The Care and Feeding of Stray Vampires
He waggled his eyebrows. “Considering what Buffy did with Angel and Spike over the course of seven seasons, I think I’d be OK with that.”
“How do I know that you’re not going to walk out on me again the next time things get rough?”
“I don’t do that. Not anymore.”
“Considering that you just did it, I have a hard time believing that,” I shot back with a little more vitriol than I’d intended. I blew out a long breath, ruffling the bangs curling into my line of vision. “You hurt me.”
“I’m sorry. But you can trust me never to do it again. Open my wallet.”
I sighed. “If you offer me an obscene amount of money right now, I think you should know that I am capable of hurting you. You’re bigger than creepy John, so it may take me a while, but I will take a chunk out of you.”
I flipped open the expensive-looking leather contraption, and an engagement ring slid out into my open palm. He slid the ring onto my finger. I took a moment to admire the respectable square-cut diamond, offset by little flowers engraved in the platinum band. He kissed my hand and tucked it against his chest. “I’m thinking a Halloween wedding. Gigi would appreciate it. And think of the many ways you could use trick-or-treat candies as part of the theme. Candy corn and chocolate kisses as far as the eye could see.”
I laughed, pleased at how well he knew me. “I’ve already got two weddings booked for that night. Newly made vampires just love getting married on Halloween,” I replied. “How about next spring? It would give me more time to plan.”
“Winter solstice. The longest night of the year,” he countered.
“I’m still saying spring.”
“Which means you never quite learned how negotiating works.”
Why did everybody tell me that?
I barely resisted the urge to smirk at him. “How badly do you want to marry me, Mr. Calix?”
He grumbled. “Done.”
“I love you,” I told him.
“I love you more than anything I have known or seen in my long, long life. Marry me, stay with me.”
“Done.” I laughed and kissed him. “So, did you have a plan B if I said no? Because it would be hard to bounce back from lying prostrate on the floor in the dark with any dignity.”
“I have several extra-large bags of M&M’s stashed in your china cabinet,” he admitted.
“You think I can be bought with bulk candy?” I asked, lifting a brow. He smiled winsomely. “OK, you were close to the mark.”
I wrapped his arms around my shoulder and tucked my face into this throat. “I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings when you asked if I wanted to be turned. I just wasn’t ready yet. I’m still not. There are some loose ends I need to wrap up, with the business, with the human world, with Gigi. I want to have some time with her yet, to say good-bye to things like cheeseburger night and talk to her about wills and health insurance. I want to take her on a real vacation before she starts college, somewhere sunny. I can’t exactly do that if I’m a vampire.”
Cal nodded, pressing a kiss to my temple. “I understand. Beachcombing is considerably less fun when you’re worried about bursting into flames.”
“How about we wait until Gigi’s sophomore or junior year of college?” I asked. “She’ll have time to adjust to the idea of me being turned. She won’t be around for the scary new-vampire phase. By the time she comes back for a visit, I shouldn’t be a danger to her.”
“Done. But what about your business?”
“Right now, it’s going great. I’ll have time to build it up a bit, hire some daytime people, and move into a more managerial role.”
“What will you tell Gigi?”
“I will tell her that we love her. And we’re her family, whether we’re living or not. And with a three-thousand-year-old future brother-in-law, she will have the coolest family sitting at graduation.”
“Graduation?”
“Graduation, birthdays, Christmases, and any number of events that require you to wear a silly sweater or staple twisted crepe paper to the porch. This is the price of being part of a family,” I told him, toying with his shirt buttons. Cal grimaced. “Too late to back out now.”
“In terms of the sweater, how silly are we talking?”
“Cal.”
“On a scale of one to ten?”
“Cal!”
“Am I allowed to negotiate terms?”
I cupped his chin in my palm. “It will make Gigi happy.”
“Damn it, you know my weakness.”
“I love you.”
He groaned. “That’s my other weakness.”
“And by that, you mean …”
“I love you, too.”
“Wonderful. Now, let’s get you off the floor,” I said, slipping my hands into his. At my hip, my BlackBerry jangled to life with “Flight of the Bumblebee.” Cal’s eyes flicked toward the offending device, apparently resigned to the idea that he would be sharing me for eternity with a ridiculous novelty ringtone. Nuzzling my nose against his throat, I unclipped the phone from my belt and slid it onto the countertop. He grinned down at me, kissing me soundly. I wound my arms around his neck and sighed.
“Let it ring.”