Page 90 of The Biker and the Baker

“Justifiably selfish.”

“No. I should’ve—”

“There’s nothing to apologize for, babe. I don’t blame you for anything.” He places his hand on my thigh and squeezes reassuringly. “We’re together. Even closer than we were before. Makes no sense looking back now. Yeah?”

My nod is jerky.

“So,”—he cracks a half-smile—“your debt…”

“I’ll pay up.” I sweep tears from my eyes, sniffling. “How soon can we get to the, um, sperm bank?”

He clucks his tongue. “Not so fast. This debt has to be paid with interest.”

I glare. “Interest? Are you kidding me right now?”

He doesn’t twitch or crack a smile, so I suppose he is.

I snort at his deadpan expression. “How does one even add ‘interest’ to what you’ve asked for repayment?”

“I’ll tell you in a bit.” His gaze drops to the doll in my lap, and he eyes it as if he’s jealous of it. He takes it from me and leans over untilhishead is in my lap instead.

I comb my fingers through his curls and he closes his eyes with a satisfied sigh. “You big baby.”

“I love you,” he whispers in reply.

I love you.Words he only uses when he’s blissfully content and wantsmeto know it.

We sit by the lake, bathing in each other’s aura, until the sun hunkers down behind the trees, drowning the lake in darkness, the light from the houses on the other side of the lake bouncing off the surface of the water.

When sandflies start to annoy us, we decide to head back to the house.

As we’re nearing the house, Lily and Lola appear at the sliding glass back door.

“Aunty Pia,” Lola, the youngest, calls through her thick accent. “Have you seen my Ken doll by the lake? I think I lost him.”

“Oh, yes, I have,” I say, waving the doll. “But he seems to have lost an arm.”

“I have it!” Lily exclaims, running out the door toward us. Claudette and Jeff appear beside Lola, all three of them looking out at us.

We stop walking when Lily gets to us and hands me Ken’s dislocated arm. “Will you reattach it for me?”

“Of course, sweetie.” She’s so stinking cute, with her cherubic cheeks, big brown eyes, and long, wild curls to match.

I take the tiny doll arm from her and make to position it for reattachment when I notice something dangling from it. “Lily, honey, it looks like there’s—”

She bursts into a giggle and sprints off back to the house before I can finish. Confused as all get out, I frown at the family of four at the back door, who’re all smiling at us, Lily and Lola bouncing with excitement.

“What’s going on with them?” I muse.

I glance down at Ken’s arm again to examine the dangling object more closely under the yellow glow of the backyard lights. And…

My breath catches.

Because it’s a ring.

A glistening, diamond-encrusted Halo engagement ring.

By the time it hits me what’s happening here, Onyx is on his knees in front of me. “Withinterest,”he says.