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“Is he okay?”

“He’s fine, but he’s going to be late. He said he’ll be here tomorrow.” He didn’t like the sounds of thisclose callRoman had mentioned, but as long as he was fine, that was all that mattered.

He parked out front and got out, grabbing all the bags before Loren could get to them. She gave him the eye but didn’t argue,settling with carrying the flowers and the box of strawberries. Darien would have taken those too, if he’d had an extra hand—or at least one that wasn’t broken.

The muffled closing of car doors and the splashing of the fountain out front were the only sounds in the quiet of the night.

Ivy unlocked the doors and disarmed the spell system.

And then they were in, their voices echoing in the foyer. High ceilings, white walls, a crystal chandelier, more black accents. It’d been about a year since he’d set foot in this house; he’d almost forgotten what it looked like. While Heaven’s Gate had more square footage plus a guest house, it shared a similar layout with Hell’s Gate, which was why they’d snatched up the new build when it had gone up for sale—to feel like a second home if they were ever forced to vacate their first.

“Make yourselves at home,” Darien said. He set down his and Loren’s bags by the double staircase, the wood so new it shone like polished gold. “All the bedrooms are furnished. Take your pick. Doesn’t matter to me who sleeps where, as long as everyone’s happy.”

Ivy said, “You guys can choose—Jack and I are fine with whatever. I’m going to start dinner.” She headed for the kitchen, flicking lights on along the way. “I hope everyone’s okay with tacos.”

“I love tacos,” Arthur called after her. “If you need anything, Ivy, let me know and I’ll be there in a jiffy.”

“Just relax, Art,” she said, her echoing voice getting farther away. “I’ve got this.”

“Coming through,” Jack said, squeezing his way through the group and hurrying after Ivy.

“I’ll give them a hand,” Lace said. “I don’t care which room I get, either, by the way—you guys go ahead and choose, and I’ll take whatever’s left.” She disappeared toward the kitchen thatoverlooked the backyard, her cat Familiar leaping out of her shadow to follow on soundless paws.

Darien faced Loren and the others who remained. To those who had never been here before, he said, “Come on. I’ll show you around.”

82

Heaven’s Gate

ANGELTHENE, STATE OF WITHEREDGE

“Well, sweetheart? What do you think?”

Where she stood with Darien by the floor-to-ceiling windows in the bedroom of her choosing, Loren parted the curtain and scanned the twilit backyard, the trees and spring blossoms gilded by the warm glow of garden lanterns and string lights. It was beautiful.

So was the room, the color scheme soft and calming. In the center of the tidy space sat a plush, king-size bed, and on the wall straight across from it hung a moody painting of a storm-addled ocean. Just like the rooms at Hell’s Gate, there was also an attached bathroom and a spacious walk-in closet big enough to be a bedroom.

Loren let go of the curtain and turned on a heel to face Darien. He was right in front of her, so close the space between them felt electrically charged, as if a magnetic field—one that was getting very,veryhard to ignore—were drawing them together.

“I love it,” she told him. “I think it’s a very lovely home.”

A charming smile flirted with one corner of his distracting mouth.

“I need a rubber neck to date you,” she blurted. He was so tall, she had to tip her head back to see his face. That beautiful, breathtaking face.

He exhaled. “That’s a relief,” he said.

She blinked. “What’s a relief?”

“That we’re still dating.”

“Oh.” Silly Darien. As if she could ever break up with someone as selfless and incredible as him. Someone who’d sacrificed so much for her.

Darien cleared his throat. “Now that we’re alone, I’d like to talk, if you’ll let me.”

“Okay.” She already knew what he was going to ask her, though—and she already had her answer. She loved this man far too much to keep snubbing him the way she had these last few days.

But, instead of speaking, Darien drew a deep breath and lowered himself to one knee before her.