Chapter Nineteen #2
“You pay for the wedding,” I say.
A slow grin spreads across his face.
“But,” I add. “You try to make it some ridiculous three-hundred-thousand-dollar circus with doves and ice sculptures and a string quartet, and I’m eloping with your sister.”
Spike starts laughing.
He claps my shoulder hard.
“Fair enough,” he chuckles.
Then he tilts his head slightly.
“So… you got a ring yet?”
I smile.
“Have for a long while, brother,” I admit.
Spike nods once.
“Good.”
Then he smirks.
“I guess the next thing to do would be another tradition.”
“What tradition is that?” I ask, not entirely sure I want to know.
Spike straightens and steps forward until our boots touch.
The air between us shifts.
“If you ever hurt my sister again,” he says, all the playfulness gone from his voice, “not only will I strip you of your VP title, tear off your patches, and burn off your ink…brother or not…I’ll put a bullet between your eyes.”
My heart picks up speed, but not because of the threat.
If I ever hurt her again, I’d stand still and let him do exactly what he promised.
It’s because I already hurt her in the past. I’ll always have the taste of her pain in my soul until the day I die. A torment I’ll gladly carry with me. One I deserve.
“Understood,” I say quietly.
Spike studies my face for a long moment.
Then his expression softens, and he pulls me into a rough hug.
“Welcome to the family, brother,” he says.
“Haven’t asked her yet,” I tease.
He snorts.
“Like she’d say no to you. That woman loves you so damn much.”
I shake my head slightly.
“A thought I still can’t wrap my mind around,” I admit.
Spike laughs and slaps my shoulder before stepping back.
“So,” he says, folding his arms. “When are you going to ask her?”
“Tonight,” I tell him.
His brows lift.
“Tonight?”
“Yeah,” I nod. “Family means everything to her. And since Patch, Cody, and some of Maverick’s crew are coming by for the cookout,” I shrug. “Figured it’d be the perfect time.”
Spike grins slowly.
“Good.”
Then he points toward the door.
“Because if you chicken out…”
I scoff.
“Not a chance.”
Spike just laughs as he walks past me.
“Better hurry, Romeo,” he calls over his shoulder. “Your future wife is probably already planning your wedding without you.”
“Not entirely true,” I laugh. “I’m pretty sure she’s had it planned for years.”
Spike stops halfway down the hall and looks back at me with a grin.
“Yeah,” he says softly. “Make her happy, Tank.”
“With every breath I take,” I vow.
And, it’s a vow I intend to keep.
***ABBY***
It’s strange to think back on a time when this place wasn’t as lively as it is now.
Not that the compound was ever quiet.
My brother has hundreds of men in his club, and there were always people coming and going during the day, since this is the main clubhouse for the Shadows MC.
If I remember correctly, apart from the compound itself, Palm Springs alone has three other chapters for the Shadows. And I’m pretty sure they even expanded into another state.
So people were always running in and out of the place.
But back then, it was mostly just the men.
Random bikers would stop by during the day to hang out or talk about whatever it is they talk about in the war room. Riley and I would spend most of our time at my house, talking for hours.
It was nice.
I became great friends with her. We were already a family in a way, and I wouldn’t change that for the world.
But words can’t explain the feeling I have now as I look around the compound tonight.
Sure, there are some faces I don’t know very well… and some I don’t know at all.
But the ones I do know?
They make me smile.
Bubby, Riley, and Asher.
Bones and Sunny.
Max, Lila, Bree, and Micah.
Skip and Eli.
Foster, Crusher, Cody, Maverick, Twins One and Two… and even Patch.
The only person missing from my little family is my other big brother, Sammy.
Bubby says he’s going to guilt Sammy into visiting soon.
I hope so…I miss him.
The sun has already set, and I’m sitting in a chair beside the massive bonfire Bones built for us.
Across the flames, Bubby is teaching Asher how to roast a marshmallow until it’s a perfect light brown.
Skip shakes his head dramatically.
“Your dad is a lunatic,” he tells the boy. “You roast the marshmallow until it’s as black as Bones’ soul.”
My brother glares at him, but Skip ignores it, steals Asher, and carries him to the other side of the fire.
Turning my head, I watch Patch say something that makes Sunny laugh.
Bones immediately looks offended. Not at what was said, but at the fact that another male made his woman laugh.
The sight makes me smile.
Then my eyes drift to my old house.
To the roof.
The exact spot where Big T used to sit during guard duty.
Where he was shot and killed.
Then to the gate where Mike was killed. Then, to the other spots I know men were shot as they rushed to protect us.
My heart cries for them every night until I finally fall asleep in Tank’s arms… only to be met with nightmares.
Or rather…memories.
Memories of my kidnappings.
Of my attack.
Closing my eyes, I lean my head back against the lawn chair.
Immediately, the images start.
The hole.
The one the Los Fantasmas men put me in.
I remember the day they filled it halfway with water and left me there for hours.
The choice they gave me was simple. Stay afloat with nothing to hold on to… or drown.
I’ve never told my brother or Tank about that.
Sunny knows, though.
The second time that group took me, Sunny was with me. We were at my therapist’s office when they grabbed us. They threatened to drown us in the hole, and I told her they weren’t bluffing.
Because they’d already done it to me once.
She’s never told anyone, and I’m grateful.
The memory shifts again.
I’m still in the hole.
It’s dark, and I’m starving.
That day, a new guard was watching me.
I think he felt sorry for me because he tossed down a soda and a candy bar.
As crazy as it sounds…that memory is a happy one.
I never saw his face.
I don’t know who he was.
And he may have been a terrible man in every other moment of his life.
But for that small piece of time…He was kind.
And sometimes, when you’re trapped in darkness, one small kindness feels like the whole world.
If I could, I would give that man a very long hug.
“Abigail.”
I open my eyes and smile up at the man leaning over me.
“Hi,” I grin.
“Hey, babygirl,” he smiles back. “Come here.”
I take his hand and let him pull me to my feet before leading me toward the fire.
“S’more time?” I ask. “Did Twin Two ever get back with the chocolate?”
“Nico,” Twin Two corrects, tossing a pack of chocolate bars in my direction. “Did. But I ate one on the way back for having to deal with bossy designers.”
“Fair,” I giggle. “I’ll make you one, Tank.”
I grab one of the long metal roasting sticks and shove a marshmallow onto the end before stepping closer to the flames.
I hold it over the fire patiently until it reaches the perfect shade.
Skip is right in that regard.
My brother is a lunatic.
Black is best.
“Do you have the crackers ready, Tank?” I ask, blowing out the flaming marshmallow.
“I’m ready whenever you are, baby,” he answers.
Turning, I smile up at him. Except…He’s not standing there.
He’s on the ground.
On one knee.
Smiling.
Holding up a ring.
My brain stops working.
The world goes silent except for the crackling of the fire.
No.
Freaking.
Way.
My mouth opens, but no sound comes out. Not even sure I’m breathing.
The stick falls from my hand, the burnt marshmallow landing forgotten in the grass.
Tank chuckles softly.
“Yeah,” he says. “That was about the reaction I was expecting.”
My hands fly to my face.
“Are you serious right now?”
He lifts the ring slightly higher.
“I’m completely serious.”
All around us, the entire compound has gone quiet.
Even Skip…Which might be the most shocking thing about this entire situation.
Tank’s eyes soften as he looks up at me.
“Abigail Turner,” he says, his voice steady but full of emotion. “You’ve been the love of my life since before I was smart enough to realize it.”
Tears blur my vision.
“You’ve stood beside me through every mistake I’ve ever made. Even when I pushed you away. Yet, somehow you still look at me like I’m worth loving.”
His voice drops slightly.
“I spent years running from you because I thought I didn’t deserve you.”
He takes a slow breath.
“I finally figured out something important…with a little help from your brother.”
My heart pounds so hard it feels like it might explode.
“I don’t deserve you.”
A tear slips down my cheek.
“But I will spend the rest of my life trying to become the man who does.”
He opens the ring box fully.
“Will you marry me?”
The fire pops loudly beside us.
Someone sniffles.
I think it might be Sunny, but I can’t look away from Tank to check.
From the man kneeling in the grass in front of our entire family.
From the man I’ve loved for so long, it feels like my heart was built with his name already written on it.
“Yes,” I whisper.
Then louder, because I want to make absolutely certain he heard me.
“Yes!”
The compound explodes in cheers as Tank rushes to his feet and lifts me into the air, spinning me around like a madman before lowering me enough to kiss me.
I laugh and cry all at the same time and silently pray that snot isn’t running down my face.
Please, God… don’t let snot be running down my face.
“I love you so much, baby,” Tank whispers against my lips. “Thank you. Thank you for not giving up on us before I even gave us a chance. Thank you for giving me a second chance. Thank you, Abigail… for saying yes.”
Words.
Apparently, I’ve forgotten how to use them.
So instead, I smile and lean in for another kiss.
Tank laughs softly.
“It’s okay, baby girl,” he murmurs against my mouth. “I don’t need your words. I only need you.”
He steps back just enough to take my hand, sliding the ring onto my finger before lifting it and pressing a gentle kiss to it.
How… freaking… sweet.