Chapter 30
MAGGIE
“Yes.” I whispered. “Of course, I will marry you.”
Theo let out a breath. A long one that sounded a lot like relief.
Did he actually doubt that I would say yes?
Surely, not. But his posture had relaxed and his face had lightened.
He looked more like the man I knew eight years ago.
Before I married a criminal and pretended I didn’t know the best man I knew was in love with me.
Every drop of tension was bleeding out of him.
He didn’t stand up immediately. Instead, he stayed on one knee a few moments longer, just looking at me, as if memorizing the moment. Then he slid the ring on my finger.
Damn. He chose well. A solitaire diamond, catching the dim fluorescent light of the office, and sparkling brighter than it had any right to.
It was big, because well, Theo Snow didn’t do anything in small measures.
But it was elegant. No one could miss it, and I would proudly wear it, telling the world that I belonged to Theo Snow.
He stood up, towering over me in the small space, and pulled me into his arms. His mouth lowered to mine and our tongues tangled in a way that made my toes curl inside my boots. It was slow and tender, like we had no hurry. Like we had the rest of our lives.
The kiss was a promise, a taste of what forever had to offer.
“I love you.” His voice was nothing more than a murmur against my lips. His hands framed my face as his green eyes searched mine. “More than I ever thought possible. And now that Snow Enterprises is sold, we can build the life we want. No more shadows.”
I lifted my arms around his neck. “I love you, too.” I dragged my hands down his chest, before resting my head there. “Even when you’re a bossy idiot, I still love you.”
“Oh, really.” He picked me up, and my legs automatically curled around his waist. “I think you especially love me when I’m being bossy.”
I held up a finger to him. “No. We are not having sex in this office while all our friends and family are out there.”
“Maggie.” His scowl was more adorable than menacing. “We’ve had sex in here while the bar was packed with strangers, including construction workers.”
I unhooked my legs and lowered them back to the ground. “Strangers are different.”
“So, what you’re saying is,” he held his forefinger under my chin, “if we have a spare moment tomorrow night, I can drag you in here and bend you over the desk and fuck you into oblivion?”
My cheeks heated. I could not deny that the idea turned me on. “Mm-hmm.”
“Cool, I can live with that.” We stayed in each other’s arms a moment longer. “Ready to go back out there?”
I gave him a single nod and took his hand. “Ready.”
He unlocked the office door. The second I opened it, the thrum of bass from the main room hit us.
As we stepped out from behind the bar, the music cut out abruptly.
The silence was jarring. I looked over at the DJ Booth.
Ryder was standing there grinning. He obviously knew what just happened in that backroom.
The rest of the guys were smiling. They’d all known.
Theo gave Ryder a thumbs up. Everyone looked at us.
Did everyone know that he had asked? I blinked a few times.
My one stipulation was that my proposal be done in private.
Theo managed to find a way to take away the pressure of what to say in public but still have my family and friends around to celebrate.
“She said yes!” That was all he said as we walked back into the bar with all our family and friends.
A moment passed in silence, then two. Then the bar erupted.
Theo and I were drowned in a sea of hugs and congratulations.
No one was polite in any way. There were big bear hugs, for both of us.
There were some intimidating words to Theo if he ever dared to hurt me or break my heart.
And then there were my girls. They were all ready to plan my wedding.
“Nope.” I spoke with mock sternness. “First, we have to plan the pushed up wedding of Shiloh and Ryder.”
Shiloh scrunched her nose. “I was thinking maybe Vegas.”
“A Vegas Wedding.” Tiff plastered on a smile. “Oh. I can picture it. All of us bridesmaids in showgirl outfits.”
I frowned at her, not sure if I wanted to call out that fake smile. “Maybe we don’t go over the top. You know Shi. She’s more understated.”
Tiff averted my gaze and looked over at where the men were standing.
“If she wanted to be understated, she shouldn’t have suggested Vegas.
” She grabbed a glass of champagne from a passing tray, that fake smile never faltering.
“Besides, feathers are making a comeback and can look classy if done right. I will design something perfect.”
I stifled a sigh, something was clearly bothering her, yet she was all in for Shiloh. For all of us really.
Shiloh looked at her and narrowed her eyes before nodding. “I have no doubt it will be perfect. I don’t care if I have a bump and it shows. But I wanna look good.”
Tiffany’s laugh was a little forced. Usually, the sound was loud and infectious, but in that moment it was brittle and thin. Like glass cracking just before it broke.
I looked around at the women and we all shared similar looks.
But we were all too nice. Not to put too fine a point on it, but Tiffany and Skylar were the bitchy ones in our group.
She needed Skylar. Those two had hated each other early in high school, but they never failed to be honest with one another. The next best person was Grace.
I looked over at my youngest sister, who I knew was hiding her own shit. I raised my brow and she nodded. I scanned the rest of the bar. The men were distracted by something. No doubt it was some geeky manly gadget.
Hooking my arm into Tiffany’s, I led her out the door. “Come.”
Grace took the other arm while the others follow behind us,
“Guys where are we going?” Tiffany tried to wiggle out of my grip. “We’re supposed to be celebrating with Maggie and Theo. It’s their night.”
I looked at her, my scowl leaving no room for argument. “It's my night. So, we have to do what I say. And I want to have this conversation. Now.”
As I passed Loren at the door, I gave her a nod that I was leaving her in charge once more.
I pushed the door open and the five of us stepped out. She didn’t put up much of a fight, but I could tell she was not happy we were forcing this on her now.
“Guys.” Tiffany hung her head down. “Everything’s fine.”
Grace placed her hands on her hips and stood in front of us. “Bullshit. You’ve been distracted since we arrived here.”
I leaned back against the wall and let go of Tiffany. “Talk to us. Did something happen between you and Hunter?”
“What, no?” She let go of Grace but made no attempt to move. “There is nothing between Hunter and me. We’re just friends.”
Cat crossed her arms. “But you want there to be?”
Tiffany looked between all of us. “It doesn’t matter what I want.”
“What does that mean?” I didn’t like that she thought her needs were not important.
“It doesn’t matter.” Her shoulder sagged. “And it has nothing to do with my current mood.”
That was all we needed. She admitted that something was wrong. “Do we need to call Skylar?”
“No.” Her smile was small but it was genuine. She took several deep breaths, not looking any of us in the eye. “Nick fired me.”
My jaw dropped. “What? When?”
“This afternoon.” She wrapped her arms around herself, looking smaller than I had ever seen her. “He called me into his office and handed me a severance check. A big one.”
“He fired you?” I couldn’t process it. Nick Salinger was like family. He protected us. He was the one who gave her a job when she refused her inheritance.
Shiloh shook her head with disbelief. “Why? Is it because you got back late from lunch? Tiff, do you want me to talk to him? You’re never late. You’re always there before any of us.”
“No.” She shook her head, tears spilling down her cheeks, dragging streaks of mascara as it went.
“He didn’t fire because I was late. Or anything to do with my job.
I’m good at my job, he knows it, and I know it.
” She took another breath. “He fired me because this was always meant to be temporary. I promised him I would only use Salinger Security to find my feet after my dad died. I was going to follow my dreams on my own terms. Not as some trophy wife my father gets to hand out.” She swiped at her tears.
“Nick said if I still don’t want to take my inheritance, he would loan me the money to go back to school.
But it wasn’t going to happen behind the desk at Salinger Security. ”
My shoulders softened and my momentary anger evaporated. “Then let’s do that then. Let’s make those dreams come true.”
We sat outside just the five of us for a long while. We discussed Nick’s methods, which was harsh, at best. But it was what my friend needed. She was never going to quit. The truth was, she got a high off helping in such a high octane environment.
Eventually, the guys joined us. And just like old times, we sat on the curb in a row. I was hooked under Theo’s arm, and I was sure Shiloh was with Ryder.
Some of us may have been in other parts of the country, or around the world, but we always came home. We were the family we needed.