Page 75 of Break Me

I swallow around the lump in my throat.

"I hope these fit," I whisper to the empty room.

Because I can't imagine giving her anything that means more than this.

The water shuts off down the hall, pulling me back to the present. I slip everything else back into the box, careful to leave it exactly as I found it. Once it's tucked away in the back of the closet, I pull on my dress shirt and jacket before reaching for the rings again.

For a moment, I simply hold them. Then I slip them into the inside pocket of my jacket, close enough to feel their weight against my chest.

The tie is another story. I frown down at the knot. "I hate these things."

"You know I can hear you, right?"

I look up to find Raven leaning against the bedroom doorway. Her hair is still damp from her shower, and she's smiling like she already knows exactly what's wrong.

"I've been fighting with this thing for five minutes."

"I can tell."

She crosses the room, her fingers brushing mine aside before taking over. "Honestly, Samuel."

"I've been doing it longer than you've been alive."

"And yet," She gives the knot one quick tug, then smooths my collar. "Here we are."

“You’re very smug for someone who’s supposed to be helping,” I say, pulling her against me.

"I am helping," she murmurs, her fingers never leaving the knot, even as I brush my mouth against her jaw.

"This feels like judging."

"There." She smooths the front of my shirt as a laugh escapes her. Then she steps back to admire her work. "Much better."

"Ready?"

I slip my hand into my jacket pocket, my fingertips brushing the rings hidden inside.

"Yeah," I say, smiling back at her. "I am."

I reach for my keys, already thinking about the drive to the courthouse.

"I want to take the bike."

“You’ll be in a dress,” I say.

She smiles, easy and certain. “I know.”

I hesitate, then look at her properly, the way she isn’t asking permission so much as saying what feels right.

“The bike is part of you,” she says. “Part of us. I don’t want to start our forever any other way.”

Something in my chest shifts at that. I glance down at my hand, then set the truck keys back on the counter.

“Okay,” I say.

Her smile widens.

When she climbs on behind me a few minutes later, her arms settle around my waist, exactly where they belong. I kick the engine to life, the vibration steady beneath us.