It was gorgeous. I loved it. The plants made it awesome.

But the fact that Deacon built it for me made it magnificent.

I also had a laundry building and I'd been right, those machines cost a whack, we were making a mint.

I'd let Deacon pay for all of it.

His buy-in.

A statement needed to be made.

We were partners.

In everything.

Though, that didn't mean I didn't bust his chops. I did.

But he liked it (mostly because I gave in).

I thought that was good but beautiful war was waged over the fact that Deacon didn't. In the end, he won that too by paying back my dad, with interest. He also paid the mortgage every other month.

I didn't grouse. There was no need.

We were in this together.

He'd found work in construction, working for a man who had a business in Gnaw Bone named Holden "Max" Maxwell. Weirdly, this was the man who married the woman who got attacked at my cabins years ago.

Strange how life connected like that.

He was a good guy. His wife Nina was an awesome lady, a bit crazy and more outspoken than me, so I dug her. They had two kids. They'd been over for dinner. We'd been over to their place. And when Max lost one of his foremen, he'd promoted Deacon.

Deacon had been working for him for a month.

Seemed Holden Maxwell wasn't only smart enough to get himself tied to a tough broad, he was smart enough to see he had talent on his team.

So far, Uncle Sam had not cottoned on to Deacon rejoining the citizenry.

That might happen but I wasn't worried. Deacon and I could weather any storm.

We'd proved that.

Life with Deacon was a beautiful war no way we could lose.

I heard his boots on the steps that led up on the other side, but I didn't move.

I also heard Bossy's claws.

She hadn't defected from me. She still loved her momma. But she preferred Deacon.

I didn't mind.

I did too.

Then again, it was becoming clear Priest preferred me.

Payback.

My eyes searched for my puppy but he didn't come out with his daddy. This boded good things, since if he did, we'd need to pay attention so he didn't get in trouble.

And thus this said Deacon was intent to give his attention to me.

I knew this to be true when Deacon didn't sit beside me. He sat behind me and surrounded me with his long legs, feet to the step where mine were, his arms wrapping around my middle.

I felt his chin rest on my shoulder and closed my eyes.

Happy.

Completely and utterly.

I opened my eyes.

"Thanks for my gazebo," I said softly.

I heard the grin in his voice when he replied, "Not a problem."

He was happy too.

So I was happier.

"Thanks for my laundry building."

There was a thread of humor in his voice when he said, "Not a problem."

And even happier.

"Thanks for being you."

His arms tightened and the humor was gone when he repeated, "Not a problem, Cassie."

"Thanks for letting me be me."

More tightening, then, "Definitely not a problem."

"Thank you for loving me," I whispered.

No reply. Just his arms got so tight I could barely breathe.

When he released the pressure, I went on.

"And thanks for letting me love you."

"Makin' this easy," he said weirdly.

"Sorry?"

He let me go but didn't move away. One of his hands caught my left one, the other one disappeared.

It came back.

And when it did, I stopped breathing.

This was because he was sliding a princess cut diamond set in a thick platinum band on my ring finger.

"Marry me," he whispered into my ear.

Sheesh. Deacon was so totally rejoining the citizenry.

My eyes started stinging.

His hand curled around mine tight.

"Right here, in this gazebo, soon as you want, late as you want, big, small, grand, quiet, I don't give a fuck. Whatever you want, just so when it's over, you're tied to me legally and got my name."

My head fell back so it wouldn't fall forward. I turned it and pressed my forehead into his neck.

"We get hitched," he went on, "we find our time, then we make a baby. But you go off your pills, the first time it could be a go, we start that work in my bed in cabin eleven."

Cabin eleven.

God, I so loved Deacon.

To share that, I replied, "I'll take your name, Deacon. I'll take anything you want to give me. And I'll make a baby with you in cabin eleven, in our bed at the house, on the moon."

"Then give me your mouth, woman, no argument, right now."

Like I'd argue.

I tipped my head back but didn't give it. He took it. He did this a long time. He did this until Bossy joined us and started licking our faces, wanting in on the act.

We broke it off but Deacon's arms were back around me so it was me who drove my fingers into her ruff and asked, "You gonna wear a big pink bow when Momma marries Daddy in this gazebo?"

She panted and licked my face.

Deacon started laughing.

I took that as a yes.

Deep in the night, I was tucked tight to Deacon's back, arm around him, when I felt his body jerk before I felt the covers thrown off me.

"Baby, what on-?" I started.

He was off the bed and I could tell by the noises he was pulling on his jeans.

"Do not move," he growled. "And do not fight me, Cassie. You stay up here with Bossy and don't move."

My heart clutched.

He bent, nabbed his tee, and stalked to the door through the dark.

"Stay with Cassie," he ordered Bossy.

I watched through the shadows as Bossy did as she was told, sitting on her behind, but she barked at the door when Deacon closed us in.

I jumped from the bed and dashed around the room, tugging on the clothes Deacon had taken off when he'd made love to me hours before.

Then I approached the window at the side, carefully peeking through the edge of the sheers and down to the lane.

The motion sensor lights were on. By their light, I saw Raid's jeep, a sleek, expensive looking car, a Mercedes, and an SUV that was not Deacon's or mine.

He'd heard that cavalcade coming.

God, was his old life knocking at the door?

Bossy gave me a sharp but quiet bark and I looked down to see her at attention three feet from me.

She wanted me away from the window.

Daddy's girl.

Still, I moved away. That settled her and she sat on her heiny until suddenly her head jerked toward the door.

She trotted to it just as it opened.

I wasn't surprised. I, too, heard Deacon coming up the stairs.

"Cassidy, got a situation. Come down, yeah? Raid's here. So are Knight, Marcus, Creed, and Sylvie."

What was going on?

Before I could ask, he continued," As well as Hanna, Knight's woman, and Marcus's."

I stared.

"Woman, here," he ordered.

His tone brooked no argument, so for once, I didn't argue.