“Yeah.” His eyes drank me in. “Unable to do anything except sit, while I memorize every part of your face. You know, just in case you try to leave me again, no worries. I’ll just put up lost posters everywhere and offer a giant-ass reward. No escaping me now, woman. Once a Max settles down, it’s forever.”
“Oh, good.” I laughed. “That’s . . . really, really good.”
“Now . . .” Max pulled back and sighed. “Let’s go get those boots!”
“Cowboy up, partner.” I winked.
“God, I love you.”
I froze.
Max froze.
The earth stopped moving.
And then we both burst out laughing.
“Yeah . . .” I leaned in and kissed his mouth softly. “I kind of love you too, but only if you kill all the zombies.”
“Dude.” Max placed a hand over his heart. “Always. I will always kill the monsters as long as when you run from them you’re naked and screaming. Now that’s a visual.”
“You’ll never grow up, will you?” I laughed again.
“God, I hope not.” Max shut the door and walked around to the other side; when he opened it he started the car, turned, and asked, “You a fan of fro-yo?”
Life with Max would never be normal.
Ever.
EPILOGUE
MAX
Three months later . . .
“I think your lizard’s dead.” Colt pointed at Little G, who was chilling on his usual pillow on the coffee table.
I rolled my eyes. “He has a name: Little G. Use it or you aren’t welcome in my home. And he’s not dead, he’s resting his eyes.”
“Dude.” Colt shook his head. “Please don’t turn into that crazy couple who refuses to have kids and only adopts animals, then end up wearing matching shirts.”
Just then Jason walked in. His T-shirt had a picture of Hades on it with the saying, “I’m adopted.”
After the show we’d started a nonprofit for wild animals where kids could pick a pet, adopt it online, and then feed it and take care of it like it was really theirs. It was all virtual, but people loved it.
Including Jason.
Thus the shirt.
“What?” Popcorn fell out of his mouth.
Colt rubbed his face with his hands. “Nothing.”
“Who’s the next Bachelor?” Becca ran into the room, nearly colliding with Jason, and jumped onto my lap, her arms twisting around my neck exactly where I wanted them to be. Milo followed and sat next to Colton, a knowing grin on her face. She’d helped me plan what was about to happen—meaning I’d renominated her to be on my zombie apocalypse team and told her we could still be friends.
“You’re cute.” I nodded. “I think I’ll keep you.”
She rolled her eyes, “Max, focus, who’s the next Bachelor?” Her eyes greedily scanned the TV screen.
“Jason.” I nodded confidently.
Jason started choking on popcorn.
Colt burst out laughing and didn’t stop until Milo playfully swatted him. “He’s kidding, man.”
“Ha-ha.” Jason said in a hoarse voice.
“Please.” I rolled my eyes. “Like you could handle it.”
Reid strolled into the room and smirked. “Because you handled it so well, little brother?”
“Where’s Hades?”
“Sleeping.” Reid looked heavenward. “Can’t I be without that damn goat for one minute?”
“No,” we all said in unison. Since bringing Hades home, Reid had moved into the area, and the two had become inseparable. Reid actually ignored us to hang with the goat whenever he visited.
“Why didn’t they announce anything?” Becca asked, crossing her arms.
I pulled her tight against my chest. “I think you have an unhealthy obsession with this show . . . we should turn it off.”
“No!” She reached for the remote. I wasn’t actually going to turn it off, plus I had a surprise, or Oompa Loompa did.
“Do you ever wonder,” Rex said from his spot on the beach on TV, “what happens to our couples afterwards? Well, I have it on good authority that our last Bachelor’s getting hitched! Congrats from all of us to Max and Becca!”
Becca stilled on my lap.
I grinned and waited for her to yell or say something.
“Um?” Becca turned and glared. “Is that how you’re proposing?”
“No.” I shook my head. “That was me preparing you for the most epic of proposals ever in the history of the universe. I figure it’s only fair.”
Milo rolled her eyes in my direction.
“What?” Becca asked.
“Fair,” I repeated. “I didn’t want you to have a heart attack or blame me because your makeup starts watering all over the place from the tears.”
“Tears?” She squinted. “Do you see tears?”
“Oh.” I nodded. “There will be tears, lots and lots of tears.”
“I’m waiting.”
“Impatient . . .” I sighed. “When will she learn, guys? Max’s way is the best way, the only way, the—”
Becca clapped her hand over my mouth. “Are you seriously going to ruin the proposal before it even starts?”
I shrugged.
And that’s when the music started . . . the commercial break had taken longer than I’d thought.
The music was soft—classical—and on the TV screen were pictures and images of Becca and me on the show together. Each image brought up a different memory . . . I wanted to remind her how we’d fallen in love.