“I do, too, Joelle Valentine-Forker.”
I melted, loving how that sounded.
He shook my head with a smirk, looking like he was loving that I melted whenever he called me that.
“Are you gonna take Forker as your name?” Ella asked.
We were back at the clubhouse. My cat was on my lap and I was on my husband’s lap in the TV room. Ella, Jenna, and Spencer were sitting with us. Ride and Deacon were doing something down in the garage on Rider’s bike, which he was having a problem with. Pippa had gone to bed already, unable to keep her eyes open.
“Definitely. I’d like to keep the Valentine so I’m going to hyphenate it, I think. You okay with that, babe?” I asked him.
“Whatever you want.”
“I can’t wait to drop it,” Ella told us. “I mean, I’m not engaged yet or anything, but the first opportunity, I’m cutting that Forker name clean off. You have no idea how much teasing I got as a kid.”
“You needed a big brother to beat the bullies up,” Spencer told her. “Why didn’t you beat people up for her?” he asked Christian.
“Because he was a dick. And we didn’t go to the same school. But he’d never have stood up for me.”
“But I did,” Christian told her.
“Did what?”
“Stand up for you. That kid that took your bike? He brought it back didn’t he?”
“Yeah, because his parents found it.”
“Nope. ‘Cuz I sniffed out who took it and then I told him to. Or more like scared him to. That other shithead that was throwing water balloons at you at your eighth birthday party?”
Ella gave him a funny look.
“It’s cuzza me they called him Shit Stain Brain until… “
“They still call him that,” Ella said. “Though most just call him Stain.”
“Yeah well it’s down to me. I fuckin’ yanked his drawers up over his head.”
“That was because he bullied me?” Ella asked.
“Duh.” He looked at her like she had to know this.
“But, you bullied me.”
“Doesn’t mean anyone else was allowed to.”
Spencer was laughing.
Ella gave her head a shake.
“You were like my little sister even if you didn’t know it, Lezzybelle.”
She said nothing.
“What do you want to do this weekend?” I asked my husband. “Since the next weekend we’re going to the cosplay.”
He was about to open his mouth to probably tell me we weren’t going to the cosplay when Ella said, “Do not make any plans this Saturday night. You two are required here.”
“We are?” I asked.
“Yes. No plans. Be here at six o’clock.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Gotta know why, Ella,” Christian said. “We got house huntin’ so…”
“Ooh!” I clapped my hands. “Are you guys having a party for us?” I started to bounce.
“Yes,” Jenna said. “We’re having a reception party for you guys. It was gonna be a surprise, but clearly, you had to know we’d do it. Lots of people will be here. With presents. So you guys be here, too.”
“You’re having a wedding reception for us!” I sang out, gasping while bouncing on my man’s lap some more.
“We are,” Ella said. “Only a few of us got to be there so everyone wants to celebrate. We’re closing The Roadhouse to the public and we’re having a big barbecue in the parking lot, too.”
I clapped my hands. “Yay!”
“Ready to hit the hay, wife?” Christian asked, grabbing my hips. I could feel he was semi-hard underneath me, due to my bouncing.
“Mm yeah. I am,” I told him.
Spencer got up. “Me too. Night.” He wandered off.
Marshmallow climbed off my lap and hopped down to chase and bat at Chakotay’s wagging tail as Chakotay followed Spency.
Christian scooped me up in his arms as he stood.
I said goodnight to everyone.
“I like being carried,” I said, snuggling in as we got into the hallway.
“Carrying you over the threshold,” he said.
“Which room are we sleeping in?” I asked.
“Yours,” he told me. “Until we get a place. Move my stuff over tomorrow. Coupla the guys don’t have a room anyway, so…”
I smiled. “You might wanna keep it all in your room, actually. I have zero spare closet space.”
“Why doesn’t this surprise me?”
I laughed and then suckled on his earlobe, earning me a husky rumble that was somewhere between a growl and a purr.
“Besides, everyone will have their own room soon. We’re moving out back soon.”
As we kept moving down the hall from the TV room at the one end of the hall, Dad was coming toward us from the kitchen and lounge end.
He scowled.
“This is completely legal, Daddy.”
Dad gave me ‘the hand’ and turned and