"Did I interfere with you and Gina?"
The woman loses all of her stiffness and deflates a little before working herself back up, "That was different."
"How so?"
The two of them go toe to toe. "She was older. And she had family to watch out for her. I had to jump through damned hoops before her brothers were alright with us marrying."
"Through hoops? You stole her away and did it without anyone knowing about it."
"Um, I hate to interrupt but what is going on? What are we talking about?"
The woman starts tapping her foot and a look of I-told-you-so crosses her face.
Sterling takes me by the hand and leads me to the kitchen. "Why do I have the ring on?
He turns to look at me, "Because it's yours."
"What?" I'm going to need a redo on this whole morning because I am so lost.
"It belongs to you...like you belong to me."
Chapter Fifteen
____________
Sterling
Before I can explain myself to Makenzie, Kane is bursting through the door with Talia behind him. "Sterling, he's gone. He got loose and they can't find him."
I don't need Kane to tell me who is missing. "How?" He's talking about my brother.
"They said when the nurse went to check his vitals this morning his cuffs were hanging on the bed and the deputy they put at the door was knocked unconscious."
"So they don’t know how long ago he escaped?"
Kane shakes his head. Damn, this complicates things and the last thing I need today is a complication. Not with trying to get Makenzie to say yes to marrying me. I watch as Talia comes over to Makenzie and looks her over.
"Are you alright? I was so worried about you but Kane said he knew you would be with Sterling and there would be nothing to worry about."
"Kane?" Makenzie does the same with Talia.
Talia's cheeks turn a bright pink and her eyes slide over to Kane's.
"We need to up the security and make sure the girls don't go anywhere without one or both of us." Kane takes the words right out of my head.
"Sterling, what is going on?" I'm by her side in the blink of an eye. I don't want her to worry. "Why is the pretty redhead telling me I have to pick out color schemes and music?"
"Oh my God! Are you getting married?" Well, damn! Talia pretty much took any delaying I might have been going for away.
"What?! No. We're not...," She halts what she is going to say because the light bounces off the ring I put on her hand and draws her attention to the fact she's wearing an engagement ring. "Sterling?"
Talia takes her hand so she can look at the ring better. "Uh, girl, that's an engagement ring."
"Sterling?"
"I don't want to actually ask you because you might say no." I pull her away from the others so we can talk in a somewhat private manner. "I don't want you to be able to tell me no because...I want this so bad."
I take her in my arms and pull her close.