Page 74 of Keeping Kara

“I haven’t had time to read it, but now I’m damn curious,” Obi-Wan told them.

“I’ve already started book two,” Buck admitted.

“Wait until you get to book three. The tease into the next story is intense,” Chaos said with a grin.

Buck groaned, but smiled as he did so. “I know some people hate cliffhangers or those teases into the next story, but I love them. Gives me something to look forward to.”

Seeing the women break up their gathering and Kara heading his way, he said as an aside to his friends, “Keep the fact you’re reading her books on the down low. I don’t want her to be self-conscious.”

“Of course.”

“Our lips are sealed.”

“Hey,” Kara said as she approached. “What are you three talking about all stealthily over here?” she asked with a grin.

“World domination,” Buck answered without missing a beat.

“Perfect. As long as it includes lots of cake and dogs, I’m in,” Kara returned easily.

“You want a dog?” Chaos asked, already thinking about the merits of having a big mean-looking German Shepherd or Pit Bull around the house to increase security.

She laughed. “You already asked me that once, and the answer is the same. No. But that doesn’t mean I don’t love them. Maybe a snake. Or a gerbil.”

“A snake?” Chaos asked, horrified.

Kara giggled. “Kidding!”

“Thank God.”

That got Kara giggling again. “I thought you were supposed to be this big bad super soldier.”

“We are. But we leave dealing with creepy crawlies to the guys who have boots on the ground. There are no snakes in the air, and that’s how we like it,” Obi-Wan told her.

Chaos put his arm around Kara’s shoulder and pulled her against him. To his delight, she snuggled into his side, putting her arm around his belly and giving him some of her weight. “Right, noted,” she told him.

“Gonna go see if Mandy wants a drink. Anyone else?” Buck asked the group.

“I’m good, thanks,” Kara told him.

“I’ll grab a beer in a while,” Chaos said.

Obi-Wan also wandered away toward Zita, leaving Chaos and Kara alone.

“You good?” he asked.

“I’m perfect. This seems so much better than a fancy, overly choreographed reception.”

“You want something like this?” Chaos held his breath as he waited for her response. He wanted to soak up all her wants and desires and file them away so he could give her exactly what she dreamed of one day.

“Honestly?”

“Always.”

“After what happened to me. After literally having nothing. No clothes, no money, nothing, the thought of spending so much cash on a party makes me kind of nauseous. We’ve talked about the marriage thing, and while I’m not sure I feel the need to have the government recognize that my partner and I love each other and want to spend the rest of our lives together, I wouldn’t mind having a commitment ceremony of some kind. Promising to love and cherish each other for the rest of our days. Somewhere beautiful, in nature, just the two of us.”

Chaos instantly got a vision of the two of them standing in a field, not too far from his mom’s house in Maine, doing exactly what she’d just said. “You want a ring?”

She smiled at him. “I’m a girl, of course I want a ring.”