Chapter 20 Kya
KYA
Three weeks later
The Stoneheart MC clubhouse is alive with music, laughter, and the kind of easy camaraderie that comes from family celebrating together.
Someone’s got a guitar out, Cash is holding court at the bar with Mercy.
The smell of barbecue drifts in from the back patio where Hawk is manning the grill, while around us kids run through the house, screaming with laughter.
I’m curled up on one of the worn leather couches, Lee’s arm around me, watching it all with a sense of wonder that still catches me off guard. Three months ago, I wasn’t sure I wanted to return to Stoneheart. Now I’m home .
“I called Emma this morning,” Lee says quietly, his fingers tracing patterns on my shoulder.
My heart skips. “You did? What did you tell her?”
“That you’re back in town and we’re together. She screamed so loud I think she damaged my eardrum.”
“Good screaming or bad screaming?”
“The kind of screaming that comes with ‘I fucking knew it!’ and ‘about damn time!’” He chuckles. “She’s planning to come home for Christmas.”
The words make my chest tight with emotion.
“I look forward to it.”
I used to watch Lee from across the room, certain he was untouchable, unreachable.
Emma’s gorgeous older brother who could never be mine.
And now here I am. Once the girl everyone whispered about, Patty Sullivan’s daughter with no future and fewer options.
Now I have Lee’s name on my back, a family that chose me, a business that’s thriving, and a town that’s backed me when it mattered most.
The transformation feels surreal, like I’m living someone else’s life.
I gesture around the room. “Six months ago, if someone had told me I’d be here, at an MC party, blissfully happy… I’d have laughed.”
“And now?”
I look up at him, this man who’s become my anchor, my safe harbor, my everything. “Now I can’t imagine being anywhere else.”
His smile is soft, private, the one he saves just for me. “Good. Because you’re stuck with us now.”
“Poor me,” I tease, then squeal as he tickles my ribs in retaliation.
“Hey, lovebirds,” Bones calls out from across the room. “Save the foreplay for later. We’re trying to have a civilized party here.”
“This is civilized?” Mercy asks, gesturing to where two prospects are engaged in what appears to be an arm-wrestling tournament that’s devolved into a full wrestling match on the floor.
“For us? Yeah,” Cash says with a grin. “You should see what our unruly parties look like.”
“I’m not sure I want to,” I reply, though I’m smiling. This is everything I never knew I needed.
Stone approaches our couch, a beer in each hand. He hands me one.
“Welcome to the family, kid.”
I gulp, fighting back tears. “Thanks.”
Lee’s arm tightens around me. “Hey,” he says softly. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” I laugh at myself. “Sorry. It’s just… I’ve never really had this before.”
“Well, you do now,” Duck says, appearing beside Stone with his wife on his arm. “And we don’t let go easy.”
Maggie, a petite woman with kind eyes and silver-streaked hair, reaches out to squeeze my hand. “I hope you know how happy we all are that you’re here. Lee’s been like a different person since you came back to town.”
“Different how?” I ask, curious.
“Settled,” she says simply. “Happy. It seems he’s finally found what he was looking for.”
I glance at Lee, who’s gone slightly pink around the ears. “Is that so?”
“Ginger’s got a big mouth,” he mutters, but there’s affection in his voice.
“Maggie’s right,” Stone adds. “You’re good for him, Kya. Good for all of us. Devil’s has become the heart of this community again because of what you’ve done there.”
“I just cleaned it up and fixed the beer taps,” I protest.
“I believe I fixed the taps,” Lee says, earning himself an elbow in the ribs.
“You did more than that,” Bones says, joining our little circle. “You made it a place people want to be again.”
There’s a sharp rap on the clubhouse door. One of the prospects disengages from the wrestling session and returns a minute later, Josie Bright trailing him.
“My apologies for the interruption,” she says, glancing around. “But I have some good news.” She hands Stone a folder. “The council voted down the first residential rezoning bill. As of this morning, the proposal is dead in the water.”
A cheer goes up from the brothers who’ve gathered around to listen. Lee’s hand finds mine, squeezing tight.
“What changed their minds?” I ask.
Her sharp gaze turns to me. “It seems your victory at Devil’s was a strong motivator. When they couldn’t intimidate you into selling, it sent a message to the rest of the property owners in the area. My office has been inundated with parties interested in being represented.”
“So it’s over?”
“This phase of it, yes. They’ll be back eventually—companies like Summit always are. But you bought the community time, and you proved they can be beaten. Legally.” She says the last word as she glares at Stone. He meets her gaze with his own.
The cheer that goes up this time is deafening. Someone cranks up the music, drinks flow freely, and the party kicks into high gear. I’m passed from person to person, receiving congratulations, hearing stories, and getting pulled into the kind of easy banter that makes my heart full.
It’s nearly midnight when Lee finally rescues me from a heated discussion with Cash about the best way to make nachos.
“Dance with me,” he says, pulling me toward the small clearing that’s serving as a makeshift dance floor.
“You don’t dance,” I point out, though I follow him willingly.
“Sure I do.” He pulls me into his arms just as the current song ends and something slow and sweet starts playing. “Perfect timing.”
We sway together in the dim light, and I close my eyes, letting myself sink into the moment. His hands are warm and sure on my back, his heartbeat steady against my cheek. Around us, the party continues, but it feels like we’re in our own little bubble.
“Thank you,” I whisper.
“For what?”
“For this. For them. For giving me somewhere I belong.”
“This is your home, Kya.”
“I know. I can feel it.” I pull back to look at him. “I love you.”
“I love you too.” He leans down to kiss me, soft and sweet. “Ready to get out of here?”
“God, yes.”
We say our goodbyes, which takes another twenty minutes because apparently leaving an MC party requires hugging everyone individually and promising to attend the next one. By the time we make it to Lee’s bike, I’m exhausted but happy, my heart full to bursting.
The ride to my cottage is peaceful, the night air cool against my skin. When we pull into my driveway, I’m already thinking about getting Lee naked and expressing my gratitude for this perfect evening in the most thorough way possible.
“What are you thinking about?” he asks as we walk up the path to my front door.
“You. Naked. In my bed. Immediately.”
He stops walking so abruptly I nearly run into him. “Jesus, Kya.”
“What? It’s been a perfect night, and I want to end it properly.” I unlock the front door and turn to face him. “Unless you’re too tired?”
His laugh is low and rough. “Never too tired for you.”
The moment we’re inside, he’s on me. His hands are in my hair, his mouth claiming mine with a hunger that sets my blood on fire. I kiss him back just as desperately, my hands working at his cut, needing to feel skin.
“Bedroom,” I gasp between kisses.
“Too far,” he growls, backing me against the front door.
His hands are everywhere—skimming up my thighs, bunching my dress around my waist, finding the edge of my panties and stroking over the damp fabric.
“Lee—”
“Right here,” he says, dropping to his knees. “Can’t wait.”
He hooks his fingers in the waistband of my underwear and drags them down my legs. Then his mouth is on me, and I have to bite my lip to keep from crying out loud enough to wake the neighbors.
He knows exactly how to touch me now, exactly what I need. Within minutes, I’m shaking apart against his mouth, my hands fisted in his hair as waves of pleasure crash over me.
“Bedroom,” he says when I finally come back to myself. “Now.”
This time I don’t argue. I take his hand and lead him down the hall, both of us shedding clothes as we go. By the time we reach my bed, we’re both naked and desperate.
Lee lifts me onto the mattress, following me down and covering my body with his. The weight of him, the heat, the feeling of being completely surrounded by him—it’s everything I need.
“I love you,” he whispers as he enters me, slow and deep.
“I love you too,” I whisper back.
We move together in perfect synchronization, building toward something that’s more than just physical release. This is connection, communion, the deepest expression of what we mean to each other.
When I come, it’s with his name on my lips and my eyes locked on his. He follows me over the edge, burying his face in my neck as he empties himself inside me.
Afterward, we lie tangled together, breathing hard and utterly spent.
“That was…” I start.
“Perfect,” he finishes.
“I was going to say earth-shattering, but perfect works.”
He chuckles, pressing a kiss to my temple. “Tonight was perfect. All of it.”
“Even the part where Bones nearly dropped me during that hug?”
“Especially that part. Gave me an excuse to be possessive.”
I laugh, turning in his arms so I can see his face. “You don’t need an excuse for that.”
“Good to know.” His expression grows serious. “Are you happy, Kya? Really happy?”
“Happier than I’ve ever been in my life,” I tell him honestly. “I have you, I have the bar, I have a family. What more could I want?”
“A ring on your finger?”
I sit up, staring down at him. “Are you serious?”
“Deadly.” He sits up as well, taking my hands in his.
“I love you, Kya Sullivan. I love your stubborn streak and your smart mouth and the way you take care of everyone around you. I love that you came back to this town and made it better just by being here. I don’t want to wait for someday. Marry me.”
Tears blur my vision as I stare at this man who’s become my everything. “Lee…”
“I know it’s fast,” he says quickly. “I know we’ve only been together a few months. But I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. You’re it for me, Kya. You’re my home, my family, my future. Say yes.”
“Yes,” I say, throwing my arms around his neck. “I love you so much.”
“I love you too, future Mrs. Armstrong.”
“Future Mrs. Armstrong,” I repeat, testing how it sounds. “I like it.”
“Good,” he says, pulling me down for a kiss. “Because you’re stuck with me now. Forever.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
We fall asleep wrapped around each other. I dream of a future filled with motorcycle rides and bar crowds and the kind of love that lasts forever. When I wake up, Lee is still there, still mine, and there’s a ring on my finger that’s proof this isn’t a dream.
I’m home. And I’m never leaving again.