Chapter Fifty-Seven
THE CLUBHOUSE WAS louder than it needed to be.
Not drunk-loud. Not fight-loud. Just full.
Voices layered over one another, boots scuffin’ the boards, laughter rollin’ out the open doors and spillin’ into the warm Carolina night.
Bikes lined the lot like sentries, chrome glintin’ under the porch lights.
This place had seen blood and hell and grief, but tonight it felt different. Like it was holdin’ its breath.
I stood near the edge of the porch, fingers curled into fists, the ring heavy in my pocket. Felt like it weighed more than any piece of metal had a right to. I’d faced guns without flinchin’. Took hits I knew might put me in the ground. None of that rattled me like this did.
Because this wasn’t about survival.
This was about askin’ for a future.
Lark stepped out onto the porch with Briar right behind her, Briar leanin’ in to whisper somethin’ that made Lark huff a laugh and roll her eyes. That smile damn near knocked the breath clean outta me. Every time. Like my chest hadn’t figured out how to brace for it yet.
She wore jeans and a soft shirt, nothin’ fancy, her scars visible, her chin lifted. No hidin’. No apologizin’ for the space she took up. Just her. Whole and real and stronger than anyone had a right to be.
Mine.
My ma sat in one of the porch, hands folded in her lap, watchin’ us like she already knew how this was gonna end. Daddy leaned against the railing, arms crossed, his expression carved from stone until our eyes met and he gave me a short nod. Approval. Support. Maybe pride. I took it all the same.
Briar caught my look and shot me one back that said if you screw this up, I will bury you myself.
Fair enough.
The rest of the club was standing around tryin’ not to look like they were waitin’ on something.
I cleared my throat and stepped forward. The noise eased, like the club itself leaned in to listen. Lark’s smile faltered, confusion flickerin’ across her face.
“Chain?” she asked softly.
I stopped in front of her, close enough to feel her warmth, close enough that my breath finally slowed. I took her hands in mine, careful. Always careful. Lovin’ her meant rememberin’ where she’d been without ever draggin’ her back there.
“I’m not much for speeches,” I said, my voice rough with my nervousness.
A few low chuckles rolled through the crowd, but I never took my eyes off her.
“I grew up believin’ in forever,” I said.
“My ma and daddy showed me what it looked like, and I wanted that kind of love from the time I was old enough to understand it. Somewhere along the way, I started thinkin’ maybe it wasn’t meant for me.
Then you came along, and all of a sudden that dream didn’t feel so damn far outta reach. ”
Her fingers tightened around mine.
“You caught me from the first look,” I said. “Carryin’ more strength than anyone I’ve ever known, even when you didn’t see it yet. You walked through fire and came out standin’, and somehow you still chose me.”
My throat tightened, but I pushed through.
“I failed you,” I said plain. “I let my fear get louder than my trust, and I’ll carry that with me for the rest of my days. But hear me on this, Lark. I will never stop choosin’ you. Not when it’s easy. Not when it hurts. Not when the past tries to claw its way back in.”
Her eyes shone, but she didn’t look away. Not once.
“You didn’t survive all that just to be caged again,” I said. “You didn’t come through hell to settle for less than the whole damn sky. I don’t wanna stand over you as some kind of savior. I wanna stand beside you. Equal. Every step.”
I dropped to one knee.
The world went dead quiet.
I pulled the ring from my pocket, my hand finally steady now that the truth was out in the open. The ring was simple. Strong. Chosen with intention. Just like her.
“Lark,” I said, my voice thick but sure. “Will you marry me? Will you let me spend the rest of my life earnin’ the right to love you the way you deserve?”
For a heartbeat, she just stared at me like I’d knocked the ground out from under her.
Then she laughed. Soft and breathless and beautiful, like relief finally found its way out.
“Yes,” she said, tears spillin’ free now. “Yes, Chain. I love you.”
I was on my feet in a second, pullin’ her into my arms, her hands fisted in my shirt like she was anchorin’ herself to somethin’ solid. Cheers exploded around us, loud and wild, but I barely heard a damn thing.
All I felt was her heart against mine.
My ma wiped at her eyes without even tryin’ to hide it. Daddy clapped me on the shoulder hard enough to sting. Briar was cryin’ outright, mutterin’ somethin’ about finally under her breath. The rest of the clubhouse set about celebrating.
I slid the ring onto Lark’s finger, my thumb brushin’ over her knuckles before I lifted them to my lips.
The porch boards creaked beneath us. The clubhouse was alive behind us. The night wrapped around us warm and close.
I didn’t find peace in a place or a club or a promise—I found it in her, and I stayed.
The End
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this book.