His long index fingers dipped into the material of my bra, pulling it down just an inch to reveal the tops of my breasts. "Yeah, why?"

"Just wondering," he said, planting a warm kiss on the exposed skin. He tugged down revealing more skin. "I have something important to ask you."

"Shoot," I gritted out when he kissed me right below where he had a moment before.

Tristan slipped his hands around my lower back and tugged me forward on his lap just the right way so that I could feel him hard beneath me. "Would you have chosen the Elvis or the ship if it were your wedding?"

Another stupid noise came out of my throat when he lifted his hips up just slightly. I really wanted to focus, but I couldn't. "What?"

"Elvis—," he tugged down at the material even more, enough so that the deep pink of my nipples showed. "Or the ship?"

I gasped when he kissed and then dragged his tongue across the edge of my bra. "Um, Elvis."

He stopped for just a brief second, and then bucked his hips up once more, apple green eyes looking into mine. "Good answer."

His words and question nibbled at me, my subconscious having just enough reasoning to wonder why he would ask me that. Maybe I knew, but I didn't choose to think about it then, instead allowing myself to just feel his warm body under me and in front of me. He nuzzled my neck for the briefest moment, and I had to thank whatever god was listening right then for bringing this man into my life. He sure as fuck wasn't perfect but at the same time, he was.

What other man would care enough about my feelings the way he did? He was always telling me that he loved me and being sweet, while I returned the gesture afterward. Just like when I'd been dealing with keeping my emotions closed off from him to avoid attaching myself, which obviously didn't work very well at all. I realized that I was still guarding my words with him, still hesitating with really letting him know that everything he felt about me, I reciprocated even if I wasn't as bold as he was. He'd left me no doubt that he loved me and wanted to be with me, but I was still cautious.

"Mag?" I choked out, trying to think of my words. "I have an, oh," he passed his tongue over me again, "Important question, too."

"Hmm?" He murmured, not breaking contact with my chest.

"It's not a question, actually," I sucked in a breath. He'd let go of one side of my bra only to tug down the other so roughly I heard some of the stitching snap. He stopped though, looking up at me through long, dark eyelashes. "I just wanted to tell you," I couldn't help but smile, feeling a little insecure. "Don't laugh, okay?" He nodded a slight bit, probably worried about what I'd blurt out, but I knew it wasn't bad. I knew it was the truth even in the marrow of my bones. "You'll always be my favorite person in the world. Always."

Epilogue

In the distant… but not too distant future

"Marry me."

It looked like her ears perked up at my words; her whole body tensed up and I thought she stopped breathing.

We were lying on the grass in the backyard. Yoda's two-hundred and twenty pound body was belly-up next to me with Kat on my other side.

"What... uh, what did you just say?" Her voice was high and squeaky.

"Marry me," I repeated, rolling onto my side to look at her.

Kat was on her back with her mouth wide open and her hair a mess of tangles around her head. Those dark brown eyes I'd gotten used to waking up to every morning were darting from me to a tree behind my head. She flushed pink and coughed. "Are you asking me? Or telling me?" she croaked.

"I'm telling you. Marry me."