“I don’t know what I’m doing, but I promise I will always be there for you and our little peanut. We do this together. As a family,” I whispered into her hair. She nodded against my chest.
As Fiona went about the room, getting dressed, I headed into the kitchen to make her second breakfast. My phone vibrated with a text.
Match: Package is ready and in your office.
Replying with a quick thumbs up, I put my phone away right as Fiona came down the stairs. She was dressed in loose jeans and a baggy sweater, her hair a riot of curls twisting in all different directions.
Pushing her glasses up on her nose she reached for the toast. As she took a bite and closed her eyes enjoying the treat, I thought she had never looked more beautiful. Barefaced and comfortable, she looked happy and loved. Pulling her to me, I couldn’t help but kiss her.
“I fucking love you,” I told her, and she giggled pushing me away to finish her toast so we could leave.
On the drive to the clubhouse, I kept her hand in mine and couldn’t help the smile on my face when Danny gave us a thumbs up from the guard booth. Parking, I made Fiona wait until I could come around to help her down.Might need to look at a new car. Something easier for my girl to get in and out of.Hand in hand, we walked into the clubhouse, barely crossing the threshold when everyone came into view.
“Congratulations!”
The cheer echoed around us, and Fiona jumped in surprise. Most of the Brothers were there, along with my family, Seph, Roxie, and Star. The girls swarmed Fiona, giving her hugs and checking out her ring. Pulling away from the group, I watched as Fee headed over to Match, face planting into his chest as the worried look on his face morphed into relief. When I approached the two, I caught the last bit of their conversation.
“Fucking scared the shit out of me. Don’t pull a stunt like that again.” Fee snorted before pulling back from Match.
“I’ll try to resist the urge to get kidnapped in the future,” she replied sarcastically, but I didn’t miss the concern in both their voices.
“Baby, can I steal you away for a minute? Got something in my office I want to show you.” Match’s smile grew big at my statement.
“Sure,” Fiona agreed easily, giving his arm a squeeze before taking my hand and following me back to my office.
Once there, the room was empty, except for a large gift box on my desk. I closed the door behind us and pulled Fiona further into the room. Dropping her hand, I grabbed the gift and handed it to her.
“This is for you,” I said, all of a sudden getting nervous.Will she like it?
Fiona put the box back down on the desk before taking the lid off. With immense care, she pulled back the layer of tissue paper, revealing the leather cut inside. Her sharp intake of breath was the only clue to her reaction.
Her hands shook as she pulled the vest out and held it in front of her. On the back, in large letters arching around the Reaper’sGuard logo, were the wordsProperty Of Bash.Tearfully, Fee looked up at me.
“Is this—am I an Old Lady now?” she asked, and I laughed at her expression.
“Yes, if you accept me as your Old Man, that is,” I replied as she nodded aggressively before stepping toward me for a kiss. Before we could get too carried away, I pulled back.
“Look at the front, I had Match customize it especially for you.” Fiona’s brow furrowed as she flipped the vest over, then a soft gasp escaped her.
Fionawas printed above a fiery phoenix, rising from the flames.
“You are my phoenix, Fiona. You came through my life bright, magical and completely unexpected. You burned down everything in your wake, and I was reborn. From the ashes, I rose up to be the man I am right now. The man who can proudly stand by your side. You own all of me, Fee. Body, mind, and soul.”
Fiona rushed to put the vest on, and the wave of possessiveness that ran through me, seeing my name on her, was unrivaled. I didn’t think I would ever be satisfied unless everyone knew Fiona was mine.
When we got back to the main room and were met with applause, along with hoots and hollers, once everybody registered the cut Fiona was wearing. The rest of the party was lowkey, but seeing Fiona mixed in with the Brothers and Old Ladies in her own vest settled a part of me. Fee was an incredible person, and part of me hated that I had to share her. More importantly, though, was the pride that ran through me as I witnessed the deep relationships she had built with the people in my life.
The rest of the week was quiet. We spent the time huddled together making plans for our future. Fiona wound up taking a full week off from work, and once she spoke to her bosses, was allowed to work remotely for another week until she felt up to going into the office. The bruising on Fiona’s face had almost completely disappeared, but she needed time and space to process everything we found out that night.
Knowing we had a baby on the way, and after everything that had happened with Crow, neither Fiona nor I wanted to wait to get married. A few nights after our engagement party, we were curled up together in a blanket, watching the stars as we discussed where and when to have the wedding. Fiona turned to look at me, then back out to the property before excitedly speaking.
“What if we held it here? We can get married over by the lake and then set up some tables in the barn for the party.” I had finally finished renovating the garages, all of them fully equipped with top of the line amenities and comforts.
“You would want to have it here? You don’t want to go to a church or a fancy venue?” I asked, afraid my girl was settling, trying to make it easy. I wanted her to have everything she ever wanted, I didn’t want her to sacrifice any of her dreams.
“Bash, I’m not. I was never one of those girls who dreamed about her wedding. It’s not something I’ve envisioned and written in my diary since I was a kid. If we’re being honest, it’s not something I thought would ever happen to me. I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. You gave me a family, in more ways than one,” she said, her hand covering her stomach.
“This house, this land. It’s where we started. It’s where we’re gonna raise our baby. I love this place, and I’d love nothing more than to have our wedding here. Cece and Charlie can have free rein on decorating. They can make it as elaborate as they want.All I know is that fifty years from now, when we’re old and grey, I’ll remember exactly what it looked like, felt like, to walk down that aisle. To say our vows by the lake, in front of our closest friends and family. To get to see the spot where we tied ourselves to each other every day would be a gift,” she whispered, her eyes shining in the moonlight, her hands moving as she got more excited.
