Page 106 of Fish in a Barrel

Ellery snorted, shoulders shaking. “Would you believe Galen said something similar?”

Galen’s exact words had, in fact, been, “Oh. So you’re engaged. I see no proof. I see no rings. No pictures. No romantic gestures. All I see is that neither of you got shot and Jackson’s once again full of Bactine and cat gut. I maintain skepticism.”

“The ration of shit I got from Jade and Henry has been….” Jackson breathed deeply. “Formidable.”

“All to be remedied,” Henry called. Ellery heard a click, and from under closed lids saw a burst of light. Henry took a deep breath, and Ellery heard a step, and another, and then another deep breath.

“Perfect,” Henry murmured. There was another little bit of motion, and Henry said, “Remember, Jackson, you promised.”

Jackson started to pull away. “I could just knee—”

“You could just sit down. The photo op will look great. Ellery, keep your eyes closed.”

Ellery dutifully did his part, and Jackson kept hold of his hand while he situated himself, Ellery assumed, on a chair.

“We ready?” Jackson asked.

“Yes, boss,” Henry said. “Let me get my camera out and… go.”

“Ellery, you can open your eyes.”

Ellery did and smiled.

Flowers—yes. Red roses, because classics were classics for a reason. The vase was new, a stunning green cut crystal, and Ellery saw the hint of an engraving on the base. Wow.

Henry had set the table with a pristine white tablecloth, red place mats on top. He’d set out a bottle of champagne in a bucket Ellery had never seen, although Ellery was pretty sure Jackson was not ready to drink so soon after being sedated.

There was a cake—simple, with white icing and red piping, and “Ellery, will you marry me?” piped in a graceful script.

“The cake’s awesome,” Ellery said, because his throat was closing and he didn’t have words for the big things.

“Crystal’s contribution,” Jackson said, blinking hard. “The champagne is from Dave and Alex, and Toby is responsible for the tablecloth and napkins—they’re apparently a gift, not a loan.”

Toby, a medical examiner, had been one of Jackson’s earliest friends and touchstones, and his family was still a big part of Jackson’s life, and Ellery held his hand to his chest, moved.

“Christie and Kryzynski did the flower vase,” Jackson said, surprising him.

“Galen and John sent the champagne bucket and candlesticks,” Henry reminded him. “And AJ and the Johnnies kids ran around for two days ordering things and making sure they were the right stuff.”

Jackson laughed a little. “And Mike made dinner on Jade’s instructions.”

“You should have been there to listen to Jade give him orders.” Henry snickered. “That was classic.”

Ellery’s eyes were burning. “So everybody,” he said softly. “Everybody who loves you had a hand in this.”

“Well, Kaden and Rhonda and the kids mostly sent offers of support—for you,” Jackson said, mouth twisting in a smile as he talked about Jade’s twin and his wonderful family. “Apparently they’re ready to kick me to the curb if I screw this up.”

“Which is why there must be pictures,” Henry told him, taking one more of the table setting, which deserved its own shot.

“I did do one thing,” Jackson said, and Henry reached into his pocket and handed Jackson a small box, and even though Ellery knew what was coming, he still let a happy little sob sneak through. He didn’t even have to open the box to know what they’d look like.

“Yeah?” he asked. “You did this thing?”

“Amazing what you can order from a hospital bed when you’re high as an eagle,” Jackson told him, smiling. His smile faded. “I was going to go down on one knee—”

Ellery dropped to one knee without a moment’s thought. “My turn,” he said gruffly. “You proposed last time. And you made it perfect this time. My turn.”

Jackson gaped, and Ellery shook his head.