living covenant 03 - eternal covenant Read Online Free PDF Page B

clearly thinks you’re too hot for me.”
    “I’m too hot for everyone,” Aric said, grinning. “I think Pemberley was the name of the house in Pride & Prejudice , right?”
    I frowned. “How can you possibly know that? Isn’t that a chick book?”
    “Ha, ha,” Aric intoned. “I had to take English classes at Covenant College. It wasn’t all fun, games, drinking and sorority girls.”
    “You’re a pig.”
    “Don’t be jealous, dear,” Aric said, patting my knee. “I gave up all those sorority girls for you – and I’ve regretted it only once or twice.”
    “You’re a big pig,” I muttered.
    “Oink.”
    Despite our jovial attitudes, something serious occurred to me. “You still want to marry me, right?”
    “What kind of a question is that?”
    “That wasn’t an answer.”
    “Of course I want to marry you,” Aric said, making a face. “I’ve wanted to marry you since I met you.”
    “Let’s not go overboard,” I said dryly. “It’s just … I kind of got worried because you seemed worried. I thought maybe you were projecting your stuff on me in the hope I would call off the wedding.”
    “We are so messed up,” Aric said, chuckling. “Zoe, I don’t want anything in this world but to marry you. That’s the one thing I can say is absolutely necessary for my happiness.”
    “Mine, too,” I said, smiling as he leaned over to give me a sweet kiss. “I also want some of your ice cream.”
    “I knew that was coming,” Aric muttered, leaning the cone over so I could sample some of the chocolate goodness.
    “They need to come up with a way to combine sprinkles and dipping chocolate so they can make the ultimate cone,” I said.
    “I love how happy ice cream makes you,” Aric said. “Maybe I should get you one of the ice cream cakes here and call it a day.”
    “You jest, but I would totally love that,” I said. “Did you see the one in that side cooler with the turtle on it?”
    Aric laughed. “What is it with you and cakes that have sea creatures on them?”
    I shrugged. “I have no idea.”
    “Well, how about I get us our own private ice cream cake for the night before the wedding?” Aric suggested. “I’ll make sure there’s all kinds of sea creatures on it.”
    “You had me at ice cream cake.”
    “I know,” Aric said, swiveling so he could look out at the park. “It’s a nice day. We should go for a walk before we head home. In fact, I … .”
    I was so focused on my ice cream it took me a moment to realize he’d stopped talking. “What’s going on?” I turned to follow Aric’s steady gaze, frowning when I saw three men standing at the edge of the parking lot. Dressed in jeans, they stood shoulder to shoulder, their arms crossed over their chests.
    “It’s kind of hot for jeans, isn’t it?” I asked, narrowing my eyes. “They’re wolves, aren’t they?”
    Aric shifted a quick look in my direction before fixating on the men again. “How could you tell that?”
    I shrugged. “I guess it’s something I’ve picked up over the years,” I answered. “It’s not as if I can smell them, if that’s what you’re worried about. I still think that’s weird, by the way. I just … knew … when I saw them.”
    “Do you recognize any of them?”
    I turned my attention back to the men, refusing to cease my ice cream ministrations as I studied them. There was no reason to let good ice cream go to waste. We weren’t in any danger. The wolves couldn’t possibly be stupid enough to attack at a busy ice cream shop in the middle of the day. Even if they did, I’d handled a lot more wolves in much direr circumstances … and recently.
    “I’ve never seen any of them before,” I said. “Do you recognize any of them?”
    “I can’t be sure,” Aric said. “That one in the middle looks familiar, but I can’t figure out where I know him from.”
    I focused on the man in question. “That’s Billy Ray Cyrus.”
    “What?” Aric’s eyebrows flew up his