“We could run off to Atlantic City one weekend and tie the knot,” she teased.

“No. And Vegas is out of the question too. I might not care about the location, but we are not eloping. I want a real wedding.” I stroked my fingertips over her cheek, tracing the shape of her face. “I want to watch you walk down the aisle with your dad. Our moms sobbing on either side of the aisle. Samara, Ciana, and maybe Delaney as your bridesmaids. Perhaps Finn could be the ring bearer, or those devil twins of Mila’s.”

“Whoa, you’ve given this a lot of thought.”

“I’ve been dreaming of marrying you since I was eight years old, Nova.” At times, thinking about our wedding was the only thing that gave me peace when there was an entire country separating us. Knowing that one day, with an exchange of vows before God and our families, the world would finally know who Nova belonged to was what helped me sleep at night. “More than anything, I want our wedding day to be perfect for you.”

Her arms tightened around me, and I heard a hitch in her breathing. “The world could burn down around us that day, and it would still be perfect because I’ll get to marry you. Not only my best friend, but the person I love the most.”

Grasping her chin, I lifted her face so I could skim my lips over hers. I ached to deepen the kiss but didn’t trust myself. I was an idiot for promising her dad we would wait, but I wouldn’t break it.

“Sleep.” I kissed her once more and rolled onto my back, taking her with me. One of her legs lifted over mine, and I was thankful for having enough brain power to keep the blanket over her earlier. She pillowed her head on my shoulder and placed her hand right over my heart. “We’ll talk more about the wedding in the morning.”

It was less than a minute before her breathing evened out and she fell asleep. My eyes were already growing heavy, the feel of her in my arms quickly luring me to sleep…

A loud crashing sound startled me awake. Nova gasped and jerked upright, one of her hands clutching at mine. “What was that?” she whispered.

“I don’t know.” The noise came again, followed by a vicious curse. Whoever it was wasn’t being stealthy, but that didn’t mean they weren’t dangerous. “Stay here,” I commanded, getting out of bed.

“Be careful.”

I made my way to the door in the dark. Cautiously, I cracked it open, my hand going for my gun, only to remember I’d taken off my holster as soon as I got home. My gun was in the living room, where I’d dropped it on the couch. Silently cursing myself, I stepped out of the bedroom and quietly walked toward the noise.

Another curse reached me, and I realized it was Garret. By the slur of his words, I knew he was drunk. Relaxing, I reached the living room to find him destroying everything that was unfortunate enough to be in his path.