A few minutes later, he heard the whirring of an electric toothbrush, then the bathroom door opened. She stood, hair twisted up in a towel on her head, in her rainbow pajamas.
“I’m thinking you’re not hungry?” he asked.
She shook her head.
He took her hand and led her to her room. When she was sitting on the edge of her bed, he started drying her hair with the towel. “Brush?” he asked.
She rolled her eyes but pointed at the dresser.
He grabbed her brush, gently working any snarls or tangles from her long hair. “Feeling better?”
“Ugh.”
He grinned, setting the brush aside. “Need anything?”
“Sleep,” she said, breaking into a yawn.
He wasn’t about to let her go to sleep just yet. His plans of seduction might be out the window, but he’d convinced the justice of the peace to marry them tomorrow morning. Now all he had to do was convince the bride.
He knelt in front of Annabeth, pulling the rings from his pocket.
Her eyes went round. “Where did you get these?”
“Flo.” He smiled. “Wouldn’t be right without her blessing.”
She shook her head, the unmistakable sheen of tears in her eyes.
“Don’t you cry on me, Princess.” He took her left hand and slid the engagement ring on. “Just say you’ll marry me. And then I’ll let you get some sleep.”
She stared at the ring, blinking furiously. When she looked at him, he wasn’t prepared for the raw emotion lining her face. He didn’t like seeing her vulnerable or afraid. He didn’t like her fragile. She was the strongest person he knew.
“And if I say no?” It was a whisper.
“You can’t.” He hadn’t expected the sharp stab of pain. “How hard have you fought for this job? You deserve to keep it. Marrying me makes this baby a good thing instead of a liability.”
He saw her bite her lip before she asked, “So you’re doing this for me?”
“I’m doing this for us.” He sighed. “Marry me. Tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” Her eyes went round.
“I figured the sooner, the better. Unless you want a big wedding?”
She shook her head. “God no, but we can’t do this willy-nilly—”
“Did you just say ‘willy-nilly’?” He laughed.
“We need a plan, Ryder,” she continued.
“Fine. After the ceremony. The JP owes me a favor.” He waited, watching the shift of emotions on her face. “No fuss, no stress, just you and me.”
Her eyes locked with his as a long stretch of silence filled the room. He wanted to pull her into his arms, to reassure her that everything was going to be okay. He wanted to kiss her. Damn, he wanted her. But more than anything, he wanted to hear her say yes.
She nodded.
“Yes?” He hadn’t realized he’d been holding his breath.
“Yes.” She stared down at their joined hands. “I... I know you’re making sure there’s no scandal for me and Cody and the...baby to deal with. I won’t ask you to give up your life because we...were careless.” She pulled her hand from his and scooted back on her bed to lie down. She didn’t look at him, even though he was staring at her. Anxiety coiled in his stomach as she continued, “Before things get too complicated, we’ll come up with a solid plan—so things go smoothly until we... Until it’s time to divorce.”