Page 135 of Wild Blades

“Are you going to marry her?” Bonnie is worse than the Spanish Inquisition, making nerves flutter in my belly. It’s not something we’ve spoken about and after I divorced Michael, I swore I would never remarry.

Changed my mind about that since I met Wade.

“Would you let me marry your Aunty Kal-Kal? Would that be okay?” His voice is dead serious as he continues to pick up the strings, making forward knots exactly how Bonnie taught him.

“Could I wear a pretty dress?” Bonnie asks, because that’s all she cares about. I swear she’s going to be a fashion designer or merchandiser. She’s obsessed with fashion.

“Of course. What color would you wear?” Wade questions.

“What would you have Aunty Kal-Kal?”

“Either forest green, deep navy blue, black, or deep burgundy.” I don’t even have to think about it. It’s what I wanted when I married Michael, which he overruled, and we had a sickly pastel color theme instead. I hated it all.

“Black wedding dress?” Eyes down, Wade asks.

“Yes.”

“Dramatic.”

“Gothic. I like it, Aunty Kal-Kal. Could I wear navy blue?”

“If you want.” This is not a conversation I expected to be having today.

“I think you’d look really pretty in a navy blue dress.” Complimenting Bonnie, Wade picks up the tiniest of beads between his giant fingertips with embossed letters on them.

“In tulle,” Bonnie says, making me laugh. She knows way too much about fashion for nine years old.

“I like the sound of that. How about you, Aunty Kal-Kal?” Wade finally looks up. Eyes soft around the edges, I know what he’s really asking. I think. Although my brain is tired today. I’ve been tired since we came back from LA, which is probably because I’ve been working too many late nights after hockey games.

“Sounds great.” I’m a little lost for words.

“Would you?” He stares at me.

My brain stutters for a beat. “What?”

“Marry me?”

That little storm of butterflies in my stomach takes flight again. I’m a little startled, but also desperate to know what he’s going to ask next.

“Say yes, Aunty Kal-Kal. He’s nice. Much nicer than Uncle Michael. He was a dickhead,” she says, sounding disgusted, making Wade and I burst into fits of giggles, and I can’t even bring myself to tell her off for cursing.

“What is so funny? That’s what mommy called him.”

That’s what everyone calls him.Gee, what was I thinking?

Still chuckling, I pick up another piece of black string.

“So, was that a yes or a no?” Wade picks up where we left off while the butterflies flap about in my stomach all the way up to my heart.

“Are you asking or checking?”

“Asking.” His response brims with confidence, as an amused smile dances across his lips.

“It was a yes.” I know he’s the one for me. I feel it so deeply in my bones and in my heart. He istheone.

“Great.” He digs about in the pocket of his dress trousers and pulls out a black velvet box. “Want to check if I got the right size, then?” He places it on the table and opens it up, revealing an emerald cut black diamond set inside a platinum band with diamond tapered shoulders.

I throw my hand to my mouth. “Are you being serious?”

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