My heart started racing at what I was about to say, and I was a little mystified that I was actually nervous. We’d already talked about getting married one day. She’d already told me she wanted that. We just hadn’t talked about when. We hadn’t talked about now. And that was what I wanted more than anything. I wanted to leave this bar married to her. It was my only wish. My nerves bubbled into soft chuckles, and Kiera instantly looked suspicious; my mischievous grin probably didn’t help with that.

Giving her a casual shrug, I said, “They only let the wives come with.” So, marry me?

Her jaw dropped open in a really satisfying way. So adorable. Smirking, I closed her mouth. “Wife?” she whispered, and I could tell she was wondering if I was sneakily proposing to her. Yes, I am…and more. I want to marry you right now.

Smiling, I ran my finger along her jaw. Sure, the situation I’d presented was a joke, but the request behind it was very much real. I wanted her to be my wife. I’d wanted it for a while now. I dropped the teasing lilt in my voice, so she would know I was being absolutely serious. “We’ve gone about as slow as I can go, Kiera. I love you. I’m sure that I want my life to always have you in it.” I shrugged as I stared at her. “Are you sure about me?”

She instantly nodded. “Yes, I’m sure,” she said, no doubt in her voice.

Grinning, I kissed her. She said yes—to us, to this. I didn’t think she completely understood what I wanted, but she had no doubts about us anymore, so I couldn’t think of one reason why we couldn’t skip everything and just get married. She would understand my true desire soon enough. Because I was marrying her tonight. Nothing had ever felt more right. Hopefully, she felt the same.

Kiera wanted to kiss me longer, but I pulled back. Removing her hands from around my neck, I grabbed her right one. I pulled off her promise ring and placed it on her left ring finger. Then I repeated the movement with my ring and my left ring finger. And damn if it didn’t feel natural to have that ring on my left hand. I’d never felt so complete. Until I absorbed the matching ring on Kiera’s left hand. Now I’d never felt so complete.

Holding her left hand with mine, I brightly told her, “There, now we’re married.”

There were tears in her eyes as she shook her head at me. “I’m pretty sure it doesn’t work like that, Kellan.”