his dimple peeked out. “Are you saying you want to marry me before we’ve even kissed, Teagan?”
Heat licked up my cheeks again, but that was what I was saying, and I didn’t want to take it back. Lucas was the embodiment of every fantasy I had about a husband, and he was so much more, too.
“Yeah, I guess that’s what I’m saying...” I paused to press my hands to my burning cheeks. “And now I’ve managed to scare you away, haven’t I?” I laughed while asking the question because, clearly, Lucas was staying exactly where he was.
“Never.” He shook his head. “I feel the same way. Here…” He pulled his arm out from around me and slipped his mother’s ring off his pinky. Taking my hand, he slipped the intricate woven metal band onto my ring finger. The fit was almost perfect, and a rush of excitement flowed through me.
Lucas inhaled deeply, and then he said, “There’s no one here that could legally marry us, but if you wanted to be my wife, Teagan, I would do everything in my power to deserve the honor of being your husband.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Tears gathered in my eyes as I stared at the wonderful, beautiful veterinarian that I adored with every fiber of my being. “Yes. Yes. I want to be your wife Lucas.” I laughed and reached for him, but then I noticed the band on my finger. “Lucas, I…”
I knew what I had to say, but fuck, I didn’t want to say it.
“Lucas, yes to everything else, but I can’t take your mother’s ring.”
“It’s yours. It’s always been yours, Teagan.”
When I met Lucas’ gray eyes, I found them as sincere and earnest as I’d ever seen them. The ring felt like it was mine. It felt warm and perfect as if it was made for my finger. But Lucas had been holding onto it for who knows how long, and it was his mother’s ring. It might be the only thing he had of hers.
“But—we’ve barely known each other a month, and as you pointed out, we haven’t even kissed yet,” I said as sudden doubt crept in.
“You say that as you clutch the ring to your chest.” Lucas chuckled, and I could see no doubt in his warm eyes.
Glancing down, I had to agree that I was guarding the ring like a mama bear with her cub.
Lucas reached up and cupped my cheeks. “Teagan, it doesn’t matter how long I’ve known you. It doesn’t matter if you leave here tomorrow or stay forever. I always knew that I was going to give this ring to my mate, and that’s you. It’s always going to be you, Teagan, so the ring has no other purpose.”
“I’m not leaving Grayhaven, Lucas. I’m not ever planning on leaving. I want to make a home with you here—with all of you.” Contented happiness filled me with the words. I hadn’t dared to dream of something so beautiful as having a home for a decade. But now I had a home, a real one. Not only that, but I also had a pack. “Making a life with you five is my chance at happiness. You’re my pack. I know that now, and I want to take this chance, come what may.”
Joy dawned over his features, and his eyes brightened. “You’re staying?”
“Yes. I’m staying right here.” Leaning in, I pressed my mouth to Lucas’ soft lips. He was a contrast of petal soft and bristly, and immediately, a warm glow bubbled up in my belly. I cupped his cheeks, running my hands over his short beard. I kissed him until we were breathless, and then I broke away to say, “Does that make you my husband now, Dr. Wolf?”
“Only if you want to be my wife.”
“Oh… I’ve wanted that my whole adult life, I just hadn’t found you yet. I want to have and hold you and to love and adore you every single day.”
“And that’s exactly what I want, too, Teagan,” Lucas said.
I touched the ring, twisting the metal band around my finger. “Do you think it’ll cause us trouble with the others?”
Lucas’ lips twisted, and his brow furrowed. “We’ve already decided to not set limits on each other’s mateships with you.”
A laugh escaped me before I could help it. I wanted Lucas so much. I loved the idea of committing to him through thick and thin.
“I don’t need a court to tell me that you’re my husband, but there is one thing…” pausing, I bit my