“I don’t have a ring or a plan or anything. I’ll make this up to you later. I’ll do it the right way, later. For now, please, tell me you’ll marry me, Samantha Page? Tell me you’ll be mine forever?”
She nodded. “I will.” It was half laugh, half sob. All heart.
“What!” came a shriek from Jennie from the other end of the hall. “Did I just see what I thought I saw?”
Jennie and Chad barreled down the hall toward them. Well, Jennie barreled. Chad followed with a bemused smile on his face.
Jennie grabbed Sam in a hug, while Chad shook his head at Logan. “Really? In the hallway? At the police station? Do you even have a ring?”
Jennie let go of Sam and both women turned on Chad and Logan.
“It was romantic because it was so spontaneous, Chad!” Jennie said and Sam echoed the sentiment with a swat to his chest.
“Yeah,” said Logan, unable to stop smiling. “I did it right. Sam says so.”
Chad shook his head, but laughed and clapped Logan on the back.
“Congratulations, man. I’m happy for you. For both of you.” He pulled Sam into a hug and kissed the top of her head. The gesture was that of a big brother, not romantic in any way, but Logan still felt a kick of jealousy growl deep in his gut.
Damn, he loved this woman. Loved her, revered her, and was so damned grateful for her.
Chad released Sam and grinned. “I’d say let’s go out for a drink to celebrate, but uh,” he said, looking a little uneasy.
“But since I have a lunatic of unknown identification on my ass and Logan has the press crawling all over him, trying to get a statement from America’s favorite new hero, we shouldn’t be out in public?” Sam said, managing to bring a cheeky kind of lightness to the situation.
It didn’t mean Logan didn’t tense at the reality of her words and at her reference to him as a hero, but he appreciated her trying to lighten the heaviness of a crazy situation.
“Yeah, that.” Chad grinned back at Sam.
“So, come back to my place,” Sam said, taking Logan’s hand. “We can hole up there and have a toast. Zach is already there. We can have Jesse meet us. Kelly and Jack just left. Kelly’s exhausted so we shouldn’t drag them back out, but the rest of us can celebrate.”
“Sam!” Monique called from behind them, coming down the hallway. She held up Sam’s new coat—the bulletproof one designed to keep her safe. “You forgot your coat.
Sam had the decency to blush.
“Really?” Logan raised his eyebrows at her. “Already?”
She mumbled an apology as Logan took the coat from Monique and slipped it on Sam, and then proceeded to button the front up, all the way to her chin. Now it was Sam’s turn to raise her eyebrows.
“Really?” she mimicked back to him.
“Yes. I’m not losing you now, babe. Let’s go.”
He put his arm around her shoulders and the group headed toward the exit and what they knew would be a gauntlet of press. Logan couldn’t care less about the press anymore. All that mattered now was keeping Sam safe and keeping him out of jail so they could start their life together.
* * *
Logan pulled Sam down to straddle his lap as he ran his hands up and down her arms. Her skin was so soft. So amazing to touch. He was stunned that she’d said yes to him, that she planned to marry him.
They had enjoyed a fairly quick celebratory drink with their friends before kicking most of them out and heading up to bed. Zach and Chad were still sleeping on the couch downstairs, taking turns on watch duty at night.
“Are you upset that I didn’t plan a big fancy proposal?” he asked. “Or even get a ring?”
He really was an ass. He should have taken his time and planned something nice for her, instead of rushing into things as soon as he realized what he was feeling.
Sam leaned back in his lap, her arms holding onto his shoulders. “No, not at all. Are you sorry you asked?”
Her eyebrows knit together and he kissed away the thoughts flitting across her face. “Not in a million years. I just worried that you might have been upset because I acted too quickly.”