Chapter 19
POPPY
Waiting for Colter felt different tonight. I wasn’t super clear on where he and a few of his club brothers had gone, but his intensity had put me on edge.
Luckily, my sexy biker wanted me to be comfortable, so he’d suggested I invite Clara over to the clubhouse to hang out with me. Her reaction to her first visit to the Hounds compound was just the distraction I needed.
“This place is unreal,” she whispered, her gaze darting from the pool table to the shelves of alcohol bottles behind the bar.
I sat on one of the black leather couches along the back wall, with my knees tucked under me, trying—and failing—not to stare at the door while wishing Colter would come through it. “Yeah, but it feels like home already.”
Clara perched beside me, her eyes huge while she soaked in every detail like she’d just stepped into a forbidden world. “I’ve heard rumors about this place growing up. Everyone has, though, since Riverstone isn’t that big and the Hounds own a huge chunk of the town.”
I bumped my shoulder against hers. “And now your bestie is carrying a Hounds baby.”
“Which is totally wild.” She shook her head with a soft laugh. “But I’m still waiting for one of the guys to tell me to leave.”
Stella flashed her a smile. “You’re Poppy’s best friend. That makes you family by extension.”
Courtney nodded. “Yeah, you don’t need to worry about any of the guys.”
Cadell and Arlen were sprawled on a couch a few down from where we sat, and King was playing pool with Flint.
Linden sat next to Stella. I wasn’t sure where Tomcat was, just that he wasn’t around tonight.
“Except maybe falling for one of them,” she joked, shaking her head. “But then you might need to worry about the opposite—never leaving the clubhouse.”
“Yeah, things have a habit of going sideways in all the wrong ways when one of the guys meets his old lady.” Stella pointed at Linden, then at me. “You two are just the most recent examples of that.”
Clara bounced on the couch cushion. “Ooh, it sounds like there are some good stories there.”
King’s massive Cane Corso, who looked like he ate motorcycles for breakfast, lifted his head to look over at us. Cerberus was sprawled on the floor beside the couch where Cadell and Arlen were sleeping. One heavy paw was draped protectively over Cadell’s blanket, where it draped off the side.
“That’s the scariest dog I’ve ever seen,” Clara whispered, staring at him. “But also kind of sweet.”
“Yup, he’s both,” Stella agreed. “Won’t let anyone near Cadell he doesn’t trust. Which means he already likes you.”
Clara blinked. “I feel honored. And mildly terrified.”
“He really is a big sweetie once you get to know him better.” I laughed. “Just like the rest of the Hounds.”
“I’m sure they are to you,” Clara muttered.
“Ace wouldn’t have it any other way,” Stella pointed out. “And all the guys know it.”
I quirked a brow. “Like the guys are any different when it comes to y’all.”
Stella, Courtney, and Linden didn’t bother arguing. Instead, they shared the stories of how they met their guys. Then we debated about which situation was the scariest. All I knew was that I was glad mine wasn’t in the running since it was mild in comparison.
They kept me distracted just long enough for Colter, Blaze, Cross, Rebel, and Fallon to return.
I jumped to my feet when the door swung open. I only had eyes for Colter, and his gaze found me instantly. Before I even registered moving, I was halfway across the room.
He caught me mid-stride, his arms banding around my waist so he could lift me off the floor. I wrapped my legs around his hips, my hands fisting his cut, and I kissed him like I hadn’t breathed since he left.
When he finally set me down, I whispered, “You’re okay.”
“Always, baby.” His thumb brushed my cheek. “I have even more reason to stay safe now that I have you and the baby. You don’t need to worry.”
“I might not need to, but I’m still gonna do it,” I insisted.
“You gotta do what you gotta do,” he quipped, his palm sliding down to cover my stomach. “Just don’t make yourself sick over it.”
I shook my head with a sigh. “I’ll try my best, but your baby has already proven to have a mind of its own when it comes to that.”
“Good thing Ace asked me to get this taken care of.” King handed something dark to Colter. “If you’re gonna be puking because of him, you should at least be able to do it with his patch on your back.”
Colter shook out the smaller version of his leather vest, turning it around so I could see where it said Property of Ace.
My hands shook as I took it from him to slide my arms through the sleeves. The leather settled over my shoulders, a perfect fit. I twirled around so he could see the back. Glancing over my shoulder, I caught him staring like it was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.
“Does this make me your old lady?” I asked.
He shook his head, and my heart dropped until he explained, “You were already my old lady, baby. This just makes it clear to everyone in the world.”
The room erupted in sound—whistles, fists thumping on tables, and low cheers.
Clara appeared at my side, her eyes shining. “Holy crap, Poppy. You’re a biker babe now.”
“I guess I am.” I laughed, tears blurring my vision as I hugged her. “I’m so glad you were here when it happened.”
She reached out to trace the edge of the leather vest. “This is so weird. I’m trying to wrap my head around it.”
Taking a step back, she looked me over with a twinkle in her eye. Rebel stood behind her, and she bumped into him. He grabbed her arms to steady her, and she turned around with a bright smile.
“Oops! Sorry about that.” Her eyes widened as she took in the sight of him.
He just nodded, a brooding scowl on his face as his gaze swept over her. Then he muttered what sounded like, “Fucking hell.”
Clara frowned and turned to face me again, rolling her eyes. “I can’t imagine what it would be like to belong to one of these guys.”
“You’ll know soon enough,” Rebel growled, sounding almost annoyed.
He took a step closer and crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes locked intensely on my best friend.
Clara turned to look at him, her hands planted on her curvy hips and her brow raised. Her voice was full of her usual sass as she asked, “Pardon?”
He didn’t reply, but his gaze darted to King, who started laughing, shocking us all.
“I’ll take care of it,” King murmured with a final chuckle.
Flint, who was standing beside him, sighed and shook his head. “And I’ll order more tests.”
Rebel jerked his chin up at them, then gave Clara another heated look. “We’ll talk later.”
As he stalked out of the room, I turned back to Colter, intending to give him a meaningful look and make sure he was seeing the sparks flying off our friends too. But he wasn’t standing next to me anymore.
Instead, he was on one knee. And he held a small jewelry box in his palm. The lid was open so I could see the ring nestled inside the velvet—a giant green sapphire surrounded by smaller diamonds on a platinum band.
“Oh my gosh,” I breathed.
His lips curved into that smirk that got me every time. “Poppy, I knew you were it for me from the day we met. The woman I’d burn the world down for. The one I’d build a life with. Put my patch on your back, my ring on your finger, and my kid in your belly.”
Tears spilled down my cheeks. “Well, you’ve already done two of the three.”
“Gonna have it all, baby.” His eyes burned into mine. “I love you. Need you to be my wife, too. Marry me. Be my old lady in every way that matters. Forever.”
I could barely breathe, let alone speak. I nodded and sniffled back the tears so I could whisper, “Yes.”
He surged to his feet, slid the ring onto my finger, and kissed me. The cheers around us were louder this time, but I didn’t pay attention. I was too wrapped up in the man I was going to spend the rest of my life with.
When our kiss finally ended, he caught my hand and brought it to his lips.
“Mine,” he murmured against my knuckles.
I smiled through happy tears. “Yours.”
Surrounded by his club, my best friend, and the family we were building—I finally felt like I was exactly where I belonged.