“Endymion has been my favorite parade since I was a little kid. I think you’ll enjoy it, but you have to stay right by me. I do not want us getting separated in the crowd.”
“Okay.”
“I’d love to be alone with you, but it’s better if we have protection. I don’t want you jostled.”
He wasn’t going to stop being overprotective anytime soon, but as much as it frustrated me sometimes, it also warmed me inside. “I love you.”
He brushed his lips over mine. “Henri, I love you so much. Come on. Let’s make this a special night.”
I had a feeling there was some hidden meaning to his words, but I didn’t push him to say more. I knew him well enough now to know that if he wasn’t ready to tell me, he wouldn’t.
A driver dropped Remington, me, and the two guards accompanying us off as close to the parade route as he could. We had a spot on Orleans Avenue near the start of the parade route at City Park. It was clear the man Remington had sent to stake out the spot had been there quite a while.
A little while before the parade began, I heard the bands practicing down the street. The crowd thickened, and I felt the excitement in the air. I turned when a man spoke to Remington. “I have your delivery, sir.” He handed Remington a rectangular box.
Remington gave him a huge smile. “Thank you. Give my thanks to Etienne.”
“Of course.”
I frowned, looking back and forth between the man and Remington. “Is that a king cake?”
“It sure is.”
“You had it delivered to us during a parade?”
“The parade hasn’t actually started yet, and I thought you might like a snack.”
“We couldn’t bring one from home like normal people?”
He scoffed. “I don’t do anything like normal people.”
He lifted the lid off the box, and I saw that the cake was precut. He lifted a piece and handed it to me along with a napkin. “Here you go. It’s your favorite.”
“Cherry and cream cheese?”
He raised his brows. “Did you honestly think I didn’t remember?”
“Thank you!”
“Go on, eat it before the parade distracts you.”
I bit into the cake, groaning at the deliciousness. When I took a second bite, my teeth hit against something hard. At first, I assumed I’d gotten the baby, but it didn’t feel right in my mouth, and when I pulled it out, I stared at what was in my hand.
It wasn’t a little plastic baby. It was a shiny gold ring.
My eyes flew to Remington’s. “Is this…?”
Remington went down on one knee right there in the midst of the parade crowd. Everyone around us turned to watch, and dozens of cameras flashed.
“Henri, will you marry me?”
He was proposing to me at a Mardi Gras parade on the street in front of tons of people, and I couldn’t be happier. It was crazy. It was over the top. It was amazing.
“Yes! A hundred times yes!” He slipped the ring on my finger.
I didn’t care that it was still sticky with cake filling. I couldn’t stop looking at it. I was going to marry the man of my dreams. The parade began, and Remington wrapped his arms around me. I didn’t think I’d ever been happier.
Remington
The joy on Henri’s face was enough to warm me as the night grew slightly chilly—or chilly for New Orleans at least. He alternated from staring at the ring on his finger to gawking at the floats as they came by. His joy must’ve made him stand out from the crowd because string after string of beads was thrown his way. By the time the last float passed us by, he was weighed down with countless strands of shiny plastic.
The crowd began to disperse, and I made sure the guards were with us as I held Henri’s hand and led him through the crowd toward the back edge of the Quarter where Corbin waited to drive us to the airport. The proposal wasn’t the only surprise I had planned. I’d also gotten X’s permission to spend a few days on his private island.
When Henri saw Corbin standing by the car, he squeezed my arm. “You didn’t have to have Corbin fight this traffic. I could have walked home. It wasn’t much farther than this, was it?”
“No, but we’re not going home.”
“Where are we going?” He was adorably confused.
“You’ll see.”
“Remington.”
“Trust me.” I kissed the top of his head and gestured for him to get into the back of Corbin’s SUV.
“There’s luggage in here,” he said, looking over the back seat.
“Hmm. I wonder what that could be for.” Corbin was laughing so hard I hoped he could focus on the road.
“Remington!” Henri stuck out his lower lip, and I longed to bite it.
“I may have listened to my very wise fiancé and decided to take several days off work.”
Corbin snorted loudly, and I kicked the back of his seat.
“Fuck, Remy. Driving in the Quarter’s hard enough.”
“Then shut up and concentrate.”
When we were out of the worst traffic, I tapped Corbin on the shoulder.
“What is it, big brother?”
“Did everything go okay yesterday?” I hadn’t had a chance to talk to him since I’d sent him to handle some business for us on one of the casino boats.
“Oh, yeah. It’s all fine.” His tone was far too dismissive, like he hoped I didn’t ask more questions. That wasn’t good. He was hiding something, but I decided to ignore it. I was about to go on vacation with the man I was desperately in love with. Whatever was up, Lance could handle it for a few days.
When we arrived at the airport, I gave in to Henri’s constant questioning.
“We’re going to X’s private island. He even sent his own plane to fly us down.”
“Wait. I just got engaged, and now I’m going on a tropical vacation with my fiancé on Thomas Carrington’s private plane?”
“That’s right.”
“Pinch me,” he demanded.
“This isn’t a dream.”
“He’s not going to believe you. Pinch him,
