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“I wish we could stay a little longer,” Dani sighed as she took one last look at the view. “It’s so peaceful. And it was nice having you all to myself.”
My arms tightened around her, and I bent my head to kiss the back of her neck. She’d worn her hair in a braid that fell over her right shoulder, leaving one of my favorite spots bare, and I couldn’t stop teasing her with little kisses on it.
“Stop,” she giggled.
“I can’t. You’re irresistible.”
“Well, hang on to that thought until we get home.”
Home, I thought. Yeah, we needed to talk about that.
We packed up and headed out, enjoying the drive together like we’d done on the way up to the cabin. Michel called twice, but I sent him to voicemail since the only way to answer was through the car’s Bluetooth. He knew better than to say anything in front of Dani, but I didn’t want to chance a slipup. I told Dani he probably just wanted to confirm the tickets we had to a New York Nighthawk’s game, and I’d call him back.
It wasn’t until we were about thirty minutes from my apartment that I finally brought up the subject of home.
I was holding her hand, so I gave it a squeeze and brought up what I wanted to talk about.
“We’re engaged,” I stated. It wasn’t the smooth transition into the conversation I’d planned on, but it was too late to go back now.
“Is that what this ring means?” she asked with a smirk.
“It means you’re moving in with me.”
Dani’s amused expression faded, and she bit her lip.
“Lip,” I snapped. It was all I had to say to get her to release it. She knew I didn’t like anyone but me nibbling on her lush lips.
“The thing is…” Dani's shoulders dropped as she trailed off.
“What’s going on in that pretty head of yours, princesse?”
“It’s just that, I’ve enjoyed the time we’ve had to build our relationship under the radar, you know? Once I move in, the media will get wind of it, and there will be stories and speculations. It doesn’t usually last long, but it’s annoying, and…it means facing my dad.” She glanced at me and grimaced. “I’m not ashamed of you, I just want to clear that up.”
I smiled and kissed the back of her hand. “I know, princesse. So why the worry? You think he won’t approve?” It wouldn’t have surprised me if he didn’t approve of any males around his daughters who weren’t family. Although, his oldest daughter was married, so that was something.
“He’s really overprotective, and even after I convince him—well, probably it will be my mom who talks him around—that we are happening whether he likes it or not, if we’re living together and not married, he’s going to be a pain in the ass about it.”
I laughed. “Engaged isn’t good enough, huh?” She shook her head. “Then we should go get married.”
“We will,” she replied with a frown.
Squeezing her hand, I glanced over at her and smiled. “Today. Tomorrow. Right now, princesse. I can have us in Vegas in a few hours.”
Dani chuckled. “Then we’d be facing my mom’s wrath.”
“I’d take on the world to make you happy, princesse.”
“And I love you so much for it, Tristan. But I’m just not built for drama. Let’s make this as easy as possible.”
It was my turn to grimace, though I did it internally. I’d put off telling her again—like a fucking coward—because I hadn’t wanted to ruin our trip. Hearing her reaffirm the reason I’d be avoiding it, I knew that I’d made this way fucking harder for myself than I had to.
I was thirty-four fucking years old, and I’d been acting like a damn teenager. However, I’d told her about Michel being my bodyguard, although she assumed it was due to my wealth.
“How about this weekend?” she suggested. “We can go talk to my parents, and then, I don’t care what they say, I’ll move in.”
I wasn’t going to let her do that for me until I’d come clean.
“We should talk before we decide,” I told her softly.
“Talk?” She sounded worried, so I tried to reassure her.
“Relax, princesse. Talking doesn’t always mean something terrible.” I chuckled, hoping I was right.
“If it’s not that serious, why wait until we get home?”
“Because I don't want to be interrupted, and we’ll be there in a few minutes.”
“Fine,” she huffed, flopping back against her seat. “Be logical.”
I laughed and kissed her hand once more. “I love you, princesse. You know that right?”
She laid her head on my shoulder and whispered, “I love you, too.”
I drove into the underground garage below my apartment building, and when I pulled into my space, I noticed a black Town Car with diplomatic plates in one of the guest spots. It was odd for my building but not unusual for New York City, so I put it out of my mind. However, when I exited the car, Michel walked up with a deep frown.
