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“I know It’s wild, isn’t it?” She laughed and shook her head “I spent a lot of ti married by a stripper in a priest’s costume”

“Mine did,” I said, straight-faced “It’s all I ever wanted as a young boy growing up on a Christmas tree farm”

For a second it looked like she believed me, and then she shook her head “Hardy-har”

“Let own and Baby Girl as the ring bearer?”

Cujo lifted her head frorowled at the mention of her name

“Yes!” she said, like I’d read her‘I Think I Wanna Marry You’”

“By Bruno Mars?” I asked

“Yeah, but slowed down and all instrumental So romantic And I wanted, like…” she spread her arms out wide “Thousands of white roses”

“And instead you got a plastic ring and—”

“’Sweet Child O’ Mine’”

I winced “Did I pick that out? I had a real thing for Guns N’ Roses when I was a teenager”

“You did It’s a real popular stripper song”

I put hed and patted as, baby”

“Do you reh the tequila-soakedup blank

“You don’t?”

I shook my head The proposal The cereood, though,” I said, looking at this beautiful woman at my kitchen island “If it convinced a wouy like me”

“I am a catch”

“Coreed “I honestly don’t knohat you were thinking”

“Well, tequila was doing , ”she said and set down her fork “And I liked your smile”

“It’s the dimples”

“No,” she said and reached over and touched ht like I’d been hit with lightning “I liked hohen you smiled, you smiled with your eyes”

Her touch ondown since she arrived, through the conversation about our apparent sex tape and watching her eyes glitter as she flirted with h me Uncontrollable

And nothing ever in my life was outside of ainst ainstbreath and I knew she felt the same way

Her eyes ide, startled but not scared Not…uninterested

“I want to kiss you,” I said

“Of course, you do,” she whispered, trying to flirt Trying to tease But I was rattled and so was she “I’m very kissable”