Chapter 22
JACQUELINE
I’d barely had time to wrap my head around the threat being eliminated, but the Black Crowns arrived just after sunrise the following morning, trucks and trailers loaded with lumber, tools, and equipment.
Engines rumbled up the driveway as brothers climbed out and got to work without waiting for orders.
Some started clearing the charred remains of the old barn.
Others set to work on the scorched siding of the farmhouse.
I stood on the porch with a mug of coffee, watching it all unfold. Eventually, Brogan came up behind me and set a roll of papers on the railing. “Take a look.”
I unrolled them carefully and found rough architectural sketches with notes in his handwriting.
One was for a new horse rehabilitation stable with wider stalls and better ventilation, including safer fencing and turnout pens.
There was also an improved access road that would keep heavy trailers off the softer pasture ground.
But what evoked a gasp from me were the plans for a larger house farther up the rise and notes about restoring Grandpa’s farmhouse into a ranch office and guesthouse. I stared at them for a moment, my throat tight.
Tilting his head toward the papers in my hand, he murmured, “Tell me what you want changed, and I’ll make it happen.”
I appreciated that more than I could say. Brogan was making it clear he intended to be part of the future I wanted to build here, but he still respected that the ranch was mine.
I traced a finger over the outline of the new house, then glanced up at him with a teasing smile. “You planned an entire house without even asking where I want the bedroom.”
The corner of his mouth twitched. “That’s why you’re holding the plans, Jacqueline. They’re just a starting point. Mark ’em up. Tell me what stays and what goes. I’m good with whatever you want.”
I looked back down at the sketches, warmth spreading through my chest. Brogan wasn’t just rebuilding what Wade had tried to destroy. He was building something that said he intended to still be standing at my side years from now, making the land work for both of us.
“All right then.” I picked up the pencil he’d left with the papers and started making notes.
He stuck close, only taking them back from me after I rolled them up again. Set the papers aside on the porch railing, he held his hand out. “Come walk with me. We can go up to the rise. Easier to picture the house if we’re standing where it’ll go.”
I slid my palm against his with a smile. “Sure.”
We climbed the gentle slope together, the morning air still cool. When we reached the top, I turned in a slow circle, trying to imagine a larger house here with the pastures spreading out below and the old farmhouse restored nearby.
I heard the soft shift of fabric behind me and turned with a gasp. Brogan was down on one knee in the grass, looking up at me with steel-gray eyes that burned with emotion.
“I love you. You’re my home. Marry me.”
“I love you too.” Tears of joy filled my eyes and spilled down my cheeks. “Yes.”
“Thank fuck.” He reached into the front pocket of his jeans and pulled out a ring.
My breath caught all over again. I instantly recognized the simple gold band with the rose-cut diamond that had belonged to my grandmother. My hand was shaking as he slid it onto my finger.
“How?” I whispered.
“I knew Otis had been saving it for his granddaughter, just didn’t realize Jack was a girl when I found out about the will,” Brogan explained, the pad of his thumb brushing my finger directly above where the ring now circled it.
“Went and talked to the lawyer who handled the estate. Told him you wanted it.”
I stared down at my hand. “It’s perfect.”
“Now you’ll always have a piece of your grandparents with you.”
I pressed my other palm to my stomach, a shy smile tugging at my mouth. “I’m pretty sure I’m already walking around with a piece of you inside me.”
Brogan surged to his feet, and his big hand covered mine over my stomach, his eyes wide and searching as they scanned me from head to toe. “You’re pregnant?”
“I’m not sure yet,” I admitted, my cheeks warming. “But my period’s late, and we’ve had lots of unprotected sex. So I’d be surprised if I wasn’t.”
He stared at me, a stunned smile spreading across his face before he pulled me into his arms, holding me tight against his chest. Then he lifted me clean off the ground and spun me in a circle, my laughter spilling out as the pastures blurred around us.
“Brogan!” I giggled, clutching his shoulders.
He set me down carefully a moment later, both hands still framing my waist, his brow furrowing with sudden concern. “Shit. Was that too much? You okay?”
I planted my hands on my hips and gave him a look. “You better not start treating me like I’m made of glass.”
He didn’t even pretend to back down. “Get used to it.”
I laughed again, even though it was clear he was completely serious.
“We better head to the clubhouse.”
I blinked up at him. “Why?”
“So Reaper can give you a test and confirm the pregnancy.”
My eyes narrowed. “An MC doctor just happens to be prepared for pregnancy tests? Do you have a lot of pregnant women showing up at the compound?”
Brogan laughed and shook his head. “Nope. But the man went to medical school and knows how to draw blood. How hard can it be?”
“Fair point,” I admitted.
He didn’t waste any time in getting me to the clubhouse, but after a quick trip to Reaper’s clinic, he led me to the lounge area and got me settled on a stool at the bar.
Rolling my eyes, I grumbled, “It’s a little early to celebrate. We won’t have the results for a few hours.”
“We both know you’re pregnant, baby.” He brushed his lips over mine. “But that’s not why I brought you over here.”
Brogan didn’t waste time. He turned toward the brothers who had gathered in the lounge and raised his voice just enough to cut through the low murmur of conversation. “Listen up.”
The room quieted almost immediately.
He reached behind the bar and pulled out a black leather vest. The back patch was already sewn on—Property of Stryker. He held it out to me.
“Jacqueline is my woman.” He met the gaze of every man in the room. “She’s under my protection. And the club’s. From this day forward, she’s one of us.”
I stood and slipped my arms into the vest. When I turned so the brothers could see the property patch, Brogan’s expression somehow turned fierce and soft all at once.
Judge was the first to break the silence, dry as ever. “Well. The property-purchase discussion was less successful than expected.”
“Not sure about that,” Hawkeye snorted. “He rode out there to acquire land and came back with an old lady instead. Some might call that a success.”
A ripple of laughter moved through the room. Brothers shook their heads, clearly still half-amazed that the most controlled man any of them had ever known had fallen so hard and so fast.
Brogan looked around at all of them, one brow lifting. “Laugh while you can.”
The quiet warning landed perfectly. A few of the younger brothers shifted in their seats. The older ones just grinned, already knowing exactly what he meant.
I smoothed my hands down the front of the vest, and Brogan’s arm came around me, pulling me into his side.
He had come to the ranch to convince me to sell the land. Instead, he had made himself part of the deal to keep it. And I couldn’t be happier.