery, look, I am okay,” I began, but she spun on her heel, and it was all I could do not to get hit with that dang bat.
“Oh, you’re okay. Well, isn’t that grand? Thanks for the phone call. The return texts. Wait, you didn’t do either of those,” she said with an angry tremble in her voice.
Shit. That wasn’t good. Avery wasn’t an emotional crier. She was a pissed off crier.
But me? Well, I was emotional, and I ugly cried in response to anyone’s tears. If she started, we were both going down in a mess of snot-filled sobs.
Not attractive.
“I’m sorry. I just lost track of time—”
“That’s what people say when they’re ten minutes late to something. You were gone for a whole week, Penny. I was scared! I felt responsible. What if something happened to you? I mean, I was the one who set you guys up!” Avery yelled, and shit, she was right.
I felt about two inches tall. Max had explained about the rules, how the human and supernatural worlds needed to remain separate for both their goods, and how there were things I just couldn’t tell anyone.
Not Avery. Not anyone.
Like about my Devil, and how I needed the time to get her under control.
“Irresponsible, Penny. Super irresponsible. You ignored the first rule of Girl Club!”
“Girl Club?” Max asked.
“You!” Avery seethed.
“Yes, it’s our thing,” I tried to explain.
“You have no place in Girl Club! Penelope, tell him,” Avery barked.
“It is only for girls, um, women,” I mumbled, and yeah, my cheeks were burning so bad.
“Repeat the rule, Penelope,” Avery said in her scariest mom voice.
Oh hell.
“The first rule of Girl Club is you never forget any of the rules of Girl Club,” I murmured.
“And? What is rule 13, Penny? Can you tell all of us, please?”
I sighed.
Dammit, I hated it when Avery used Girl Club against me.
“Rule 13 is you never leave with a boy without telling the other members of Girl Club where you are going,” I mumbled.
“How many members of Girl Club are there?” Max asked.
“Just us,” I whispered.
“And me!” Rosalie giggled as she came skipping down the stairs.
She was with Dante, who’d given her an ice cream sandwich while he fetched some ice for his head.
The swelling was already healed, but Avery would be suspicious if he didn’t at least look like he was taking care of his wound.
“And you, Rosie,” I said and smiled at my niece, opening my arms for a hug.
“Missed you, Auntie Penny,” she said and gave me sticky ice cream kisses.
“Me too, Rosie. Av,” I said, turning around with her baby in my arms.
“What?” Avery said, arms crossed.
“I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t mean it. Max and I, we um, got engaged, and I guess we’ve been pre-honeymooning,” I said lamely.
“Pre-honeymooning? Seriously. You swear that’s all it was. He hasn’t brainwashed you into joining his cult?” she asked.
“What cult?” Max asked, aghast.
I snorted a chuckle.
“I swear. We are all good,” I said.
I knew she was worried about me, and this whole angry display was really kind of sweet. Well, not the part where she beat Dante over the head with a metal bat or when she thought Max was a cult leader, but the rest was sweet.
Kinda.
“Yay, Mommy, hug Auntie Penny now. Then we go to the rodeo,” Rosie said, clapping her hands.
“The rodeo?” I blinked and looked at Max.
“Shiii—I mean, darn,” Max growled. “Is that today?”
“Yeah, Boss. I was coming to get you before I was attacked by a crazy person,” Dante grumbled.
“Crap. Sugarplum, you wanna go to a rodeo and see me get my butt kicked?” Max asked me, grinning from ear to ear.
“Heck no, I don’t want to marry a loser. You better at least try to win something,” I teased.
“I’ll do my best.”
“Good, and if you lose, I’ll be there to nurse you back to health,” I said, tipping my head back so he can kiss me.
“Hey, I’m not crazy. I just didn’t know if my friend was okay,” Avery said to Dante in the background, obviously defending her behavior.
“YOU hit me with a bat!” Dante growled.
“Well, YOU kept coming at me!”
Oh, this was going to be interesting.
“Avery, you wanna come with us in Max’s truck?” I asked, smiling.
“I’d love that, but I have my car. Oh, and ugh, Penny, aren’t you forgetting something?” she asked, raising one eyebrow.
“What?” I replied, pausing in my steps.
Avery just stared at me.
“Clothes, Auntie Penny!” Rosalie giggled, and I felt my face burning with embarrassment.
Max just grinned and kissed my head. I mean, I wasn’t naked. I had on a robe, but I couldn’t go out in one.
“Go put something on, Sugarplum. I’ll wait.”
“I’ll be quick,” I replied and raced off to get dressed.