"Then I choose you," she said with finality. "I like winning our bets."

His chest swelled, and his smile broke. "You've won my heart, Sophie Saunders. You helped settle the feud. Frank already thinks of you as family, but let's make it official, the sooner the better."

"How soon is soon?" she asked.

"You tell me," he said.

"It will depend on the size of our wedding."

"I'll leave that up to you."

"Your family is enormous," she said, counting on her fingers.

"They'll all want to attend."

"I'd like to involve my mother in the wedding," she told him. "Our relationship is tenuous at best, but we've gotten a bit closer. I made French toast for her the other day. It took a lot of maple syrup, but she ate every bite."

"That's great news," Dune said.

"She also made a sizeable donation to the museum," she added.

"That was generous on her part."

She sighed. "We will never have a normal mother-daughter relationship, but she's trying and I'm trying. That's all I can ask for."

Dune squeezed her shoulder, then gently rubbed her back. "You'll have a better bond with your own daughter," he assured her.

"Babies." Her cheeks pinkened.

"I want a big family, Sophie."

"I do, too." She smiled at him. "I want tall boys who ride motorcycles and play volleyball."

"And girls who love books and Dwarf hamsters," he added. "I see a lot of sex in our future. Sex with cream cheese icing and"-he pressed a kiss to her lips-"popsicles."

Sophie shivered in anticipation. Then melted against Dune.

Read More Kate Angell.

SWEET SPOT (Richmond Rogues).

NO TAN LINES (Barefoot William).

UNWRAPPED (anthology).