“I watched your show. You were amazing.”
“You saw? Were you there?”
“No. I couldn’t leave training camp. But I sent my manager, asked him to record it. I got to see it live.”
“Well, you’ll never believe this. I gave my demo to Irwin, and the craziest thing happened.”
Bending his knees, he gripped her bottom and lifted her off the floor, carrying her to the stairs. He lowered himself, and she straddled his lap. “Tell me.”
“He asked if I’d be willing to go full-on country, and I told him to stuff it.”
“You told Irwin Ledger to fuck off?”
“I did. Turns out, though, he was testing me. He only wants to work with authentic talent. He flew me out to New York to play a gig. That’s why I’m here. He wanted to see how I did as a solo act, see if I could pull in a crowd.”
“And once he saw that you could? That you brought the house down?”
She grinned. “He’s going to get back to me in a few weeks.”
“That’s great.”
“It is. But I’d rather do it with you by my side. Nothing feels right without you.”
“I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. Scratch that. Actually, we are.” He lifted her effortlessly, turned, and carried her up the stairs.
“Where are you taking me?”
“To our bedroom. Where we’re going to stay for a long damn time.”
“I’m going to need sustenance. I’ve been traveling all day.”
“I’ll give you anything you need. From this moment on, I will love you, honor you, protect you, and deserve you.”
Grabbing a fistful of his hair, she kissed him. It was such a wild, wicked kiss that he had to stop at the top of the stairs and press her against the wall. “I love you, Cassian Ellis, and I’m so damn happy right now.”
“Yeah? Well, trust me, it’s only going to get better from here.”
Epilogue
“I can’t find the ring.” Cassian said it quietly, his body strung tight with tension.
“You lost the ring?” Dean stood beside his girlfriend, her sister, and a few others from the royal family, as they talked near the massive Christmas tree that had replaced the driving arcade game. Holiday music played in the background, mostly drowned out by the conversation and laughter of a lively party.
Cassian should be making his guests comfortable, pouring drinks and chatting with them. Instead, he was freaking out.
Without waiting for an answer, Dean dragged him into the busy kitchen. “Where’d you last see it?”
He’d done most of the cooking himself, but they’d hired a caterer to serve and clean-up, so he moved to a quiet corner, out of the way. “In the attic. I went up there to make sure everything was perfect, but one string of lights wasn’t working. I think I set the ring down, but I don’t remember.”
“You set it down or you put it in your pocket?”
He’d already patted himself down a dozen times, but he did it again, hoping like hell he’d feel that hard little object. Nope. Dammit. “I think I put it on the table, but then I heard her calling me. I didn’t want her to come upstairs looking for me, so I left the room.”
“So, it’s still there. It’s not like someone went in and took it. No one can even find the attic in this place.”
“I just went back up. It’s gone.” Another wave of fear barreled through him. “I can’t propose without the damn ring.”
“All right, let’s go—”
Will Bowie, a former Olympic freestyle skier, strode into the kitchen. “Hey, man. You got more ice?”
“Yeah, sure.” Cassian headed for the refrigerator.
“Congrats on making the play-offs again. Great season.”
“Thanks.” Cassian pulled open the freezer door.
“We appreciate you and your brothers working with us,” Dean said.
Last summer, he’d treated his teammates to sessions at the Bowie’s training facility. The guys had loved it, since the brothers, all elite athletes, turned the Tetons into a training experience.
Staring at the cubes of ice, Cassian’s mind went back to the attic. He remembered flipping the switch on, checking out the lightbulbs, screwing the faulty one in tighter, but…putting the ring down? That was the missing piece. What had he done with it? Had he set it on top of the table? In a drawer?
He wished like hell he’d left it in the velvet box. Just left it alone in that drawer in his closet until it was time to propose. But he’d wanted to show it to Dean, and he hadn’t thought walking around with a velvet ring box would be too smart.
Will stood beside him. “I can do it.”
Jarred out of his thoughts, Cassian took the metal bucket. “No, I got it.” He scooped out some ice.
“You okay, man?” Will asked.
“Yeah, sure. Great. Thanks for coming to the party.”
Dean chuckled. “He lost the ring.”
Will’s eyebrows shot up. “The ring? As in, engagement ring?”
Fear struck Cassian’s heart. He nodded. “I’ll find it. It couldn’t have gone anywhere.”
“Where’s the last place you saw it?” Will asked.
His heart pounded. “The attic.”
Will whipped out his phone and tapped out a text. Shoving it in his back pocket, he said, “Lead the way.”
“To the attic?” Cassian asked.
Dean grabbed the bucket. “I’ll bring the ice out there and meet you upstairs.”
Just then, three more Bowie brothers hustled into the kitchen like they were on a mission. “Let’s do this,” Fin, the youngest, said.
“How the hell do you lose an engagement ring?” Brodie asked.
“Oh, that’s nice,” Gray said. “Let’s make him feel worse.”
“Let’s go,” Will said.
Heart pounding, Cassian climbed the stairs, reassured by the heavy drum of boots behind him. Together, they’d find it.
“You proposing tonight?” Fin asked.
“No. Soon. I don’t know when.” At the top of the stairs, he headed down a hallway.
“What’re you waiting for?” Gray asked.
Cassian wanted everything to be perfect. “I only have a few days off before play-offs, and Gigi’s been in the studio.”
“Heard she’s opening for Blue Fire,” Will said quietly.
“Yeah.” His girl had been busy. Irwin Ledger had signed her, and they were putting a band together. “I’m just waiting for the right time.”
“Don’t,” Fin said.
The seriousness in his tone had Cassian nearly tripping on the runner.
“You lost nine years with her,” Fin said. “You want perfect or you want to put a ring on it?”
His pulse quickened. “Yeah, I hear you.” He picked up his pace.
“He lost the ring,” Gray said. “Don’t bring it up.”
“It’s an expression,” Fin said.
“We’ll find it.” Will gestured to the door. Let’s go.
Right. The moment Cassian opened it, a giant ball of fur came flying at him, knocking him back. A wet, sloppy tongue licked his face. “Get off, Rufus.” He and Gigi had rescued the loveable mutt a year ago. He’d been scrawny, and a skin condition had cost him his coat, but with the right food and love, he’d turned into a small-size bear.