The local furniture store had a vast assortment to choose from. After only a couple of hours, he had managed to find furniture for the entire house and appliances Lily had approved of. He would pretend to look at the different furniture, but the ones she would gravitate toward, he would buy. The ones he couldn’t tell which she liked, he would pretend to be uncertain about and ask her help to choose. It took two hours to accomplish, yet he finally had enough to furnish the house.
“Is that all I can help you with today?” Leonard asked, carrying the handheld computer which had rung up the purchases he had made. The sales clerk had lost his snobbish attitude after the first ten minutes, although his new kiss-ass attitude was just as annoying.
“That will be it,” Shade replied, putting his arm around Lily’s shoulders when she would have kept looking at the furniture.
“But you haven’t picked out your bedroom furniture,” Lily reminded him.
“I don’t need bedroom furniture. I have bedroom furniture.”
“The set in the basement?” Lily questioned, looking up at him.
Shade nodded before turning to follow the clerk to the cashier. Lily hung back, though, her feet not moving.
“But that furniture won’t match the furniture in your house,” Lily protested. “Just look at the bedroom furniture. You might find something you like better.”
“I like what I have,” Shade said, again trying to follow the sales clerk.
Lily refused to move, looking down at the floor. “It won’t match.”
Shade gave a frustrated sigh, motioning for the clerk to wait for him at the register.
“Eyes to me, Lily.” She reluctantly raised her eyes to his. “Are you crying?” he asked, stunned.
“No, I don’t cry anymore. Haven’t you noticed?”
“I can’t say that I have,” Shade replied drily.
“Well, I don’t,” she snapped back.
“Okay. We’ll debate that later. Why won’t my bedroom furniture match the rest of the furniture I bought? That happens to be an expensive set, which I custom-ordered,” Shade explained. He loved that fucking set and had been forced to wait three months for it to be made and delivered.
“I don’t care how expensive it is; it’s still different from the rest of your furniture.”
“How?”
“It isn’t new.”
“It isn’t new?” Shade repeated.
“It’s not freaking new!” Lily whisper-screamed so no one would hear her.
Understanding came to Shade, and he bent down to whisper in her ear. “I bought that bedroom set after you were hurt last summer, Lily. It’s still new.”
Lily’s eyes widened. “It’s all new?”
“All of it, including the mattress and sheets. And, before you can ask, everything in my cabinet.”
She turned red yet didn’t try to avoid his amused gaze.
“Then I guess it matches after all.”
Chapter 64
A knock sounded on the door.
“Come in,” Lucky said, setting his pen down on the desk.
Shade walked into the room, dressed in slacks and a button-down shirt along with shiny, new, expensive shoes.
Lucky sat, uncomprehending exactly what he was staring at. As understanding dawned, an unholy grin came across his face, and he sat up straighter in his chair.
“Before we start, I’m warning you that, if you make one wisecrack, you’ll be giving your own eulogy,” Shade threatened.
“Shade, you have to at least give me one.”
A warning gleam appeared in his deadly eyes. “Like I said, it’s your funeral.”
“It might just be worth it,” Lucky replied, hastily raising his hands in surrender when Shade took a step forward. “I promise I will behave to the best of my ability.”
“You do that,” Shade said, still not relaxing his threatening manner.
Lucky stood up, coming from around his desk. He reached out his hand for Shade to shake. “I told you I didn’t think you deserved Lily. Let’s see if you can change my mind, John.”
“Pastor”—Shade shook his hand back—“I want to marry Lily tomorrow.”
“Congratulations.” Lucky slapped him on his back. “When did you ask her to marry you? I saw her at the church store today, but she didn’t say anything.”
“I haven’t asked her yet,” Shade admitted grudgingly.
“You haven’t asked her yet?” he repeated in astonishment.
“No. I’ll tell her in the morning,” Shade said, taking a seat in front of Lucky’s desk as he stared down at Shade in shock.
“You can’t spring something like that on Lily.”
“She wants to get married during December when it’s snowing, and I’m not waiting another year,” Shade said stubbornly.
Lucky stared down at him, frowning, and Shade looked right back up at him.
“Lily has strong moral convictions.”
“I know; I’m her pastor.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “I still don’t—”
“She has very strong moral convictions,” Shade stressed.
“You mean…”
“Yes.” Shade turned red in anger when Lucky’s lips began twitching. If he didn’t love Lily so much, he would have decked the man five seconds ago.
Lucky went behind his desk and sat down. “I see.” He cleared his throat several times before saying, “You would like me to perform the ceremony?”