“Just supporting our people, Doc,” the biker replied easily.“And anyone else who needs it.”
The doctor glanced around, then back to me.“Ms.Calloway?They’re ready to take Brynn down to pre-op.”
My heart jumped into my throat.This was it.I clutched my tea tighter, the warmth barely registering through the sudden numbness in my fingers.
I nodded as I stood.As I moved toward Brynn’s room, I felt a hand on my shoulder.Ada stood behind me, her expression firm but gentle.
“You’re not alone,” she said quietly.“Not for any of it.”
Looking around at the room full of people who had shown up for us I realized she was right.After years of handling everything on my own, of being Brynn’s only advocate and support, I now stood surrounded by a family I’d never expected to have.
I straightened my shoulders and headed to get my daughter, drawing strength from the knowledge that an army in leather waited to help us through whatever came next.
* * *
The pre-op area consisted of several “bays” separated by curtains.Knight lay on the narrow gurney, an IV already feeding clear fluid into his arm, while nurses moved around him.The thin hospital blanket did little to diminish his imposing presence.I sat in a chair beside him, my fingers intertwined with his, both of us silent as the monitors beeped a steady rhythm that matched his heartbeat.
A nurse with steel-gray hair checked his vitals, making notes on a tablet.“Everything looks good.The doctor will be in soon.You and your daughter are first on the list this morning.”
Knight nodded, his face unreadable to anyone who didn’t know him as I did.But I saw the tension in his jaw, the slight narrowing of his eyes.Not fear for himself, but concern for Brynn and me.He squeezed my hand, his palm warm against mine despite the chill of the room.
“How’s our girl?”he asked, voice rougher than usual.
“Sleeping,” I said, forcing steadiness into my words.“Ada’s with her.She’s doing OK.Was nervous earlier but putting on a brave face.”
Knight’s lips quirked.“Stubborn.Like her mother.”
“And her father,” I countered softly.
Another nurse entered, this one younger, with a no-nonsense expression.“We’ll be taking you down in about ten minutes, Mr.Leahy,” she announced, checking the IV line.“Dr.Patel’s already in OR One getting things ready.”
When she left, Knight’s grip on my hand tightened almost painfully.I met his eyes, those strange, tattooed eyes that probably should have terrified me, but I knew it for what it was.He’d needed to transform himself in order to fit into the new life where he’d been forced.Freaking people out was a good thing where he’d come from.
“Lavender,” he began, his voice dropping to that low register that seemed to vibrate directly through my bones.“There’s something I need to do before they take me.”
A flutter of anxiety passed through me.“What is it?Are you having second thoughts?”
“Christ, no.”His vehemence startled me.“Never about this.About saving Brynn.But there’s something…” He paused, his free hand moving beneath the blanket covering his lower half.“Something I should have done a long time ago.”He extracted a small, velvet box from somewhere within the folds of the hospital blanket.The sight of it made my breath catch, a sudden understanding dawning.
“I got this the week before the FBI kicked in my door,” Knight said, his tattooed fingers looking strangely delicate as they held the tiny box.“Had it all planned out.Dinner at that Italian place you liked, the one with the string lights in the garden.Down on one knee like a proper gentleman.”A bitter smile twisted his lips.“That didn’t exactly pan out.”I stared at the box, unable to form words.“The FBI took most of my shit, but my sister got to this first.Kept it in a safe deposit box all these years.”He opened the lid to reveal a simple diamond solitaire on a slender gold band, the stone catching the light in brilliant flashes.“It’s been waiting for you.Just like I have.”
“Knight,” I whispered, my throat suddenly tight.
“Marry me, Lavender,” he said, voice rough with emotion.“I should’ve given this to you years ago.And I know it’s crazy timing, but fuck, if today has taught me anything, it’s that we can’t waste any more time.”
Tears blurred my vision, hot and unexpected.“You carried a ring into the surgery area?”I laughed through my tears, the absurdity and perfect rightness of it overwhelming me.
“Had to bribe the nurse to smuggle it in from Ada this morning,” he admitted, a hint of that old mischief lighting his eyes.“Well?You gonna leave me hanging here?Not exactly in a position to get down on one knee.”
“Yes,” I said, the word escaping on a sob.“Of course, yes.”
His smile transformed his entire face, softening the hard edges, making him look momentarily like the young man I’d fallen in love with so many years ago.He removed the ring from its box with fingers that trembled slightly -- something I’d never witnessed from him before -- and slid it onto the third finger of my left hand.It fit perfectly.
I leaned down, careful of the wires and tubes, and pressed my lips to his.The kiss tasted sweet and so full of promise.Knight cupped my face, his thumb brushing away tears I hadn’t realized were falling.
“Been wanting to do that for eleven years, Lavender,” he murmured against my lips before kissing me once more.”
A discreet cough from the doorway broke us apart.The older nurse stood there, a knowing smile playing at her lips.“Got someone who’s going to see you before you go into surgery, Mr.Leahy.”She pulled the curtain next to us aside and Brynn looked over and smiled.Then her eyes widened as she spotted the ring on my finger, the diamond catching the fluorescent light.Even groggy from her pain meds, nothing escaped her notice.
