“Sam, last year you painted me a picture of, and I quote, an accurate representation of what our friendship means to me,” Gary said.
“Which was fantastic,” I retorted. “Because everyone knows that homemade gifts are better than anything you can buy at the store.”
“It looked like you had murdered defenseless animals on a blank canvas.”
“Because I feel violent towards you sometimes. Like now, for instance.”
“Oh,” Gary said. “That makes more sense. I get it now. I wish I hadn’t thrown it—I mean, I’m glad I hung it up in my room for everyone to see whenever they like. Except for Sam. Because he’s not allowed in my room. For reasons. That have nothing to do with the painting.”
I frowned at him.
“And you must be Knight Commander,” Vadoma said to Ryan.
“I am,” Ryan said, posing slightly because he still couldn’t help himself. “I have pledged an oath to the King of Verania to protect the Crown at all—”
“Why you stand so close to my grandson?”
Ryan opened and closed his mouth a couple of times. He wasn’t used to anyone interrupting his ridiculously dashing and immaculate speech about his oath and fealty, even if most people in the room had heard it a hundred times. And I was fine with hearing it again, if I was being honest. First, because I was proud of him and how far he’d come. Second, because I had this weird kink where I found it to be ridiculously hot when he talked about loyalty to the Crown and would usually try to find the nearest available surface to pound him into.
“Why… what?” he eventually said.
“You stand on top of my grandson,” Vadoma said slowly, like she was speaking to an idiot. “Because….”
“Oh!” I said. “I can answer that one. Because he’s my boo.”
Ryan groaned.
“Don’t act like you don’t like it,” I said, rolling my eyes. “Everyone knows you do.”
“Literally everyone,” Justin said. “Because that’s all we had to hear about for months. Sam said this and Sam did that and isn’t Sam just the best thing to happen in the history of anything?” Justin made a face. “I honestly gave thought to having myself executed to escape hearing anything else.”
“You talk about me?” I asked Ryan.
Ryan flushed. “No,” he said, sounding petulant.
“Yes,” everyone else said. Including the knights along the walls.
“Wow,” I said in awe. “You think I’m incredible. Having validation is pretty much the best feeling ever.”
“I just like your face,” Ryan mumbled, shuffling his feet on the floor. “And stuff.”
“I am going to do so many things to you later,” I said. “Things I can’t talk about right now because my parents and my long-lost grandma are standing right near us and I want them to think I’m still a virgin.”
“We don’t think that,” Dad said. “Especially since you came to us the day after you lost it and announced it at breakfast.”
“He was so proud,” Mom said fondly. “Like that time he was nine and brought home a bug he’d found under a log.”
“Not quite the same thing,” Dad said, squeezing Mom tighter. “But we’ll count it as close enough.”
Ruv finally dropped his pose and leaned toward Vadoma, mouth near her ear. He spoke to her in a clipped foreign tongue that reminded me of my mother. Vadoma nodded along with whatever he was saying until she held up a hand, cutting him off.
“You are together?” she asked me, nodding over at Ryan.
“Yes,” Ryan said, taking my hand in his.
“In sin, even,” I said, waggling my eyebrows, because if there is one thing I apparently could not do, it was to not brag that I’d somehow snagged Ryan Foxheart.
“Sam,” Ryan chided gently, but I’m sure everyone in the room could see the smile quirking along his lips. I might have exasperated him and been more than frustrating, but for some reason, he loved me. And I would have done anything for him. We were kind of disgusting that way. “Maybe not tell that to your grandmother who you’re meeting for the first time.”