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Can’t he put
us
first? Once in a while?
The pettiness of being jealous of an eight-year-old made her feel even worse.
    Hey, it was
your
idea to suggest that you two slow things down
, the voice pointed out.
    â€œWell, he didn’t have to
agree
with me,” she muttered.
    Mentally kicking herself, she rolled off the mattress and finished getting ready for bed. After changing into a plain T-shirt and flannel pajama pants—
because why dress all sexy when the man of your dreams is sleeping down the hall with his kid
—she slid under the covers and clicked off the bedside lamp. She lay in the dark, staring across the room. The moon’s light shone through theuncovered window and formed a piece of art on the far wall.
    Shay wondered why this was hitting her so hard. She had always been able to hitch up her big girl panties every time a relationship soured, taking a secret—albeit a kind of twisted—pride in putting her profession ahead of any happily-ever-after scenario with some guy.
    Until Bann, with Cor in tow, had appeared in her life. An old-school warrior as well as an old-school gentleman, he had been resentful of his clan for turning their backs on him after Cernunnos had killed his wife. Weary from a year on the road, trying to keep one step ahead of the shapeshifter, and determined not to be the cause of another Fey’s death.
And mule-headed stubborn as the day is long
, she reminded herself.
    But slowly, over the following few weeks, they had become friends. A friendship that had slid into love as gently and gradually as the sun welling above the eastern plains, eager to kiss the mountains, before either of them was aware of it. Shay snorted.
Well, certainly, we were aware of the
lust
side of things. We are Celts, after all
.
    It was the evening they had fought side-by-side, defeating a pack of Fir Bolgs who had attacked her house, when Bann admitted how much he missed having a friend. Later that night, they had become lovers.
    Friends and lovers.
    Tears burned her eyes at the thought of losing that.
Maybe this
isn’t
going to work after all. Between us
. She blinked furiously.
Knock it off!
Swiping at her face, she started to roll over when a faint rap on the door stopped her.
    â€œCome in,” she called, knowing—
hoping
—it was Bann.
    The door swung open. Bann stepped into the room. The torc around his neck shimmered gold in the moonlight while the same light tinted his bare torso in shades of pewter. “Shay.”
    â€œYes?” She sat up, holding her breath.
    â€œYou were wrong, Shay.”
    â€œWrong about…”
    â€œAbout us.”
    Her heart clenched into a tight, little knot. Fisting her hands under the covers, she dug her nails into her palms. “Oh?” She fought to keep her voice level.
    â€œWe are
not
moving along too quickly. In fact…” On bare feet, he walked over and turned on the bedside lamp, then took a knee next to the bed. He held out his hand. A small, square box rested on his palm.
    At the sight of the jewelry box, her pulse broke into a gallop. She picked it up, the purple covering kitten-fur soft under her fingers, and opened it. A trio of slender rings, each crafted from a different metal in a wavy pattern, rested on a bed of plush velvet. The rings were cleverly shaped to form an intricate Celtic rope pattern when worn together.
    â€œâ€˜Three rings for my love,’” Bann quoted the ancient words. “Will ye have me for yer husband, Shay Doyle?” Hope and wariness vied in his voice.
    Tears blurred her vision as she leaned forward and kissed him, the box still clutched in one hand. His arms wrapped around her.
    â€œIs that a yes?” he murmured against her lips.
    â€œOh, yes!” Blinking, she sat back and waited while he removed the rings from the box and placed the container on the bedside table. Then he took her left hand in his.
    â€œBronze for the Maiden.” He slid the