Page 141 of Zorro

Zorro never looked away from her. “Don’t make me beg, mi vida. But I will.”

Everly blinked at him, heart wide open. “I accept. I’ll marry you.” She looked toward the tent flap. “Apparently I’m marrying all of them, too.”

Zorro gave a soft laugh. “I fell in love with you in front of an audience. Not surprised my proposal came with spectators.”

Everly raised a brow. “Where I draw the line is when we conceive our children.”

“Fair.”

“I’m keeping a loaded shotgun next to the bed.”

Blitz muttered, “I don’t know whether to get misty-eyed or leave the country.”

Zorro deadpanned, “Do we need a warning sign?”

Everly grinning. “Bold type. Keep Out. Conception in Progress.”

He slipped the ring onto her finger. Applause broke loose, followed by whistles and laughter and a few exaggerated sobs from the peanut gallery.

Later, they dragged their sleeping bags outside. The stars flung themselves across the sky like salt spilled across black silk. They lay wrapped together beneath it, her laughter caught in the curve of his chest.

Zorro watched her with quiet awe. His voice, when it came, was ragged.

“I love you, querida. Through blood, through SEAL Team insanity, through juice boxes and UDT shorts, through hogties and Frank and the boys. No other woman could’ve made me this happy.”

Everly cupped his face. Her voice trembled. “I love you, Mateo, through all that, and especially, this, skin to skin, heart to heart, body to body through a lifetime of you and me. Forever.”