Chapter 25
FROST
Christmas morning in the clubhouse feels like stepping into a memory I thought I’d lost forever.
The smell of fresh-baked cinnamon rolls hits me first. Then Mom’s old orange-sugar cookies that Hope somehow magically recreated, and the faint citrus smell of the garlands Hope and her mom hung everywhere.
I stand in the doorway for a minute, letting it all sink in.
Hope is in the kitchen with her mom, laughing about something. Amy is shouting at Chaos for stealing a cookie, and Dad is already halfway through a plate of cinnamon rolls. Paige, Eagle, and Colt are whispering around the tree, making sure everything’s ready.
It feels like home again. When Mom died, I thought she took the heart of the club with her. That didn’t happen, though. If anything, we banded together with the help of Hope and her family to make this Christmas memorable in her honor.
Hope catches me staring, and her smile hits me like a ray of sunlight. She crosses the room and presses a soft kiss to my cheek. My hand finds her hip automatically, grounding me instantly.
“Merry Christmas,” she whispers.
“Merry Christmas, darlin’.”
“Time for presents!” Sharon hollers.
Everyone gathers in the main room, settling around the massive tree. Lights twinkle across the ceiling, garland drapes over every railing, and stockings line the bar.
“Why am I playing, Santa?” Eagle grumbles as he places the red hat on his head.
Hope rushes over to adjust it to her liking. “Because you’re the leader, just like Santa Claus.”
“You’re also a little rou”
“Finish that sentence, Glitch, and you’re on bar duty for a month,” Eagle threatens. “I’m more fit than any of you. If anyone should be playing Santa, it’s Hawk.”
Hawk glowers at Eagle. “What the fuck did I do to you?”
It’s a perfect Christmas morning. It’s everything that Mom used to do and more. Hope sits beside me on the couch, leaning lightly against my shoulder. Her parents sit nearby, both smiling like they’ve known me forever and already love me.
When the first gift is opened, the room fills with laughter and teasing.
Chaos unwraps a bat signed by Amy, which he screams about like he just won the lottery.
Amy gets a taser from Glitch, which she happily torments Chaos with.
Dad receives a mug with pictures of him and Mom around it.
Sharon cries when she opens a necklace from Ted.
Paige squeals over a weighted blanket that Amy says is “for smothering Chaos.”
I wait as everybody finishes opening their gifts. I’ve been holding onto something ever since Vegas, and I’m done waiting. When the mayhem finally dies down, there’s wrapping paper everywhere, leftover cinnamon rolls on plates, and smiles on everyone’s faces.
It’s now or never.
I stand, holding a single, perfectly wrapped gift. Not a mountain of presents, not a mess of paper and bows, only one.
The room falls silent, and all eyes are on me. I step forward slowly as Hope’s eyes lock on mine. “This is for you.” My voice comes out low, steady, full of love, protection, longing, and a promise all at once.
I watch her hands tremble slightly as she lifts the small black box from the wrapping.
Her eyes are wide, shining, and I can see the gears turning, trying to figure out what’s inside.
Hope opens it carefully and gently lifts the lid.
Her gasp is the only sound I hear before my heart starts pounding so hard, I swear it echoes in the entire clubhouse.
A perfect, simple engagement ring rests inside the velvet box.
It’s platinum with a two-carat princess-cut diamond.
I drop to one knee, the floor cold beneath me, and all the mayhem of the clubhouse, my brothers, Amy, Paige, Hope’s parents, the laughter, the teasing, fades away. It’s just her.
“Hope,” I say, my voice shaking slightly, “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. You… you’re my heart, my home, everything I never knew I needed. I can’t imagine a life without you, and I don’t ever want to try. Will you… Marry me?”
Her hand flies to her mouth, eyes filling with tears, her chest rising and falling as if she’s trying to breathe without floating away from the moment.
“Yes,” she whispers, barely audible, but I catch it perfectly. “Yes, Frost, I’ll marry you.”
The clubhouse erupts. Yells, claps, whoops, and laughter crash over me. My brothers are hooting like maniacs, Paige and Dad are grinning widely, and even Amy pumps her fist in approval.
I slip the ring onto her finger, and Hope pulls me up and into her arms, kissing me hard with her hands tangled in my hair. I wrap my arms around her waist and lift her off the ground.
When we pull apart, she presses her forehead to mine, breathless. “Merry Christmas,” she whispers.
“Merry Christmas, darlin’,” I murmur back. “You just made it the best one I’ve ever had.”
She laughs softly. “Good because this is just the beginning.”
At this moment, surrounded by family, I know she’s right. This is the beginning of everything.