Page 94 of The Echo of Forever

Her smile did it for me; she was mine all over again, andwantedto be mine all over again.

“Yes,” she agreed, holding her hand out. “And I’ll recommit to being your wife, Demetrius Cannon.”

I slipped the engagement ring on first, then the wedding band to complete the set, and stood.

“Much better,” she murmured, taking my left hand after spotting the ring on it. “Thank you.”

I pulled her into me and kissed her forehead.

“This is so disgustingly beautiful,” Solei said, walking to the door. “It’s time for me to go. Whatever you guys agree to, I’m down. But I’m only doing it for the two of you, not your mother.”

She left, and Oliver looked between Forever or me.

“I know you don’t care one way or another,” he said, gaze meeting mine. “And truthfully, I don’t know how I feel about all this. There’s more, right?”

I nodded and broke down our encounter with Lucien.

“They couldn’t ask you themselves?”

Forever took a couple steps back and said, “I’ll leave you two to talk.”

But Oliver shook his head before she turned away.

“I’d actually like to hear what you think,” he told her.

She cut those dark eyes my way, and I nodded. One day she’d get back to the point of including herself without permission.

“Meeting them now wouldn’t give us anything to look forward to,” she said, cutting through the lingering silence. “Taking their decision-making power and moving our own pieces on the board should bring one or both of them to us.”

I nodded.

Forever and I had decided after I dicked her down until the sun came up.

“Giving them back their power and uniting Everwood is a tall order,” Oliver mused, always thinking and plotting. “It makes sense to put some of our own pieces in play while we can.”

“I knew you were smart,” she exclaimed with a smile. “We got along well, didn’t we?”

He chuckled but left his response at that.

“What do you need from me?”

She pointed her brush at him.

“Demetrius said you were good at peopling, and I got to witness it the night of the gala. So, how about we shake shit up early and make you the secret head of the Everwood Group.I know just the person to place as the face. It’s best to move Millicent out the way now.”

I couldn’t stop myself from laughing.

“I agree, my forever. But there’s no need to hide the real reason you want her out of your sight.”

She kissed her teeth and left, letting the door slam behind her.

“You being in love frightens me.”

I turned my attention to him.

“Do you accept? And if the answer is yes, is it because of our mother or Carmen?”

He immediately started toward the door, and I had my answer.