Chapter 2
Chapter
Two
THEN…
“Aren’t you glad we found each other?” I link my fingers through Ryder’s and snuggle up closer to him. “Being on dating apps sucks.”
He chuckles and brings my hand to his mouth and kisses it. “I am so lucky to have you, Florence.”
“Don’t call me that,” I giggle.
“Why? It’s a pretty name.”
“It just sounds so formal.” I close my eyes for a few seconds, listening to his heart steadily beating.
We’re lying under the stars on the cool sand along the Pacific Ocean, listening to the waves crash against the shore, seeking solace and some alone time after hunting scrapper demons for the last few days.
“Florence McAna,” Ryder says. “I think it has a nice ring to it.”
I lift my head off his chest and stare at him incredulously. “Oh really?”
“What?” He laughs and pulls me on top of him. “Don’t tell me you haven’t thought about it.”
“Thought about what?” I ask, just wanting to hear him say it out loud.
“Getting married. Being together—forever.”
My heart soars in my chest. It’s all I’ve ever wanted and everything I’ve feared I’d never have: someone to love me as much as I love them.
“You don’t think you’d get sick of me after forever?” I ask.
Ryder sticks his hands under my shirt, fingers pressing into my skin.
My eyes close when he starts to massage my sore muscles.
The demons really put up a fight today and we had a new hunter with us, one who didn’t know I was a witch so I couldn’t use my powers to defend us.
If I had, we probably could have taken out all the scrappers in under fifteen minutes.
Instead, we spent hours running through the dense Pacific Northwest forest. Larissa accidentally tripped me—twice.
I don’t think it was really an accident but I kept my mouth shut regardless.
“I’m surprised you’re not sick of me now,” he laughs. “You’re so out of my league.”
Now it’s my turn to laugh. “Hah. You’re hilarious.”
“Seriously, Wren.” He flips us over, and I wrap my legs around him. “You have no idea how amazing you are.”
“Well, you just need to tell your parents that.”
“In time.”
I frown. “You said that last month.”
“I know. But don’t worry, it’ll be okay. I’ll make sure it is.”
“Promise?”
He kisses me. “Of course. It might take some convincing, but they’ll be happy that I’m happy.”
“I don’t understand why they’d even care,” I say, working hard to ignore the bad feeling I have forming in the pit of my stomach. “We love each other. That’s what matters.”
“They’re traditionalists. They like hunters pairing off with hunters.”
“I am a hunter.”
“You know what I mean. You’re a witch.”
“But I’m still a hunter.”
“I know, babe.” Ryder kisses me and all my worries go away. I love him so much and have never let myself fall this hard for anyone—ever. He hasn’t let me down yet… I have no reason to doubt him when he promises it’ll be okay.
“Your dad won’t be happy, but trust me, once he gets to know me, he’ll like me.” I smile. “I’m rather likable.”
“That you are.” He kisses me again and warmth flows through me. I want him so much right now.
“Hey, love birds!” Leo yells from several yards away. “Hand check!”
Ryder and I both laugh and begrudgingly tear apart as Leo and Antonio come over. Larissa and two other hunters stand on the grass behind them.
“We just got our hotel assignments,” Antonio says. “I’m guessing you two are going to want some alone time?”
“At least ten minutes,” I joke.
“He can last ten minutes?” Antonio teases.
“Hey, we maybe need three,” Ryder goes on and we all laugh. After kissing me one more time, Ryder gets up and helps me to my feet. He takes his time brushing sand off my butt, wiggling his eyebrows at me as he spins me around to brush sand off my front.
I get into the passenger seat of Ryder’s truck. Luckily, his backseat is full of weapons, so it’s just the two of us. I scroll through his playlist until I find a song I like. He reaches across the center console and takes my hand.
“How do you want to be proposed to?” he asks, and I can’t help but smile. “Do you want something big and flashy?”
“No, please, no. I just want it to be the two of us.” I squeeze his hand. “And I want a lab-grown diamond.”
“Really?”
“Really. The diamond industry is a scam, you know. Diamonds aren’t rare or scarce. Total scam.”
“Well, I like that.” He kisses the back of my hand again. “What kind of ring do you want?”
“Now, that can be big and flashy,” I say, wrinkling my nose as I flash a toothy smile.
“Really?” he asks again.
“Yeah. I want people to know I’m engaged before they have to get too close.”
Ryder laughs. “I’ll see what I can do then.”
“You really need to tell your parents you have a girlfriend before I show up with a ring on my finger.”
“I know,” he says with a nod. “When we get back to Asheville, I will.”
“Will you really?” I raise my eyebrows. It’s not the first time he’s told me he was going to tell them.
Usually it’s followed by some sort of excuse that’s hard to buy: they just got back from a trip, someone isn’t feeling well, he sat down and played a card game with his two brothers and the ‘right time’ just didn’t come up.
“I will.”
“Good.” I smile and circle my thumb over the back of his hand. “Because we can’t go forward with stuff until they know.”
“You’re right. Don’t worry, babe.” We drive for a few minutes in silence and I can’t stop thinking about how perfect things are right now. He wants to propose! He asked me about rings! “Maybe we can take a year off.”
“From hunting?”
“Yeah. Or just do our own thing. It would be nice to stay in one place for a while.”
“Seriously. And decorate a house,” I say.
“And a kid’s room someday.”
We’ve had the vague I want a family talk, but nothing ever too serious. “We would have a cute kid,” I tell him.
“I hope it will look like you. Or at least have your eyes.”
“Green eyes are superior,” I joke. “If it’s a boy, I hope he looks just like you.”
“But with your eyes.”
I part my lips, almost afraid to say it but then I tighten my grip on Ryder’s hand. “What if we do have a kid and, uh, it has powers? Powers like I do.”
“Honestly,” he starts and I hold my breath. “I hope our kids do. Using magic is badass. I would be lying if I said every single Order member who sees you in action isn’t jealous. Just look at Liss.”
“You’re right,” I say with a snort of laughter. “Things would have been a lot easier tonight if I could have hit the demons with a blast of energy.”
“It’s so hot watching you take out demons with magic.”
I look at Ryder as he talks and for half a second, his expression doesn’t match what he’s saying. Then he squeezes my hand and smiles at me, putting my unease to rest.
“What about your parents?”
“What about them?”
I raise my eyebrows. “Would they be okay with a grandchild who has powers? And even saying it like that…” I bite my lip.. “It lessens the blow of saying witch.”
“They’ll just be happy to have another grandchild. They remind me almost daily that my younger brother is married with two kids and I’m the shame of the family, being in my thirties and still single.”
I let out a snort of laughter and shake my head.
The Russos aren’t as traditional as the Makana family, and I have a hard time understanding why they cling to these so-called traditions as much as they do.
Just because something was doesn’t mean it should remain.
Antonio is older than Ryder, so by his parents’ logic, Antonio is bringing shame upon our family as well.
Both of Ryder’s brothers are married and while their wives are technically hunters as well, they’ve traded their weapons for diapers and bottles and all live together in one rather mid-sized house, raising babies and making dinner while the boys go out and kill demons.
It’s antiquated at best, and not something I want to partake in. I’ll happily be a stay-at-home mom, but there’s no way in hell I’m moving into his family complex where I’ll feel like just another obedient wife added to their cult.
“Hey,” Ryder starts as the truck slows to a stop at a red light. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
“Don’t worry, babe. I promise I’ll never let anything come between us.”