Page 75 of Royal Games (The Royals of Monterra)

“That’s the one. Let’s go.”

The diner’s lights were all off, which would have been my first clue since it wasn’t anywhere near closing time.

We walked in, and the room erupted into a loud chorus of “Surprise!”

I didn’t have to fake anything, as seeing half the town there really did shock me. I hugged Aunt Sylvia first, and then I went through a long line of people who all wanted to hug me and wish me a happy birthday. If we had a fire marshal, he would have closed the place down.

Meredith threw her arms around my legs, grinning up at me. “Were you surprised, Jen-sis?”

“Very!” I told her, ruffling her hair.

Beau growled at Rafe, baring his teeth.

“What did I ever do to that boy to make him not like me?” Rafe whispered, his hot breath warming my skin.

“He probably senses that you’re a deer killer.”

“Allegeddeer killer,” he corrected. He crouched down. “Look at those sharp teeth. Like a dinosaur.”

“I not a dinosaur,” Beau responded angrily. “I a boy!”

He stomped off to join Gracie, who sat under one of the tables unwrapping my birthday gifts one by one. She looked so cute while doing it I couldn’t even be mad.

Several of Rafe’s new employees wanted to chat with him, and Whitney seized her chance to get me alone. I had called her every night for the last week, but face-to-face gossip was always the best.

I updated her on the Taylor situation, and she told me about how Gracie had taken a tub of butter from the fridge and covered the entire kitchen floor in the time it took Whitney to go to the bathroom.

“But enough about the kids. What about your prince? Are you engaged yet? A diamond ring would be an excellent birthday present.” She actually grabbed my left hand to inspect it, as if I wouldn’t have told her first thing if he had proposed. “Everybody’s talking about how you two are obviously going to get married.”

“They are?” I said in surprise.

“Well, it’s mostly just me saying it, but everybody nods whenever I bring it up.”

I laughed. “It’s way too soon for that. I haven’t even told him that I love him yet.”

“Do you? Love him?” She sat down on a barstool. “Why am I even asking that? Of course you do. Why haven’t you told him?”

I sat next to her. “It’s kind of dumb.”

“Oh sweetie, you’re in love. Dumb is a prerequisite.”

“I want to be sure. I’m like ninety percent sure, but I want to get all the way to a hundred before I dive back into anything. I don’t want to get hurt again. And he’s being really patient with me.”

Rafe had coaxed Gracie out from under the table and was putting the presents back, trying to fix them as best he could. It was sweet.

“Look at you smiling at him. I don’t know how to tell you this, Genesis, but you’re already at a hundred percent.”

I wanted to tell her she was wrong, but found that I couldn’t.

“So if he didn’t get you a diamond, what did he give you?”

Other than keeping me out of Taylor’s clutches and giving me an easy raid onWarcraft? “Nothing yet.”

Whitney finally realized what Gracie had been doing and went over to help clean up the mess her daughter had made.

Rafe’s gift would probably be something extravagant that I would have to make him take back. A new car? Beach house? My own space shuttle? A private island?

Rafe came up behind me, putting his hand on the small of my back. “What are you thinking about?”