Forever, стр. 78

“I feel you.”

I take the tablet from her hand and get down on one knee, placing the tablet on the floor. Her eyes grow wide and she covers her mouth. I pull the ring box from my pocket and open it up.

“Good, because I need to make that shit clear to the world.”

“Owen,” she drags out.

“Eva,” I mock and wink. “I wanted to give King and Misty time to have their moment. Now it’s ours.”

“O-wen,” she sobs.

I laugh. “Reel it in, baby girl. I need to ask you something.”

“Yes,” she shouts.

I throw my head back and laugh. “I still ain’t asked.”

“So. You already know my answer. Yes.”

I shake my head. “Come here, darlin’.”

She moves closer and I slip the ring on her finger. I stand and wrap her in my embrace. I pull back slightly.

“Just so we’re clear. This means you’ll marry me.”

“Yes, I will marry you Owen Brick Mason.”

“About damn time,” King booms as he and the rest of the Squad appears. They’re popping champagne as they enter the space.

“It’s only been a few months,” Eva says and starts to laugh.

“I’m with King. Too damn long.”

Eva shoots me a look and I peck her lips. I’ve wanted to make her my wife since the night I found out she was carrying my baby. It killed me to wait this long to make it official.

Misty, Sal, and Reap rush over to tug Eva from my arms to wrap her in a group hug. My brothers and soon to be father-in-law all gather me in a hug as well.

“We got some celebrating to do,” Cage croons.

Eva

I’m still in shock. I thought we were just coming to walk through a new project. I had no idea we’d be walking through our new offices or that Owen had planned to propose.

I was actually counting down the days until I have the baby and I can get Brick’s brand on me. I’d thought about a wedding as I watched Misty get married, but never once had I stopped to consider Owen would propose.

“Hey, Eva.”

For the first time today, I frown. I turn to see Troy looking around at all of my family celebrating our engagement in our new office. I draw my brows in, wondering what the heck Troy’s doing here.

“Hey, Troy,” I say warily.

“Looks like quite the party,” he says like a goofball.

“What brings you here?”

Before he can answer, Misty and Reap come over. “Eva, you have to come hear this,” they say in unison and laugh.

“Hold on,” Troy says. “I wanted to talk to you.”

“About?” I lift a brow. Something in his tone gets my attention.

He moves in closer, seeming to try to close Reap and Misty out of the conversation. I notice right away that the gesture gets Reap’s attention. She leans to whisper something to Misty before she walks off.

“Well, your school sent the forms to be filled out for your evaluation,” Troy says, bringing my attention back to him.

“O-kay. Someone fills that out so I can get my grade, right?”

“Yeah.” He licks his lips and lets his gaze roll over me. “You see. I thought it might be a conflict of interest for Mr. Mason to fill it out. If your school found out about your intimate relationship…”

He allows his words to trail off like the sleezy, sly bastard he is. Right at that moment, Owen stops behind him. Troy has no idea that my fiancé is now only a foot away with his arms folded across his chest, his ears red, and his nostrils flaring.

Now, I’ve seen Owen angry, but this is next level. I don’t think I can even call him Owen at the moment. All I can think is Brick.

I decide to play along with Troy and see how far he plans to take this. “I’m not sure where you’re going with this,” I say innocently.

“I’ll be happy to fill the form out myself. That is if you’ll have that lunch date with me,” he says and gives me that annoyingly unattractive smile.

“Wait, let me get this straight. You do know that I’m involved with Owen?”

“Yes, but I’m sure completing your internship and graduating are of some consequence to you. This fling you have going with him can’t be worth losing all of that,” he replies.

I place my ringless hand on my nonexistent bump and lift the other to reveal my engagement ring that this smug dumbass hasn’t taken the time to look at. It’s much too big for him to have missed if he weren’t such a pompous dickhead. His eyes nearly pop out of his head.

“Does this look like a fling?” I question.

Behind Troy, Reap hands Brick a crowbar. Before I can think to move out of the way, Brick swings the thing right at Troy’s knees. I yelp in surprise.

“Party’s over, ladies,” Reap sings as she grabs me and Misty by the arm. I glance at the door to see Gutter pushing Sal into Daddy’s arms and out the door.

“You’ve disrespected me repeatedly,” Brick snarls. “I let your ass slide and you come here with this shit? All you had to do was your fucking job. Drop the docs off and leave with your life.”

“Oh God,” I gasp as I look over my shoulder to find Brick choking the shit out of Troy.

“Honey, that’s your man. The Squad captain, a Lost Soul for real. And in about thirty minutes it will be as if that shit never happened,” Reap says before she laughs her ass off.